Not The First Rodeo

We can be encouraged to think about how God has gifted each of us and how He wants to use us in ministry. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 says:
1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.
2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

He is the one who determines the ministry - it is Christ who equips, who also empowers us to do the will of God, and encourages us as we seek to do His will. We can be confident that He is at work in us and will continue to be faithful to us - because of that, we, as verse 1 says, "do not lose heart."  We can avoid become "weary while doing good," according to Galatians 6.  We love God and love people and look forward to being communicators of truth.

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In Luke chapter 16, Jesus relates an important teaching which can really speak to us about how He
will work in relationships for His glory.  You've probably heard it said that "little is much when God is in it." We can read:
10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?

Cody, Wyoming is located 52 miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park and it is named for, you guessed it, "Buffalo" Bill Cody, according to the city's website, which says that Cody "passed through the region in the 1870s. He was so impressed by the development possibilities of irrigation, rich soil, grand scenery, hunting, and proximity to Yellowstone National Park that he returned in the mid-1890s to start a town. He brought with him men whose names still adorn street signs in Cody's downtown area: Beck, Alger, Rumsey, Bleistein, and Salsbury."

That is a little bit of history of this city, and something truly historic in the scope of the Kingdom of God has been occurring there.  Cody, you see, is known as the "Rodeo Capital of the World," and each summer, hosts a three-month rodeo - every night, all-summer long, according to a Baptist Press article.  It's one of the world's longest-running rodeos.

Pat Alphin, is described as a "church planting pastor," and when he and his wife, Renee, moved to Cody in 2016 to establish Cody Cowboy Church, they saw ministry opportunities at the rodeo activities. He says, "When we first got up here...we could see the multifaceted ministry we could do here, in the community, with ranchers, at the rodeos and with tourists," adding, "We get opportunities to share the Gospel with people from all over the world."

Alphin is a former bull rider, and relates that, "We started out [recording] behind the bucking chutes," adding, "One of the contestants asked me to video his ride one night, so he could watch himself to see how he could improve." He went to say, "Renee told me later that night, 'If we had a camera, what a ministry that would be.'"

The story says:

The Alphins were given a video camera by East Mountain Baptist Church in Gilmer, Texas, and bought a 32-inch television they set up where the contestants congregate under the bleachers.

"We started videoing the rough stock riders, the bull riders, bronc and bareback riders," Alphin said. "Started coaching them. Then someone [from the bleachers above] spilled a beer on the TV."

Now Cody Cowboy Church has a 65-inch television screen and computers in a big blue tent behind the bucking chutes. Two video cameras positioned around the rodeo grounds log each contestant, who can view replays, slow motion and multiple views for on-the-spot analysis as well as next-day coaching.

Each morning, rodeo contestants gather to watch the previous night's rides.  The church also hosts riders in a bunkhouse and does outreach throughout the community.

Here are some ministry reports from this past summer:

Church members park cars during the weeklong Cody Stampede Rodeo June 30 through July 4, assisted this year by mission teams from First Baptist Church in Atlanta and Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, Texas.

Cody Cowboy Church and the two mission teams also fed breakfast to participants at each of three parades -- July 2, 3 and 4 -– and served three meals a day to all the contestants and workers at the rodeo between June 30 and July 4.

Cody Cowboy Church also ministers to area ranches, recently baptizing five people from the Moon Crest Ranch near Cody. Last spring the church hosted an appreciation dinner for teachers at Cody's junior and senior high schools.

Pastor Alphin says that, "We came to Cody with no preconceived ideas on what this ministry would look like and let God define the ministry and mission field," and added, "He does an amazing job at that when we let Him have the control. We have been so surprised and in our wildest thoughts could not have come up with or implemented this plan we have seen unfold."

The pastor said that there were "no preconceived ideas."  I like that - sometimes we can generate our own ideas and then ask God to bless them, rather than allow God to show us what He would have us to do.  We can certainly, as Pastor Alphin says, "let God define the ministry."

Pat and Renee Alphin didn't sit in a room somewhere and craft elaborate plans for rodeo fans in Wyoming.  They took what they had and used it for the Lord.  You know, ministry can begin simply - in this case, it was the use of a video camera.  And, they didn't even have the camera to begin with.

Finally, we can remember that God will use relationships in order to get His truth into the hearts of people.  Pat Alphin met with rodeo riders regularly - he got in the meetings, in the room, which became an incubator through which the Lord would work.