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Note: Our most recent Senior Pastor of 17 years, David Holt, left First Free this past June and moved with his family to his home state of Georgia. David, Dede, and their four children have been, and will continue to be, a dearly missed ministry presence at First Free. David’s faithful service was used by God to greatly further the cause of the Gospel and the ministry efforts of First Free. You can read more about David, read his tracts, or download his sermons at www.pastordavidholt.com.
History of First Free Church
The ministry of the Evangelical Free Church in La Crosse 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, the Evangelical Free Church merged with Moody Memorial Chapel, combining services in Moody Memorial Chapel’s basement building on Campbell Road. The church was renamed Moody Memorial Evangelical Free Church and then in 1960, the name was changed to First Evangelical Free Church. In 1950, church members brought their skills and hard work to the task of building a sanctuary on top of the existing basement. In this sanctuary, the congregation grew to the point of holding two Sunday services and numbered about 100 on average by 1990. With God’s blessings, attendance grew over the next eleven years. During this 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 many possibilities, the congregation decided on 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 1950 Highway 35 in Onalaska. As of 2009, we average about 1150 people weekly. Throughout this rich history there are countless people who have called First Free Church their home and have given their time, gifts and passions to furthering God’s Kingdom through the combined ministry of this body. Pastors and other staff have come and gone at God’s directing but the underlying vision for the people of the La Crosse area has thrived. We are excited about focusing our ministry efforts to fulfill the vision and mission God has given us! For the full extensive history of First Free Church click here.
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