ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — After finding out cowboys and race car drivers have their own church service, officials with the Daisy National BB Gun Championship thought, "Why not us?"

The inaugural BB Church was held at 6:30 a.m. Sunday in the Grand Ballroom of the John Q. Hammons Center and drew about 200 people for a short worship service led by Cory and Stephanie Epps of First Baptist Rogers.

"When you hold an event over a weekend, it's nice to provide people an avenue for worship," said Joe Murfin, vice president of public relations for the Daisy Airgun Museum in Rogers.

Murfin added the annual championship, which draws about 2,000 people, always includes a Sunday and several participants had requested a worship service.

Wade Tomlinson, a pastor at First Baptist Rogers guided a message of God being in control, said Jeff Nachtigal, a national accounts manager with Daisy Outdoor Products. The service also featured three songs.

"It was an awesome, great time of worship," Natchigal said, adding there are plans to bring back BB Church for next year's tournament.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (http://bit.ly/29z53Gl ) reports that the worship service was part of a larger effort by tournament officials to ensure youngsters participating had a good time. After a morning of competition, the afternoon ended with the Barter Bar. Hundreds packed into the Pinnacle Ballroom to swap memorabilia, food and other trinkets with visitors from around the country.

This year's event included 59 teams representing more than a dozen states. Some trekked from as far away as Forest Grove, Ore., while others made the relatively short trip from Washington, Mo.

At one table, the Marksmen from Mullen, Neb., brought "a little bit of everything," including beef jerky and memorabilia from the Nebraska Sand Hills, Janelle Jennings said.

Jennings had two kids competing in the tournament and was the mastermind of the team's uniform: a T-shirt that said "Straight Out of Nebraska," with a picture of the state outline below the text and a dot marking Mullen.

Kyle Hoyt, a coach with the Mullen Marksmen, said the tournament strives to be "kid oriented."

"They put on a great event," Hoyt said, noting officials also encourage gun safety alongside improving marksmanship.

Hoyt said Mullen is a small town, and competing an event at the mammoth Hammons Center can be nerve-wracking.

"Everyone jokes with the kids to put them at ease," Hoyt said. "(They) have a good time."

Larry Caaven has been coming to the championship since 2009, when his oldest daughter first competed as a member of the Washington, Mo., Jaycees. Caaven said having the tournament inside a climate-controlled facility helps even the playing field, especially for the kids who come from states with mild summers.

"Daisy puts on a phenomenal event," he said.

For others, the championship started long before the first BB was fired.

Shawn Guidry and Sheri Delahoussaye started prepping a month out in order to have their hot sauce, seasoning and pickles ready for Barter Bar.

They were part of the Cajun Shooters Reloaded, a team sponsored by the St. Martin Parish 4-H Club in Louisiana.

Both said everything about the championship was enjoyable, whether it was meeting new people or competing.

"It's very kid friendly," Guidry said.