Tag Archives: Agape Farm and Retreat Center

by

Adventurefest 2023 “Enter Through The Narrow Gate”

Our first visitor to our camp site.

“John- look who is coming your way to welcome you to Adventurefest 2023!” We chuckled at the inquisitive reptile who seemed to be quite interested in John Casuccio’s blue rubber boots. Due to unforseen circumstances, I missed Adventurefest last year but was determined to attend this year. We had a great group of guys setting up our tents and settling in for the weekend at the annual Christian men’s outdoor festivities at Agape Farm in Shirleysburg, Pa. 167 guys settled in for a weekend of camping, mini-bike riding, fishing, drone flying, Harley riding, and mountain bike riding at the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake. Greg Nass is a pastor who organizes the weekend with a really responsive crew and his diligence makes the schedule and the weekend flow as smoothly as possible. We had great weather this year as well.

Greg Nass and the uber positive Mark” the Shark” Sauers

So what is Adventurefest actually and who are the Adventuremen? Tough to put your finger on because it is such a diverse group. But most of the guys are normal Joes who call themselves Christians, and generally have families, are happily married, and seem to like to congregate at Agape Farm every year for many reasons. Some are trying to get their lives back together after a background of alcohol abuse, drug abuse and some crime. Sure, it is great fun to camp and get away with a group of guys who have like- minded interests. All the activities are great and there is always something fun going on. But where the rubber meets the road is when the Assembly of God preachers take the stage after some great music by the Morgan Dolan Band. The theme of the weekend was the passage” enter through the narrow gate.” Most people take the wider road or path, but to take the narrow gate takes conviction and is not easy to do in life. Matthew 7-verses 13-14. Look it up for context.

Friday night……..

After camp set ups, the men all assembled for opening remarks by Greg Nass and Pastor Michael Ragozzino took the stage. Now most people would think that a pastor would be a quiet, pious type with a poignant message spoken in a demure way. Not Michael. He freely shared his background growing up on the North Side of Pittsburgh. 32 rehabs, prison time, heroin addiction at 16, armed robbery for a $500.00 a day habit which put him into several years of incarceration. Finally at the suggestion of his mother, he turned his life around and learned about the Christian faith. He became a pastor and now has a wonderful wife and family and serves in a church in Somerset, Pa. His passionate message to us was that it is never too late. Everyone has a mission no matter what their background is. We left the long building marveling at his faith, his passion and his willingness to be open about a very tough background.

Lights out at midnight.

Saturday…….

John suggested to me that we had another visitor to our camp early in the dark morning. He heard a large movement right outside his tent and a deep measured breath of a large animal which John in his silence thought was definitely a bear. For some reason the turtle, and now a bear, seemed to be sending John a message or was inquisitive about this guy from Moon Township. We laughed about it over our breakfast with our group of ruffians camped near the little lake on the property.

The affable John Casuccio- musing about his nocturnal visit from the bear.
Bob and Gus manning the cooking stations. Fortunately, all the food was in the trucks each night.
The Adventuremen Mountain Bikers at Raystown.

After breakfast and before the group headed to Raystown ( more on this ride next week), we listened to a message from Pastor Duane Goodling who gave an informative talk about the validity of the Bible. He gave us all a sheet with some interesting talking points. Things like- read the Bible. Know what is in the Bible to know what not is in the Bible. There are normative and prescriptive passages in the Bible which can explain some fundamental misunderstandings. Things that were written for the people of the time and things that were written that are timeless. We all were glued to that sheet and were really locked into the message from Pastor Duane which seemed to answer many questions and led to the conclusion that the inspired word of God is the truth. It is not subject to interpretation other than to understand the difference between the normative and prescriptive context.

