Jacksonville native who plays for Cubs to speak at dinner
By Daniel Piotrowski
editor@jacksonvilleprogress.com
The Central Baptist Church men’s ministry will hold its fifth annual “Beast Feast” at 7 p.m. Jan. 30.
Guest speaker for the feast will be Jacksonville’s Micah Hoffpauir, who plays for Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. He will discuss the role of faith in his life and may even sign autographs.
Hoffpauir was selected by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2002 draft and made his Major League debut in 2008. He is in his eighth year in the Chicago system, and was named the club’s 2008 Minor League Player of the Year.
Hoffpauir is married to Tiffany Ballard Hoffpauir, of Jacksonville. The Hoffpauirs have one daughter, Addyson who was born in December 2008.
The men will supply and cook the wild game, which may include dove, quail, hog, pheasant, deer and alligator, for the feast. They will spend all day Saturday cooking, and invite anyone who would like to bring food to cook to bring it by for the all-you-can-eat event.
“There’s no telling what people might be bringing,” said ministry member Jeff Horton.
In addition to the feast, the ministry will hold a cooking contest in which the wild game will be prepared in a variety of ways. Contest entries can be dropped off at 6:30 p.m.
The men and anyone else who would like to participate can bring their favorite recipes. The ladies ministry will provide desserts.
“We really encourage everyone to bring their children and their grandchildren,” Horton said.
The event will also include door prizes for the kids and adults that will be given away periodically throughout the night. The big prize will be a gun — either a rifle or shotgun.
Community businesses are donating the door prizes, with proceeds going to the CBC men’s ministry, which will put it toward this year’s mission project. The men will be helping refurbish St. Paul’s Baptist Church, including providing labor and materials.
“We’re not going to just throw money at them, we are going to help,” Horton said.
Ministry member Joe Casey said they want to partner with and reach out to the St. Paul’s community. He said they are not just looking to give a donation, they plan to give “sweat equity” as well,
Past mission projects took the men’s ministry members to Africa and Germany.
Tickets for the “Beast Feast” are $10 per person. Horton said they would like to see everyone come.
For more information, call 903-586-2215.
