The Love of Jesus

Rodeo Bible Camp was birthed from the heart of a woman who wanted her kids to know that there were rodeo cowboys who loved Jesus. She had been hauling them down the road to pee wee, junior and high school rodeos, as well as church every Sunday since they were little. So when she heard about a camp in Idaho that taught rodeo skills and Jesus, she loaded her truck with kids and pulled a trailer full of horses 10 hours to Council, Idaho.

She immediately began trying to get the local Fellowship of Christian Cowboys Chapter to put one on in Oregon. After a few years of this, (then) President Rod Hershey agreed to ler her present the idea at the regional fall cowboy retreat and said if someone would step up and agree to be camp director, they could go ahead with the project. God is so good.

Russell and Merlyn Paulson, then of Tygh Valley, stood up and said they were interested. So the Paulsons, the Hersheys, Karen Johnson (mom and (then) secretary of the FCC chapter) and Cowboy Preacher Tom Crabb formed a Rodeo Bible Camp of Oregon Board of Directors, and in June of 1994 the first camp was started for kids starting school in the fall to those just graduating. They later added a junior camp for kids going into middle school.

The objective of Rodeo Bible Camp of Oregon is to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and present it to rodeo kids in a relaxed atmosphere with real life situations. We give every camper the chance to ask Jesus Christ into their life as Savior and Lord without pressuring them. Those who feel led are baptized in the stock tank. We have had stock contractors, coaches and bystanders take that first step to Jesus, re-dedicate their lives and/or be baptized here. When the Spirit moves, He does not discriminate between ages, gender or stature and it is a great thing to be a part of.