CULLMAN, Ala. – The fourth annual Truth in Nature Pro Rodeo will bring two nights of professional competition to the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 11-12, while raising support for the Christian mentoring ministry serving boys from fatherless and single-parent homes.
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with each night’s performance beginning at 7:30. Organizers plan a special “9/11 Remembrance” opening both nights. Friday’s performance falls on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The rodeo is sanctioned by the Southeastern Professional Rodeo Association and International Professional Rodeo Association.
The official IPRA schedule lists bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, breakaway roping, team roping and barrel racing.
Double Creek Rodeo Company is the event’s stock contractor. Kyler “BamBam” Collins, identified by organizers as the 2025 SPRA Rodeo Entertainer of the Year, will provide arena entertainment throughout the weekend.
Behind the competition is the organization whose name the rodeo carries.
Truth in Nature was founded in Georgia in 2009 by Jeff and Carrie Davis.
According to the ministry, Carrie Davis grew up in a single-parent home after her father died when she was 12, while Jeff Davis experienced the breakup of his family when his parents divorced.
The couple drew from those experiences and its shared interest in the outdoors to create a Christ-centered mentoring program for boys growing up without a father in the home.
The ministry describes its purpose as helping boys understand their identity and responsibilities as Christian men while working to interrupt the cycle of fatherlessness. Its current directory lists 35 chapter locations across 15 states.
The Cullman chapter’s story began several years before the rodeo.
Brian and Beth Burchett purchased a 105-acre property known as Hemlock Creek Farms in the Jones Chapel and Water Valley area in 2018.
The privately owned farm, located near the Bankhead National Forest, includes wooded land suited for hiking, camping and other outdoor programs.
The Burchetts learned about Truth in Nature during a church service in 2019 and began working to establish a Cullman chapter.
Its planned opening was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but programs began in July 2020.
At the time, Cullman was Truth in Nature’s 13th chapter nationwide and its first in Alabama. The organization now also has another Alabama chapter in Loxley.
“We truly believe the Lord brought us to Cullman, and to our farm, so we could bring Truth in Nature,” Brian Burchett told The Tribune in 2021.
The Cullman chapter uses activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, canoeing and archery to connect participants with Christian male mentors.
Because of the agricultural setting at Hemlock Creek Farms, local programs have also included lessons involving horses, cattle and basic carpentry.
Truth in Nature’s current eligibility guidelines state that participants must be boys between 11 and 18, have completed the fifth grade and live in a single-parent household.
The organization defines those circumstances broadly and includes situations involving the death of a parent, divorce, incarceration, military service or a boy living with grandparents or other relatives.
Programs are conducted throughout the year and are free for eligible participants. Truth in Nature requires prospective mentors to complete an application, pass a national criminal background check and complete Ministry Safe abuse-recognition training.
Developing facilities for overnight programs has been part of the Cullman chapter’s plans since its early years.
In 2021, the chapter identified a bunkhouse as a fundraising priority that would allow more programs to extend from Friday evening through Saturday.
The rodeo will support the Cullman chapter as it continues its mentoring work and plans for future programs, including the development of overnight facilities such as the proposed bunkhouse.
Admission at the door is $20 for ages 12 and older and $15 for children ages 5-11. Children 4 and younger will be admitted free.
Advance tickets are listed at $15 for ages 12 and older and $10 for ages 5-11 before TicketLeap service fees. Get them at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/double-creek-rodeo-company/4th-annual-truth-in-nature-pro-rodeo.
The Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center is located at 17645 U.S. Highway 31 in Cullman.
For information about enrolling a boy, volunteering as a mentor or supporting the Cullman chapter, contact Program Director Brian Burchett at 256-591-2902 or brian.burchett@truthinnature.org.
