
Our Story
Scripture promises that God will transform us, such that our joy, peace, and our soul’s delight would increase, and our relational
pain, anger, wounds, and retaliatory behaviors would decrease. But, for many of us, we still respond to people and circumstances in
ways we wish we wouldn’t rather than in love like Jesus.
Over 30 years ago, as a young lead pastor, our founder Mark Gordon Fee, felt disillusioned and discouraged by the lack of change he saw in himself and in his congregation. Especially upsetting was the lack of love he experienced and expressed himself. One day in his distress, God spoke 1 John 4:19 personally: “Mark, You love because I first love* you.”
So, Mark began coming every day to be loved by God through the scriptures. Later, the Spirit showed him a way to experience God’s love through loving interactions with others. Ultimately, Jesus rooted these new activities of Being Loved First in his new command: “Love one another just as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) This began a journey of deep personal transformation in Mark where over time people started asking, ‘what’s happened to you? You’re so different. What are you doing that’s produced this change?’
First Loved Ministries was established in 2006 to go out and share with the whole Church these teachings and activities that deepened and changed one man’s interactions with God and others, which changed his marriage, his family, and his church, and have in the years since then changed the lives of countless others!