After a great mountain bike ride at Raystown, we all headed to a delicious meal at Little New York in Huntington, Pa. ( Don’t miss that one if you get there.) Great Greek and Latin specialties. We then returned to the camp and ate a little more before we headed back up to the long building to hear what turned out to be an inspiring message by the Evangelist Tim Bennett. Look him up on Facebook or Google him. http://www.bennettministries.com He and his wife have an amazing evangelistic ministry based out of Mt. Morris, Pa. With great exuberance expected by an Assembly of God pastor and evangelist, Tim flew all over the room with relentless energy as he told us all to “raise the standard” in our lives. There are so many things going on today that are in total defiance to fundamental principles and the message to all of us as Christian men, husbands, fathers, and heads of households was to raise the standards and make a difference in the lives of all that we encounter. Don’t be judgmental. Be welcoming but speak the truth in love. Tim talked about financial troubles and said that if ” you go about your Father’s business, your Dad will always cover the bill.” “Your talent is a gift from God. What you do with it is your gift back to Him.” He was like a machine gun with all of these sayings and really lit up the room even though most of the men were tired from all the day’s activities. But Tim lit a fire under all of us and if you have never heard a Pentecostal message from an evangelist, put it on your list of ” to do”. You will not regret it and you will never forget it. Tim didn’t want us to leave from the weekend without considering what we would do to honor the Lord in everything we do from this day forward. He ignited the room and challenged the Adventuremen. People need hope these days and the timeless message of Christianity fits that bill. Providing hope and comfort in a world full of division, angst, and troubles. Tim challenged the group to put it out there and provide that message of hope. Don’t be afraid. You are giving people good news.

Pastor Dwayne Goodling.

A lot of people think that Christians are above it all, judgmental and condescending. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fact is we all acknowledge our sinfulness, limitations, and shortfalls and although we all may not have stories like Pastor Mike and his Northside days, we all have stories where we need redemption. We are all just normal Joes trying to get along in this life as husbands and fathers. All of you who know me, are aware that I am just a normal guy. I have a good sense of humor, I care about people, and I am interested in bettering my life and also hoping to make a difference in this world among my family and my treasured friends. Adventurefest and the Adventuremen do that for me. If you are interested in the organization, please go to www. Adventuremen.org I am honored to be on their board of directors. Come to Adventurefest next year and maybe try one of our Dirt Church mountain bike rides. We get all kinds. Believers, non-believers, good riders, not so good riders, but we have a good time with great food afterwards with a good message from Greg and The Shark. Come on out! Thanks for reading.

Beautiful Raystown Lake

by

ADVENTUREFEST 2021

So, I am laying in my tent Friday night listening to the Biblical rains falling on my rain fly and hoping that it will stay dry for me as I get through the night of really foul weather at Adventurefest 2021. For those of you who might be wondering what in the world is Adventurefest, it is a really spectacular weekend of men getting together at Agape Farm and Retreat Center in Shirleysburg, Pa. It is an annual thing that my friend Mark (aka Shark) Sauers and I attend in the mountains of central Pa where there is axe throwing, bon fires, drones, bike tosses, motorcycling, mini-bike riding and for us mountain biking at Raystown. Typical frivolity for a group of 150 or so of us who get together to camp and listen to really great messages from pastors affiliated with the Assembly of God Church.

So, before you hit the click button, give me a chance here to explain the good news presented by the pastors starting with Jonathan Wyns on Friday night as the welcoming speaker. Accompanied to the ” Long Building” by the musical excellence of the Morgan Dolan band, we were treated to a message that initiated the theme for the weekend called ” Boots on the Ground.” A military term basically adapted to the message of getting into your boots and moving forward to present the good news of the Gospel to your friends and family and having the courage to stand up and be the men that we were created to be- as husbands, fathers, and friends. The typical misconception of Christian messaging today is that it is condescending, or ” above it all.” When really the opposite is true when you hear testimonies of guys who sold drugs, used drugs, recovering alcoholics, and general sinners expressing their need for the saving message that Jesus died for our sins and welcomes us into His fold if we only believe. That is it. A positive message if I ever heard one and one that I feel needs to be shared. Shark always says why wouldn’t we share good news? Like telling our friends and family about a good restaurant or a good bike or a good pair of skis. Stuff that we do all the time. Why not share the good news of the Gospel? I did not grow up in the Pentecostal tradition so over the years it took me a little time to understand and be comfortable with the vigor of the messages presented and received by the men. But let me tell you, if you have ever heard an Assembly of God preacher, you will not forget it. Whether you are a believer, have faith, or have no faith, listening to one of these guys stirs something deep in your soul that at the very least will make you think. Jonathan started that and as we made our way back to our soggy tents, I definitely thought about what the heck is going on in our world and what I need to do to at least try to make it a little better.

