VISION & VALUES
OUR VISION
To see people COME TO, GROW IN, and BRING CHANGE through Christ.
OUR VALUES
MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit is essential to the life of the believer. We believe that God - through the Holy Spirit - is present, personal and active in our lives. We firmly believe that God still ministers to His church in the same way He did throughout the New Testament and the Holy Spirit still ministers through all of the gifts listed in Scripture.
PRAYER
Prayer is essential for intimacy with God. We believe prayer must be at the core of who we are. We will emphasize prayer in all we do, make room for lots of it and encourage ourselves as individuals and corporately to live a life of prayer. We believe that God's power is unleashed through the prayers of His people.
TEACHING
Sound Biblical teaching is at the center of all we do. We believe that God's word is inspired and is essential to producing disciples who are whole hearted lovers of God. From the weekend services to our mid-week classes and everything in-between, a high level of importance is placed upon the accurate explanation of Scripture and guidance into Christian living.
GROUPS
The local church is to function as a family. We should continually look out for one another and seek to meet each other's needs in any way we can. At First Free, we live out this value of family and community through encouraging connection in a small group of people. These small groups, whether a small group in the Alpha Course, a Sermon Discussion Group in a home or a Bible Study Group at the church building, are a community within the greater community of First Free; a family within a family.
MISSIONAL LIVING
Missional living is our commitment to living out our faith in our communities and our world. Through EVANGELISM/OUTREACH (bringing the message of the Gospel outside of the church), JUSTICE (caring for the abused, poor, oppressed, persecuted and marginalized), and GLOBAL MISSIONS (spreading the Gospel message to the nations of the earth) we are committed to living out Jesus' Great Commandments (Matt. 22:37-40) and Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) both locally and abroad.
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit is essential to the life of the believer. We believe that God - through the Holy Spirit - is present, personal and active in our lives. We firmly believe that God still ministers to His church in the same way He did throughout the New Testament and the Holy Spirit still ministers through all of the gifts listed in Scripture.
PRAYER
Prayer is essential for intimacy with God. We believe prayer must be at the core of who we are. We will emphasize prayer in all we do, make room for lots of it and encourage ourselves as individuals and corporately to live a life of prayer. We believe that God's power is unleashed through the prayers of His people.
TEACHING
Sound Biblical teaching is at the center of all we do. We believe that God's word is inspired and is essential to producing disciples who are whole hearted lovers of God. From the weekend services to our mid-week classes and everything in-between, a high level of importance is placed upon the accurate explanation of Scripture and guidance into Christian living.
GROUPS
The local church is to function as a family. We should continually look out for one another and seek to meet each other's needs in any way we can. At First Free, we live out this value of family and community through encouraging connection in a small group of people. These small groups, whether a small group in the Alpha Course, a Sermon Discussion Group in a home or a Bible Study Group at the church building, are a community within the greater community of First Free; a family within a family.
MISSIONAL LIVING
Missional living is our commitment to living out our faith in our communities and our world. Through EVANGELISM/OUTREACH (bringing the message of the Gospel outside of the church), JUSTICE (caring for the abused, poor, oppressed, persecuted and marginalized), and GLOBAL MISSIONS (spreading the Gospel message to the nations of the earth) we are committed to living out Jesus' Great Commandments (Matt. 22:37-40) and Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) both locally and abroad.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
OUR HISTORY
The ministry here at First Free Church dates back to 1914, when the Norwegian Evangelical Free Church held tent meetings and subsequently organized about a dozen charter members into a church which met in a rented chapel. In 1946, that church merged with Moody Memorial Chapel, began holding worship services on Campbell Road in La Crosse, and was renamed Moody Memorial Evangelical Free Church. In 1960, the name was changed to First Evangelical Free Church of La Crosse.
During 1950, the church built a new sanctuary on top of the existing basement. In this sanctuary the congregation added a second Sunday worship service, with attendance growing to an average of 100 by 1990.
During 1950, the church built a new sanctuary on top of the existing basement. In this sanctuary the congregation added a second Sunday worship service, with attendance growing to an average of 100 by 1990.
With God's blessings, attendance grew over the next eleven years. During that time, First Free Church, as it has come to be called, rented local high school auditoriums for Sunday services and searched for land large enough to support the growing congregation and its ministry needs.
In 1999, after much prayer and considering many possibilities, the congregation decided to purchase the current building site north of Onalaska. Through the power of God and the generous sacrifice of the congregation, the land was paid for outright and over a quarter of the construction cost for the new facility had already been given before breaking ground.
In 1999, after much prayer and considering many possibilities, the congregation decided to purchase the current building site north of Onalaska. Through the power of God and the generous sacrifice of the congregation, the land was paid for outright and over a quarter of the construction cost for the new facility had already been given before breaking ground.
Sunday attendance averaged around 700 in July of 2002 when the congregation made the big move to 123 Mason Street in Onalaska. As of the Spring of 2016, average weekly attendance was over 2,000 leading to the construction of the new Worship Center in the Fall of 2017 behind the 2002 facility. In May 2018, the Worship Center was opened with seating for over 1,100 people.
