The 2025 Annual Meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, February 2nd, at 12:15 pm in the auditorium.
This meeting is where we vote on the budget, approve new members of church leadership, welcome new members of the church, and more.
We will be offering an online option at efree.org/meet for those members who cannot attend in-person, though we encourage in-person attendance if possible. Childcare is available – please register here.
Please remember that while anyone who attends First Free is welcome at the meeting, only members may vote.
Leadership candidates will be announced soon.
JD and Julie Long have been married for over 33 years. They have two children, John David Long III & Kelsey Carol Long. They started attending First Free in 2013. JD & Julie are active in their small group, and Julie is involved in women’s bible studies. JD currently serves in the Connections Ministries and as a Deacon. JD’s gifts are leadership with a strong desire to serve others.
JD’s Testimony:
I cannot remember a time in my life where God has not been present and a part of my life. I have not experienced that one moment in life where everything became clear and suddenly I knew God loved me. I have literally known that God has loved me from the first moments in my life that I can remember.
This is not to say that things have always been easy or that I have always been a good son, as that is certainly not the case. I find an overwhelming peace in understanding that God’s love, grace, and provision will be enough to sustain us in all we do. I also take comfort in knowing that God will never place a burden or hardship on us that is too great to bear. Although I have to admit that sometimes in life God has had more confidence in me to endure things than I have had in myself!
As a young child, I grew up on a farm in rural Kentucky. My parents divorced when I was very young. I actually have no memories of them together, just photos. The divorce was filled with conflict. The battles were not about material things but about custody of me. My dad won every court battle and when I was 11.5 years old the judge ruled that my dad would be granted six months custody and at the age of twelve I could determine to live with either parent or even grandparent(s). The judge did not make this decision lightly as over the years through the custody battles we had multiple private conversations that led him to make this ruling. Simply put, he was tired of seeing us and felt like I understood best how to manage this situation.
The above family dynamic does not present a picturesque setting. You could even draw the conclusion that the first two paragraphs are in conflict! One might even wonder why a judge would grant such authority to someone so young and therefore draw an incomplete picture of me. What is stated is certainly factual but it fails to tell the complete story. The truth is God provides. He provided me with a loving mother and father and I knew they loved me even when they were doing destructive things to themselves, each other, and therefore sometimes me. How did I grow to understand this? God provided me with God-fearing and loving grandparents. At a very early age, I was aware that I was not responsible for or at fault for my parents’ divorce. I watched my grandparents love their children and support them through some extremely difficult circumstances that they did not have to endure. I was also not allowed to be a victim. When I acted out in the wrong way those opportunities were teaching moments. Simply put, this situation is not your fault but how you respond to it will determine the type of life that you will have and you are accountable for your actions, no excuses! I learned the value of hard work and discipline, how to laugh at yourself and not think too lowly or highly of yourself in a given situation, how to think of others’ needs/perspectives and to love even in very difficult settings and times. God provided me with ways to learn valuable lessons that have helped shape me into the husband and father that I am today. I am also glad to share that my parents reconciled and became friends through visiting us when our children were baptized – they ended up speaking to each other, finding forgiveness in their hearts, and became friends.
God continues to place amazing people in my life to help me figure things out. This is true in all phases of my life. Whether it is with family, friends, my career, or sometimes just a random stranger that I encounter through living life. It saddens me to say that through life I have ebbed and flowed in my daily walk with Christ. I know his importance in my life and the good he wants for me but sometimes I am guilty of placing God on hold while I try to do “some really important things”. Other times I have asked God to help me endure things that I was not sure we could survive!! As I reflect back, he is consistent and I am still that child learning, and I suspect this to some degree will always be. I am grateful for his love, patience, and provision!
I know that God still has plans for me. I am thankful that God is in control, that he has blessed me with my wife Julie (the greatest blessing of all and that is saying a lot as I have been blessed abundantly), and that First Free is our church home. I am sure there will be many challenges and struggles as we continue to live life together just like I am sure there will be moments of overwhelming joy and happiness. God will see us effectively through them all until he is done with me and oh what a day that will be!!
David is married to Kim and has been a member at First Free since 2007. He and Kim currently lead a small group and have been active in various roles in Kid Connection and with Heritage Builders. He previously served as an elder from 2015 to 2021 and has been serving with the Groups ministry since that time. David has spiritual gifts of administration, serving, discernment, and giving.
David’s Testimony:
I was fortunate to grow up in a loving Christian home. I committed my life to Christ at an early age and was very active in our local church. As I grew, I was involved in various leadership positions and attended General Assembly in 1986. At that time, I started to question the difference between religion and true relationship with God. I didn’t really find any answers at that time.
