Nestled in the heart of Cave Creek's country vibe, you will find the Buffalo Chip. Known for its infamous weekly bull riding, saloon and barbecue "Texas Style," it's been a staple in the area since 1951. What you wouldn't expect is that on Sunday mornings, if you venture out back you will find an old-fashioned church bell signaling the start of a weekly church service.
With often over 200 people coming in to attend the weekly service, you might ask, why would you have a church at a saloon?
"Why not have a church at the place people already like to go?" said Pastor Steve Gilbertson, an Arizona native, who shared that Jesus was criticized when he was on this earth for hanging around the "wrong" kind of people. He shared The Parable of the Lost Sheep, which is about a shepherd who had 100 sheep but lost one. What is the shepherd meant to do? He is to leave the 99 and search for the one, and when he finds it, then it's time to come back and rejoice.
Gilbertson knew what his calling was from the time he was a teenager. His family had moved to Lake Havasu, and he attended an active church where he met his wife, Donna, at the young age of 15. By the time they were 16, they were in love and at the beginning steps of building their lives together. They made the decision together during high school that he was going to go into ministry. Gilbertson shared that we have a way of spiritualizing the process and that he did feel that it was his calling, and he joined the ministry at 17 years old.
By the time he was 27 Gilbertson was ordained, and then they moved back to his hometown. He was a pastor in Fountain Hills for many years in what he described as a regular church with four walls. Gilbertson moved to Cave Creek and was in love with the essence of the community. There were thrift stores, entertainment, restaurants and pubs everywhere, but he felt like it needed a central church in the heart of the town, so he started to put a plan in motion to make that happen.
After being in ministry for so many years, Gilbertson knew he wanted to get away from the traditional structure of churches and just wanted a church without worrying about having a lot of bells and whistles. Gilbertson wanted it to be simple and with the basics of what church is about. He had a group of around eight people that were interested in being a part of the church, and even though they had no funding, he still felt like this was the right thing to do. Gilbertson decided to start small and just try to find somewhere to host an Easter sunrise service and then worry about where he would create the church later.
The question most people want to know is how did everything unfold and how did this church end up being at the Buffalo Chip?
"Well, you know, everything in life is like one step at a time, you just take one step, and that kind of leads to the next one and makes a decision there. You don't see the big picture at the time," said Gilbertson. He had a connection to the owner of the Buffalo Chip, and so he asked if he could host it for that one day. With no intention of hosting services there beyond that, it seems it was no accident. The owner told him he could host services there any week that he wanted to and so it happened. The church, formally named Ecclesia, which means church in Greek, was born, and they just celebrated 10 years in their home at the Buffalo Chip.
Country music fills the air as guests arrive early to grab their spot on Sunday mornings in the back of the Buffalo Chip. The natural country backdrop and baptisms in a horse trough make the name "Cowboy Church" a natural fit for what has become integral to the heart of the community of Cave Creek.
"Steve preaches from the Bible and talks about it in Layman's terms where everyone can understand and relate," said church members John and Lynette Cibelli.
To learn more about The Church at the Chip, call 480-510-9518 or visit their website, churchatthechip.com. They are located at 6823 E. Cave Creek Road.
