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ADVERTISEMENT
A chance to mix wrestling, God in Lodi
Are you ready to rumble?
And hear a little bit about Christ in the process?
Well, you can have a little of both next week, as several wrestlers will come to Lodi for a trade show, autograph signings, testimony about their relationship with God and Jesus Christ, and seven actual matches in the ring at Vinewood Community Church, 1900 W. Vine St.
"I'm looking for a different kind of way to get the gospel out," said Pastor Jim McClelland of New Hope Free Will Baptist Church, who is putting on Saturday's event along with Kasey Voorheis, owner of New World Pizza, formerly known as Pizza World.
Jim Myers, known as George "The Animal" Steele, who turned 72 last week, said he usually speaks at churches near his Florida home, but he made an exception this time.
"I don't travel time zones very often," Steele said in a phone interview last week from Florida. "When I learned it was for a church, that's why I decided to take the trip."
The Animal competed in the World Wrestling Federation, qualifying for its Hall of Fame. He appeared in several movies, including "Ed Wood," and became a Christian in 2001.
Wrestling schedule at a glance
Saturday7 a.m.: Breakfast with former WWF wrestler Ted DiBiase at New World Pizza (formerly known as Pizza World), 651 N. Cherokee Lane. Cost is $15.
9-5: Trade show, wrestlers’ autographs, memorabilia for sale at Vinewood church gym. Admission is $5, or $65 for admission and autographs from eight wrestlers. A professional photographer will be available to take pictures of people with their favorite wrestler and sell the photos.
7 p.m.: Wrestling at Vinewood gym. In addition to wrestling on the mat, Steve “Dr. Death” Williams will discuss what Christianity means to him. Admission is $15.
Pastor Jim McClelland and restaurant owner Kasey Voorheis, who are running the wrestling show, are offering a package deal on Saturday for $99. That includes admission to the trade show and ringside seats to the wrestling match, eight autographs and dinner with the wrestlers after the match at New World Pizza.
Half the proceeds will benefit Building Blocks, a program run by McClelland and his wife, Kathy, who distribute food and other items to the needy and does various community service projects.
For more information and tickets, call 368-4444. For more information on wrestler/evangelist Ted DiBiase, visit www.milliondollarman.com. For more on George “The Animal” Steele, visit www.georgetheanimalsteele.com.
Sunday
10:15 a.m.: Ted DiBiase will speak during the service at Century Assembly, 550 W. Century Blvd., Lodi. There is no admission charge.
Source: News-Sentinel staff
"It's just changed my life," he said.
Here are the wrestlers who will be in Lodi on Saturday:
Each of the seven wrestlers will vie against wrestlers from California who compete in their own wrestling shows, Voorheis said.
Besides Steele, two other wrestlers will be available for autographs and pictures — Ted DiBiase, known as The Million Dollar Man, and Tito Santana, of New Jersey.
DiBiase will appear on Friday at Mokelumne River School and Jim Elliot Christian High School, and will participate in a special breakfast on Saturday and speak at a service on Sunday at Century Assembly.
McClelland never thought he would get into a fund-raising wrestling promotion. As a regular customer at New World Pizza, he and wife, Kathy, learned that Voorheis planned to bring some wrestlers to Lodi. Voorheis asked the McClellands if they wanted to team up on the effort.
Voorheis has been involved in wrestling promotions for 10 to 12 years, meeting a wrestler named Bret Harte through a mutual friend. Through Harte, he met several more wrestlers and began booking them.
According to his Web site, DiBiase has traveled the world as a wrestler for the World Wrestling Federation to such locations as Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Louisiana Superdome, the Toronto Skydome, the Tokyo Dome and Wembly Stadium in London.
DiBiase became a professional wrestler in the summer of 1975 and joined the WWF as The Million Dollar Man in 1987.
After writing a biography called "Every Man Has His Price," DiBiase became a full-time evangelist and motivational speaker through Heart of David Ministries. Officially ordained into the ministry, he speaks to churches, youth groups, men's meetings, corporate businesses and in public schools and universities throughout the country.
Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.
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Reader Feedback
Mystery Girl wrote on Apr 27, 2009 11:35 AM:
" resorting to gimmicks in a church is an admission that their preaching has failed "
Where?
Mystery Girl.xx "
tanner b wrote on Apr 27, 2009 10:01 AM:
Mystery Girl wrote on Apr 27, 2009 3:24 AM:
I am not sure what the wrestling and pizza will do for the gospel message.
It is less than the Word will be doing alone in getting to grips with truth.
I would have loved to have seen it and I could have had my pizza and eaten it too. If you have the real deal you do not need gimmicks. If atheists understood the truth then they could talk about this, rather than their take on what they believe 'Christians' to be doing. As for the wrestlers and the gospel message it is wasted on deaf ears. I wonder if there will be any ear ticklers at the meeting.
Mystery Girl.xx "
Lodian wrote on Apr 26, 2009 7:11 PM:
voter wrote on Apr 26, 2009 3:49 PM:
Lodian wrote on Apr 26, 2009 12:56 PM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 26, 2009 12:09 PM:
Rhodie v2.0 wrote on Apr 26, 2009 10:16 AM:
On the other hand there is merit in using what you have to reach people where they are. If you have a sports actor (sorry can't call a pro-wrestler and athlete) who can reach people then it makes sense to use him. Though a testimonial would be more suitable I think, and more powerful than a westling match. I got the flier for Sponge Bob and was disgusted. I don't know what Sponge Bob can possiblly do to add to the Easter events other than entertain kids (in our house S.B. is banned).
Just a side-note, do any of you remember that travel group that were weight lifters for God? They would do feats of stregth WHILE giving testimonies. "
Lee wrote on Apr 25, 2009 5:04 PM:
Robb wrote on Apr 25, 2009 5:01 PM:
Robb wrote on Apr 25, 2009 4:59 PM:
Lodian wrote on Apr 25, 2009 11:25 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 24, 2009 2:05 PM:
God's robes have pockets? Jesus needs a wad o' cash for...???
No, the event is for no other reason than to commercialize religion (even MORE?? LOL!) to rake in cash for the organizers.
What was that rotten old thief's name that said if he didn't get about 8 million dollars God would kill him?? Remember that? Wasn't that hog Falwell, it was one of the other Godly men.
Now we've progressed from sobbing alligator tears to get the old widows to reach for their checkbook, to putting on The Ultimate Smackdown (Come for the Cage Fight and Blood, stay for the Brotherly Love!) and SpongeBob Easter Bunny Egg/iPod hunts for Jesus. What a bunch of mixed-up garbage they've created - but don't worry; once they're inside the door the reprogramming will fix everything.
Religion may cause insanity, but greed sure spawns creativity... just look how many ways the charletans get money away from the dupes "
Lodian wrote on Apr 24, 2009 10:19 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 24, 2009 9:45 AM:
This wrestling circus thing is multitudes more ridiculous even than the "Grafitti for Jesus" foolishness the Lodi News-Sentinel Church Newsletter published a few months ago. "
Lodian wrote on Apr 24, 2009 9:27 AM:
salt wrote on Apr 24, 2009 8:03 AM:
voter wrote on Apr 23, 2009 10:07 PM:
voter wrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:41 PM:
voter wrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:34 PM:
Seriously, I laughed out loud when I read this in the paper. And then I was sorta sad. Imagine Jesus walking into Vinewood Community Church and finding they were charging admission to watch a 72 year old wrestler and his buddies beating each other senseless with folding chairs before the sermon. According to the Bible, he was pretty upset when he found moneychangers at the temple. "
Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:06 PM:
weezer wrote on Apr 23, 2009 4:53 PM:
davidd wrote on Apr 23, 2009 4:06 PM:
Sure, half of the proceeds are going to a great local organization. But that's after the pizza place, speakers/entertainers, and anyone else that takes their share. I'd love to see just how many proceeds are left.
