Cowboy Church Helps Others Help

The latest submission from our guest blogger Dutch Henry

Howdy Folks,

Not everybody in a Cowboy Church is a cowboy, but everybody in the Cowboy Church understands that everybody needs help from time to time.

I first became aware of the Cowboy Church about 2 years ago while writing a story for an ACTHA ride in Texas. Over the past months I’ve heard many stories about their abundant benevolence. The Cowboy Church is a national, and actually now becoming an international grass roots movement. Some say it began as the dream of Glenn Smith back in the 1970’s to bring good will to folks who felt they didn’t fit in. Today there are hundreds of Cowboy Churches lending a helping hand to individuals, organizations and even schools.

While preparing to write this I spoke with members in OK, VA and NC and among the many wonderful things about them, one fact stood out, offering help to others in the, “neighbor helping neighbor” way, is a driving force of the Cowboy Church. Whether raising the funds for a local elementary school to buy classroom computers, bringing Christmas cheer to children who might not otherwise have been so cheerful, or lending a hand building a barn for a horse rescue, the Cowboy Church is ready to help.

Horses are often a large part of how and who they help. I was told about one fabulous program where they travel state to state, city to city with horses as ambassadors to introduce youngsters to the horses for the first time. Some Pastors preach from horseback. All across the nation there are Cowboy Church benefit rides and rodeos to raise funds to help folks pay medical expenses, or organizations such as therapeutic riding centers to buy hay and supplies. In my home state of Virginia the Cowboy Church of VA raised enough money last year to buy a year’s supply of hay for a local Therapeutic Riding Center. That’s helping others help!

I heard so many wonderful stories of the Cowboy Church’s benevolence while talking with the members and Pastors, way too many to innumerate here. If you Google “Cowboy Church” you will find a chapter near you and if you know of a way to help them help, or if you know of someone who needs a neighbor’s helping hand, you can count on them.

Gitty Up
Dutch Henry

If you’d like Dutch Henry to write your story, contact him at dutchhenry@hughes.net

His novel “We’ll Have The Summer” is available on Amazon and at www.dutchhenryauthor.com