As I attended college, I unfortunately fell into the all-too-common practice of ignoring God and trying to do my own thing. I met Kim during my junior year of college, and we were married a year after graduation. As we blended our spiritual backgrounds, I saw again hypocrisy within religion and still tended to ignore it. As our children were born, we became more distant from the church we were attending due to these types of issues.
We started attending First Free because of a series of events that God put in front of us. It was a very different experience for both of us, but we quickly came to feel comfortable. We became regular attenders; Kim was saved, and our children became very active as well. I also came to understand that the hypocrisy I had seen in other churches really separates many from God. I have changed over the years and have a much deeper relationship with the Lord as a result.
My current focus is to serve God and this church body as God wants me to. I’ve been seeking His direction for the right service and when the call for Eldership came, I realized it was due to His right timing.
From Josh:
I am honored and humbled to be nominated to serve as a deacon at First Free. First Free has been my church home since December 2001.
Over the past two decades, I have served on short-term mission teams to Brooklyn, New York, led Junior High small groups, served as an usher and usher team lead, and participated in discipleship and leadership development ministries. My wife, Linda, and our children, Cai Theresa, Caleb, and Lydia, are active volunteers in the nursery and young children’s programs. Outside of First Free, I have served as a BSF small group leader and volunteered in various leadership roles within the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I am excited to see how the Lord will use me to serve the congregation of First Free in this role and to continue growing in my walk with Him.
From Barbara:
Barbara Bosch married to her husband, Eric, at First Free in 1998 and has attended the church since a few years before their wedding. They have three young-adult children, Daniel, Heidi and Katrin. Barbara served for many years in the nursery and currently leads the annual Operation Christmas Child drop-off, volunteers to help maintain the campus landscaping, runs Audio/Visual for Community Bible Study, and participates on the First Free Finance Committee. She holds an MBA from WashU and has worked part-time in investment banking since her children were small.
From Jon:
My name is Jonathan Rathjen, but I just go by Jon (3 letters). My wife Kathy and I have been married 42 years and counting. God has blessed us with 3 + 3, 3 kids + 3 grands. Our firstborn is Ana (3 letters) and she has blessed us with 3 granddaughters, Cheyenne, Abigail and Elizabeth. She is an RN, and they live locally. Our 2nd is Erin, currently in Grand Junction, CO, and she’s a traveling nurse practitioner. Our youngest is Kenneth, lives in Hazelwood, and drives all over the Midwest for EcoLab.
We all started coming to First Free when we moved to MO in May of 1996. Passport to Adventure was the real hook once we’d started coming.
I’ve been a part of multiple small churches like Upward Call and Beacon and TOP (Transforming Ordinary People). I’ve helped out with sound and with coordinating prayer ministry. During COVID I ran the Zoom so we could have a “hybrid” small church.
I love the Bible, I love listening to the Bible and reading the Bible. I am thrilled to see the Bible getting out to people who have never heard it, and seeing it be translated into new languages.
For a couple of years we’d been praying about when to retire. When my employer gave notice to my entire team last year, I took that as a sign. Hence, I retired in October 2024. We are currently seeking God’s will for what He would have for us next.
Nominating Committee candidates will be announced soon.
Jan has been attending First Free since the late 1990s. Over the years, she has served on the deacon board for 6 years and as an adult leader in Senior High ministries. She continues to serve as the class coordinator for Faithbuilders Adult community and in the Connections ministry.
She is married to Todd. They enjoy traveling around the country visiting their three grown children and five grandchildren. She is always open to being used by the Lord in new ways.
Sarah is married to Tim, and they have three boys – Cliff (6), Hunter (3), and Grant (7 months). The Carlsons have attended First Free for the past six years. Sarah attends the Truth Love Community (TLC) morning group and serves in the children’s ministry as her children grow from nursery to elementary. First Free has been a blessing to Sarah’s family, and she is grateful to be able to serve in this capacity. Sarah works in leadership at a bank and enjoys taking her kids on fun educational outings.
Aaron Thorne has been attending First Free Church for over 18 years, and has been a member for over 15 years. He has been involved in a number of different ministries over that time; including the single adult ministry, Connections, senior adult care, and Sunday morning adult classes. He currently volunteers at First Free as the Assistant Coordinator for the Connections ministry, and as one of the discussion leaders for FaithBuilders. Aaron grew up attending various flavors of Baptist churches, where he accepted Christ as his savior and was baptized during his Elementary school years.
Aaron currently lives in Manchester, and splits his free time between attending St. Louis CITY SC matches and playing board games.
Newsletters are sent out once per month. We will never share or sell your information.
