Brian Cook | Josh Talbot | Ross Montgomery
Brian Cook
Hi, I'm Brian and the Lead here at ACF Church. I was born right here at Elmendorf Air Force Base and have since moved around the country. It's good to be back! I met my wife Amanda in Cheyenne, Wyoming where we were married. I am passionate about all things mechanical. I'm a Discovery Channel/Food Network junkie. I love to hunt and fish, and I enjoy spending time with my family on hikes and walks. I spend a majority of my time at ACF helping our community make much of God as we gather! I also work with a team to dream up new ways to show support and compassion to our community in effort to spread the gospel of Jesus.
My vision for the church is that we would rise up to our calling as Christ followers. This means more than merely, "learning," but putting that knowledge into practice. We have a calling to bring light, life, hope, justice and love to a world in desperate need.
I heard a man once say, "If you are hated by the religious, and loved by the sinful, you might look a little like Jesus." I've carried that with me for a long time. It was a challenge to live a life of purpose and passion, instead of letting God become a routine afterthought. My heart is to become more like Christ every day. If I can "truly" love God, I'm doing pretty well! If I am able to "truly" love the people around me, I'm doing even better!
My Favorite Things
- Book: Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin, Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, Calvin and Hobbes
- Movie: Tommy Boy
- Food: Anything Spicy, Thai Food, Good Coffee
- Hobby: Hunting, modifying my Jeep, welding, learning to play new music.
- Music: Stevie Ray Vaughn, Coldplay, Hillsong United, Johnny Cash, Matisyahu, Thrice, If These Trees Could Talk, and every Van Halen song ever written.
Josh Talbot
Hey, what’s up? My name is Josh and I am the Family Pastor here at ACF Church (loving and reaching kids from diapers to diplomas). I am a little crazy and love living life to the full. I was born in Edmonds, WA, but grew up in Cashmere, WA. I spent some time in YWAM (Youth With A Mission) down in Los Angeles and have traveled all over the world. My favorite place I have been to was China, where I spent 3 months. My wife, 2 children, and I moved to Alaska in May of 2012 to work at ACF Church.
My vision for this church is to reach the young people of Eagle River. I am passionate for youth, both children and teens, and am excited to see God meet them in a personal way that stays with them forever.
My Favorite Things
- Book: Crazy Love, 4:8 Principal, The Shack
- Movie: All 3 Lord of the Rings, Inception, 300, Dumb & Dumber
- TV: The Office, Parks & Recreation, Community, & NCIS
- Food: Anything out of the sea
- Hobby: Dog Mushing, Skiing, Soccer, Hiking, & Watching the Seahawks
- Music: Skillet, Switchfoot, Newsboys, Matisyahu, Foo Fighters (well most all 90s rock), and good Christian Hip-Hop like Lecrae
Ross Montgomery
Hey guys! I’m Ross, ACF’s Visual Storyteller, which basically means that I make videos. I'm originally from Kansas and my wife Carisa is from San Diego. We met in Texas, where she had moved to be with family, and I had moved to help plant a church.
Ever since I switched my major from Geographic Information Systems to Video Production halfway through college, I knew I wanted to use it in ministry somehow. Christ-centered video seemed to have a bad reputation, and I figured I could make something more compelling than a geriatric with trifocals in front of a fichus.
My goal is just to tell stories in creative ways to show Christ through them.
My Favorite Things
- Book: I like Ted Dekker, Francis Chan, and The Hunger Games trilogy.
- Movie: I'm a movie buff. This is a loaded question I have to break down by genre. See me for details.
- Food: Chinese food is amazing, but I can eat anything except tomatoes, pickles and green peppers.
- Hobby: Glad to be reunited with my snowboard. Stamp collecting. And by "stamp collecting" I mean not stamp collecting.
- Music: Switchfoot, Jars of Clay, The Black Keys, Foster the People