Pleasant View Mennonite has maverick idea for Sunday service
While the Mennonite church culture strives for a conservative worship service, blue jeans will be the clothing of choice on Sunday, Sept. 12, at Pleasant View Mennonite Church, where Cowboy Sunday will present a new way to not only view the relationship between horse and rider, but a fresh perspective on how the trust and love between a horse and its rider relates to the alliance between God and His children.“We were looking to create an outreach Sunday that would be a little different for people,” said church member Myron Troyer. “The horse aspect made sense because the relationship between a horse and its rider is built on trust, and horses can actually teach us a great deal about forgiveness. Often times pride comes into play when human talks to human, but a horse has a short memory, and forgives its rider immediately. That’s something that we as people can learn to understand. Horses are accommodating and continue to work on relationships.”
Cowboy Sunday actually begins Saturday evening, when the group will meet at the farm of Henry Hershberger, near Dundee. Anyone who would like to participate in the camping evening may do so, and having a horse is not a prerequisite. During the evening there will be roping demonstrations and other horse games. Campers will spend the night around a roaring camp fire, then ride into church, a trip Troyer said will take approximately 90 minutes. For those who don’t have a horse, there will be several wagons taking people to church.
“We’ve got a lot of young adults who are very much into horses and the rodeo scene, so this seemed like a really good fit for us as a church, and this is a great opportunity for us to share through a very different avenue,” said PV member Jodi Miller. “We’re hoping that by offering the camping evening and the horse games, we will reach a very different demographic than we normally would on any given Sunday.”
Cowboy Sunday itself will include some horse training activities, and Hershberger will be providing a seminar on the human and horse relationship. There will be several corrals set up outside the church for the horses, and Hershberger will be working with a young colt which has never been handled before. The key, he said, is that creating a worthwhile relationship is vital to getting the young colt to learn to trust its rider. How a rider approaches his horse, how he talks to it, relates to it and treats it creates a foundation for a strong relationship.
Following the church service, there will be a meal, which will include a beef stew cooked over an open fire, as well as a number of side dishes provided by church members. After dinner, there will be several riding and roping demonstrations, and people can try their hand at roping. There will also be pony cart rides, a petting zoo, live music by the Pine Hill Pickers, and it is all free.
“We want people to come and enjoy the day, even if they aren’t riders, and are simply curious about what is involved,” said Miller. “There are going to be some excellent parallels to the horse and rider relationship that make great sense in comparison to our relationship with Jesus. Whether or not people enjoy riding, there should be a great message to share for everyone.”
Anyone wishing to participate in the Saturday evening camping night should call the church at 330-893-2808 to preregister. Although there is no cost, the church needs to have a proper head count for the night. The public is invited to attend the Sunday morning and afternoon Cowboy Sunday service, where no registration is needed.
“We don’t know how many to expect, we are just putting it in God’s hands,” said Miller.
Saddle up cowboys and cowgirls, and sidle on in to Pleasant View Church Sunday, Sept. 12, where a very unique opportunity to experience church in a new way awaits.