LAYTON—It’s been 40 years since Pastor Myke Crowder and his wife Marsha came to Christian Life Center Church (CLC) in Layton. At the time, the church was on Golden Avenue in a tiny little building. The church moved to its current location at 2352 East Highway 193, 27 years ago and Crowder continued to be the pastor.

“When they started building on this land here on 193 it was just a dirt road,” said Executive Pastor Rob George. “There was nothing out here. The church was actually one of the first things built in this part of Layton.”

CLC recently held a celebration at the church to honor Crowder’s 40th anniversary. “Forty years for a senior pastor at a Christian church is pretty rare, he said. It’s quite an achievement which is why we wanted to celebrate it.”

He’s a community leader, George said. “He’ve very involved in the community and the state and federally. He cares very much about the state of Utah. He loves it immensely.”

The church had a daycare a long time ago called Noah’s Ark Daycare, he said. “He would literally come in early in the morning. He would come in and watch kids at 4 or 5 in the morning when people had to go to the military and had to go to work. So he would watch kids until some of the other workers would get there early in the morning.”

Christian Life Center Church not only provides for their members but has a big presence in the community. One of their major efforts is the Love My City Project. For about 10 years CLC has held an event at the church on the last Saturday of every month to provide food for anyone who is in need. In addition to food they give out backpacks, toiletries, clothing and have offered free back to school haircuts.

It really started during COVID when the church couldn’t deliver meals in person, said George. “A friend of ours from the Bishop’s Storehouse needed to unload butter, cream and milk and wondered if we could use it.”

It was in the heat of COVID, said George in a previous interview. “We picked it up out of the truck and sent out a message on Facebook for people to come and get it. We fed like 40 to 50 people. Out of nowhere they came up.”

It’s just grown. Since then the ministry has fed hundreds of families every month. All are welcome no matter their faith, George said. Currently they are holding a Pack the Backpack drive to provide back to school supplies for children in the community. 

The CLC also has Layton Christian Academy. “I think that is his (Crowder) crowning achievement,” George said. “That’s been in existence for 30 years. We’re known sometimes for multiple state championships and very good athletic teams and all of those things. For him, the legacy of the school would be way more about the difference we’re making in our community and the world to spread the gospel, to be good community members and make Jesus known.”

It’s a large school, he said. “At any given time the school can be upward of 500-600 students and he (Crowder) was here from its inception in the very beginning.”

He was really the driving force behind a lot of those things getting started, said George. “He is the one who envisioned it.”

For more information about CLC and the Pack the Backpack project visit clclayton.org.