Saturday morning welcomed us with brilliant sunshine and after I cranked up the Jet Boil and prepared the Shark breakfast, he spoke to a group of 20 or so early risers about the need to move forward like the disciples did in the book of Acts. For those of you who know the Shark, he is a fun loving guy but never sell him short on his faith. The man can present. I was so impressed with my friend’s message about the rag tag group of fishermen who changed the world. The mountain biking at Raystown Lake never disappoints and we connected with our Adventurefest friend Roger Evans from West Virginia. Roger always rides with us and is a quality guy who we really like. Strong rider too. It was just the three of us this year riding but we connected with a young lady from Sunbury , Pa who turned out to be a terrific rider and gave us all we could handle with her riding skills and fitness. Sarah from Sunbury.

Saturday evening the band struck up again and the speaker was a retired fireman from Buffalo who is now a pastor with AOG. Tom Sember gave all of some sobering statistics like percentages of men who are absent in the lives of their children. Percentages of guys in prison who had no father growing up or an absent father. Inner city statistics of kids with no fathers or father figures. Really heart wrenching and Tom, in the AOG preacher tradition, put it out there strongly to us to be the men we are supposed to be regardless of the culture we live in today. Boots on the ground and take that step forward. He kind of resonated with me because I tend to not be a pushy person and am a little shy about sharing the gospel unless people give me an opening. But he said he didn’t care if people thought he was a “Jesus freak”. ” Who cares ?” he said, and we should not care either if we share good news especially in this tumultuous world that we live in. Sleeping in my dry tent again, and looking up at the stars, I thought a lot about what Tom said and rested comfortably after a good ride, good dinner, and really great fellowship and preaching.

One of the great traditions of Adventurefest is the late night hike up the mountain to a wooden cross. It is there that guys present their life stories and how the Gospel has changed them. Growing up like I did, I had it pretty good. But listing to these guys from inner city Philadelphia give their testimonies about where they have been and where they are now and hammering a nail into that cross symbolizing that they are giving it all to the Lord to fix, I am always stunned. Greg Nass, the director of Adventuremen and Adventurefest works tirelessly with his amazing staff, for a year to put on this event and no matter how tired he is, he is always there at that cross and hammering a nail in for our children. That they grow up and know the Lord. Greg is an amazing individual.

Pastor Jimmie Rivera from the City Limits Assembly of God in Allentown,Pa. presented the closing message on Sunday. After Shark and I packed up right before another torrential thunderstorm, we made our way to the Long Building and sat in the front row to listen to a truly amazing preacher. Like I said before, AOG preachers are not shy and Jimmie talked about the courage of Joshua in the Old Testament in very graphic terms that had men wriggling in their seats. But the message was consistent with Boots on the Ground in that Joshua had great faith and put one foot in front of the other, and crossed the Jordan River to victory over the enemy. The perspiration was coming down Pastor Jim’s face as he put it out there about the importance of commitment and not to go back to the norm on Monday morning. Make a difference and be the man, father, husband, friend, you are supposed to be.

So if you haven’t clicked me off yet and are asking yourself, ” McCloskey- what on earth are you doing out in the middle of nowhere sleeping in a tent with a bunch of rowdies every year?” The answer is simple – good news to be shared. Mountain bikes, grills going strong, bacon, drones, basketball, mini-bikes, motorcycles, bon fires, fishing, camping- all make Adventurefest fun. But the messaging all make sleeping in the tent and roughing it a little out of the norm so worthwhile. Come to Adventurefest next year. Ask me, Shark or Greg Nass about it and we will give you details. Thanks for not clicking and reading.

” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3-16

by

Adventure Fest 2017

The outdoor camping weekend was touted as ” the greatest salty meat, campfire cooking, big fartin, Jesus praising weekend ever.” I accepted the invitation of my good friend Mark ” the Shark” Sauers to attend this event and Greg Nass, the organizer, is an old friend from my mountain biking days with the Dirt Rag Magazine crew.

Now I have been to a lot of church outings in my life but this one was intriguing because of the camping aspect( I love sleeping under the stars in my dome tent), and also the chance to ride mountain bikes at the nationally famous Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake, Pa. But little did I know the impact of this weekend on me courtesy of a bunch of axe throwing, Harley riding, arrow shooting, hiking, biking, sinners from all over the tri-state area. Pulling in Friday night, the Shark and I set up our campsite on a wooded part of the 350 acre Agape Farm and Retreat Center. Once I had my Jet Boil fired up and cooking some freeze dried cuisine courtesy of the REI camping department on the South Side of Pittsburgh, we made our way down to perhaps the largest bonfire that I had ever seen in my life. Testosterone was high as the men sat in their camp chairs taking in the fire and listening to the opening remarks from Greg Nass.

