Heavenbound Cowboy Church has resumed holding Play Days to help them reach out to the community.
Arena Team Leader Michael Taylor said that each Play Day has rodeo events such as barrels, poles, flags and a mystery event that changes, like bowtie, straightaway barrels, flying W and goat-tying.
Play Days are held the third Saturday of each month, with the next one planned for June 20.
Registration opens at 9 a.m. at the arena behind the Heavenbound Cowboy Church, which is located at 800 13th Street.
“We were supposed to have started in April, but we had to postpone that one,” Taylor said.
“We actually started in May. Each year, we always have at least six of them.”
Taylor said that individuals who participate in at least four Play Days can qualify to receive prizes for the top competitors at the end of the season.
“We put them on just to get people to come out, so that we can reach out to people and fellowship,” he said. “We do devotionals, pray and just let everybody come out and have a good time.”
Competitors are divided by age in most of the church’s Play Days, but they also do one event each year with no divisions at all.
“We have an ‘Open to the World’ Play Day, and there are no age groups in that one. It’s everybody against everybody,” Taylor said. “We started that because there’s a guy that goes to our church that always bets the kids that he can beat them, so we started this so they could verse each other. He has a fun time with it.”
Taylor said that Play Days usually last about two hours, though it can vary depending on how many people register.
Taylor said that Play Days aren’t about the length of the competition, but the outreach.
“Our arena team’s mission statement is to reach the lost and unchurched through wholesome activities in order to present the true gospel of Jesus Christ and bring their souls to the Lord through a loving and friendly cowboy culture approach,” he said.
Heavenbound Cowboy Church plans several other events with that end in mind.
Taylor said that the church would also begin a Play in the Dirt event on Wednesdays.