The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Dave Rogers-For The Record

The Cowboy Church of Orange County hosts its annual Professional Rodeo Friday and Saturday night at its arena at 673 FM 1078, Orange.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. both nights. Admission is $5 for youngsters aged 5-15, $10 for all 16 and over, and children 4 and under get in for free.

SYJ Productions presents junior and senior bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, calf roping and bronc riding. For the kids, there will be mutton busting, sheep scramble and a calf scramble.

The Cowboy Church of Orange County, located on the same property as the arena, not far from where FM 1078 intersects Texas 62 approximately one mile north of Interstate 10.

Pastor Dale Lee categorizes the church as non-traditional, “come as you are.”

He says the church has its own country western band, will perform baptisms either in a horse trough or “the pond,” doesn’t pass a collection plate and serves the Lord’s Supper via Dixie cups and salad crackers.

The church has been around nine years.

“We felt the Lord was leading us to reach people of western heritage or cowboy culture,” Lee said.

“The messages are Bible-based and we try to reach people with some connection to western heritage.

“But a lot of people come from different walks of life. It’s not just for cowboys.”

The Cowboy Church of Orange County holds services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. Coffee, juice and donuts are available at 9:30 a.m.

The church held its ninth anniversary celebration last week. They called it “Church in the Dirt,” holding worship in the arena and following the service with a barbecue lunch.