Loving Thy Neighbors

Art Endsley, 60, livestreams “Morning Time on the porch with Pastor Art”, from the front porch of his home in Orrick, Mo. The program allows members of his congregation at Orrick Christian Church to virtually share a cup of coffee and devotional before they head to work. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Art was concerned for the safety of elderly members of his congregation and wanted to find a way for them to stay connected to the church. Upwards of 2000 people view his livestream every day from around the country.

At the start of a morning bible study, from left to right, Darren Hicks, Art Endsley, JC Claypool and Steve Stith raise their cups of Black Rifle Coffee in unison along with the viewers of Art’s livestream at the Moon Shanty Cafe in Cowgill, Mo. Claypool, a congregant of Orrick Christian Church who has been friends with Art since seventh grade, invited Art to lead the weekly Bible study.

Art Endsley checks in with his employees at T&W Tire on his way to Farm Credit System Financial in Higginsville, Mo. For Christmas last year, his daughter, Madison Rae Bennet, gifted Art a 2nd Amendment themed air freshener for his GMC truck. Art proudly asserts that in Missouri, “We are self-sufficient here. We grow our own food and protect ourselves.”

Prepping for a revival at the Orrick Christian Church, Art Endsley trades his thirty-two-foot trailer for a thirty-four-foot trailer with Ronnie Cooper of Cooper Trailers Inc. in Oak Grove, Mo. The trailer will be used as a stage for preachers and the bluegrass band hired to play at the event.

Art Endsley helps close friend and business associate Marc Templeton load old tires into his truck in Polo, Mo. In addition to supplying tires for trucks and tractors on Tempelton’s farm, Art purchased forty-five cattle from Marc Templeton’s Cattle Company earlier in the year.

After a long day working at T&W Tire and prepping for the Orrick Christian Church Revival, Art Endsley spends an hour and a half dispersing minerals for the cattle around his 1100-acre farm in Orrick, Mo. He distributes nearly one ton of minerals every two weeks to improve the nutrition of his cattle.

Art Endsley hops over a fence on his farm after checking the health of his bulls in Orrick, Mo. Most bulls are kept in a separate pasture while a few are allowed to stay with the cattle, sometimes creating unpredictable pregnancies.

Just a few doors down from the Orrick Christian Church, Art Endsley visits his daughter, Madison Rae Bennet, and his granddaughter, Alice Mae Bennet, at their home in Orrick, Mo. Alice Mae is named after Art Endsley’s aunt Alice Endsley, who raised him and is buried in a family cemetery on his farm.

Art walks towards an opening on the second floor of his barn to drop hay for his bulls in Orrick, Mo. The barn was built by his grandfather in 1921, 102 years after his family first settled on the property.