Today we’d like to introduce you to Nate Ray.
Hi Nate, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The Front Church is a new, non-denominational Christian church in Bluffdale, UT. We had our grand opening in September of 2021. There are a lot of people seeking a spiritual home where doubts are okay; where questions are welcomed; where they can honestly explore Jesus’ story without fear of judgment. If you don’t consider yourself particularly religious; if you’re from another tradition; if you’re simply curious about Jesus – everyone is invited.
Our Worship Service is from 10am-11am. We talk a lot about Jesus, there’s music, and there’s a message that will apply to our daily lives. We can’t wait for your 0-12 year kids to experience KidFront! We think they’ll love it. An unforgettable KidFront experience is our highest priority!
We are a baby church – we don’t yet own a building. We rent space from a local high school in Bluffdale because we want our rent money to go back into our community.
We know starting a new church can sound a little strange, but the Salt Lake Valley is growing, and we’re in an area where there aren’t many non-denominational Christian churches. We want to provide people a place where they can experience Jesus’ story as they are. We’re a part of a network of non-denominational Christian churches – Converge – that starts new churches all over the world.
We picked the name “The Front Church” because 85% of Utah’s residents live within 15 miles of the Wasatch Front. It’s our dream to be a church for the people of Utah, and to start other churches like The Front Church in Salt Lake and Utah Counties and beyond!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We moved to Bluffdale in May of 2019, with the goal of having a grand opening for The Front Church in September 2020. But the world turned upside-down in March of 2020, and that made things difficult. We loved to gather people in our home, we love to host parties, and for a season, none of those tools were at our disposal. We had to get creative and readjust. So instead of our church having a grand opening, we started meeting in our garage in the summer of 2020, every other Sunday, socially distanced and with masks. In the Fall of 2020, we began using the local high school, but again, distanced and with masks.
We had an amazing opportunity to participate in the USDA’s Farmers to Families program – a COVID relief program where the government purchased food from the farmers whose supply chains were interrupted during the pandemic, and send semi-trucks full of perishable food to place to assist families also struggling through COVID. The government leaned on schools, non-profits, and churches to be their boots on the ground to distribute food. It’s no easy thing to give away 40,000 lbs. of perishable food in less than 3 hours. But we did it, and we did it five times. Farmers to Families helped us serve our community, helped bring our community members together from different religious traditions, and helped us establish a presence in our community that communicated a message we want to communicate: we exist to bless this community.
Our grand opening was delayed a year, but we finally had it in September 2021. 250+ people attended, which blew our minds, but it was an amazing way to start The Front Church!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
(I’ve already said quite a bit in the previous questions.)
Everyone is invited! Sunday mornings, 10-11am, 14942 S 560 W, Bluffdale, UT 84065.
You can find out more by visiting our website: thefrontchurch.com
How do you think about luck?
It was serendipitous to get connected with Farmers to Families. We saw it as a God-thing.
We live in the greatest neighborhood – I’m not sure we’ll ever live in a neighborhood as good as the one we live in right now. Sometimes you get lucky with neighbors; sometimes you hit the jackpot. That’s us.
Contact Info:
- Website: thefrontchurch.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thefrontchurch
- Facebook: Facebook.com/thefrontchurch
- Youtube: YouTube.com/c/thefrontchurch
Image Credits
Garrick Talavera
