A Southwest Virginia pastor said all too often God is shoved out of society -- including a Moneta barn where the minister has held six "cowboy church" services that appeal to the come-as-you-are crowd.

The Rev. Raymond Bell has vowed to fight action by Bedford County to halt his Thursday night services. He has teamed up with the Liberty Counsel, which is affiliated with the Rev. Jerry Falwell's ministries. They claim the ban on the services violates religious freedom and right of assembly.

"We consistently push God out of every segment of our society," Bell said this week. "What has stunned everyone is you have a process here where government can vote on whether you can hold a Bible study or service on private land. It's a constitutional issue."

Bedford County spokesman Bill Hoy said the barn where the weekly church services are held -- zoned for agricultural/residential use -- does not have the safety features required for a facility used by the public. It lacks lighted exit signs, emergency lighting, adequate exits and plumbing, Hoy said. Gary McIver, a county building official, issued a notice of the violations April 28.

"We are all in agreement that this event is a worthy and admirable cause, but ... I am obliged to place public safety as our primary objective," the notice reads.

"That was a barn," McIver explained during a telephone interview. "And it's meant to be a barn."

Said Hoy, "You don't know what is going to happen with people sitting on a lot of hay bales and a lot of electrical equipment. If there was a fire, you would have problems with the exits."

On May 1, Robert Wandrei, a Bedford lawyer and member of Bedford City Council, appealed the notice on behalf of Garland Simmons, who donated use of his 7,000-square-foot barn to the church. The county has not prohibited the church from holding services.

Steven Wandrei, a lawyer at the Radford and Wandrei firm with his father, Robert Wandrei, said the firm would represent Simmons at a Board of Building Appeals meeting on June 7.

"I just wonder what would Jesus do about this? Would he say 'Get out' because the zoning is not right?" asked Simmons, 62.

"I could understand the complaint if we had a dance hall or a drinking joint. [But] there is no wine or beer. It is nothing but the word of God and nothing but good country Christian singing."

Cowboy churches appeal to farmers, horse enthusiasts and other people who might be busy on Sundays, but want to attend a service on a weeknight. People come in jeans, boots or other attire.

As Simmons said, "They don't have to be dressed up or go to the beauty parlor."

"I'm not going to stop it until I have to," he said. "I just want the blessings and a preacher to share the Gospel."

At a service Thursday night, Bell led his congregation in worship wearing a cowboy hat, Dwight Yoakam jeans and a Western-style shirt emblazoned with the words Cowboy Church of Virginia. Rustburg singer John Sines Jr., known for the single "The Black # 3," a tribute to Dale Earnhardt, led the group in song and did a little preaching too.

Erik Stanley, chief counsel at Liberty Counsel in Lynchburg, said Bedford County's zoning code is "very vague."

He said there are constitutional issues on how the county's zoning code is drafted. The First Amendment guarantees the rights to freely practice religion and freely assemble.

"If people can get together for a barn dance every night, then they should be able to get together for religious services as well," Stanley said. "I've heard that this has had a chilling effect on the congregation. Some people have decided to stay away [from the services] because of the complaint. And that leads the freedom of association issues."

Hoy argued the county would also prohibit square dances and rodeos at the barn because of safety regulations. Church members could, however, apply for a tent permit and hold worship there, Hoy said.

The county's phone lines have stayed busy with callers upset by the violation notice, Hoy said.

Paul Harvey discussed the issue on his radio show Friday, according to employees at WBTM (1330 AM) in Danville, which airs the national program.

County officials have invited Simmons and Wandrei to meet with them to discuss solutions, Hoy said.

"They've not been responsive," he said.

A letter dated May 8 from McIver states that the county contacted Robert Wandrei to set up a meeting.

"He stated that he would be on vacation for the month of May and he had already scheduled the appeal," the letter reads. "We can only assume he feels this meeting is unnecessary."

Mat Staver, president and general counsel at Liberty Counsel, said he'd welcome an opportunity to sit down with the county. But, he emphasized, he would not agree to anything that prohibits the church from holding services.

"I think people in community and around country are not in favor of what Bedford County is doing," he said.

Bell, the minister, said he started his cowboy church Nov. 22 in a Wytheville livestock arena. After insurance issues arose about the congregation meeting in the arena, they moved across the street and began meeting at the Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church.

Bell said there are efforts under way for a cowboy church to start in the next few weeks in Thaxton.

pamela.podger@roanoke.com 981-3131

beth.jones@roanoke.com 981-3117