Staff Bio
Joseph Barlow, Senior Pastor
Pastor Joe has been involved in leading worship for 37 years, is a recording artist, has a degree in music, and was a Bible School teacher at Word of Life School of Ministry, Praise Fellowship Church, Carol Stream. He later served as the Director of the Bible Training Center at Living Word Christian Center, Forest Park, IL. Pastor Joe has been married to his wife, Nancy, for 25 years and has seven children. He was trained for the ministry by Pastor Van Gale of Praise Fellowship Church, Carol Stream and Pastor Bill Winston of Living Word Christian Center in Forest Park, Illinois where he is ordained under Faith Ministries Alliance.
Tenese Bassett, Associate Pastor
Tenese is a graduate of Charis Bible College Colorado. Along with her husband of 26 years, she helped to establish the first U. S. based Charis Bible College extension school in 2003, where she served as co-director and administrator for four years. She received her ministry license through Andrew Wommack Ministries in 2003 and was ordained under this same ministry in 2004.
Tenese is the co-founder of Grace and Faith Ministries, is on the Board of Directors of Charis Bible College Chicago Alumni Association and serves as an advisor to several other ministries. Tenese has a passion to see believers reach their full potential in Christ and experience the abundant life that Jesus provided.
Mark Bassett, Associate Minister
With a successful background in sports and an enthusiasm for strengthening others, Mark is a tremendous blessing here at Family Life. A 2003 graduate of Charis Bible College Colorado and ordained through Andrew Wommack Ministries in 2004, Mark has a passion to see the body of Christ discover and walk in their righteous identity in Christ and to experience God’s love.
He served as Director of Charis Bible College Chicago from 2003 to 2007, and currently is on the board of directors for Grace and Faith Ministries. Mark is also co-founder of Grace and Faith Ministries.
Roger Flanagan, Associate Minister
Roger flows easily in the gifts of the Spirit. He has a pastoral calling upon his life, and has served the body of Christ in the helps ministry, prophecy, and as a teacher. Roger has a compassionate heart for those who need healing, and co-leads the healing ministry at Family Life.
Roger studied at Chicago Bible College in Chicago and at Christian Life College in Mt. Prospect. He has served for eight years as a homeschool support group leader, and is the co-founder of Jesus Today Ministries, a ministry whose primary focus is to enforce God's will on earth as it is in heaven. Roger and his wife Carolyn have been married for 36 years and have four children. Together they lead four semesters of Weekly Healing Classes per year. Roger's hobbies are playing chess, listening to classical music, and memorizing Scripture. Roger is licensed under Family Life Christian Center.
Carolyn Flanagan, Associate Minister
Carolyn gained experience in the secular world as an administrative aide and an office manager. She has served the body of Christ as a Sunday school treasurer and secretary; Coordinator of the Infant Nursery; Sunday school teacher; and several other positions. She also served as a Christian homeschool support group leader for eight years, and established two different Christian Home Education support groups.
Her strong administrative gifts are complemented by wisdom, mercy, faith and many other giftings. She currently serves on the staff and as a member of the Board of Trustees at Family Life and co-leads the healing ministry here along with her husband. Carolyn is the co-founder of Jesus Today Ministries. (www.JesusTodayMinistries.org.) She is the publisher and editor of the REVIVE Magazine, an arm of Jesus Today Ministries, and she authors a blog at www.decidingvote.blogspot.com. Carolyn is licensed under Family Life Christian Center. She has four children, has been married for 36 years, and home educated her children through high school graduation. This was her primary ministry for 17 years. Carolyn is a published author in several national, Christian home education magazines.
Thomas Solon, Associate Minister
Tom started in youth ministry two months after he got saved, and hasn't stopped since. He has also served as a chaplain's assistant at Illinois Youth Center Valley View, where he was active in various ministries for 18 years until the facility was closed 2002.
Tom's passion is preaching and teaching God's word. He has done so in various settings including Sunday school, seminars, conferences, youth ministry, Christian camp, and home Bible studies. He has an undergraduate degree in biology, a master's degree in business administration, and loves studying the Word.
Michael O'Connor, Associate Minister
Graduated from Word of Life School of Ministry in Wheaton, IL, Mike’s focus has been on reaching out to the lost. The Lord has given him many opportunities for outreach and evangelism. While in school, he married Carolyn, one of the other students at the school. Together, their family has pursued hospitality and other forms of outreach.
Helping missionaries and making missions trips have been a real highlight in Mike’s Christian walk. He enjoys preaching the Good News to those he meets while at his secular job. Mike would like to do more evangelistic work in the future, and has been used of the Lord to release miracles to the sick and the needy.
Carolyn O'Connor, Associate Minister
Carolyn O’Connor was saved in the late 70’s and soon after received a call to missions. She visited Amsterdam with YWAM for a few months. From there, she attended Word of Life School of Ministry in Wheaton, IL. While in her second year there, she met her future husband, Mike; and together they did a lot of street evangelism.
Their ministry has taken different turns, including co-leading Nova Shalom (now Marriage Ministries Int.), evangelism outreaches, teaching, praying for the sick, and training their children to reach out to the lost and hurting. Carolyn homeschools two of her children and teaches a homeschool co-op cooking class. She has been married for 26 years; and has three children, one of whom has graduated from homeschool high school.