Mountainview Baptist Church celebrates 25th anniversary

Pastor Matt Furse knows there is a retirement date in his near future. He just doesn’t know when.
“I’m not 30,” he said with a laugh.
Furse is pastor at Mountainview Baptist Church, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and Furse has been pastor for all but five of the years it has existed.
“I really do enjoy the community. I appreciate Custer,” Furse said. “We have been treated well and we enjoy the time (we’ve been here).”
The “we” is Furse and wife Wilma, along with sons Caleb, Joshua and Samuel, and daughter Hannah, who have all grown up in Custer and are Custer High School graduates.
Mountainview Baptist Church, which is located at 12230 Aviation Way, was started in 1997 by Kevin Beier. The church was officially chartered in 1998, and Beier served as pastor from 1997-2000, and was followed by Randy Kuhn from 2000-03. Furse came on board in 2003.
Furse was familiar with both men and the church that had been started, since he was serving a pastor in nearby Newcastle, Wyo. In the early years when there were Thursday night services and the other pastors were gone, Furse would drive to Custer and fill in. When Kuhn left, the church was without a pastor, so Furse began to pull double duty, serving as pastor at both churches. He continued in that capacity until 2005, when the two churches were combined.
Prior to being in Newcastle, Furse spent most of his time in Gillette, Wyo., where his father was also a pastor—something he gave up a lucrative career in the business world to become.
Furse’s father worked for some familiar names in the business world, including Preston Robert Tisch, former co-owner of the New York Giants football team, and former United States Postmaster General.
As his father climbed the ladder of success he became a Christian, was saved and became more and more involved with the church. Before long, Furse said, his father realized the business world was no longer what he was supposed to be doing.
“They told him he was crazy,” Furse said.
His father received several tugs to come back to the business world, including one from none other than Lamar Hunt, a prominent businessman who was also owner of the Kansas City Chiefs football team for many years.
It wasn’t always easy for the Furses when their father gave up the business world. For a while they lived in a small townhouse with no refrigerator. Times were tough. The elder Furse continued to turn down calls to return to the business world.
“He hung up the phone (with Lamar Hunt) and said, ‘God, I said no, so please help,’” Furse recalls. “And He did.”
Furse said he saw God continue to open doors for his parents.
“It instilled things in my heart and mind,” he said.
His parents never pressured him into being a pastor, but because it was something with which he was so familiar, he felt it was what he was supposed to do. He ended up going to Fairhaven Baptist College in Chesteron, Ind., the same college his dad had attended. His first time preaching to a congregation was in Gillette when his dad was still pastor. He admits he was a little nervous.
When Mountainview Baptist Church was founded it met in a home on 11th Street. Around 2000 the property on which it now sits was purchased, and a modular from the Douglas School District in Box Elder was brought to the property to serve as the church.
Construction on the current chuch began in 2010, and was completed in 2012. The church meets at 9:30 a.m. for Sunday School for all ages, and at 10:45 a.m. Sunday mornings for morning worship. There is also a 6 p.m. Sunday service.
Furse said the congregation has maintained a consistent number, and is pretty much full on Sundays, particularly in the summer, when tourists attend the church. Furse said the church welcomes anybody and everybody who wants to hear the Word.
There are charter members who have been coming to the church since its inception, and visitors remark they love coming to the church, love the atmosphere and become friends over time.
People also come from as far away as Hill City, Hot Springs and even Rapid City to attend church at Mountainview Baptist.
“I think they are looking for the truth. They love the Bible and they put up with me,” Furse said with a laugh. “They have been gracious.”
Furse wants the church to continue to thrive after he retires, and he said there are plenty of potential candidates to pick up where he leaves off, including Joshua, who was recently ordained, and Sam, who has also expressed a desire to be in ministry.
“At this point I don’t know who the next person could be. I think homegrown is always better,” he said. “I’m waiting for the Lord to show us that.”
Whoever it is will undoubtedly carry the tradition proudly, with the support of a community that has welcomed the church with open arms.
“We’re thankful for this community,” Furse said. “It’s a nice community with good people.”