After weeks of being connected only in a virtual realm during the shut-down, one local church is reemerging from its coronavirus cocoon and experiencing fellowship once again.

“It was so exciting to get to fellowship with everyone at the live arena worship service, even if we had to sit 6 feet apart, do elbow bumps and blow kisses across the arena,” said Blanco Cowboy Church founder and associate pastor Arnella Calhoun. “There’s nothing quite like the sweet fellowship of a loving church family to lift your spirits and put a smile on your face. I know God was smiling along with us.”

Like almost everything in town, the Cowboy Church was shut down for two months until it had its first in-person service on May 17, at the church arena. The Sunday prior, church members had a parking lot service.

“This has been quite an experience for all of us,” Calhoun said. “Our last church service was on March 15, but we immediately started streaming online services every Sunday morning and Thursday night on our Facebook page.”

Calhoun said that they plan to keep holding services in the arena at least through May and possibly longer.

There have been some difficult days, but members of the Cowboy Church “cowboy’d up.”

“It was extremely hard not attending church and enjoying the fellowship with the church family,” Calhoun said.

She finds a way to see the bright side while looking toward the future.

“The only plus during this shutdown was being able to spend more time in prayer and Bible study and having more time to spend praying with others by phone,” Calhoun said. “We look forward to moving back into our church building, resuming our children’s church ministry and youth group ministry.”

She said that the weekly ministry in the arena, complete with steer and calf roping, will start again in coming weeks. Two of the church’s events, the 15 Buckle Blow Out Youth Rodeo and the Old Time Gospel Music Revival, also will be rescheduled.

“We truly feel that the pandemic has only made our Cowboy Church family stronger spiritually and has taught us to get on our knees in prayer and fight for Jesus Christ.”

20 years of cowboy fellowship

Calhoun founded the Blanco Cowboy Church in February of 2000, with the support of her cowboy husband who died almost six years ago, in 2014. The idea of founding a cowboy church, which are known for their “come as you are” sensibilities, was a natural fit for Calhoun because her family already was involved in ranching and rodeos.

“I found so many people in the cowboy world who didn’t go to church,” Calhoun said. “And when they did, they weren’t comfortable with a formal denominational church, so I prayed for 9 years for God to give us a place for them to come.”

Over the course of the years, the Blanco Cowboy Church added its large covered arena and a separate Children’s Church building.

Pastor Darrell Ayres has been the head preacher for the church since being ordained in 2010.

The church offers a Discipleship Class, Bible Study, the Round Pen Youth Group and a Children’s Church Ministry.

The church is located 2 miles south of Blanco near U.S. Highway 281 at 245 Blanco Cowboy Church Trail.

For more information about the church and when services will be held, call 830-833-1596 or visit www.blancocowboychurch.com.