Pro Staff

Rob Purdy has been an avid outdoorsman all his life. He has been blessed to fish and hunt the world over, including such places as Hawaii, Alaska and West Africa.

 

Rob and his wife Gerda reside in Bacliff, Texas, and he has been the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church of Seabrook since 2000.

 

For more than 25 years, Rob has filled key leadership positions in Men's Ministry. He is an integral part of the Blast & Cast Men's Ministries staff, where he currently serves as the Director of Volunteer Development. Rob continues to be the Key-Note Speaker for multiple events. He served as a past member of the Board of Directors, as well.

 

When asked why he is part of Blast & Cast Men's Ministries, Rob responded... "I've always felt called to Men's Ministry, particularly to outdoorsmen. Blast & Cast Men's Ministries is the best vehicle I've found to share the gospel with men."

Jon-Paul lives in Houston, TX and is a member of Bammel Church of Christ where is he is active in the youth mentorship program and various kid’s programs. A veteran himself, Jon-Paul is also active in men’s support groups where he has a passion for helping veterans and young men going through difficult times. Jon-Paul is an avid saltwater fisherman that competes professionally in the Elite Redfish Series, Rudy’s Redfish Series, and the Galveston Redfish series and is generally the type that has never met a stranger. He’s also an avid bow hunter that has traveled the world in pursuit big game species with his bow.

Robert is a tournament fisherman that spends 150 days a year on the water chasing redfish in the marshes around Sabine Lake. He lives in Groves, Tx with his wife Haley and their 2-year-old, and is a member of Life Church in Port Arthur. Robert is a solid fisherman that is fun to be on a boat with. I (Brodie) had the special privilege of baptizing Robert last year at a boat ramp in the Neches River…it’s something that I’ll always remember! We’re proud to have Robert on our team and we are stronger with him!

James lives in Vidor, Tx with his wife Christa. James is the principal of Vidor High School and a veteran of the Army National Guard. James and Christa attend Turning Point Church with their two sons, Bailey and Brady.  His involvement with his church includes serving as a life group leader and volunteering for various events.  James competes in 12-15 Redfish tournaments per year including the Galveston Redfish Series, the Backwater Challenge, and other tournaments along the middle and upper coast.

Charlie tries to play off the gruff exterior, notoriously not smiling for pictures when he’s up on stage winning money at tournaments. But, when you listen to others talk about him, and you learn more about what he has done for a lot of the anglers we compete with, it’s easy to see through the gruff exterior and see a man that genuinely cares about other outdoorsmen and goes above and beyond to help others… so long as it doesn’t include giving away his secret fishing holes! He’s extremely well respected among coastal fishermen, both professional and amateur alike, and is regarded as a man that competes with professionalism and character. Charlie lives in Rosenberg, Tx and is a member of the Journey Church. He is an avid kayak fisherman that fishes about 25 tournaments a year, mostly for redfish, including the GRS, LSKS, and Elite Kayak Series. He usually finishes well (but most folks believe that it’s due to his partnership with Scott Story, aka The Fish Whisperer). We are certainly a better team with Charlie on board!

Jarrod and his family are members of Servant United Methodist Church in Newton, but due to a very recent move to Livingston, TX are currently on the hunt for a fellowship to join there. Jarrod has doubled down in his service to our community as an Army veteran and a current a DPS Trooper and generally brings the type of upstanding character that is necessary for a strong witness on the tournament trail. He’s an avid bass fisherman that spends 60-70 days a year on the water and is active in various tournament trails throughout East Texas. We’re committed to bringing the Gospel to the bass tournament scene just like we have on the coast, and Jarrod is going to play a key role in doing so.

Coy lives in Corinth, TX and is an avid bass angler that puts a lot of work into the tournament trails that he competes in. As a result of that hard work, he’s very competitive in the tournament scene and has multiple wins behind him to prove it. He’s also pretty open about his aspirations to someday compete with the Elites at the top of the field! Interestingly, Coy also served as a youth pastor for 7 years prior to moving to the DFW area and even has a degree in youth/family ministry. That experience will prove useful as we partner together to point tournament bass fishermen to the cross. We’re really excited about this partnership as Coy will help us continue to grow our presence in the DFW area and help a great deal in our efforts to duplicate what we’ve done on the redfish tournament scene in the bass world.

Richard Wade lives in Comanche, TX with his wife and “Love of His Life”, Stephanie. Together they attend Lighthouse Church in Stephenville, TX. Richard is an avid fisherman and a full-time fishing guide. If you ask Richard why he serves on the Blast & Cast Men’s Ministries Pro-Staff, he would say… “I’m saved! I love the Lord and I’m willing to help build the kingdom of God. I’m diligent in sharing the testimony God has given me. The Lord is all I have! With that I embrace every moment to share the good news of Jesus Christ! God is so, so Good. I’m honored to partner with Blast and Cast Men’s Ministry and spread the news of Jesus Christ and lead others to the Cross!”

