What is it? A men’s retreat, equal parts exhortation and strength competition.
Exhortation: Bible study to grow and encourage Christian men.
Strength Competition: Summer events to test your mettle and drive you to excellence, including: Sled Drag & Sled Pull, Tire Flip, Medicine Ball Hurl, Farmer's Carry, and more!
When is it? Saturday, July 26, 2025
Where is it?
Hosted at Concordia Lutheran Church, Fairhaven, MN
Who is it for? Christian boys and men of all ages. The strength competition will be broken into several divisions based on age.
Why? Bodily training is of some value (1 Timothy 4:8), and when we use it to help our training in godliness, it finds its highest purpose. Men are called to be strong in the fulfillment of their duties, and we do best when we band together and build one another up.
What’s the (tentative) schedule?
7:00-8:00 am: Breakfast & Bible Study
8:00-8:30 am: Morning Prayer
8:30-9:00 am: Warmup & practice reps
9:00 am-12 pm: Competition
12-1 pm: Feast & Awards
1-2 pm: Bible Study & Dismissal
What’s the cost?
$20 for adults (18+), free for under-18 and non-competitors.
How do I register?
What if I have a bad back? Or I can’t do any pullups? Or I don’t know what a farmer carry is?
Sign up anyways! Join in the competition to whatever extent you can, and be encouraged by a bunch of brothers cheering you on to success! More info about the events can be found on the website.
If none of the events is in the cards for you, no worries! We could use some help running the strength competition, and there'll be an opportunity to join in some less strenuous competition (think arm-wrestling, or corn hole, or something like that) depending on our numbers.
Should I train? How?
Yes! When you sign up, you’ll receive regular e-mails with tips and encouragement for training.
How’s the competition scored?
Your rank in each of the four events will be added together to give your final score. That means the lowest score wins. The best possible score is the number of events, first place in every event. That’s a highly unlikely result, and with the variety of events, an advantage in one event may prove a disadvantage in another. Depending on the number of registrants, we will likely have several divisions.
Is there a prize for the winner?
Absolutely.
What if I’m coming from out of town? Is there somewhere I could crash?
If you’re coming from out of town, there will be a few options for overnight accommodations besides a hotel. Just reach out to Pastor Buchs (david.buchs@gmail.com), and we’ll get to work on finding you a place to stay!