One of the enduring lessons of my (Wesley’s) walk with God has been the beauty of diversity in how people worship. From dugout canoes on the bank of the Essequibo river in Guyana, to 12 person house churches in Asia, to my current 800 person church in upstate NY, people all over the world find their unique ways to gather and celebrate Jesus. We got to enjoy another type of church earlier this month when we visited family in Colorado: a church for cowboys!
Now, I’m sure they don’t turn you away if you’re not a cowboy – they let us in, and we fairly scream “Yankees!” 🙂 But Valley Cowboy Church is built with working farmers and ranchers in mind: meeting on Tuesday evenings to avoid weekend work hours, comfortable attire, and a service that doesn’t go too late to accommodate working with livestock early the next morning. I was impressed by the genuineness and care I felt throughout the evening, and I was glad to connect with these believers from halfway across the country.
Cowboy church!The message that week was on partnership, and the importance of walking with people in our relationship with God. This was appropriate for our visit, because for years Valley Cowboy Church has partnered with our ministry in prayer and finances. They give sacrificially to equip many others besides us to serve in ministry, and we were honored to say thank you to them for their years of support.
Philippians 4 says those who give and pray to support ministry share in the work that’s happening: they share the load when things are hard, and are blessed as they sacrifice and give. As you pray for and financially support ministries in your life, please know that you’re making a significant impact. We appreciate you, and we know from these verses that God honors your sacrifice as well. In our nine years of work with Campus Target, we’ve helped send 180 young people to Asia and have reached countless college students there with the Gospel – and you’ve been an active part of that by giving and praying!