Worship with a twang

FRUITLAND -- Inside the Fruitland livestock auction barn Thursday night, the usual sounds of cattle lowing and horses neighing were replaced by a band playing music you'd expect to hear in a honky-tonk -- steel guitars and a Western twang. But the songs weren't about rodeos or getting your heart broken. They were Sunday morning songs like "Amazing Grace" and "Power in the Blood."

Jim Matthews, presiding as pastor for the first time over the brand-new Cape County Cowboy Church, joked that he'd hoped to find a band that sounded like it just stepped out of a bar but was full of Jesus.

"I think that's what we got," he said.

Leaning against a metal gate, Matthews talked about Christianity to a congregation of more than 200 cowboys and cowgirls dressed like he was -- in denim, cowboy boots and hats.

Knowing that there are a lot of people in the region interested in horses, cattle and farming, it made sense to offer a church service specifically for them, organizers said. People drove from Delta and Advance, East Prairie and Millersville to attend the service.

The congregation meets each Thursday at the livestock auction barn off U.S. 61 North. The weeknight service is ideal since plenty of horse lovers are away on weekends at rodeos or shows.

"We knew there were people that needed this," Matthews said.

Organizers haven't discovered any similar churches in the state, though there are plenty in the western half of the nation. The church is sponsored by Red Star Baptist Church and Fruitland Community Church with support from the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association and several area churches.

The original

Because there isn't any other church to pattern itself after, the Cape County Cowboy Church is an original.

None of the organizers knew exactly what to expect at their first meeting. But Matthews said, "The response was greater than we anticipated."

Since some people attending aren't familiar with church and others might not have been in a while, the church leaders wanted to provide a comfortable, relaxed service that didn't leave anyone out. "You don't have to worry about hobnobbing," said Kristi Sivert.

Mark Kneir and his children came to the service from Delta to see what it was like. "We just liked the fellowship," he said. The Kneirs don't own horses now but once lived on a ranch in Oklahoma.

There's no requirement that anyone has to own a horse or live on a farm to come to the cowboy church. The church prides itself on its "come-as-you-are" atmosphere. "You don't have to be polished," Matthews said. "This is about a God who loves you."

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126