About Jubilee
Our Pastor
Jubilee is currently looking for a new pastor to lead our congregation. In the meantime, we’re enjoying a rotation of interim speakers and guest visitors who have a wealth of encouragement and wisdom to share.
Our History
Jubilee Worship Center Assembly of God has been serving the Fairbanks community for over 50 years, seeking to bring freedom to the captive, hope to the weary, and growth to the disciple. Below is a brief overview of the church building, our pastors, and the growth of our congregation.
1965 - 1977, Dale and Mary Humphrey
Though they moved to Alaska to serve the outer villages in the upper Yukon River area, the Humphreys felt called to establish a church on the northeast side of Fairbanks. The building was purchased in 1965. After a lot of construction, renovation, and love, the first church service was held in 1967, then known as “Graehl Assembly of God”.
Despite the Fairbanks earthquake in 1966 and the Fairbanks flood in 1967, the little church thrived, and it was evident that a larger building was needed. In 1969, the foundation of a new building was underway, and the dedication of the completed building was held in 1975.
In the fall of 1977, having seen the Graehl family grow to almost 100 people, Dale and Mary felt it was time for them to move on, and they resigned as the pastors of Graehl Assembly to minister in other parts of the state.
1978 - 2001, Roger and Linda Davis
God gave the Davis family a love for the people of Alaska. In 1978, Roger, Linda, and their children, Melinda and Jeremy, answered the call of God and moved to Fairbanks, where Roger became the senior pastor at Graehl Assembly of God. Roger and Linda were all about the people. They genuinely loved and cared for people, and Graehl Assembly of God became family to all who attended.
As a new era of the pipeline and oil revenue was hitting its stride in Fairbanks, a new era of growth and expansion was beginning at Graehl Assembly. The church purchased both of the houses on the east side, and another building project was undertaken in 1982, providing much-needed space. This project was completed and dedicated to the Lord in 1984.
In 2000, the church purchased the four empty lots on the west side, and started thinking about changing the name of the church. At this time, guest minister Mark Drake preached a sermon called “A Permanent Jubilee”, and that powerful message about God's grace and freedom resonated through the congregation. In the fall of 2000, the membership voted to change the name of the church from “Graehl Assembly of God” to “Jubilee Worship Center Assembly of God”.
However, the celebration of the new name had to be postponed. On December 21, 2000, Pastor Roger Davis suddenly passed away at the young age of 53. Even though his death sent shock waves through the church family and around the state, God proved to be faithful, and His supernatural peace carried the church family through. Linda Davis was asked to remain as pastor, and the church rallied together in amazing ways to work through the transition.
2001 - 2011, JR and Rochelle Markle
When the time came, God called a family that was very familiar to Jubilee. The Markles had known the Davis family since the mid-90s. Roger and Linda had become their spiritual mentors, and they would often spend time praying together, sharing guest speakers, and even ministering together around the state. After Pastor Davis' passing, Pastor JR was one of the first to come alongside Linda to encourage and support her. In 2001, when Pastor Linda decided it was her time to step down, the Jubilee leadership reached out to JR and Rochelle and asked them to consider being the new pastors.
Pastor JR agreed and was voted in as the new pastor of Jubilee Worship Center that fall. Over the next decade, under JR's leadership, the church became a continuous building project, and the church was able to further establish its new name and new identity as Jubilee Worship Center. The saying “Be Set Free” exemplified the mission and mandate of this era of the church.
Though the Markles loved serving Jubilee, when God began to call them elsewhere, they obediently answered.
2012 - 2024, Jeremy and Charee’ Davis
The next pastors were no strangers to the church family. Roger and Linda Davis’ son, Jeremy, had grown up at Jubilee Worship Center, and the congregation was like his family. When the Jubilee leadership reached out to Jeremy and his wife Charee’ to be their new pastors, it was like a homecoming; they were approved by the church membership in 2012.
Jeremy and Charee’ got right to work and began to reestablish ministry and prepare the church for a new season. The Jubilee congregation grew in numbers and in depth, and the facility was modernized and upgraded.
Pastors Jeremy and Charee’ truly loved shepherding the people of Jubilee Worship Center, and felt so privileged to minister in such a special church and in the community they loved. But God was calling them out of Fairbanks and into something new. In 2024, the Davis family moved on to Anchorage, Alaska, to take on the role of superintendent of the Alaska Ministry Network.
We rejoice in the history of the church and thank God for the great things He has done. We believe that God is not done; in fact, He is just getting started. We believe that the only thing bigger than the church's remarkable memories of the past 50 years are the amazing opportunities of the future.