“Duck Dynasty” star Jase Robertson spoke to a sold-out crowd Friday night as part of the Cape First Church Impact Men’s event.

Robertson said Cape Girardeau’s Walmart was the top seller nationally of his family’s now-famous duck calls; it was the reason, he said, he was visiting that night. The men in attendance gathered for another reason — to hear the “Duck Dynasty” star speak about his faith in God.

“Every year, we look at how we can reach men in our community and the Southeast Missouri region,” Cape First communications director David Urzi said. “We have this mission to reach men in the Southeast Missouri region and this was just the 2020 version of it.”

A total of 1,100 tickets were sold, Urzi said. Both church members and non-members were in attendance, he said, adding that many in the community were excited to see Robertson in person.

Jeremiah Williams, 16, is a member of Cape First and involved as a student leader in the church’s youth group. In addition to volunteering at the event, he had a VIP pass to meet Robertson. During the meeting, he said Robertson wrote “Jeremiah 9” on the back of William’s shirt, a reference to a biblical passage.

As someone who grew up watching the “Duck Dynasty” television show, Williams said this was especially meaningful.

During the event, Robertson spoke candidly about his own faith, his family business and experiences he had with Christianity in the past.

Prior to the presentation by Robertson, Stomptown Revival took the stage to perform several folk worship songs. The band features Lynwood Baptist Church worship pastor Gabe Martinez and fellow musician Brandon Bree.

In addition to the featured performances, the church included several other activities to encourage fellowship among attendees.

When entering the church, attendees were greeted by a mechanical bull situated in the middle of the open room. A photo booth was also available, with various hunting props and a four-wheeler for individuals to pose with. A wall of animal heads to the left reminded visitors of the night’s speaker, whose family became famous for their duck hunting calls.

The event was sponsored by Wings Etc. and Chick-fil-A, who provided dinner.

In March, the Cape Girardeau church will celebrate 100 years. The church building expanded in August to add an additional 22,000 feet, Urzi said. The building expansion included a gym and multipurpose room in addition to the sanctuary and main building.

Urzi said the main goal of men’s events such as the one Friday night at Cape First is to reach the widest audience of men in the community.

“The whole idea is how to better minister to men,” Urzi said. “We want to reach out of the four walls of a church to reach men who might not normally come to church on a Sunday.”