About Me

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Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

InSPIREd Sunday - Cowboy Church


( Since this is Derby weekend in Kentucky and all about horses, decided to share this post from 2008 for today's InSPIREd Sunday meme.  The prompt for this particular '08 Fun Monday meme was to look for a sign that caught your attention and post a photo of it.  I saw this one from the road just outside of Paris, Kentucky.)



I spotted this sign for the Blue Grass Cowboy Church as I was traveling on the Paris Pike between Lexington and Paris. This is a very scenic highway lined with old dry stone fences and miles of brown and white wooden fencing for the many thoroughbred horse farms on either side of Paris Pike. Wherever you look there are scenes worthy of a Kentucky tourism catalog--beautiful horses in the pastures, barns that would rival most of our homes. Scenes like this:


~Photo credit:  not mine sadly!  It may be James Archambeault's, a well-known Kentucky photographer ~

Central Kentucky, or the Blue Grass Region, produces the foals that grow up to run and win the great races like the Kentucky Derby here in Louisville. The equine industry is the backbone of our state's agriculture and tourism. Many people are employed on these horse farms and related agriculture operations. A significant number of workers are Hispanic because of the skills they have in caring for, handling, and training the high strung thoroughbreds.

For a horse-centered town like Paris, KY to have a Blue Grass Cowboy Church isn't surprising, if you think about it. When immigrants settled in an area, many community organizations made--and still do-- the effort to serve their need for belonging. Churches would be interested in that role certainly. Many Hispanics work on the horse farms for years, living apart from their families and in need of this support.

So, the cowboy church invitation is to "Come as you are, boots and hats are welcome, and share in a night of down home country worship centered on the New Testament with live Bluegrass Gospel music and fellowship with folks who like the cowboy culture." Something for everyone--even church services at a stockyard!


 Linking to InSPIREd Sunday , a new meme celebrating places of worship and their unique architecture and history.  Thanks to Sally and Beth for hosting.

 

8 comments:

Jan n Jer said...

This is really neat...would love attend one of their services.

TexWisGirl said...

we have a lot of cowboy churches here in texas. a lot!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

i wonder if we have any of those in VA. i love the idea. my kind of church. perfect in my eyes. ( :
thank you, Faye for linking up with us. hope you have a great sunday. big hugs.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Love that idea for a church! I don't think we have anything like that here.

Amy Burzese said...

There are cowboy churches here in north Alabama also. I've always wondered about them. Nice post.

Sally in WA said...

I don't think I've ever come across a Cowboy Church! I think it is a great idea.

Thanks for sharing it in InSPIREd Sunday this week.

EG CameraGirl said...

I've never heard of a cowboy church. Fascinating and thank you for explaining why you have one in Louisville.

A Colorful World said...

Beautiful scenes and such interesting info...love the idea of this new meme and plan to join in! Have a great weekend!