ABOUT US

Church Rock Family LIfe Baptist Church Is Associated With:

Southern Baptist Convention

The Baptist Convention of New Mexico

Western Baptist Association, Gallup, New Mexico

Pastor Mark Chandler

History of Church Rock Family Life Baptist Church

In July of 2005, Mark Chandler accepted the call as the bi-vocational church planting pastor of Church Rock Family Life Baptist Church in Church Rock, New Mexico . The church has been planted at the request of a group of Navajo Christians, the Baptist Convention of New Mexico and the Western Baptist Association in Gallup . The Southern Baptist church has the full blessings of the Navajo Nation and the Church Rock Chapter House. The Church Rock Chapter requested that a Southern Baptist church be established in their community for the purpose of reaching their young people who are rejecting the traditional beliefs of the Navajo people. The younger generations are being impacted with an overwhelming problem with drugs, alcohol, homosexuality and other issues. We know that only Christ can give this community hope!

Mark and his family left their home and employment in Cartersville , Georgia , in July of 2005. Mark's wife, Beverly, and their two sons, Eli and Lucas, serve alongside Mark in the ministry there. Their daughter, Kelsi, resides in Cartersville, Georgia, with her husband, Neil. In addition to his ministry, Mark currently serves as the principal of Twin Lakes Elementary School . The school is located on the Navajo Reservation about 15 miles north of Gallup. Beverly also works with a local pregnancy care center in Gallup and teaches abstinence classes in the local schools.

Mark, Beverly, Eli & Lucas Chandler

When the Chandler family arrived on-site, a small core group of 6 persons was waiting. Since that time, many worship services have been held in homes, at the Church Rock Chapter House, and now meets each Sunday at Church Rock Elementary School.. The Chandlers have been able to build relationships with many of the people. There were 22 persons in attendance on their first Sunday in the new location. The Chandlers are continually amazed at the power of God, and the ministry there continues to grow.

The Chandlers face the normal issue in church-planting situations where the church is being built primarily with new Christian believers. The Chandler family has many challenges, but the they work together as a team. The Chandler 's children (high school and middle school) frequently perform the critical task of teaching children's Sunday school classes with the oversight of their parents.

The church has been strengthend through the addition of Dewayne and Robin Holder and Stanley and Mary James. Dewayne and Robin moved here from Atlanta, Georgia, following God's leadership. Dewayne serves with the Gallup Police Department, and Robin teaches mathematics at a local high school. Stanley and Mary are committed Navajo Christians who were instrumental in the founding of Church Rock Family Life Baptist Church.

The church has recently been gifted a used school bus. The bus had been previously used by a school, a rafting outfitter and a construction team, but it is in great running-condition. The vehicle is currently being converted into a mobile teaching facility. There are plans to have the bus in full functioning order to begin use in the spring of 2008. A new floor, lighting, power distribution system, and a generator are ready to go. We are waiting on warmer weather to install the flat-screen television and final details for a spring launch of this ministry. This winter has been extremely cold, wet, snowy and muddy. Taking the bus into many of the desired areas this winter would have been difficult. Completion and dedication of the bus is scheduled for Sunday, May 4, 2008.

What We Believe

Church Rock Family Life Baptist Church is in full agreement with the intended understanding of the current revision (June 14, 2000) of The Baptist Faith and Message of the Southern Baptist Convention. For more information about this statement of belief, click here.