By Matt Sigler/The Natchez Democrat

Although the “Ironmen” of First Baptist Church in Natchez are still in their infancy, their impact on the community has already been felt.

“Ironmen started two years ago as an ecumenical gathering of guys,” said associate pastor and Ironmen member Dallas Dykes. “It gives men through the Natchez area an opportunity to come together and eat lunch once a week and have a devotional during that time.”

Now the Ironmen are turning to the community for help, as they prepare for their second annual sporting clays event this Saturday.

“This is our annual fundraiser that allows us to do mission work and meet the needs that we see in the community,” said event coordinator Leo Joseph III.

The Ironmen group has nearly 100 members as of now, and is frequently involved in community service projects.

“Out of our weekly gathering came the desire to really have the group be more than what it was,” said Dykes. “It began to be about doing work and service projects, and this group of men has been active the past couple of years in helping the community.”

The group is coming off a big turnout from last year that raised more than $10,000. Group members hope to see an even bigger turnout this year.

“We are really fortunate that the people of Natchez have helped support our efforts,” said Joseph. “We had 17 event sponsors and 14 station sponsors last year, and this year we’ve got 20 event sponsors and 18 station sponsors.”

Joseph said that he also anticipates the team turnout to increase from 21 to 25.

The event will give participants a chance to shoot 100 times in different hunting situations, with scores being kept and prizes given based on the number of targets hit.

Contestants will also be fed lunch and share in a devotional during that time.

The group is still looking for more participants and sponsors, as well. An event sponsor will be $750, while a station sponsorship will be $500 with a team and $350 without.

The cost to enter a team is $300 and individually is $75.

Despite the need and want to raise money, the Ironmen are also hoping to raise awareness of the group.

“Obviously, we want to raise as much money as we can, but this is also an outreach event,” Joseph said. “It is a dual-purpose thing for us.”

Joseph has seen the impact Ironmen has had on his life and hopes that it will be able to touch someone else as well.

“It has exposed me to more Christian men in the community,” he said. “It introduced me to some role models that I otherwise would not have met.”

The event will be held at 17 Sunnyside Plantation Road.

For more information or to register a team, contact Joseph at 601-493-4631.