The Journey

of

Pastors Claude

and

Brenda Farrester

Brief History of Pastor Claude E. Farrester

Claude Eugene Farrester was born Jan. 7^th, 1935 in Lafayette, Indiana.  He was the youngest of three brothers and one sister.  They were a poor family, living in a little house next to the railroad tracks.  There was no running water, no indoor toilets and no electricity.  A mid-wife came to their home to assist in his birth as they of course could not afford a doctor and especially not a hospital bill.  His mother was a Christian and often held a ladies prayer meeting in their home.

          Pastor Claude’s teen years were spent in rebellion, confusion and constant running.  He left home at the age of 13 and crossed the United States thirty-two times before the age of 21, riding the railways in boxcars, hitchhiking and on foot.  He went from town to town and state to state doing odd jobs, staying drunk for weeks at a time, sleeping in “hobo camps” and old barns, going without food for days on end and even witnessing several murders.  He often feared for his own life.  He did not believe in heaven, was not afraid of hell and decided that if there was a God, he would leave God alone if God would leave him alone.  Claude eventually became so restless that he could not stay in a town more than one night and was compelled to keep moving even though he had no destination.

          Finally, at age 21, weary, worn, lost and hating his life, Claude E. Farrester was saved in a small Assembly of God church in Quartz Hill, California.  Hallelujah!!!  He and his brother, Frank, had actually been looking for the Baptist church, got lost, and wound up in front of the Pentecostal church.  Pastor Gardenhier told him that God could change his life, and God did exactly that.

          Within a few short weeks he started teaching a Jr. Boys class and within three months became Sunday School Superintendent.   Three months later he became the Assistant Pastor at age 22.  It was a startling transformation.  He was “all in” for God and knew he had finally found his purpose in life.  He realized that God had been watching over him and protecting him from harm all those years.  Many times he should have been killed..., but for the amazing grace of God.  Now he would carry the message of God’s great love and promise of eternal life with Him to as many people as he could.  The Lord had given him a vision of hell and thousands of people loaded down with their sins and the cares of this world.  He heard them screaming in terror and pain as they fell into the eternal flames of fire.  During the vision God told him “If you will preach My Gospel, many of these souls will be saved from hell.”

          During the next seven years he held every office in the church (except Senior Pastor) all at the same time.  The Southern California Assemblies of God District Superintendent, T.C. Cunningham often called on him to fill in for pastors who wanted to go on vacation or needed to be out of town over a Sunday.  During that time, he preached one or more times in most of the Assembly of God churches south of Fresno, California.

          In 1963, after graduating from the Berean School of the Bible, an Assembly of God college course (with all A’s), he became the Senior Pastor  of the Rexland Acres Assembly of God Church in Bakersfield, California.  It had been closed and put up for sale due to financial difficulties.  Royce Peterson convinced the District Superintendent, T.C. Cunningham, to give Pastor Claude the opportunity to pioneer his first church and the challenge to get it out of debt.  Within three years the church had filled back up and was operating in the black.  Praise God!!!

          From there, he pastored, the Pismo Beach Assembly of God and then went on to pioneer his second church for the Assemblies of God in Needles, CA, and a third in Little Rock, CA.  By this time he had been given the title of “God’s Trouble-Shooter” by the Assemblies of God.  A title that followed him through pioneering a total of 14 churches, including:

#4 Imbler, OR – Assemblies of God

#5 La Grande, OR – International Pentecostal Assemblies

#6 Island City, OR – Independent

#7 La Grande, OR – Church of the Open Bible

#8 Lewiston, Idaho – Church of the Open Bible

#9 Nez Pierce, Idaho – Assembly of God

#10 Yacolt, WA – Assembly of God

#11 Chehalis, WA – Pentecostal Church of God-Joplin, MO

#12 Longview, WA – Pentecostal Church of God-Joplin, MO

#13 Pendleton, OR – Pentecostal Church of God - Cleveland, TN

#14 Salem, OR – Independent

          As a side note, while pastoring in Imbler and La Grande, OR,  Pastor Claude became Deputy Sheriff of Union County and then Chief Deputy and finally, Under-Sheriff.  He never stepped out of his “calling” however and compassionately shared the love of God with many law-breakers and criminals.   Often times he had the privilege of leading them and their entire families through a prayer of repentance and salvation...in the squad-car, in their home, in a bar, in the jail cell or wherever they happened to be.  His fellow law officers often called him “Goody-Two Shoes” because of the care and concern he showed toward the inmates.

          Beside the 14 churches he pioneered and pastored, Pastor Claude also pastored in four established churches and was Assistant Pastor in several others.  As you can see, Pastor Claude usually only stayed at these churches long enough to get it established.  Then, turning it over to another man of God, would move on to reopen another closed church or start a brand new church or help a struggling Pastor and then on to the next assignment.  However, on Jan. 1, 1992, Pastor Claude married his wife and now Co-Pastor Brenda.  He jokingly says that as a Native American (5/8 Cherokee) he had no problem with moving every year or so, but then....he married a “settler” and has been in Salem for 14 years now.

          One year and three months after their wedding they were called to Salem, OR to pioneer Pastor Claude’s 14^th church.  In the beginning they named it Salem Deliverance Tabernacle.  About nine years later, after much prayer and consideration, the name was changed to New Start Christian Center.  They felt it would have more of an appeal to the unchurched as well as be an encouragement to those who were Christians but had fallen away and just needed a “New Start”.

          After 14 years of renting the building at 1690 Commercial St. SE Pastors Claude and Brenda felt a definite word from the Lord to “Move out,” “Go forward,” and “Do not look back.”  They heard the Lord say, “You have been at this mountain long enough!  It’s time to pull up stakes and expand your borders.”

          They searched out several avenues before they finally felt the Lord leading them to Liberty Elementary School on Liberty Road.  It has only been eight months since the move, but they are already experiencing a steady increase of new people.

          About two years ago another area of ministry was opened to them through CCTV.  They were able to obtain a one hour slot for a weekly program which is aired four times a week.  The viewing audience and response calls have steadily increased and the program is now aired in seven other counties besides Marion and expects to be in several more before the end of the year.  God is good!!!

          Pastors Claude and Brenda have adopted a motto for their church which is:

No matter WHO you are…….

                WHERE you have been…….

                        or WHAT you have done…….

                                        JESUS has a NEW START for you!