Life Church offers a unique program targeted at men of all ages. Wild At Heart University (WAHU) Summit brings guys from various Life Church campuses together for a weekend to hear teachings from God’s word to encourage them to be better men.
“In 2011, I approached Pastor Nathan and told him I wanted to start a life group for men based on the book Wild at Heart,” Teise said. “He gave me the thumbs up, and we started out with two guys and now we are over 260 WAHU graduates.”
Teise says the program is open to all men aged 16 and over, not just those who attend Life Church. Men are encouraged to bring their sons or their friends.
“I have a heart for men,” Gary Teise said. “I was once of the world till God got a hold of me and showed me that I was fighting on the wrong side. He cleaned me up and I wanted to get other men excited and turned to the right side of life. I read the book by John Eldgride, Wild at Heart, and it changed how I viewed the world. It showed me that there is a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.”
However, the WAHU Mighty Men Summit is not only about the book. Event organizers also interweave other studies into the program in order to increase the impact. Teise says he’s heard from wives that they have seen positive changes in their husbands from taking the nine-week course.
“Nine weeks seems like a lot of weeks, but we ask men at the midpoint if they wished it were more than nine weeks and all say yes,” Teise said. “That is why we offer other sessions within our group like Bait of Satan, Way of the Master, Holy Spirit, and Beautiful Outlaw to name a few. That is why we call it Wild At Heart University.”
Teise said that ultimately, the point of WAHU is to show men who God intended them to be.
“I was tired of seeing dads portrayed in Disney movies or shows as weak or stupid,” Teise said. “The shows depicted an absent dad or male mentor. Same thing with commercials making men look stupid.”
Want to learn more and sign up for the WAHU Summit on March 10 and 11? Go to WAHU.biz for more information. Registration for this year’s summit ends Feb. 26.