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   Youth Groups,Adult Groups, Etc. |
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Youth Groups, Adult Groups, Etc. |
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Promised Land Paintball is America's
Best Christian Paintball Park!
Over 250 Church Youth Groups from all over the Midwest play at
Promised Land Paintball! Our Purpose is to help grow God's Kingdom
with this Unique Ministry! Promised Land Paintball is used by
churches to Strengthen Relationships between Teens in Youth Groups
and between Teens and Youth Group Leaders! We are also used as
a Great Outreach! Paintball is an Absolute Blast! Play Paintball
with Your Youth Group at Promised Land Paintball!
In order to truly understand what Promised Land is about, you first need to get some insight into who we are, and our values as a family.
My wife and I have been Kenosha County residents for well over 20 years. The family members, beside myself, are: My wife Diann, three sons, Jim, Tim and Kevin, and one daughter, Carrie. More about them a few paragraphs down.
Rick:
I'm a graduate from Marquette University with a degree in Electrical
Engineering. I was previously a co-owner of Pinter Construction,
and presently owner of Midwest Controls, a small but successful
design and engineering company producing products such as robotic
machine controls, electronics for restaurant equipment, and in-store
display electronics.
Even though I've been successful in business for many years, being in business and the idea of making money is low on my list of priorities. Having a family with a wife and children who love you is one of the most precious treasures anyone could have. We've discovered many secrets to keeping a loving family relationship going, and have done our best to help others do the same. I've been a Sunday school teacher and teen youth group leader for more than half my life. My focus has been mostly on teens. This is the age where family bliss can suddenly turn into a nightmare. Teens anxious to be accepted by other teens are often led into a dark abyss of drugs, alcohol or sex, in a pursuit of "fun" and "acceptance". It doesn't have to be this way, and many families, including mine, are living examples of what can be achieved with love, understanding, communication and a whole lot of time and effort. This takes more than just "directing teens". It also means helping them to see that life can be full of fun, excitement, and fulfillment, without getting into trouble or ruining one's life. Simply ordering a teenager to do this or that may sometimes seem to be the "easy way" to get what you want out of a teen, but it never works in the long run.
Helping a teenager develop an inner desire to be responsible and accountable takes lots of dedicated effort. Some of the very things that often draw teens into trouble, such as a search for fun and excitement, can be the very same things which can be used to help keep them on a straight track. You just need to have the patience, understanding, firm resolve, lots of imagination, and some of those embers of your own youth still burning inside. But most of all, you need a deep desire and dedication within yourself to make a positive difference in the lives of our young people.
Don't get me wrong. I don't claim to have all the answers, or to have done everything right. Even though I have always tried to do my best to help teens, at times I would fall short of what I wished I could have done. In one particular case, the results were heartbreaking. Included is a letter published in the Kenosha News VOP in 1990, about an event that helped me learn a very hard lesson. But even in tragedy there is often a silver lining. Events like these can often strengthen a person's resolve to go that extra mile when it comes to doing our best for our Kenosha youth. I know it has for me.
Don't wait too long
To the Editor:
I met him when he was only six years old, and even though I was with him for just five minutes, I never forgot Danny Hilliard. My wife and I took our two young sons to a drive in movie that warm July night in 1979. The loud sound of crashing metal and glass sent me running toward the accident. The man and woman in the front seat were motionless and covered with blood. As my trembling hands reached into the car to see if they were alive, I saw the frightened little boy in the back seat. After I rushed around to the back of the car to help him, I gently put my hand up to the side of his face to protect his young frightened eyes from seeing the horrifying sight of his parents. I tried to calm him by talking to him. I don't remember all that I said, but I do remember that I wanted to tell him everything was all right. That was the one thing I couldn't say. Everything wasn't all right. I spent the longest five minutes of my life with Danny before the rescue workers finally arrived. When I got home, I just sat there and cried.Even though this happened over 11 years ago, I often found myself wondering how he was doing without his parents. I have a Wednesday night teen group at Kenosha Church of God, where I help teens to understand the real values and priorities in life. I decided to try and find Danny and invite him to our class. But I was busy with so many of life's details, and I just kept putting it off.
