Welcome

A note of welcome from Pastor Anderson...

We have been at our new location since October of 2004. The land was not supposed to be available. But, we prayed to God and asked the owners. The land was made available, our people gave generously and we owned 5 acres. I'll never forget the dedication service on a sunny autumn Sunday afternoon among recently cut corn stubble. At its conclusion we joined handes and formed a big circle for prayer. Then, God showed up. A little funnel-like swirl picked up the debris at one end and moved to the other side of the circle. There was an outbreak of very large goosebumps! Some of the crusty farmers present said they saw this all the time, but even they had to admit the timing and placement of the whirlwind was extraordinary.

We looked at many sites to relocate, but it seemed God kept drawing us here. It is located right next to Prairie Central High School (PCHS), the center of our community. Kids and their families ALL are there at one time or another. We believed God to have a presence there. We prayed and stepped out in faith. God answered and we sought to be responsive to the open door before us. The church growth consultant called our giving, "a God thing."

God gets all the credit because He deserves it. He has not only provided a place and the desire to follow, but He has continued to give us a spirit of love, fellowship, ministry, and outreach that have attracted others to join us. Our 450 seat sanctuary is mostly full each Sunday as we sing songs old and new and hear God's eternal word proclaimed to inspire faithfulness here and now. Our large entryway is noisy with people enjoying being with one another following worship. Our 14 classrooms buzz with learning on Sunday mornings. The entire building pulses with energy on Wednesday evenings when kids from all over our community come for AWANA. And, in our new Youth Center, shouts of fun and laughter can be heard.

FAMILY is a shared passion by our community, church, and its leadership. We believe that it is a passion of God's too, as it was the first institution He created. So, our vision is, HELPING FAMILIES BE HEALTHY. We desire to be a:

• Place where parents find assistance and training to bring their children up to love and serve Jesus.
• Place where youth and kids will want to bring their friends to learn what life is all about and have fun doing so.
• Place where grandchildren want to come with their grandparent(s).
• Place where singles can come and find a sense of family.
• Community of faith where each and every person receives direction, encouragement, friendships, and inspiration to find Jesus and live for Him in every area of their life.

We would be honored if you visited and met some of our people. We think you just might want to become part of our family. I hope to see you soon.

Pastor Anderson has been pastor at FFBC since July, 1999. He has been married to Linda since 1980 and a pastor since 1981. They have two kids who have left the nest, Josh and Bekah. Steve loves to study, preach, and minister with people.