ORANGE COUNTY, Texas — Rodeo arenas have been empty over the past couple of months, and one Southeast Texas pastor says he's looking forward to that changing.
The arena owned by Cowboy Church of Orange County has seen lots of action over the years.
Dale Lee is the church's pastor.
"We have rough stock, we have bucking horses, we have the bucking bulls, we have team roping," Lee said.
He says lately at the arena, things have been at a standstill.
"As in everybody's case there a lot of uncertainty," Lee said.
Coronavirus restrictions shut down rodeos across the state, which impacted Pastor Lee and the church's arena ministry.
They share the Gospel through rodeo.
"We had people come to Christ out here, sometime they would come here first and later go to the church so that's what the arena's all about. It's our primary ministry for the Cowboy church," Lee said.
On Friday, rodeos will be able to resume, and Lee's church is set to start holding services again on May 24.
While new guidelines will be an adjustment for Lee, he says they're up to the task.
"It's like we are approaching a sense of normalcy. We know that it's not go be that to start with but we go do everything we can get as close to that as possible."
To some, the arena might just be a venue, but for the church it's an extension of their sanctuary.
