the message has not changed, but the presentation sure
has. Common Ground's "Come As You Are" policy aims
to make attending worship an easy fit for those working all
hours of the day and night with livestock and cattle. Pastor
Terry Williams says, "On Sunday mornings, we've got day
cowboys who work cows, rodeo or arena cowboys and
cowgirls, ranchers, doctors, and lawyers. We have people
who have gone out and worked cattle that morning. They
come in, hear the word of God, have coffee and a donut,
then go back out and finish their work day."
a big gym, but the first thing Common Ground built was
a rodeo arena out back. Williams, a cattle breeder himself,
knows the church gets just one chance to reach a cowboy; if
things go wrong, well, "happy trails," so Common Ground
works hard to make cowboys feel welcome. Williams adds,
"We have a set of bleachers in our church and that's where
most of the cowboys sit. We also have concrete floors. If
you walk in with cow mess on your boots, you don't have
to worry about the carpet."
country western style music, along with what Williams calls
"old hymns reconverted to sound like music that might
have come out of a honky-tonk the night before." Begun in
a tent in January of 2008, the church now averages around
100 on Sunday mornings. Williams says he finishes almost
every sermon with the words, "We don't care where you've
been, we just care about where you're going."
However, success led to nationwide proportions and
the forming of The American Fellowship of Cowboy
Churches, of which Common Ground is a member. Their
success comes straight from the cowboy church philosophy.
Williams continues, "We present the message in a simple,
easy to understand way, and people feel comfortable. We
don't try to be something we're not."
Baptist General Convention of Texas, but the congregation
is nondenominational. Worship services begin on Sundays
at 10:00 a.m. at 890 Highway 14 South in Kosse, Texas. Y'all
come see us, ya hear?