Pastor Philip Moore does more than lead his congregation at the Calvary Baptist Church in Farmington. He also gives of his time as chaplain for the Farmington Police Department and is in the process of going into the Davis County Jail to minister there. 

Moore was born and raised in North Carolina. “I pastored there for 20 years,” he said. “My son was in Logan. We were coming here to visit and we made the decision in 2018 that we knew the Lord was bringing us to Utah. I came with my wife and three youngest kids to Utah in 2021 to start the Calvary Baptist Church in Farmington.”

They came in June and started the church in October, said Moore. “We were looking for housing but that was hard to find in 2021. We arrived on a Thursday with two moving trucks. We saw a house but they were not renting.”

On Friday a real estate agent called and wanted them to look at it, he said. “We saw it and thought it would be a great place to live. We ran and got the deposit. We’d unloaded the trucks on Thursday evening and then reloaded the trucks to move into the house on Saturday.”

Moore said he spent the first few months visiting other churches getting acquainted. “We put door hangers on every door in Farmington with an invitation to our church and to get the word out that we’re here.”

He met Farmington Chief Eric Johnsen at an event and they struck up a conversation, he said. “We talked about how the church was doing and he asked if I’d like to do chaplain work. I became the chaplain at the department. I go every Tuesday and work with the guys. I’m a resource if they need me.”

Moore said his job is also talking with people on scene. “Whoever is impacted. I might be dealing with the victim, the perpetrator or family members.”

Two or three months ago, one of the gentlemen who attended church told Moore about jail ministry. “He said he had some contacts at the jail,” said Moore. “He called me and now I’m in the process of going into the Davis County Jail. I’ll conduct services and discipleship type of meetings and do counseling.”

In December the plan is to have a Christmas concert at the jail, he said. “It will be in small groups. We’ll spend the day singing otherwise they wouldn’t have a Christmas.”

Moore said he’ll also hold Bible study. “We’re talking about working with the ladies on life skills too.”

The Moores have seven children, he said. “We have 10 grand babies and one on the way. It’s a lot of kids – we love it.”

Moore and his wife are both teachers. “I taught secondary school history and social studies and my wife was an elementary ed teacher. I taught in a public high school for eight years.”

Then Moore went full time into the ministry. “I was a youth pastor then a pastor. I felt directed that this is what the Lord wanted me to do.”

The church meets at the Hampton Inn at 332 Park Lane. “We felt the Hampton would fit our needs to begin with but eventually we’d love to have a place of our own. That’s what we’ve been praying about.

His congregation is small but Moore hopes to grow it. “We have about 30-35 people,” he said. “On the third anniversary we had about 50 that day. I call them my little flock.”

Anyone is welcome, he said. “We love Utah, we love Farmington. It’s an amazing community. I’m excited to watch our little church grow.”

The church holds Bible study on Sunday from 10 a.m.–10:30 followed by a regular service. Sunday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. is “Power Hour,” Bible study for any age. Wednesday is Bible study and prayer time at 7 p.m. For more information visit cbcfarmington.com. λ