Dr. Cary Christian, GPC Counselor/Assoc. Professor, Lawrenceville Campus

Going to Church Dressed like Roy Rogers

My grandparents were big churchgoers, and I usually sat between them in the small church that our family helped build. Located a block down the street, the church was often the center of family gatherings, especially at Christmas.

One particular Christmas, around the age of 5, I received a Roy Rogers outfit complete with guns, boots, spurs and a hat. I put it on early Christmas morning and refused to take it off in order to dress for church. Mother said that if I couldn’t dress like a young lady, I would have to stay home. The family left without me.

Church had been in session about 45 minutes when I decided to walk in the front door in all of my “Roy Rogers glory”. Mother just slid down in the pew and hoped no one knew that I belonged to her. The preacher, however, interrupted his sermon, picked me up, and asked me all about Roy. What a way to win a kid over to the church!

I have often thought about that preacher and what would have happened if he had been upset with me for barging in on his sermon. Later, as a teenager, I talked with him about this. He said that the church’s arms should always be open to anyone who wants to come, dressed like Roy or not. They were welcome. Now that’s what I call a man of God.