This page has the history of how we started the Bread of Life Bakery, what the first bakery looked like, what the current bakery looks like, digital images of both bakeries and our families. We will add to this page frequently.
      Glenn & Kathy Crowther and Doug & Amy Middleton

  

HISTORY

In the Fall of 2001 I was returning from a Melchisedec Priesthood Worship Retreat, sponsored by the Conference of Restoration Elders, to the Kirtland Temple in Kirtland, Ohio when I had an experience that changed my life and brought us to this point. My good friend, Doug Hart and I happened in the middle of the night and at first I thought that Doug was playing a joke on me. When I realized that Doug was asleep and sitting several rows in front of me, I thought maybe it was the Lord. Just like Samuel in the Old Testament, it took me a moment to realize the voice was the Lord's. The voice spoke again that I needed to have a bakery. I was not sure what to do. I knew that if I shared this experience with my wife, she would think that I had gone crazy, and she later admitted that she thought that! I was not sure what to do with this experience, but I thought that the Lord would make it clear to me what he wanted me to do.

I shared with my wife when I arrived home what had happened and we waited to see what would happen next. The experience took a "back burner" position in our lives until almost a year later when we noticed a bakery auction in a local paper. We discussed what equipment we would like and need, and what we were willing to pay for the items. We went to the bakery auction and bid on a 20 qt Hobart mixer. It went for more than  we expected and we bought another brand of mixer. Then the large, 8 foot by 8 foot Reed Oven came up for sale. The auctioneer could not even get a bid! After a brief verbal exchange with my wife, Kathy, she bid $125.00 and bought the first Reed Oven. It took us, Doug Middleton and me, four days to disaasemble that Reed Oven and move it to our barn for storage until we could finish our first bakery.

We thought to build a "Morton" style building for our first bakery, but the costs were estimated greater than we budgeted, so we looked for an alternative. Doug and Amy Middleton offered the end of their barn for the bakery. At first I was reluctant, since it was a farm barn, but after calculating the costs to go our original way, we decided to accept Doug and Amy's offer. We spent time and money to: reinforce the barn, pour concrete for the floor, stud in the walls, install lots of windows, insulate the walls and ceiling, install electrical wiring, install plumbing, then install vinyl wallboard on all the walls and ceiling. We had a state inspected bakery after all the work was done. We had lots of testimonies and help from our friends to get the first bakery open.

We started selling our bread at the City Market in Kansas City, Missouri. What an experience it was and continues to be! We met literally thousands of wonderful customers at the City Market.  Glenn

Amy and Doug Middleton wanted to add the following testimony:

"And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Acts 2:44-45

In 1999 the Crowther and Middleton families began meeting for worship services. As the relationship with one another and the Lord deepened we all began to be impressed that the Lord desired for us to make fundamental changes in our work situations. We began to feel that He wanted us to create a business or businesses together for the fullness purpose of preparing for His Kingdom.

As a group we studied Earl Curry's book entitled "The Endowment". It reads, "Thousands have come together in the center areas of Zionic gathering, yet they are far from being of one heart and one mind. None of you say this is Zion as it ought to be. God's people work in the industries of the world - They not only rise and fall with the varying fortunes of these industries, but they also partake of the very worldly environment that exists in these places of labor.