Where’s the Beef?

After Jordan Weaver, pastor of Shiloh Ranch Cowboy Church (SRCC) in Powell Butte, Oregon, delivered the opening invocation for a spring session of the Oregon House of Representatives, one of that church’s most prominent members addressed his fellow lawmakers about a project close to his own heart: Shiloh’s 1017 Cattle Project.

House Minority Leader Mike McLane, who represents central Oregon’s District 55 and attends Shiloh Ranch, described 1017 to his colleagues: “We buy calves, raise them on church property and other areas in Powell Butte, use them for amateur rodeos, fatten them up, and give them away” to food banks in central Oregon.

That idea was Weaver and his wife Lacey’s answer to a headache they say is faced by cowboy churches that incorporate rodeo activities in the life of their congregations: Where to get cattle suitable for roping? The church, which the Laceys planted in 2012 and has since grown to 600 members, needed to get on its feet financially. “We knew we didn’t have the funds to keep buying roping cattle,” Jordan Weaver says.

It’s a common problem, according to the 32-year-old Weaver, an Assemblies of God U.S. missionary in training and rodeo chaplain.

“Most cowboy churches lease cattle — they pay somebody to provide cattle,” Weaver says. He adds that leasing stock is not only money lost but producers must repeatedly be asked to provide more stock.

Meanwhile, Census Bureau figures reveal the county’s poverty rate is above 19 percent. And the largest food bank in the area, St. Vincent de Paul of Crook County, had having difficulty meeting the rising needs, especially in providing enough protein.

“We were buying tuna fish because the beef was so expensive,” says Kate Mura Erickson, that food bank’s president.

The Weavers pondered a creative option: What if Shiloh Ranch Cowboy Church had its own herd? Once the calves became too big to rope, what if the church partnered with area food banks to provide a steady supply of quality beef? Weaver had never heard of a church setting up such a program, but he knew it could be done.

And what if the herd became self-sustaining by raising Angus cattle to sell to fund purchases and care of the Corriente, the small, hardy, horned breed that’s excellent for church rodeo events? And if the Shiloh Ranch program succeeded, as the Weavers believed it would, the church could have an abundance of animals for its rodeos, cowboy church Bible camps, and training workshops and outreaches.

Shiloh Ranch launched the cattle program named 1017 after 1 Corinthians 10:17: “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” As SRCC’s local missions program, it funded the initial purchase of the cattle and supports the ongoing project by funding the animals’ feed and care.

In addition, SRCC takes donations from ranchers in the church and at the community at large. The church also receives partial and full sponsorships for the purchase and maintenance of each animal, which are kept on church property as well as land donated by community residents.

Erickson, the food bank president, says, Jordan’s phone call to provide a steady supply of fresh beef answered prayers about the protein shortage. Through this program at St. Vincent de Paul, each of the families — between 15 and 35 each day — gets two pounds of hamburger meat or a small roast per family of two, and more for larger families. The package supplies protein for approximately five days and supplements government benefits, Erickson says.

“This was a godsend,” Erickson says. “I just can’t say how thankful I am.”

So far the 1017 Cattle Project has supplied 6,000 pounds of beef to St. Vincent de Paul, other area food banks, plus making direct donations to individuals in need. The herd currently numbers around 140 head.

In the address to the Oregon House, McLane invited listeners to participate in the project, for which he volunteers his help.

“You, too, can buy a calf,” McLane told lawmakers and others attending the session. “You can name the calf. We will raise that calf for you. We will make sure that it is given away to a food bank in providing beef for families.”

Hunger is a cause that cuts across political lines. Among McLane’s passions shared by his fellow Oregon legislators is advocacy for food banks.

“All districts have areas which are in need of food banks,” McLane says. “If you represent an urban area in Portland and Eugene, it’s a cool thing to tell your constituents you sponsored a cow. I’m looking forward to many of them sponsoring a cow.”

Jordan Weaver says that the project is popular both inside and outside the church because it fills a key need in the community.

“There’s practical needs-based things that churches can offer,” says Weaver, who has a heritage in cowboy churches. “We’re excited about being able to tangibly feed people while incorporating the evangelism and fellowship side of things also.”

Deann Alford

Deann Alford is a journalist and author. She attends Glad Tidings of Austin, an Assemblies of God congregation in the Texas capital.