Soul Wranglers Gear Up for a Wagon Train Revival

By Ron Fitzwater

May 19th marked the one-year anniversary of the formation of the Happy Trails Cowboy Church. The church,

which holds its regular worship services every Monday night at Mountain Music Jamboree in Glendale Springs, is made up of people who share a love for horses and a belief in Christianity.

"The idea for the church actually came about because one Sunday my wife and myself along with two other couples stayed home from church to ride our horses and we wound up feeling guilty about it. So we went back and spoke with Pastor Lawrence Goodman of Bald Mountain Church and said 'we have to do something, because there are a lot of people who have to work seven days a week and if they are going to participate in recreational activities, they have to do it on Sundays,'" said church Deacon Roger Blevins.

Blevins said that after several months of discussion among like-minded individuals took place before the decision was made to form a new church that would meet on Monday evenings after congregation members were off from their jobs.

The ministry, however, did not stop with just horse riding people of faith but decided to use the cowboy church as a way to reach out to others in the community who were intimidated by traditional churches and felt uncomfortable attending structured services.

"We spoke with several people an learned that some people are really intimidated by larger churches like ours [Bald Mountain] and so we made a conscience effort to keep it casual. The first half hour of service is fellowship," Blevins said.

During the fellowship portion of the service, church members and guests enjoy everything from full meals to cakes, cookies and other snacks. The snacks are there to tide folks over until they can get home for supper, for folks who come to the service immediately after work and according to Blevins it "provides time for folks to catch up with one another and relax before the service begins.

"But the original design was to offer an alternative for people who want to come to church on Sunday but who feel uncomfortable in situations where they feel there is a standard they have to meet before they can come in."

The church was began as a ministry of Bald Mountain Church but over the last year the church has become a fully chartered church, a member of the Baptist Association and the North Carolina Baptist Convention (NCBC), according to Blevins. The church has also grown in membership from 20 to 32 full-time members with "partners" who attend the Monday evening services but maintain their memberships at their home churches.

Through the inclusion of partners to the church, the services are attended by more than 50 of the faithful each week.

To celebrate the church's anniversary, the membership is hosting their first of hopefully many Wagon Train Revivals beginning June 11 and running through June 13. The revival will be held at the Baker Farm on Dick Phillips Road in West Jefferson. Services will begin each evening at 7 p.m. and several events and performances will be presented.

"Jeff Smith, Cowboy Church Director for the NCBC will be the guest speaker for the revival and we will have music from the Bluff Mountain Boys, The Greens and the Far City Boys. In addition we will have trail rides, wagon rides and a pig picking on Saturday night. Camping will be available for those who want to stay at the farm for the duration," Blevins said.

For more information on the Happy Trails Cowboy Church or the Wagon Train Revival call (336) 977-2293, 977-6367 or 977-6544 or click to www.happytrailscowboychurch.net.