Twenty-five years ago, my father, Darell Bunch Sr., began praying for a church to be born deep in the hills of rural Kentucky. With nothing but faith and a calling from God, he planted a ministry that would go on to become a spiritual home for so many. Over the years, we witnessed lives changed—salvations, rededications, marriages, babies dedicated at the altar, and generations growing in the love of Christ.
But on December 18, 2023, my father finished his race and entered into eternal rest at the feet of the Lamb he had so faithfully served. At the time, my wife Whitney and I were serving as missionaries in Denver, Colorado. We loved where we were and what we were doing, but in the middle of our calling, God spoke something hard and clear: MPF was dying, and dying fast. It broke our hearts, but we knew—we had to go home.
Coming back wasn’t easy. And truthfully, growing up in this church wasn’t always easy either. In fact, the church of my childhood didn’t lead me straight to Christ—it played one of the main roles in my journey into atheism. I rejected faith at a young age and remained a devoted atheist until I was 23. There were hurts, disappointments, and questions that grew louder staight into disbelief. But somehow, God never stopped writing my story. At 26, in the very same church that I once turned away from, I heard His voice again—this time calling me into ministry. So the same church that pushed me away from faith for a season also became the place where I finally surrendered to His will.
Today, I have the honor of serving as the Senior Pastor of the very church that raised me—through both pain and purpose. It’s humbling. Since returning, we’ve not only seen growth in attendance, but more importantly, growth in leadership, in love, and in a renewed commitment to discipling one another.
God is breathing new life into MPF. The legacy my father started isn’t over—it’s entering a new, Spirit-led chapter.
— James Bunch