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Paden resident Alex Holman is much like many young Oklahoma men — he enjoys the thrill of a good hunting trip.
Over the years, the soon-to-be ordained minister has accumulated trophies ranging from whitetail bucks to a large bull elk, and a bison bull that tipped the scales at 1,800 pounds.
What separates Holman from most hunters, however, is his affliction of cerebral palsy. He uses a wheelchair or canes for mobility, but doesn’t let that stop him from bellying up to the blind like any other sportsman.
“I don’t fit the stereotype of your typical handicapped person,” Holman said.
He said “handicapped” is a title, and the individual bearer of that title decides the extent of its effects.
“You can still have a life, and still be used by God,” he said.
Holman began hunting at the age of 7. His father, Kendall Holman, had been a hunter for many years but had slowed down in his pursuit of game. His son’s interest took him back into the woods.
“I was his excuse to keep hunting,” Holman said.
Holman connected with a four-point whitetail buck this year with his crossbow, and said he plans to hit the woods with his muzzleloader next week.
Holman attended Paden Public School until the third grade, and was home-schooled for the remainder of his secondary education. He came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior at the age of 6, and felt God’s call on him early in life.
A promise he made backfired a little, but he doesn’t mind.
“I made a bad mistake of telling God, ‘I’ll do anything you want, just don’t put me in front of a crowd’,” Holman said, smiling. “That didn’t work out too well.”
Holman said by the time he was 11, he was speaking to large groups. To this day he speaks about “whatever God lays on my heart.”
“I love it,” he said.
Holman attended Seminole State College for three semesters, and finished his college education at Berean School of the Bible’s Oklahoma City office. He graduated Sept. 7, 2007, and on Sept. 7, 2009, he will be ordained as an Assembly of God minister.
“I don’t know why they put that in there, but it’s a mandatory waiting period,” he said.
He said he was the youngest person in his class by at least 20 years.
Holman, 22, currently serves as the associate minister of prayer at First Assembly of God Church in Prague. He took on this role in 2006, and has since taken up counseling and serving as youth pastor.
Holman travels abroad now, using his love of God and hunting to reach out to those who do not have a relationship with the Lord. He has been in several states speaking to disabled sportsman.
“Basically, I’ll speak anywhere I get the chance,” he said. “Bottom line, I want to convey Christ because Christ is hope.”
Holman said his message is that those with disabilities can still have a life, but they need Christ in their lives. Over the years he has led many to the Lord, including those who had never even heard of Jesus Christ, he said.
Holman serves as the National Director of Handicapped Events through the Christian Sportsmen Fellowship (CSF), and he speaks for the Oklahoma Outdoor Outreach (OOO). He recently spoke at Shawnee’s North Rock Creek Indian Assembly of God Church.
“Regardless of handicap, people do not need to wallow in self pity,” Holman said. “(They) can find ways to serve God in some capacity. I’m grateful that the Lord has turned my interesting pastime of hunting wild game into ministerial and witnessing opportunities.”
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Jason Smith may be reached at 214-3932.
