Iowa pastor dons fancy boots to lead 'Cowboy Church' service

OSAGE, Iowa (AP) - The pastor wore fancy boots and churchgoers' broad-brimmed hats perched on the edges of pews.

They were signs of the "Cowboy Church" service held every third Sunday evening at the First Baptist Church in the northern Iowa city of Osage.

Guitars, banjoes, accordions and a lot of singing are heard instead of organ music, because "Cowboy Church" is "not like a stuffy church service," said Rev. Paul Brown.

The reverend's wife, Karen Hahn-Brown, sings and plays the rhythm guitar and the upright bluegrass bass for the services. She told the Mason City Globe Gazette (http://bit.ly/1ygunEi ) they "kind of fly by the seat of our pants and have fun in a manner pleasing to God."

The couple married last year, and services at the church began soon after, during the summer. Her husband's messages on Sunday nights take on a roaming-on-the-range theme, such as "Staying Above the Snake Line."

Cathy Simon, an Osage resident, is not a member of the church but sings at these services. She said she enjoys the gatherings because "anything cowboy goes."

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Information from: Globe Gazette, http://www.globegazette.com/