The First 50: Fellowship Through the Years

Fellowship City Church
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The First 50: Fellowship Through the Years is a digital time capsule celebrating fifty years of God’s faithfulness through Fellowship City Church. Through conversations with founding members, pastors, ministry leaders, and families whose lives have been shaped here, this series captures the real stories of faith, risk, generosity, calling, and community that define Fellowship. From humble beginnings to campus launches, from mission impact to next-generation leadership, these episodes honor the past, celebrate the present, and reflect on the future God is still unfolding.

  1. 2d ago

    Episode 24 | Joan Nosal

    In this episode of The First 50, we see how Joan Nosal’s story became woven deeply into the fabric of Fellowship City Church, not through titles or a platform, but through decades of faithful service, hospitality, and genuine investment in people. Joan reflects on her early years, her marriage to Bob, and how the two of them became a quiet anchor for couples, families, and friendships across generations. She shares openly about mentoring, hospitality, loss, grief, and what it looks like to keep living with purpose and joy through life’s hardest seasons. And her story is still very much being written, with a continuing heart for people, relationships, and mission that hasn’t slowed down. This conversation is for anyone who has been impacted by Joan and Bob’s lives, and for anyone who needs a reminder that the most lasting legacies are often built quietly, through faithfulness, one person at a time.

    1h 1m

  2. 5d ago

    Episode 23 | Rick and Jill Mlakar

    In this episode, we sit down with Rick and Jill Mlakar to hear their story marked by hardship, honesty, and the relentless faithfulness of God. Rick shares openly about seasons of anxiety, depression, addiction, spiritual drifting, and relapse, along with how God continued pursuing him even in the darkest moments of his story. Jill reflects on what it looked like to walk through those seasons as a couple, and how grace, authentic community, and faithful relationships helped carry them both toward healing and restoration. The conversation also explores how Fellowship City Church became part of their story, and the role that honesty and belonging played in the long road back. If you or someone you love has ever felt beyond reach, this conversation is for you. This episode is a reminder that no season is beyond the reach of God's grace and that restoration is possible even when life feels completely broken.

    1 hr

  3. May 29

    Episode 22 | Dave Lynden

    In this episode, we sit down with former Fellowship Senior Pastor Dave Lynden, a pastor whose path to Fellowship began with a phone call he never saw coming. Dave reflects on his early years, coming to faith, and the people God used to shape a deep love for Scripture and a calling to ministry. He shares openly about seasons of uncertainty, what it looked like to follow God's direction one step at a time, and how God often uses unexpected seasons to shape us more deeply than we realize. The conversation traces Dave's unexpected journey from serving in Dayton to eventually becoming Senior Pastor at Fellowship, and what that season of leadership taught him about calling, family, and trusting God when the next step isn't fully clear. Dave also shares openly about a significant health scare just eighteen months ago, and how that season deepened his faith, reshaped his perspective, and reminded him that God's faithfulness doesn't change when life takes an unexpected turn. This episode is a reminder that God is often doing His deepest work in the seasons we least expect.

    56 min

  4. May 26

    Episode 21 | Jamie Rasmussen

    In this episode, we sit down with Jamie Rasmussen, a Chagrin Falls native, who came to faith as a high schooler, served as a young intern at Fellowship, and eventually returned years later to succeed founding pastor Lud Golz as Lead Pastor. Jamie reflects on the journey God took him through across those seasons, sharing stories from the early days of Fellowship, the vision behind the new sanctuary, the weight of stepping into senior leadership, and the moments of life change that shaped both the church and his own calling. The conversation also explores Jamie's years after Fellowship, including nearly two decades leading Scottsdale Bible Church, writing books that have encouraged readers across the country, and continuing to invest in churches and leaders today. This episode is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness through every season of leadership, calling, and the long arc of a life given to ministry.

