What to expect at Family Church?
Guests
At Family Church, we come together as a community to worship Jesus. There will be a time of singing, fellowship, worship, prayer and teaching. Pastor John Farnes is committed to the preaching of God’s Word so we can learn how to love God more and love each other better. We’re imperfect people who aspire to become more like Jesus and live out His mission, not just on Sundays, but in the way we live our lives every day.
It won’t take you long to discover that we’re more than just a Sunday church. We are a family united by Christ that enjoys coming together for both formal and informal gatherings. We have a variety of ages and backgrounds at Family Church and this is something we are very thankful for!
Each Sunday at Family Church you will find a friendly atmosphere with biblical music that mixes new songs and even older hymns, followed by a message from the Bible by Pastor Farnes. Younger children are well-cared for in a loving, quality nursery that is interactive and fun. A Gospel centered elementary class takes place during the sermon for the older children.
If you are visiting for the first time, we will not embarrass you, have you stand up, or ask you to give money. We know that many people want to check out the church and “be anonymous” for awhile—and that’s fine with us! Come in, enjoy the family atmosphere and worship. After time, pray and see if this is the church the Lord has for you.
You will find that the attire at Family Church on Sunday morning ranges from very casual to business casual. Our focus is coming together to worship God and grow in Him. Come as you are, we are family here!
Wednesday evenings at Family Church are centered around ministry to our children and youth! The ministry starts with a free meal at 6:00pm for children and parents. Royal Rangers and Girl Guard classes are for Children K-6th grade and they begin to meet for their classes at 6:30pm. Mighty Mites is designed for ages 4-K and they also begin their classes at 6:30. Our youth program (Real Youth) starts at 6:30pm and is for grades 7-12.
Adults looking for a midweek service are invited to join one of our small groups. these groups are a place to share, connect, serve, and learn! They meet in different homes in our community and they meet on different nights of the week. When you wish to try one, drop in and see if it is the right fit for your family and your work. Many of our adults serve in the ministries for our children and youth on Wed. nights, that also can be a great time of building relationships as we work together.
We believe that children are the church of today, not just tomorrow. So at Family Church we place a priority on building the faith in the church through ministry to all ages. On Sunday morning our nursery is open for infants to 4 years old. The Wee Worship classes take place in nursery for these young ones, designed to be more than just watching children, it is a time of fun, songs, instruction and projects. Children’s Church takes place after our praise and offering time, and all 5 year olds through 5th grade students are invited to join in the classes during the main service. Our Wed. night programs are all focused on Children and teens.
We are also a “Right Now Media” church and those who attend can get a free membership to thousands of online videos and teachings for adults and children that they can watch through the week.
There are many ways to get connected to the family here. Our small groups, and Men’s and Women’s groups, generational ministries, and many of our services are focused on building relationships. We also have found that when we serve together we build very strong bonds within the teams that we are a part of. So for us, getting “connected” is part of the joy of blessing others as we serve side by side in ministry!
John & Catherine Farnes
Lead Pastor
In March of 2004 John felt called to go into full-time ministry as a Pastor and began the process of being certified with the Assemblies of God. This would mean taking some big risks, living off of his retirement savings and donations from family and friends while studies were completed. John and Catherine have spent most of their married life together in ministry, leading youth ministries for over ten years and serving in dozens of other church ministries in Montana year after year. After hearing that eight Assembly of God churches were without Pastors in Montana, John felt an urgency to be useful to the Montana District and asked the District Superintendent if he should make himself available to pastor in one of these open churches. It was recommended to him to begin praying about where God might want his family to move and send out information to the churches about his family, background, and calling.
After several interviews in July of 2005 (on his birthday) John was invited to Pastor in Laurel, MT and began to serve what was then known as “Family Christian Center” in August, 2005. Since that time he has continued his studies and is working towards ordination in the Assemblies of God. The church has grown significantly in its ministry footprint in the community, and also in worship and prayer services. Loving God is reflected by loving others and that is the heartbeat of their ministry leadership together.
Staff Pastors
Tim Warner
Associate Pastor
Jeremy & Erin Lavold
Youth Pastors
Willie Ewers
Element Kids