Feature
Coloradoan
Woodland Park’s Cowboy minister
David Skipworth
by Marsha Legler
Photos by J.D. Villemaire
February 1992
The preacher has holes in his Wranglers. His beat-up roper boots sport a fresh coat of mud. His hair is a little mussed under the cowboy hat he neglects to take off upon entering the church. He’s not out to please anybody, anyway. The people he’s preaching to don’t care what he looks like; they’re all dressed the same way.
Come as you are is a motto that hoards of churches spout when inviting newcomers. Cowboy Church of the Rockies lives it. No one there has a special need for Sunday clothes. Most own worn out Wranglers and their feet have never seen light outside of cowboys boots. Those who attend services with this unique crowd are encouraged to come with the muck and mire intact. At least that way they won’t be late getting there after horse training or farm work.
“We know God sees the inside. He cares what’s in your
heart, not on your boots,” said David Skipworth,
minister of Cowboy Church of the Rockies. He added that it was not possible for
his first “church goers” to change clothes or even bathe to listen to a
sermon, because they were right in the middle or riding a rodeo or at a
stockshow or poetry gathering. Cowboys for Christ, as they are known, brought
religious messages to the cowboys wherever they were, and before long, they
clamored for a regular church to attend, Cowboy Church was born and found a
comfortable, scenic home at Christ Haven, a retreat 7 miles outside of Divide,
Colorado.
Christ Haven sits on 33 acres of mountain land, and includes four small rentable cabins and a spacious lodge retreat. Church services are held in the basement, which is actually considered the church. There are no long pews or wooden floors. Offering plates don’t exist and there are no requests for money or tithes. In the back of the room, there is, however, a coffee can. “If you feel a need and can afford to leave a little, put something in,” Skipworth says. “If your are hurting or need a little help, take what you need.”
Skipworth noted that, “The basic concept here is the Holy Bible. We don’t dissect it nor do we pass judgement on anyone. We minister directly from the Holy Book. I don’t live like royalty on other people’s money.” The church, as well as the ministry of Christ Haven are funded by private donations. Skipworth’s personal bread is buttered by the money generated from hard work on his ranch at the base of Woodland Park. He breaks wild mustangs, trains horses and boards animals.
The minister’s love of animals may just reach “city kids” in the near future, He hopes to start a Christian Cowboy Kids Camp, the firs ever of its kind in the nation, according to Skipworth. “We will bring them up here for five days, and teach them horsemanship - how to groom, saddle, ride, and horseshoe. They will have rooms three meals a day and plenty of fresh are” He wants to familiarize kids with the cowboy way of life.
This breed of church is from the old school. You don’t have to be anyone or anything but yourself there, and that’s the way they accept you. Cowboy or not!
Forest
Hill Farms Equestrian Center