After the intros were given, we were asked to welcome the first speaker of the weekend, Pastor Jerry Conley, who came roaring into the site in his Harley, floppy hat, goggles, and pipes blazing. His group the Midnight Riders accompanied him and as he began to tell his story, the group was gripped with his testimony relating to his life before he came to be a believer in the redemptive story of Jesus. One of the misconceptions of Christians these days is that they are condescending and look down on people thinking they are better than the next guy, preachy, pointing fingers. But nothing could be further from the truth with these guys who all recognize their faults and the need to have a Savior in their lives. The Christian message is really a wonderfully freeing message and this seemed to be the theme of the weekend. Pastor Tom Rees spoke on relationships and also gave a great visual of sharing the Gospel in the proper manner. I asked the Shark how he spreads the good news of the Gospel without offending anyone. He said he treats it like he is sharing the good news of a good restaurant in a town where a friend will be visiting. They don’t have to eat there and he doesn’t brow beat them into eating there. He just shares with them the message because he cares for them. He said, “Paddy- don’t I care for you? Wouldn’t I want to share news of a great pair of skis with you?” I sat in amazement at the commitment and the caring spirit of the Shark which only got better as we made our way to Raystown Lake the next morning to ride the trails of Allegrippis.

We ended up riding with a good rider from West Virginia named Roger, and a pastor from Leechburg, Todd, and his friend Bill. Turns out Todd roasts his own coffee and is a good road and mountain bike rider and his friend Bill had a lot of experience riding as well. We were treated to dry, flowy trails with lots of interesting transitions and scenic views of Raystown Lake. Halfway through the ride, The Shark pulls over and shares his testimony of his mission trip in the Amazon jungle. Todd, Bill, Roger and I sat in silence as we listened to the stories of anacondas, aggressive native tribes and the danger of sharing the Gospel. Looking to each side of us I noticed a guy that had stopped with his four kids and two other random guys listening to Shark’s story. We all remarked that those kids were wide eyed and you never know unless you put it out there, what impact you might have by sharing the message of Christian salvation. Believe in what He did for you. John 3:16. Again, I sat in silence and watched the Shark in action. An amazing person not afraid or embarrassed in the least. Good News shared. We treated ourselves to a great lunch at Smitty’s Eats and Treats. Perhaps the best pork bar-b-que sandwich I had ever eaten made with fresh pork from a local farm. The young lady working the counter was delightful and if you ride Raystown, stop in and see Smitty. Good guy with great food.

Saturday night, there was a midnight hike to a large wooden cross at the top of the mountain. As the inner city guys from Front Street Community Church and the Philadelphia Bible Fellowship hiked up that trail, lots of them had joyous hearts knowing that they had been saved from the brink of disaster. I realized that I lead a sheltered life when I heard the stories of drugs, violence, guns, and alcoholism. I saw tough looking inner city guys kneeling at that cross crying out of thankfulness and when the Pastor conducting the service asked all of us to pound a nail into that cross symbolizing that we are leaving all of our guilt and shame up on that cross on that mountain, the vision of those city tough guys was nothing short of amazing. Tattoos and tears!!!

Wrapping up Sunday with a great message by Pastor Robert Bennett of Jakes Run Assembly of God in West Virginia, I learned something that I had not known. When Joshua defeated the enemy at the Walls of Jericho, he screamed at the end of the battle……Tetelestai!!!!- it is finished. The same words uttered by Christ when He finished his mission on the cross. Tetelestai!!!!! It is Finished. You don’t do anything……He did it. All you do is believe.  Again- I sat in silence contemplating what I had seen that weekend.

I would recommend Adventure Fest to anyone who wants to hear the Good News in an incredibly beautiful setting. For more information, check out http://www.adventuremen.org These mountain biking, air gun shooting, Harley riding, RV driving, archery and camping guys are sure fun to hang with. Thanks for reading and thanks to the Shark for many things.