Orland Evangelical Free Church

Give Me Tough Questions for 2009

I am gathering topics for Tough Questions 2009, the annual sermon series in which the community tells me what to preach. Link to my blog or email me directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to leave any question about morality, politics, spirituality, or culture related to Christianity, and I will choose six to answer. The best questions are precisely worded, and come in complete English sentences. (Yes, that has been a problem.) The series will begin August 9.

Cowboy Sunday 2009

Despite the imposing thunderheads, 510 adults attended Cowboy Sunday..

The Tri-tip lunch was a hit, eliciting comments like, "I got a lot of meat," and "That's really good!"

Grant Garland's good taste came through again with the choice of Bluegrass bands for the concert. And a great time was had by all at the Junior Rodeo.

Tailor Made

We like thoughtful gestures, especially when they're unexpected. When a group of men from Orland Evangelical Free Church decided to have a fun community event, they thought about what made Orland unique and came up with Cowboy Sunday.

The first Cowboy Sunday was in 1990 or '91. People were encouraged to dress western and ride their horses to church. Guest speakers and musicians were invited to conduct cowboy church, then after the service everyone went to the park for a barbeque. The music continued and the kids were given horseback rides.

Cowboy Sunday has been held at the Verboom ranch since 2005. Staples of this event are the junior rodeo, Tri-tip barbeque and cowboy church. Other activities include stick-horse barrel racing for the little kids and horse back rides. The adults can also enjoy wandering through booths showcasing several north state organizations.

Recent Sermon

A Cross-Focused Life

Matthew Raley(06/28/09)

John 12:27-36

There are two dominant superstitions among Christians today. One is that if we have signs from God we will know his will and follow him. The trouble with this is that without the Bible, there is no knowledge of God’s will. But the second superstition is that the Bible fixes everything – a hope that it is a magic wand that will fix your problems with a wave. The common denominator is spiritual passivity.\nIn this sermon, we see how such passivity infected the crowd in John 12.\n