The church began in 1986 as a daughter church of Village Seven Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs. Forestgate met first in the Briargate area and met for awhile in the Gleneagle area. We are now meeting in our building, located at 970 North Gate Blvd. We desire to serve the population growth to the north of Colorado Springs.

We are part of the Presbyterian Church in America, a presbyterian denomination remaining faithful to Biblical teaching and standards found in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, historic statements of belief from the time of the Reformation.

Senior Pastor, Rev. Jim Urish

Our senior pastor was born in Northern Illinois and attended K-12 schools there. He received an undergraduate degree in economics from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN (1969). From there he attended the University of Arizona where he received an MBA (1972) -- and more importantly, received Christ in his final semester of that program. A year later he was at a Christian study center in Switzerland by the name of L'Abri. There he met his future wife Anne in the Spring of 1973. When he returned to the States, he entered Covenant Seminary (in the fall of 1975). Jim graduated with a M. Div degree in May, 1979. Oh, he did get married to Anne in March, 1977, and took some time off from Covenant before completing that degree. Upon graduation, he entered the ministry and took a pastorate in Lander, Wy. There he remained for nearly 22 years (Aug, 1979 to Feb, 2001). In 1994, he completed a Doctor of Ministry degree (also from Covenant Seminary).

Anne and Jim have three children. Luke, the oldest is a 2000 USAFA grad and now a captain in the Air Force who flies KC-10's out of McGuire AFB in New Jersey. Mimi is a doctoral student at the University of Kansas. Having gotten a Master's in Speech Pathology, she is now pursuing a Ph. D. in Neuroscience. Abbie is the youngest. She has a B.S. from Michigan State University and is currently teaching in Harrison District #2 in Colorado Springs. Jim is the fifth pastor at Forestgate, having come from Wyoming in February, 2001. With the proximity of the Air Force Academy and the explosive residential and commercial growth around the church property, it is a terrific opportunity for ministry! He is excited about the prospects for growth both spiritually and numerically at Forestgate.

Assistant Pastor, Rev. Matt Pacione

Our assistant pastor was born in Detroit, MI, but shortly thereafter moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. He went to Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth and received a bachelor's degree in Math (2000). After he graduated he moved to Winter Park, CO to work in the kitchen at Young Life's Crooked Creek Ranch, cooking for high school students all across the country. Matt met his wife through Young Life in the summer of 2000, and then got married to Holly in May, 2001. Matt attended seminary at New Geneva Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs, while taking the position of College Director at Village 7 Presbyterian Church. He remained at Village 7 from 2002 to 2006, then received his Masters of Divinity degree in May of 2006. He was called by the session of Forestgate in July, 2006.

Matt and Holly have four children, Levi, 6, Jadyn, 4, Mikiah, 2, and Liana, 1.

Map and directions to Forestgate Church