“Sunday Best” meant denim at Cowboy Church on Sunday.
Wearing jeans and cowboy boots, Christi Hollenbaugh and her son, Celby, shared a cheeseburger as they sat in the rodeo arena.
“The Lord doesn’t care what you look like,” said Hollenbaugh, a rancher from Karval. “You come as you are. It’s wonderful.”
The non-denominational Christian service lasted one hour and was hosted at the Denver Coliseum, a part of the National Western Stock Show.
“First of all, it’s in a rodeo arena,” said preacher Grant Adkisson. “It’s informal and relaxed.”
As the frontman for the show, he wears jeans, a leather vest and tie, but takes off his cowboy hat during the prayers.
He said the service, which brings in 300 to 500 Stock Show attendees every Sunday, was created with the cowboys in mind.
“These guys are on the road so much, for many of them, this is the only way they can go to church,” he said.
Adkisson is from Colorado Springs and has been a cowboy preacher for 36 years. He is president of Fellowship of Christian Cowboys and a third-generation rancher.
“The tribute music is just hymns and a guitar. That’s about as cowboy as you can get.”
Kim Bowden of Lakewood also wore jeans, although the city girl wore significantly less cowboy gear than other church-goers.
“I love coming to a public event and having people talk about Jesus,” Bowden said.
She and her husband brought their three children along, too.
“It’s important to expose them to different kinds of worship,” she said.
The Hollenbaughs concurred, as this service marked the first time their two kids have seen a cowboy church service.
“It makes me feel good inside that they can hear the word of the Lord,” dad Marc Hollenbaugh said. “He’s there, no matter where you’re at, in the city or working on the ranch.”
Sally S. Ho: 303-954-1638 or sho@denverpost.com
