The Following is our current Cowboy Church Newsletter

"The Gateway Round-Up"

Howdy Pardners,

Our New Arena “Ribbon Cutting” and our “First Horse Fun Show” in the New Arena will be on Saturday October 23^rd, starting at 10:00 am. We are inviting all of our arena roof donors and friends that helped us build the New Arena Roof, to attend this event if they can, so we can thank them for their generosity! Jacque Barker and MaryAnn Larison are our Point Riders for the Horse Show that follows the Ribbon Cutting. The Ribbon Cutting will be at 10:00 am and the Horse Show will start at 10:30 am.

The “Show Bill” with the events and classes for the Horse Fun Show on Saturday October 23^rd at 10:30 am may be found on our Church Website and on the Church Facebook Page.

The New Arena is NOW ready for horses!

Anyone that wants to bring their horses to ride, may do so before and after our 11 am Sunday Worship Service, or before our 7 pm Service on Thursdays. We’d love to see some horses in there. There are now FOUR 11’ x 11’ horse corrals in the shaded woods next to the arena, where you could put you horses during the worship service.

Our Trail Riding and Obstacle Clinic, led by our own Dona Fox, last Saturday morning, October 9^th, was an awesome success. We had 10 riders and horses and quite a few observers along the perimeter of the arena watching from lawn chairs. Dona did a great job of leading the clinic, as well as setting up all the obstacles. Thanks also to Ron Brookshire, Beth Brookshire, Matt Apel, Sandy Bemboom, Cindy Green, and MaryAnn Larison for helping with many of the details. I helped too. The riders all said they gained new insight from the clinic in how to gain the trust of their horses with any obstacle they might encounter out on the trails. All the riders said they would like to have more clinics like this with other obstacles to challenge them and their horses.

Barb Spencer is currently leading Cowtown for the kids on Thursday nights for any of the younger grade school age kids that come with their parents to the 7 pm Thursday Evening service. This is a fun time of activity, crafts, and Bible study for the kids and Barb makes it exciting for the kids!

We have started a “New Cowtown Children’s Worship” on Sunday mornings as well, during the Pastor’s Message time. (The children will stay in the sanctuary room during the music portion of the Sunday Worship Service, and then may go to Cowtown for the Children’s Worship – from about 11:30 until noon.) Daffany Hood and Beth Brookshire are the Point Riders (leaders) for this new ministry to the Kids on Sunday mornings. This will be for toddlers to younger children up to 10 years of age.

Our Cowboy Church is now going through a time of “Renewing Our Vision” over the next few Months. Last Sunday and Thursday I sent everyone home with a “Homework Sheet”. The sheet asks you to tell us what you think are both the “Strengths” and the “Weaknesses” of our Cowboy Church, as Jesus told the Seven Churches in the Book of Revelation what their strengths and weaknesses were. Please fill the sheets out and bring them back the next week. You may sign them or you may be anonymous on these sheets, but we would appreciate you putting your age on them. I also gave out a second “Homework” sheet on Thursday night, asking everyone to tell us how you think the Cowboy Church is doing in the five key activities of an “Alive and Growing Church”. Please fill these out and bring them back with you the next week. We need everyone’s input on these opinion sheets.

This past Wednesday we wrapped-up the study of “The Foundations of Spiritual Growth,” the last chapter of the second section of the “Complete Green Letters Study.” (A great spiritual growth book by Miles J. Stanford.) There are actually three more sections within the book. I would be glad to go on with the next section if there is interest from those who have been watching these studies. We would be glad to go back to having the studies at the church if there is an interest in that, though we still would try to have them on Facebook Live too so our friends that cannot attend live meetings could still get in on them. I we be asking those who have been watching if they would like to continue these studies.

Barb and Ray Spencer are planning the Kids’ Cowboy Church Fall Festival on Sunday Oct 31^st. There will be a chuckwagon lunch in the horse arena and games and barrel train rides, a hay bale maze, and much more. Ashton (Rhine) Edwards will be bringing 3 or 4 ponies for the kids to ride in the arena that day too! We hope many kids and their parents will attend church Sunday morning and then stay for the lunch and the fun.

The Church Financial Report from Sandy: Our General Fund, at last report, was $7,002.71. Thank you, everyone! Our Building Fund has $4,308.58 after we paid off the New Arena!

For those who wish to send your tithes and offerings by mail, the address is:

Gateway Cowboy Church

PO Box 45

Clark, Missouri 65243

Thanks again to all who are willing to give!

Our up-dated Dog Policy!

For the safety of our church family, all dogs need to be kid-friendly (because the kids will want to pet them), all dogs (yes, Mimi too) are to be on a leash when in the church building and at all horse events. Also, no dogs on the pews unless there is a blanket or rug on the pew. And, as our horses are to be up to date on vaccinations (with a Negative Coggins test), all dogs are to be up to date on vaccines. Thank you for being part of a safe environment for us to come worship!

Our Worship Service times are Sundays at 11 am and Thursdays at 7 pm.

May the Good Lord Keep Your Trails Clear of Every Danger, and May all of them be Happy Trails for You and Your Families!

God Bless All and Happy Trails!

Pastor Dale and MaryAnn Larison

BELOW IS OUR HORSE FUN SHOW - SHOW BILL!