WHO WE ARE
In early 2016, Pastors Tim and Tamara Golden were approached by the lead pastors of their local church to start a “missional congregation” in downtown Charlestown that would seek to meet the needs of the community, as well as those who were seeking a different size and style of church gathering. In November 2016, together with a handful of people from Life Fellowship (now Remix Church), the first service of “LIFE ON MAIN” was launched. It met at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Building (now St. Luke’s Mission) on Main Street in Charlestown where they continued to meet for four years.
In 2021, the Episcopal Church sold the church building, which caused Life On Main to find other meeting accommodations. During the Summer months, Life On Main found itself meeting on the Golden’s property as they sought a more permanent solution.
In the Fall of 2021, the Charlestown Senior Center opened its doors to Life On Main, where the congregation continues to meet to this day. The use of the senior center in lieu of a traditional-style building was seen as a “step up” as it allows the congregation to have a visible connection to the community which is believed ultimately to provide increased opportunities to touch Charlestown in practical and powerful ways for the glory of God.
We envision that the senior center is just a pit-stop on our way to a permanent facility that will allow us to do even more ministry and impact more people for the Kingdom. In the meantime, Life On Main is happy to call the center "home" as it serves our needs very well.
In 2021, Pastors Tim and Tamara were approached by our Foursquare District and Life Fellowship pastoral leadership to prayerfully consider taking the Life On Main congregation to the next level by becoming its own church. Through prayer, the Goldens and the leadership at Life On Main felt a unity of heart and spirit and began the process of becoming a covenant church. In January 2022, this process became a reality.
We have built relationships with churches in the area across denominational lines. We partner with a nondenominational church in providing a Bible study on community television that has touched people worldwide in over 700 towns in 43 U.S. states and 34 countries. We have done local outreaches with the Anglican Church as well. We have partnered with two Baptist churches regionally in prayer and support as we reach our area for Jesus Christ.
Ministries have emerged from others within our church. These include (1) Greater Things Ministries, serving missions both regionally and in the Philippines in outreach and church planting; (2) a school of ministry with one local location and 6 others in foreign countries, training hundreds of pastors and ministry leaders; (3) The King's Table - a regional special needs ministry that provides a church service and discipleship tools to meet the specific needs of this vulnereable population; (4) a local initiative known as "Fix-It" ministry that utilizes handyman and mechanical sills as a gateway to spiritual discipleship; and (5) an overseas ministry, Empowered By Livestock that provides livestock to selected pastors, along with veterinary training and support, who pass offspring or eggs to other pastors and church families in need. This is for purposes of support, evangelism, and discipleship.
You can learn more about these ministries and other discipleship initiatives on our "Life Hub" page. We are very excited and move forward with great anticipation for what God is yet to do through Life On Main.
There are three distinctives that differentiate LIFE ON MAIN from a number of churches in our region.
These distinctives are core building blocks set in our DNA as a church body.
They are not just character traits, but a special calling the Lord has placed upon our church. We seek to be ...
A Biblically Relevant Church
LIFE ON MAIN is a church that seeks to be relevant to our culture, while at the same time remaining true to the Word of God. We look for ways to touch our world in real and practical ways while keeping the integrity of Scripture. We believe that the Bible should define how we live our lives, not the other way around.
Traditional, but not Typical
Our worship style is traditional, comprised of timeless hymns and contemporary songs. When we gather, we worship God through music that crosses generational barriers, knowing the way we live is our true "worship song". Our desire is that when people worship God, they experience the presence of God in their lives.
Interdenominational in Scope
We seek to unite with other God-fearing, Jesus-believing, Bible-adhering churches in our area for the purpose of advancing the kingdom of God, regardless of denominational affiliation. We value each of these unique expressions of God's love and seek to build on each other's strengths for greater fruitfulness in our area.
OUR VALUES
LOVE = Love is at the core of all we do. We love God because He first loved us. We love fellow believers because God's love is the adhesive that binds us together. And we love the lost because God's love for them is in our hearts.
INSTRUCTION = Teaching the truths of God's Word is vital for any church that would grow up in the "unity of the faith," avoid error, and bring the body to the place of maturity the Lord has for them.
FELLOWSHIP = The Cross of Christ is both vertical and horizontal in nature. Our fellowship must first be heavenward in relationship with Christ, and secondly, peopleward in relationship with one another in the body.
EVANGELISM = "It's all about a soul." Jesus came to save sinners, and our charge is to do the same.
OUR AFFILIATION
LIFE ON MAIN was founded in 2016 and belongs to a denomination, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. The Foursquare Church was founded by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923 with the opening of Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, CA.
In the last 100 years, the workings of revival through Aimee's ministry and legacy have grown incredibly by the workings of the Holy Spirit. That single congregation, according to the 2024 Annual Report and FMI (Foursquare Missions International) Global Report, has now grown and multiplied to an astonishing 98,000 churches in 157 countries and territories worldwide! We are proud to be a part of this family and part of something bigger than ourselves.
Although part of a denomination, LIFE ON MAIN is equally committed to the larger Body of Christ. We seek to partner with other Bible-believing Trinitarian churches in the area to advance the gospel in our region and beyond!
