About the Pastor

I would like to invite you to be part of the family of Jesus Christ. It is a great family — one that knows no boundaries. Country borders, ethnicity, family history, and life circumstances have no bearing on how much God loves you. He wants to walk with you.

The Bible encourages us to “forsake not the assembling of ourselves together,” and the Book of Acts shows us how the early church lived, worshiped, and spread the gospel throughout the world. I am convinced that living for God is the best way to live.

That’s why I invite you to join us as we take a fresh look at Jesus and His disciples and return to the biblical pattern found in Scripture. What they lived is written down for us, and now is a perfect time to take a real look at what the Bible says.

I look forward to meeting you.

March 1995

• Pastor Edward E. Cantu felt the need to create a worship environment that was Spirit-sensitive, where families would be welcomed, weary believers could be renewed, folks could be encouraged, and lost sheep could find their way.  From this burden, Family Worship Center was born in the Cantu home.

• 1st Facility: Presbyterian Community Church
• While driving around during his lunch hour in the Black Forest/Monument area, Pastor Cantu asked the Lord to provide a place to worship at no charge.  After stopping at several places, he was made aware of the Monument Presbyterian Community Church, which usually opened their facility to other groups.  This proved true, and we were given use of their church building on Sunday afternoons for $50 per month.  Believing the amount was “close to nothing,” Pastor Cantu expressed thanksgiving for this great blessing.  The Holy Ghost spoke to him and said, “But you asked for nothing.”  Proving His promise to be true, the Lord provided nine donations of $50 each, which completely covered the nine months we used the Church.

February 1996

• Family Worship Center relocated across I-25 to the Woodmoor Center on Lake Woodmoor Dr. 
• It was in this small rented space of 525 square feet that we started winning folks to the Lord.  We baptized some of our first converts in Woodmoor Lake.
• After a year, we relocated to another unit in the same building.  This now gave us four times the space.  The remodeled grocery store could now sit 65 people, with two classrooms and a fellowship hall.  This was home to Family for the next two and a half years.  We continued to see lives changed and people filled with God’s Spirit.  The attendance averaged about 25
• After losing our lease in the fall of 2000, we relocated the congregation to Colorado Springs, and started meeting at the Apostolic Assembly church building (3701 E. San Miguel St.) Sunday and Thursday evenings.  The church grew in attendance to about 45 people.

March 2003

• A new facility was leased at 6060 Hollow Tree Ct.  After remodeling the unit, transforming a warehouse into an auditorium, we began holding services.  One month later, on Easter Sunday, we broke our attendance record with 62 people present. 
• In 2004, Rev. Joshua and Andrea Wise joined the staff; he became the associate pastor.  Two years later, after having filled the auditorium to near capacity, with an averaging attendance of 80, we rented the adjacent unit, removing the wall between the two units, and expanded the church facility to 8,000 square feet.  This permitted us to have a larger auditorium that would seat 145, and added a fellowship hall, three executive offices, a nursery and three more classrooms.

August 2006

• In response to God’s timing and to a growing church, Pastor Cantu stepped away from his employment at Focus on the Family and became a full time pastor.  The congregation continued to grow and the proclaimed prophetic word of God was fulfilled.  This period in the church’s history became of time of vision renewal and ministry growth.

September 2009

• Also fulfilling a long held vision to educate our children in the ways of the Lord, Family Christian Academy reopened its doors by offering kindergarten and first grade.  A daycare was added with Jayme Cantu as the director.

January 2010

• The fifteenth year of the church’s existence brought great blessings.  Family Worship Center became home to fifty-five families, with thirty individuals being water baptized and twenty-five people being spirit-filled.  We continued to see spiritual and numerical growth to the degree that the Sunday morning service was filled to capacity on most weekends.  In the fall, Family Christian Academy expanded its educational experience to children by offering K – 3rd grade. 

February 2012

• The story of Family continued with excitement and a powerful move of God’s Spirit.  2012 included the acquisition of a new worship and educational facility.  The beautiful building was located on 5.8 acres, had parking for about 100 cars, included a commercial-style kitchen, and housed a growing Family Christian Academy and Family Child Care Center.

December 2015

• Eleven new families were added to the membership roll, causing the Sunday morning format to be changed, allowing for more adult and teen seating in the auditorium.

• Through his unwavering guidance our founding Pastor Edward Cantu led Family Worship Center through many years and changes of buildings all the while grounding Family Worship Center in the Love and Truth of Christ.  It was with great confidence in God’s hand on Family Worship Center that pastor Edward Cantu went on to his reward in October of 2021. His love and sacrifice continue to impact us every day at Family Worship Center.

August 2022 - A New Season

•  In August of 2022, Pastor Gary was voted in as Senior Pastor of Family Worship Center. This moment marked the beginning of a new season built upon the strong foundation laid by our founding pastor, Edward Cantu, and the faithful families who helped establish this church through prayer, sacrifice, and obedience to God.

• With a deep respect for the past and a clear sense of God’s leading, Family Worship Center entered a season of renewed focus, spiritual alignment, and expectation. God has been stirring hearts, strengthening unity, and calling His people to once again center on biblical identity and purpose.

• Today, Family Worship Center stands positioned for growth, impact, and spiritual vitality - committed to being God’s people and living out the apostolic pattern shown in Scripture. With gratitude for where we have been and faith for where God is leading us, we look forward with anticipation to all that He will continue to do.