Sometimes, people do go to church

To the editor,

Earlier this week I attended a funeral at Friendship Church east of Dongola. The little church was the core of its small community of families, back when transportation was harder and the "family farm" had meaning.

A member long ago left money for a new building and first-class perpetual care of the cemetery. Yet its attendance has dwindled, and someone commented, "people just don't come to church any more."

Last night I attended the Cowboy church, about 12 miles north of Cape Girardeau. Attendance for the midweek service was only 350 or so, which was low. The Sunday crowd is at least 1,000, and the July fourth flag service packed 1,500 people into a single service.

The church began meeting in a cattle auction barn about 10 years ago. They recently moved into a new building. The floor is concrete. The stage still looks like an old auction barn, with logs appearing to be at least 100 years old. Many seats were resurrected from an old church or theater, with no padding.

A full-size plastic horse is on one corner. A chuck wagon displaying t-shirts is in other. A big metal watering trough likely serves as a baptistry. People arrive well ahead of time to socialize. Someone made a point of saying that if I sing, I could "get up there and sing" sometime.

Some of the regular musicians also sing professional gospel, and happened to be several states away, performing at a rodeo. The backup musicians had six guitars, a banjo and keyboard. A fellow wearing bib "overhalls" ran the 36-channel audio board with several wireless mics.

The song leader for this service said he was 100 miles away, three hours earlier, when called for duty. The program listed verses to several country-gospel songs, some of which were changed as they went, but it all flowed and blended well. The preacher noted, "you never know which musician will fill which spot" in the midweek service, but "it always works out."

The pastor's message on prayer was excellent, and just as touchingly common as the music. Yet it takes prayer and uncommon work to be common and touch people.

The church where I'm a member has a total of more than 1,500 people attending per week, spread over the identical services, with great contemporary music that suits all ages, and excellent preaching.

For the lament that "people just don't come to church any more," I would agree, sometimes.

Signed, Fred Keller, Cape Girardeau