Gospel Peace Church

FAMILY FAITH

TARA BONE contributing writer

This is the sixth and final article in a series featuring different faith communities in Cache Valley. The role of faith in the early settler’s day-today life was central. For many who call Cache Valley home today, faith continues to play a pivotal role in Valley communities and individual lives.

Last year on Sunday, September 19, Pastors Paul Campbell, John Moon, and Jonathan Jarrett launched Gospel Peace Church with their very first worship service in Cache Valley.

Gospel Peace Church meets each Sunday at The Whittier Center from 10:30 a.m. to noon and its teachings focus on the Bible and encourage a life-long process of becoming like Jesus Christ. Though the church is new, church leaders and its approximately 150 members are focusing on ways to serve.

“We feel very new here, so we’re trying to figure out how we can best serve the community,” Pastor Paul said. “There are a number of churches in our Valley who do a great job of serving. We’re trying to get to know our neighbors. That’s what we want to emphasize, start right next door — serve your neighbors.”

Paul adds that their neighbors have been kind and they love being in Cache Valley. They’re hoping to implement yearly traditions that will give back to the community. The church is sponsoring a fundraiser Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day at 7 a.m. Details for that event are on the church’s website at gospelpeace.com.

The church has also partnered with The Center for Pregnancy Choices, a local organization that helps expectant parents understand what their choices are during an unexpected pregnancy. Efforts included participating in the organization’s Walk for Life fundraiser and a “baby bottle” fundraiser in which donors filled baby bottles with donations. Earlier this year the church organized a remodel of the Whittier Center’s bathrooms.

As the Christmas season approaches, special services are planned. A Christmas Eve worship service will be held, and prior to that the church will host a Christmas sing-along on Saturday, December 10. Congregational singing is a special part of the church’s worship service, according to Pastor John.

Gospel Peace Church will host a Christmas sing-along on December 10 this year. “Every year we’d like to do a Christmas sing-along,” said John. “The reason we do that is a kindness for the Valley, it’s a lot of fun. We have an inordinate number of musicians at our church. We do a lot of fun, traditional music and Christian-directed Christmas singing and someone will share the story of Christmas. We intersperse that with some trivia games — it will be a fun night.”

Gospel Peace Church is affiliated with Gospel Grace Church from Salt Lake City. Gospel Grace Church just celebrated their 10-year anniversary. During that time, they revitalized a struggling church in Riverton, Utah called Gospel Hope Church before branching out to Cache Valley.

“We’re the third church in this tiny family of churches that unify and connect together,” Paul said.

Paul oversees most of the preaching and teaching at the church. He and his wife Abbey and their four children moved to Cache Valley about a year and a half ago. He graduated from Liberty University in 2006 with a degree in Religion with a Youth Ministry emphasis. He also completed a Master of Biblical Studies in 2010 and a Master of Divinity in 2012, both from Virginia Beach Theological Seminary.

“We love it here; it’s been amazing,” Paul said. “The Lord has answered our prayers above and beyond what we were expecting.

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