The Cowboy Church Story

In 1998, Frank Dana had an encounter with God concerning his future.  God showed him a vision of people standing in line to meet Jesus, there was another line and those standing in that line were waiting to enter hell.  Frank saw some of his dear friends in the other line and felt an intense burden to share what he had learned of God’s forgiveness and grace with them.

He and his wife Cindy were currently attending the First Baptist Church of LaBelle and he was also a member of the Southwest Team Ropers Association.  The team ropings took place one Sunday a month at Brad Oxer’s arena in Venus.  Frank was struggling with missing church on those days and God asked him to start speaking at the roping arena so that he could share his love of Christ with the other ropers.

Frank was a man of few words and never considered himself a public speaker, so he knew immediately that God would have to give him wisdom and courage.  He asked God to promise him that he would always give him the words to speak.   He knew he first needed to call the owner of the arena, one of his closest friends, Brad Oxer, to ask him what he thought about the idea.  Brad was all for it and gave his approval.   Next Frank called the president of the roping association and asked his permission to have a short service before the ropings began on Sundays.  He wasn’t sure what kind of reception his idea would receive, but the president of the organization gave his approval with no questions and so Cowboy Church was born under the oak trees at Oxer Ranch in Venus. The team ropers and their wives and children sat on picnic tables and Frank used a 50 gallon drum to place his Bible on while he gave out what God had given him for that day, while his granddaughter, Chancey (who now sings in the band) would occasionally walk up during the service and wrap her arms around one of his legs and just stand there watching the rest of us.  I think she was wondering what her granddad was doing.

Later on, music was added to the preaching.  Chelsa Oxer (Brad’s daughter-in-law) began bringing a cd player with country music singers like Alan Jackson singing Christian songs. She sang along and tried her best to get the rest of us to join in.  That was the beginning of the Cowboy Church Band.  Today her husband, Tuyl Oxer does the sound and they have over ten members in the band and have recorded two cds in Nashville.  The first cd was cover songs;  on the second cd there were four original songs.  You can purchase both of them on Spotify and iTunes. 

As time passed and word spread, other people from the surrounding area started coming to the services that weren’t part of the roping.  After the service was over, they would leave and the roping would start.  Eventually, one of the men who was attending offered to build a covered barn to keep everyone out of the rain and later a concrete floor was added.  A few of the men gathered and that first small building went up in just a few days.  Later, a restroom was added with a flushing toilet and running water!

In 2016, the church was overflowing on Sunday mornings and an expansion project began on the original barn.  Then a second expansion came in 2019 and we added a professional sound system, a projector and screens on the walls for the announcements, song lyrics and scripture.  Mrs. Kathy Oxer (Brad’s wife) began sharing words of encouragement each week.  James Holland was added as part of the preaching staff and he currently preaches on the second Sunday morning service and the second and fourth Tuesday nights all at Sears Road.  Frank’s wife, Cindy, began organizing women’s trips for the ladies and they attended Christian conferences and concerts.  Soon she began teaching a women’s Bible study before church services at 9:45 a.m..  We now have a men’s Bible study taking place at the same time and there is a class for the children of those attending the Bible studies.

Another ministry that Cowboy Church offers is teaching kids how to rope. Every Tuesday they rope calves and on Wednesday evenings the rope steers. Young people from around the region gather at Cowboy Church on Sears Road to practice roping calves from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.. Frank and his daughter, Danielle Wright, usually teach a lesson, but occasionally his granddaughter Chancey or one of the other kids speak about what’s going on in their lives. One summer Cowboy Church even did a Vacation Bible School that taught kids how to rope, tie goats and other rodeo events with messages about Christ interwoven throughout the event.

That’s our story, it’s about a couple who have shared their hearts and their home to bring others closer to Jesus. It’s about their close friends who rallied behind them and helped to make Frank’s calling a reality. It’s a story of how God uses humble beginnings to illustrate His anointing. Many of those who were in the line headed to hell in Frank’s vision are now walking side by side with Jesus headed towards an eternity with their heavenly father.