Fresh Life Church flourishes
Mollie Lemm Photo
People at Fresh Life Church worship during services simulcast throughout the northwest.
Mollie Lemm Photo
Pastor Levi Lusko, on the screen, preaches from the Kalispell church via simulcast messages that are watched in sateliite church locations.
Mollie Lemm Photo
Folks greet each other Sunday morning outside Fresh Life Church on Main Street in Polson.
Mollie Lemm Photo
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Nine years ago a revolutionary church started up in Kalispell by Pastor Levi Lusko and his wife Jennie. Moving from Southern California to Montana, the Lusko’s felt a calling to start a church and on Jan. 14, 2007, they opened their doors under the banner of Fresh Life.
The first meeting was comprised of 14 people, but since that day, the church has spread rapidly. The church is located in Kalispell, Whitefish, Missoula, Billings, Bozeman, Helena, Great Falls, Lethbridge, Alberta; Williston, North Dakota; Salt Lake City, Utah; and as of two years ago, Polson.
After traveling up to Kalispell for a few years to attend Fresh Life, Mike Schallock and wife Christa, along with Logan and Ashley Klein, began to utilize the streaming feature that allows anyone to watch the services online.
“We would just watch it in their basement,” Schallock said. “It was the four of us; we didn’t plan to start a church.”
After growing out of the basement, they met at Mission Valley Christian Academy, and then at St. Joseph’s Chapel, and then at the KwaTaqNuk Resort, and then finally at their current location on Main Street. What began as four people meeting in a basement turned into a church of almost 200 people, which Schallock credits to a “real hunger in the area for a church like this.”
Schallock is now the Site Director for Fresh Life Polson, which means dealing with the day to day operating and overseeing of the church.
“I’m not a pastor,” said Schallock, who acts as more of a caretaker and manager.
Lusko is the pastor over all of the Fresh Life churches, which stream the service onto a screen at the network sites each Sunday morning.
“It is so much more than just a face on a screen,” said Lusko. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful thing.”
Projecting the service onto a screen allows for a greater audience to see and hear the message, and while there are people who scoff at the idea, it works for Fresh Life.
“At first it was weird being in front of a screen, but you get the same message as if you were there,” said David Friday, a high school student who plays guitar and drums at Fresh Life Polson.
Before it was established in Polson, Friday attended Fresh Life in Kalispell when he had the chance.
“It was fun, energetic. I wanted to be a part of that,” Friday said.
When Fresh Life Polson moved to the KwaTaqNuk, Friday joined the movement along with friend Nathan Young. Both teens invested time and energy in helping the church, and they appreciate how candid and real Lusko is when he preaches.
“He’s so easy to listen to,” Friday said. “He connects with everyone.”
The rapid growth of the church has garnered attention from the community, and each week more and more people show up to see what it is all about. Lusko is innovative in how he preaches, often presenting the Bible in more modern and relevant ways, according to the two teens.
“He preaches what people actually want to hear,” Friday said. “He doesn’t sugarcoat things.”
Schallock describes Lusko and the church as “culturally relevant,” and said this is attractive to people who wouldn’t normally come to church.
Along with appealing to a wide variety of people, Lusko takes advantage of the tools at his disposal. The church has a strong social media presence, podcasts, and an app available for download.
“You can watch our services when you are on the elliptical at the gym,” said Lusko, giving an example of how accessible Fresh Life is.
From the initial Sunday, Lusko has stressed the relaxed vibe.
“We don’t put a high value on looking or acting a certain way,” said Lusko, further showing how Fresh Life differs from the stereotypical church.
“We always say it’s not going to feel like your grandmother’s church,” Lusko said, laughing, “but she is welcome to come to it.”
Fresh Life emphasizes making everyone feel welcome, and across the state and country, the people who have been touched by the church are the ones responsible for its growth.
“The network sites are spontaneously started by organic people who love our church,” said Lusko.
Polson is no exception. On Sunday, March 13, they are moving to two Sunday services in order to accommodate for the new growth.
“The Polson site is a vibrant, growing group of people,” said Lusko.
Along with being relevant and welcoming, Fresh Life believes in being a part of the community. Every year across the state, Fresh Life attendees run an initiative called “Rock This City,” where they serve in the neighborhoods and partner with nonprofits.
According to their website, “The goal of Rock This City is to show the love of Christ through being a part of our communities in practical, genuine ways.”
In the past year, Fresh Life Polson has done a major cleanup and beautification of the downtown area in Polson. They’ve raised and donated $5,000 to the Ronan Boys and Girls Club, along with other help. They’ve partnered with Child Bridge — an organization that supports foster and adoptive families for children in need — by providing mentors and volunteers to help each month with a night for foster kids.
“This church is really full of people with not only a passion for Jesus but a passion to see this church here,” said Schallock.
Schallock spearheaded the Polson effort, but it wasn’t without its challenges.
“I have no formal training,” said Schallock. “I didn’t go to Bible school.”
He said it has been hard to accommodate the mass influx of people, which causes trouble with parking because they don’t want to block off the downtown area every Sunday.
“We want to support the local businesses and be good neighbors downtown,” said Schallock.
Lusko also ran into challenges when he created Fresh Life in Kalispell. He broke his leg a year into creating the church, which made it tough to stay actively engaged until he healed, and three years ago, his 5-year-old daughter died suddenly, which he said was the “hardest personal challenge.”
Out of this challenge came a renewed sense of purpose, and while he doesn’t have a master plan, Lusko believes that everyone was made for a reason.
“Life is uncertain and difficult,” Lusko said. “It is my plan to reach as many people as I can.”
Lusko is bringing that passion to Polson area, where he is preaching at the Good Friday Skull Church event on March 25 at 7 p.m. at the Joe McDonald Health and Fitness Center at the Salish and Kootenai College in Pablo. Skull Church is a creation of Lusko’s, named after the hill Golgotha where Jesus died on the cross. The free event is open to the public and will feature music followed by a message from Lusko.
“I just really had a heart to bring it to Polson,” said Lusko.
The events are typically held at the Majestic Valley Arena, and have featured Christian artists such as Trip Lee and Family Force 5 in the past.
“We just want to throw a big party on Good Friday to celebrate Jesus,” Lusko said.
This year, the event, which is typically akin to a rock concert, is being held in the biggest available venue in this area, and Lusko and Schallock expect it to be packed.
“I’m definitely going to the Skull Church event,” Friday said. “I think that it will be an awesome opportunity for people around here to come.”
Along with the main services, Fresh Life Polson has kids’ ministries during the main services and a youth group called “Students” for grades 6-12 on Sunday nights.
Fresh Life Polson meets every Sunday 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. at 209 Main Street, Polson. The typical service, or worship experience as Fresh Life calls it, consists of worship, either live or recorded, and then a message from Lusko.