Steve lives in Lafayette, La and is a member of The Bayou Church in Lafayette. He is a regular on the Elite Redfish Series and Rudy’s Pro Series tour stops. This is a guy that is on the water nearly 200 days a year and owns 4 boats and a kayak to help him pursue redfish throughout coastal Louisiana. He’s also a guide, so you guys keep him in mind any time you’re interested in catching some Louisiana redfish. Steve has a very relatable testimony to share with other anglers on the tour. A lot of guys think that they need some traumatic or miraculous story in order to share an effective testimony about the impact God makes in their life… but that’s not true! What you need is a RELATABLE story of how God has changed your life. Real life stories that everyday guys can relate to are the key to sharing a testimony that leads others to the Lord…and Steve has those stories.

Please welcome Robbie McDonald to our Pro Staff team!

Robbie and his wife, Sabrina, live in Little Rock Arkansas and are members of First Baptist Church in Cabot, where Robbie serves as deacon. Robbie is a retired 32-year Army veteran, an avid hunter, and dedicated tournament angler who is focused on promoting bass fishing and sharing the Gospel.

Robbie's favorite quote is “The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.” It’s his favorite because the same is true of planting the seeds of God’s word!

We're excited to have Robbie on board to help develop a ministry presence in Arkansas and take the first steps to develop a leadership team in that region. Onward and outward! Welcome to the team Robbie!

Dean has experienced 30 years of hunting, fishing & guiding from the mountains of Kodiak Island, Alaska to the Tidal flats of coastal Florida. From the Colorado Rockies to the Texas Brush Country. His writing has appeared in many national magazines as well as daily devotionals that go out to thousands of people each day. He has published several faith based books. He’s also produced a hunting video with a great message on what’s truly important in hunting and life. Over the last 25 years Dean has appeared in many television outdoor programs and hunting videos. He has enjoyed speaking at many outdoor events and churches across the Midwest, sharing hunting stories and God’s love to all who will listen. Welcome to Blast & Cast Men’s Ministries, Dean! Coming Soon… Links to Dean Hulce books.

Please welcome Terry Neal​ to our Pro Staff team! Terry and his wife Jana live in Magnolia, Arkansas. They have 5 grandchildren that are a large part of their lives, and they are members of First Baptist Church of Magnolia (where Terry was a member as a youth). Terry has fished all his life, but he got hooked on fishing competitively about 30 years ago. Most of that has been in local and regional tournaments, but he's now in his 2nd year fishing the FLW Toyota Series as a co-angler. When Terry learned about Blast & Cast, he knew it was something he wanted to be a part of. He has a strong social media following in addition to countless relationships that have been built by working with the local college bass team. He hopes to combine the Blast & Cast platform with these relationships to win anglers to Christ. He said, "The older I get the more I realize how much more important that is than fishing!" We agree Terry, and we're glad to have you on board!  We want anglers who will use the Blast & Cast logo as an excuse to share a personal testimony about Jesus and introduce spiritual truth into conversations and relationships with other anglers.  Welcome to the team!

Shawn Hrubes is a charter fishing guide and tournament angler in South Louisiana.  This is his 3rd year with Blast & Cast Men's Ministries. When asked about his involvement in Blast & Cast, Shawn replied, "I am looking forward to meeting new people,  sharing my testimony, and leading men to Christ."

Please welcome Jim Hampton to our Pro Staff team! Mr. Jim is the owner of JH Custom Performance Rods, the title sponsor for our Coastal Texas group for 2020. He started fishing and hunting as a young boy with his grandfather in Louisiana, where he specialized as a squirrel 'dog' that would run around the trees and distract the squirrel so that his grandfather could get a shot. His family later moved to the Houston, TX area where he got into saltwater fishing heavily on Galveston Bay. Mr. Jim served our country in the Marines during the Vietnam War, returning home after being medevac'd out of Vietnam. After returning home, he took up tournament fishing in a big way. He fished numerous bass tournament trails before making the switch to redfish tournament trails with the arrival of the Redfish Cup and the FLW Redfish Tour. He is still very active in the redfish tournament scene today, both as a participant and a sponsor. In fact, the redfish tournament trail is how we first met Mr. Jim and started the relationship. Today, Mr. Jim is happily (very happily!) engaged to his fiance, Sandy, and lives in the League City, TX area. He's been getting more and more involved with Blast & Cast and has served as a title sponsor the last two years in addition to bringing numerous guests to our weekend events. I'm thrilled to bring Mr. Jim onto our staff team. It's a wonderful story of how the Blast & Cast ministry works! He watched us, listened to us, and studied us for a few years to see what we were about. Then, he came to a weekend event, heard testimonies that he could relate to and a message about Jesus that has stuck with him, started inviting others. Now, he's part of our team! The message of the cross spans generations and has the power to redeem, heal, and re-purpose. It's a great story, and it's a privilege to work alongside Mr. Jim in pointing outdoorsmen to the cross! We are honored to have you Mr. Jim!