Hello, this is Ryan Smith, founder of OMG (Outdoor Ministry Groups). OMG is a men’s outdoor ministry group that launched with our first monthly gathering in November of 2021. That day we had a small 3.5-mile hike from my house to Friant Ave and back. When we arrived at Friant Ave., we came upon a roadside memorial built for a motorcyclist who had lost his life. We gathered around the memorial and prayed for the families involved in this loss. When we returned from the hike, we grilled hotdogs and had conversations about life. We had a group of 5 people and built friendships and bonds. You can view pictures on our website here.

I started OMG with the dream that other churches would start affiliate OMG chapters, and we have already been contacted by a neighboring church who wants to participate.

If you are interested in starting a chapter at your church, we want to help. As a chapter, your group will be listed on the omgfaith.org website, where you will be able to post information about your upcoming events and share stories and pictures from your past events on your chapter’s blog.

Below is some general information regarding becoming a chapter:

• We encourage planning events with activities that are safe and accessible for the typical person, such as hiking, kayaking, fishing, a trip to a lake, or to the snow, or mountain biking, etc.
• We also suggest, when possible, that a meal or Bar-B-Q should be part of the event plan.
• Each chapter is required to provide OMG with a liability waiver (usually provided by the church group involved).
• OMG is for men, 18-years-old and older. (We are open to having a woman’s chapter available in the future, but it will require a dedicated female leader to organize it.)
• Each church will do their own background check on their leadership and participants.

Contact me if you are interested in becoming a chapter.

Ryan Smith