Well, it is not the famous Gaither Gospel Hour, but it sure is close. Gateway Church (Grants Pass) holds Cowboy Church the first Sabbath of each month at 5 p.m., for an hour of old-time country-gospel singing and a 10-minute sermon.
Friends and family come dressed in western apparel, overalls, cowboy hats and boots and join in the singing. While the music plays, several members work steadily in the nearby kitchen preparing what will soon be the potato bar with homemade chili and fixings.
February first marked the first anniversary of the Cowboy Church service. Each month the attendance continues to grow. On the first Cowboy Church, there were 75 guests in attendance. One year later, attendance doubled to more than 150 guests. Cowboy Church is definitely growing.
Gateway was blessed to have Teryl Casebier return to help celebrate the anniversary. Casebier sang “One Day at a Time,” “I’ll Fly Away,” “Peace in the Valley” and other beautiful, almost-forgotten gospel songs. Nicholas Jones, Gateway Church pastor, harmonized and played the guitar, while Larry York played bass, Kip Bradford played mandolin and 9-year-old Noah Carlson played guitar.
If you are ready for some good old-time country-gospel singing and some knee-slapping fun, put on your overalls, cowboy hat and boots and come on down to Grants Pass for an hour of good ol' country-gospel singing.
Gateway Church in Grants Pass holds Cowboy Church once a month.
