Pastor Joel Poe started holding services in his house trailer and lean-to in 1986. The first folks to attend were the Poages and 7 of their children. It wasn’t long before several other families began attending. When we had young children, we used a back bedroom for a Sunday School class for the 2–3-year-olds. One of the ladies who was a new Christian began teaching them so she could learn the Bible stories.

In around 1993, Pastor and Betty Poe left to go into missions. Pastor went to Liberia but after a short time there decided this was not where God wanted him. Then they went to Mexico where they served for several years. Meanwhile, Funny River Bible Church tried to carry on with services and sometimes guest speakers. Attendance dropped and the church was close to closing. By 1999, Pastor Poe called where they had retired in Florida and asked if he could come back and pastor the church again. The drawback was that Betty wasn’t ready to come out of retirement. It was only a couple calls later and Betty was saying, “When” we come back. They returned and the church again began to grow.

By the early 2000’s, we had outgrown the trailer and needed to think about building a church building. Pastor Poe drew up plans for the building and contacted an architect friend in Anchorage who helped with the final plans.

Along about February, a man from Michigan came to “play” with his ham radio. The weather didn’t cooperate, but he really was used by the Lord to get the building moving. The lot was opened up before he came and he told his pastor in Michigan that he needed to see what was happening in Alaska. The pastor and head deacon came and also got excited. 

A team from Pastor Poe’s Florida church came and poured the foundation for the building. The Michigan church brought a team up and the basement walls were erected. Sterling Baptist Church helped with pouring the basement floor over the in floor heating tubes.

Another man from Michigan contacted his long-time friend, Pastor Barry, in Portage Chapel Ohio. Pastor Berry came with a team and the basement began to take shape. A team came from Colorado and with young people who had earned their trip by working for a contractor, helped build the upstairs walls. The Ohio team came again and roofed the building. A man from the Ohio team did most of the finishing work of the auditorium sheetrock. 

Meanwhile, we were holding services in the finished basement which was the kitchen, utility room, two bathrooms and an open room. Pastor Poe’s son-in-law, Perry Banse, came and textured the downstairs walls. The steps to the upstairs were blocked off for the winter. Sunday School for the kids was interesting! Part of the time we met in the furnace room but as the number of children grew, the room seemed to shrink! Using a space heater, we moved the class to the entryway. This was much better!

A Missions team came every year from Portage Chapel and great friendships have been made. The building was sided one year, and a team came again from Colorado and painted the outside.

A man from the Florida church came with his professional painting equipment and painted the auditorium and foyer.

Two ladies from the Ohio team designed the beautiful stained-glass window and brought all the pieces with them and built the window. It was exciting and scary as the men shooed everyone out of the auditorium so they could place the window. 

The bell is over the carport because the architect said it would not be as expensive as having to have the front reinforced to allow a bell tower and the bell to be rung. 

Pastor Poe resigned a couple years after Mrs. Poe went to Glory and Pastor Benny Holly became our 2^nd pastor in May 2013.