When Lou Datillio went looking for a hunting-safety course for his son, Nick, he found a church home.
The course Datillio found was at New Covenant Christian Reformed Church in North Hampton, N.H., where state-certified instructors do the teaching.
There he met Les Houston, director of the church’s Sporting Club. Houston started the club five years ago to provide an outreach for outdoor people who frequently are not in church on Sunday.
Though Datillio had driven by the church for years, he’d never been inside. Houston invited him to a worship service, and before long Datillio was recruited to play guitar in the praise band. Now Datillio is a deacon and his wife, True, leads a book club and sings in the praise band. Their two sons and Lou’s two married children and their families attend New Covenant as well.
Houston said the Sporting Club, with activities that include a banquet featuring gray squirrel pie and marinated moose tips, has brought the church in contact with more than 1,000 people.