    49 min

  5. May 22

    Episode 20 | Dave Chittock

    In this episode, we sit down with Dave Chittock, someone who has spent decades faithfully investing in people at Fellowship City Church and far beyond. As an Elder and longtime leader in men's ministry, Dave's impact has been showing up, staying consistent, and walking with people through seasons of life. Dave also shares about his experiences in Kenya through ASPIRE Globally, and what those Fellowship trips taught him about discipleship, global perspective, and what it really means to say yes when God opens a door you didn't expect. This conversation is a reminder that some of the greatest Kingdom impact doesn't always happen from a stage, but through faithfully serving, mentoring, and caring for people year after year. And don't miss The Rewind (at the end)… where Dave takes on one of our funniest challenges yet: "Was this quote written by Watchman Nee or Aaron Tredway?" (the might even be a special guest that shows up)

    56 min

  6. May 19

    Episode 19 | Jim and Audrey Kristoff

    Jim and Audrey Kristoff’s story is deeply woven into the story of Fellowship City Church. From Audrey growing up in one of Fellowship’s founding families… to Jim finding faith and eventually discovering a church community that would shape their marriage, family, and future… this episode is filled with stories of faithfulness through every season of life. In this conversation, Jim and Audrey reflect on being high school sweethearts, building a life together, raising a family grounded in faith, and serving through decades of ministry, leadership, transition, and growth at Fellowship. They share stories from the early years of Fellowship and witnessing firsthand how God continued to guide Fellowship through uncertain seasons. Jim also shares honestly about the importance of waiting on God, the lessons learned through hardship and leadership, and why community, discipleship, and long-term faithfulness matter so deeply. This episode is heartfelt, reflective, and full of reminders that some of the greatest stories of impact are built slowly over years of investing in people, trusting God through change, and faithfully showing up season after season.

    59 min

  7. May 15

    Episode 18 | Patric Fransko

    In this episode, we sit down with Patrick Fransko to hear a story shaped by transition, perseverance, and learning to trust God through seasons you never would have chosen. Patrick reflects on the challenges of change, finding community in unfamiliar seasons, and the unexpected ways God was working even when life felt uncertain. What began as a difficult chapter eventually became part of a much bigger story of faith, growth, and belonging at Fellowship City Church. Patrick also shares openly about walking through cancer and how that season deepened his dependence on Jesus, reshaped his perspective, and revealed the power of community and faithful relationships. His story is a reminder that God often does His deepest work in the hardest seasons. Now serving as an Elder at Fellowship, Patrick reflects on spiritual leadership, investing in people, and what it means to remain faithful through every chapter of life. This conversation is honest, encouraging, and filled with reminders that even through transition, uncertainty, and difficulty, God’s faithfulness never changes.

    49 min

  8. May 12

    Episode 17 | Tim and Tiffany Shedden

    In this episode of The First 50: Fellowship Through the Years, we sit down with Tim and Tiffany Shedden to talk about faith, family, intentional parenting, and the quiet consistency that shapes a home over time. From their own upbringing and faith journeys to raising a family deeply involved in the life of the church, Tim and Tiffany share how small everyday decisions helped create a culture where faith became more than something talked about on Sundays. It's part of their family’s rhythm, relationships, and purpose. Throughout the conversation, they reflect on marriage, parenting, serving together, and what it has been like to watch their children not only love Jesus, but actively lead and serve in ministry themselves. They also share how community and spiritual intentionality have shaped the way they approach both family and church life. This episode is a reminder that raising a family grounded in faith rarely happens through one big moment. More often, it’s built slowly through consistency, conversations, prayer, presence, and a willingness to keep pointing each other back to Jesus.

    53 min
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The First 50: Fellowship Through the Years is a digital time capsule celebrating fifty years of God’s faithfulness through Fellowship City Church. Through conversations with founding members, pastors, ministry leaders, and families whose lives have been shaped here, this series captures the real stories of faith, risk, generosity, calling, and community that define Fellowship. From humble beginnings to campus launches, from mission impact to next-generation leadership, these episodes honor the past, celebrate the present, and reflect on the future God is still unfolding.

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