Building a Dynasty: Phil Robertson speaks at Parkgate Pregnancy Clinic fundraiser
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Feb. 22—TUPELO — Phil Robertson, founder of Duck Commander and star of hit the TV show "Duck Dynasty," spoke to a massive crowd of attendees at Parkgate Pregnancy Clinic's annual fundraising banquet, held Tuesday evening at The Orchard in Tupelo.
The theme of Robertson's talk was "Building a Dynasty." The Louisiana native built his dynasty on duck calls, so naturally, he kicked off his speech by demonstrating a variety of calls before tossing them into the audience.
He walked through the story of how he built the first call in 1972. Sales in the first year were $8,200 and roughly doubled each year thereafter. But once Robertson's duck calls hit the shelves in stores like Walmart and Bass Pro Shop, the company reached unimaginable heights as hunters came to know him through Duck Commander products.
Most Americans got to know Robertson and his family through the immensely popular A&E reality series "Duck Dynasty" after it premiered in 2012. Even after the show's end in 2017, Robertson continues to share amusing stories, life advice and Bible commentary alongside his sons Jase Robertson and Al Robertson on their podcast "Unashamed."
During his presentation, Robertson quoted from Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus is asked who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus calls a small child over and says, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
"Make sure you look after the children while you're here," Robertson told the crowd, a message that Parkgate's leaders say encapsulates mission in the community.
The remainder of Robertson's talk comprised sharing the Gospel and explaining the Christian hope for resurrection.
"Don't forget Jesus said, 'No one is good but God,'" Robertson said. "And he's there to help us. If we're judged by our works, we'll never make it. We're under a system of grace that forgives us of our sins. Your sins, as you follow Jesus, are not counted against you."
Robertson said he's "commanded to love" both God and humankind, despite the latter's mistakes.
He closed his speech telling the crowd he was glad to make the trip to Tupelo and encouraged each person to love God and love their neighbor.
"I love you all," Robertson said as he walked offstage.
Parkgate is a nonprofit crisis pregnancy center offers free pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, parenting classes and mentorship programs for expecting mothers. Parkgate's executive director Andrea Powell told the crowd that more than 2,000 clients were served in 2022, including 571 new clients.