Why can't other non-profit events, or even commercial ones that benefit non-profts, get this kind of free coverage? Do they have to have a religious slant to be newsworthy? "
weezer wrote on Apr 23, 2009 3:56 PM:
Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 3:15 PM:
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 23, 2009 2:10 PM:
My main point is all these fringe ideas to lure people into a church building is a slippery slope into the chasm of apostate religions, trying hard not offend the lost with the gospel message. Where does it end? Some churches want to poll the unchurched population to see what they want in a church. Come on! Isn't it ultimately God who calls us to Him? Never before has culture infiltrated the Christian church as it is attempting to do now, yet for centuries people have come to Christ without embracing culture to make church entertaining. The church doesn't exist for entertainment, it must be for education. You can get entertainment anywhere, where else are you going to hear the truth, and be continually spiritually fed and experience spiritual maturity?
As per the Apostles teaching, the people responding solely to the gospel, risking their very lives to proclaim Jesus the King of all kings.
That's as anti-culture as can be, yet thousands were added to the church daily. Wow! "
Bob Loblaw wrote on Apr 23, 2009 1:10 PM:
weezer wrote on Apr 23, 2009 1:05 PM:
weezer wrote on Apr 23, 2009 1:04 PM:
The best way to draw people to God is to live a life that's acceptable to God. "
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 23, 2009 12:56 PM:
Only men's interests are being served by churches in modern times. Big crowds mean heavy collection plates and only that - nothing else - is what drives corporate religion in this country. "
Bob Loblaw wrote on Apr 23, 2009 12:47 PM:
Jesus vs. Satan cage match = best South Park episode ever! "
Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 12:38 PM:
4AStrongLodi wrote on Apr 23, 2009 12:03 PM:
I can't imagine a place I'd be less interested in going. "
Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 11:44 AM:
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 23, 2009 10:33 AM:
Churches are made up of believers not of the unregenerate. "
Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 10:18 AM:
Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 10:15 AM:
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 23, 2009 10:09 AM:
Special events, light shows, holes in jeans, comedic "pastors" who gloss over God's wrath - sin - Hell, the absolute authority of the Bible; hip, catchy names for choirs and Bibles classes, are wasteful pursuits as they will never usurp God will. How arrogant of those who think they can outsmart God's will and somehow trick people into a relationship with God.
The Bible is crystal clear on how church should be done, and conversely how it shouldn't be done.
God calls who He wills. "
Bob Loblaw wrote on Apr 23, 2009 10:05 AM:
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:53 AM:
In the first century church the biggest obstacle for church growth was not persecution and the possible death for proclaiming Christ as Lord. The church grew tremendously amidst overt persecution. People still believed and came. The biggest problem were people coming for the wrong reasons.
Ananias and Sapphira entered the church with wrong motives and were struck dead on the spot. Great fear gripped the entire church when everyone heard what had happened. God takes church seriously and our reasons for having church must align with Scripture (Book of Acts) and our motives pure for attending, or we should stay away. "
Audi 5000 wrote on Apr 23, 2009 9:36 AM:
All this to say Christianity does not need to be watered down, repackaged, candy-coated, or reinvented; and numbers and crowds do not define the credibility of a church.
Church services are for the assembly of believers, and therefore must provide spiritual food to its congregation, not the spiritually dead.
Trying to socially accepted is at best a dangerously slippery slope to avoid. "
Zeke0607 wrote on Apr 23, 2009 8:37 AM:
Bob Loblaw wrote on Apr 23, 2009 8:03 AM:
Bob Loblaw wrote on Apr 23, 2009 8:00 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 23, 2009 7:04 AM:
Say, since you're here, did you make the big SpongeBob Squarepants/Easter Bunny Easter Egg Hunt with free iPods to lure in the kids? That wasn't a mixed message at all, was it? "
Cogito wrote on Apr 23, 2009 6:48 AM:
Billy Rubin wrote on Apr 23, 2009 6:14 AM:
Comments on this story are now closed.