I then read the story about the body found in the Marina. All of the pain came back as I continued through the article and realized that this was the same boy I tried to help on that tragic July night. I felt even worse when I found that he lived only a few blocks from the church where I have the teen class. I don't know if he would have come, and I don't know if I would have been able to help him. I do know that I waited until it was too late.
Every community has teens who could use a helping hand, and Kenosha is no exception. Don't make the same mistake I did. Sometimes just a little effort from a caring adult can be the small beginning of a big change. You don't need special skills or a classroom. You only need a little love in your heart, and a desire to help.
Rick Pinter
Diann:
Besides being my wife and high school sweetheart, Diann shares
the same values as myself, and has been instrumental in our work
with young people. In addition to having taught a number of church
youth groups, Diann is presently a volunteer counselor for imprisoned
girls in the Southern Oaks Girls School Correctional Facility.
She is assigned just one girl at a time and visits with her every
Tuesday night. Diann's goal in this endeavor is to encourage wayward
girls to develop better relationships with God and their parents,
and to inspire an inner resolve to toss aside the ruinous life
style that has landed them under lock and key. She remains ready
to help, whether the girls are in the correctional facility or
after they get out, as a friend they can come to any time.
Jim:
As a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a degree in
Computer Science, Jim is an employee of our family custom software
and hardware engineering and consulting company. He is responsible
for upkeep of the Promised Land computer systems and network,
including our comprehensive database. He is also in charge of
marketing and advertising, and he is the Webmaster of this web
site, www.promisedland.com,
and as well as many other websites. As a former two-year President
of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) in college, Jim has
solid experience in the guidance of college age students.
Shelly:
She married Jim on September. 9th, 1995 to become the first addition
to the Pinter Family since Rick and Diann's last child, Kevin
in 1983. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin and now
teaches Calculus at Christian
Life School (CLS) in Kenosha, WI during the non-summer months
and works in the Club House at Promised Land Park during the Summer.
She is a genuinely pleasant and friendly person, and cheerfully
works behind the counter helping customers with whatever they
might need.
Tim:
Tim has always been a ready substitute teacher for myself or Diann
for our teen youth groups. In times of personal troubles, Tim
is always ready and able to talk with a troubled teen and help
them make the right decisions about difficult choices in life.
This, of course, often includes encouragement to share these thoughts
with their parents. He often comes up with stories of his own
teenage years and reminds them, "I was your age not too long
ago". Tim has a degree in Business Administration from the
University of Wisconsin. He also works as a high school math teacher
at Christian Life
School (CLS) in Kenosha during the non-summer months and works
at Promised Land Park during the Summer.
Cassi:
She married Tim on May 30th, 1998. Like Shelly, she is a welcome
addition to the family. She was a Sunday school teacher for kids.
She graduated from Carthage College with a degree in education
and works in Kenosha Unified as a teacher. We are fortunate to
have Cassi as another friendly worker behind the counter. Cassi
also uses the digital camera and "instant photo" computer
for creating full color pictures of groups and their activities.
Carrie:
This one was definitely a "Daddy's Girl" from birth.
Carrie has earned a degree in Physics and Education from Carthage
College and teaches High School Physics. All this is well and
good, but what makes her really shine is her "heart of gold".
She was also a Sunday school teacher for kids. She is presently
"Head Ref" for our paintball games. Carrie, her mom,
and her sister-in-laws like to enjoy an exciting game of "capture
the flag", especially when they can get a group of other
girls together. Carrie and her mom are involved in arranging mother-daughter
activities.
Kevin:
He's the youngest child of Rick and Diann. He's learning the meaning
of hard work. Just getting this park in shape has taken thousands
of man hours of work, and Kevin has helped. Kevin was a wrestling
State Place Winner for Tremper H.S. in Kenosha, WI where he was
a standout wrestler. He is currently attending the University
of Wisconsin majoring in History. His goal is to teach High School
History locally.
Dave:
Dave and Carrie were married June 6th 2003. Like Shelly and Cassi,
he is a welcome addition to the family. He is known as "Brother"
by Jim, Tim, and Kevin. Dave is a Kenosha County Sheriff's Deputy.
It's nice to have a police officer "undercover" at Promised
Land while Dave is off-duty. :-)
Promised Land Paintball
