Where the fire service family comes to spread the word of God. FORMATION OF FIREFIGHTERS FOR CHRIST
Like the early church, Firefighters For Christ’s ministry began in a prayer meeting. Beginning in 1973, two firefighters from different denominations met to pray each morning on their shift. They were assigned to Fire Station 3, which was also the headquarters of the Los Angeles City Fire Departme
nt. A vacant upstairs room was available for their use and before long their prayer meeting spread to all three shifts. In 1974, twin sisters asked John White how they could pray for a ministry to firefighters. He started to say, “Pray that our fire station prayer meetings will spread throughout the nation,” but found himself saying, “Pray that our prayer meetings will be spread throughout the world.” A few months after these identical twins began their petitions, Bob Gray, a Fire Chief from Auckland, New Zealand came to Los Angeles. His mission was to study the Los Angeles City Fire Department’s communication system. The morning after his arrival, he found John and Tony praying in his upper floor guest room at Headquarters. “I can’t believe this,” said Bob. “The last thing my wife and I prayed before I left Auckland was that I would have Christian fellowship, but I didn’t expect them to be praying in my room.” Years later, the Lord used Bob, then second in command of Auckland’s Fire Service, to give Firefighters For Christ International free reign to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through cassette tapes at the First World Fire Games in Auckland in 1990In 1975, the firefighters, who had been praying at Station 3, agreed to have a breakfast meeting and invite firefighters from many different departments. In January of 1976, their first breakfast was held at the Holiday Inn in Hollywood, California. They expected twenty to forty guests but to their surprise, one hundred forty firefighters showed up. After breakfast, Roger Lawless (Aptos FD) and John Charcho (San Jose FD) from Northern California met with Southern California firefighters from LAFD, LA CO FD, Santa Ana FD and Long Beach FD. Roger and
John came to the meeting with the suggestion of the name of Firefighters For Christ. Since there were already one hundred and forty interested firefighters in Southern California, the idea of coming together under the name of Firefighters For Christ was decided. The idea of formal membership or formation of individual chapters was not on the minds of FFC’s first leaders. As time went on, though, the Lord made it clear that membership was needed so the firefighter, who worked in a remote area and thought he was the only Christian firefighter in the world, would be encouraged to know that there were other firefighters living their lives for Jesus Christ Instead of asking guys in various areas to pray about starting a chapter. The Lord made it clear that through prayer, He alone would call men He had chosen to be chapter leaders. He desires men of God that are seeking His direction through prayer and are following His Holy
Spirit’s lead in their individual lives and ministry. In June of 1978, Firefighters For Christ officially was established as an incorporated organization. Its non-profit tax exemption is classified under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal
Revenue Code. Our vision — is to reach firefighters worldwide with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to make disciples of them. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus last words were Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Our ministry focus — is to know Christ. After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify You. For You granted Jesus authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. John 17:1-3 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. Philippians 3:10
Our ministry goal — is to encourage firefighters to live their lives for Jesus Christ. We meet together to accomplish Hebrews 10:24-25: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Our purposes are —
To glorify God in the Fire Service.
To fellowship together for individual growth in the Christian life.
To serve the cause of Christ through a Bible believing church of
one's own choice.
To encourage those in the fire service in their Christian life.
To bring all Christians in the fire service to a common goal of praying
for the fire service and its members.
To be perfected in unity so that the world will know that God has sent
His Son Jesus Christ. I in them and you in me—so that they may be
brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent
me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
