Dan Jones taking Heaven Bound
Dan Jones will be the first
to admit that Boyd Williams started something good. In fact, Dan was music
director for Boyd Williams’ Cowboy church starting last September. It’s not
surprising that Dan’s style of “preachin’” is very similar to Boyd’s and
cowboys and city slickers alike can relate to the message.
Dan says, “It didn’t
take me long after Boyd’s death to know that God wanted me to pick up where Boyd
left off.” He didn’t, however make this decision without a lot of prayer and
visits with others who were familiar with the ministry.
He continues the
twice-monthly Cowboy Church in Ashland on the first and third Saturday, but he
has moved the other weekly service to the Youren Ranch, 3 miles east of
Cimarron on Hwy. 50 (the old Kindsvater Ranch). He’s got a nice size barn with
folding chairs and hay bales for “overflow” seating. The dress code for all
services is “whatever you’ve got on.” I even saw one cowboy wearing his spurs
at the July 11 service. I noticed that it’s OK for cowboys to keep their hats
on during the service; but they always take them off when it’s time to pray.
The ranch’s cow-dog even wandered in and out a few times during the service.
Dan points out that God has had a hand in the church; even to the point
of finding the right location. Jim and Jan Youren moved here from Idaho about 4
years ago. As we were planning the
church launch we knew we needed a place with plenty of room and somewhere to do
events like the pasture roping or playdays for the kids in the arena. One of our founding group members is Ty
Edmondson, the Youren’s son. He told me
one day that his mom had offered their place for us to use if we wanted. We prayed about it and Ty talked it over
with them and we moved out there shortly after. Their generosity has been a real blessing to us and they attend
services regularly. Their grandson Zane
Edmondson (Ty’s nephew) and his wife Erica live on the property as well and have
been very helpful with the planning of the pasture roping event, even donating
cattle to rope. We are very thankful for this location and will be there as
long as God allows. We believe it is
where He wants us to be.
Dan also credits
Kelly, his wife of 15 years, with a great deal of support for the ministry.
They have three children, Lauren, Tyler and Luke who are also regulars at the
service. Dan says, “Tyler is my Number One Cowboy; he helps me on a lot of my
day work jobs and with our own cattle. Lauren is a big help to her mom and is a
super babysitter for Luke. Luke is the boss.” During the week, Dan is self
employed and stays busy with day work and as a crop scout.
Boyd
had developed a special brand, “HB” for Heaven Bound and with the permission of Boyd’s widow, Dana Williams, Dan has
taken that name and brand for the church. Regular services will be held every
Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 pm with Evening Roundpen small groups each
Wednesday at 7 p.m. Dan also has plans for regular special services and events.
The church will be meeting August 10th at Roundup Arena in
participation with Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Cowboy Church and he’s got Barry
Ward coming to the 10:30 a.m. service August 15th. Since cowboys
like to have fun and eat too, hamburger feeds, potluck dinners and pasture
roping and kids activities will be frequent events between Sunday services.
Dan
has been involved in ministry for many years, but this is the first time he’s
been “the preacher.” He said, “The only thing I know to preach about is what
God tells me.” His sermon is laced with how he sees God’s hand in his personal
experiences and he uses everyday events to explain the scriptures. He added,
“God put Boyd in my life to shape and mold me.” One of Boyd’s favorite
expressions was “God laid it on my heart,” and sure enough, I heard Dan use
this expression twice during the service.
Dan’s a native Texan and still has a bit of a Texas accent even though
he left Texas in 1995. Dan accepted
Christ when he was 8 years old and he learned to play the guitar in 1993, but never sang
prior to that!. He worked at a Dude Ranch
while in college which led to playing music in public, and he was asked to teach Sunday School when
he got home. He said that he’s been
involved in the church and with music almost continuously since graduating from
college.
Since
music is a large part of Dan’s life, it’s also a large part of Heaven Bound
Church. While he plays guitar and sings, he’s also in the process of putting
together a band for the services. He’s found two members so far; Larry
Billberry and Jimmy Stephenson of Garden City. Also Jerry and Nancy Voorhies will be with
the group from time to time. If you’re
interested in joining the group, give Dan a call. You might guess that “ole
time gospel songs” are a major part of the service.
Although
Heaven Bound Cowboy Church is not aligned with any particular denomination, Dan
has joined the American Fellowship of Cowboy Churches. This organization offers
great support for independent Cowboy Churches. With their assistance, Dan has
developed a doctrinal statement, purpose statement and statement of core
values. Heaven Bound Cowboy Church is also registered as a non-profit
organization for tax purposes.
To
sum up the purpose of the church, the Church Constitution includes, “The
mission of Heaven Bound Cowboy Church is to reach the lost and unchurched
people in the western culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ and provide a
church home where they can become more like Him. The church will accomplish
this mission by holding to these values. : The church will strive to keep all
things as simple as possible. The church will foster a non judgmental
atmosphere in all it does, accepting people just as they are, just as Christ
himself does. The church will make sure that all it does, including all of its
programming and ministries will be geared toward reaching people in the western
culture and those who love it. The church will practice biblical Christianity.
This will be practiced by the leadership and the congregation. The church will
do all that it can to lower or eliminate the barriers preventing the Gospel of
Jesus Christ from reaching the western culture. The church will strive to
empower as many people as it can to serve Christ through the church and bring
out the giftedness in them while holding them accountable for their actions and
commitments. The church believes in the power of the gospel for salvation of
souls and healing of body, mind and spirit.”
Dan
said the Purpose statement, statement of core values and doctrinal statement
pretty well cover the bases for those who might have questions. Purpose
statement: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen Matthew 28:18-20.”
Statement
of core values: “The Bible will be the center of all we do. We will maintain
focus on those of the western heritage culture. We will be non-judgmental to
the lost. We will be family oriented. We will keep it simple. We will empower
people with accountability.”
The
doctrinal Statement includes: “We believe The Bible is the Inspired Word of
God. We believe that God exists in three persons: The Father, The Son and The
Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died to save
men from their sins. We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith
in Jesus Christ. We believe that Baptism is the means by which people publicly
profess their faith in Jesus Christ and identify themselves with His death,
burial and resurrection.”
I
asked Dan what they would do if someone wanted to be baptized. He said, “Well,
we’ll have a windmill tank and horse trough. It’ll be their choice.”
Whether you’re
looking for a relaxed atmosphere to worship God or you would like to learn more
about “This Christianity stuff,” Heaven Bound Cowboy Church might be just what
you’ve been looking for. Or, as Dan says, “If you’ve given up on church but you
haven’t given up on God, come try Heaven Bound Cowboy Church!” You’ll find some
friendly folks as well as some literature to help you make the right decision.
For
more information contact 620-846-0302 or 620-353-5646. You can also email Dan at djones@ucom.net. You’ll be glad you did.