About Us

Couple Smiling

Mark Custalow is a member of the Mattaponi Indian Tribe and a descendant of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe Eastern Division – both in Virginia. Mark spent a lot of time in his childhood and teen years on the reservation hunting, fishing, working in the garden, and learning about life from his family and the tribal community. The most valuable lessons learned related to knowing, loving, serving, and walking with God.

He became a follower of Jesus as a boy and committed to following God’s call to vocational missionary service as a teen. He met Ann in Bible college, and they married after her graduation. After completing seminary, he and Ann moved to Montana to replant a church on the Crow Indian Reservation. With over 35 years of ministry, he has served in the roles of youth pastor, church planter, pastor, and missionary. Mark and Ann have two adult children, each of them married with families, and a total of seven grandchildren.

While serving as a missionary, God gave Mark a vision for spiritual awakening that would sweep across North America – beginning first among First Nations people. God’s call and that vision led Mark and Ann to create First Nations Gospel Storyers in 2019. They are committed to praying for and laboring to see the Gospel saturate every First Nations community through Bible storying, resulting in First Nations people from every tribe following Jesus and carrying the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Ann was born in West Virginia and grew up as the daughter of a pastor. She became a follower of Jesus and committed her life to missionary service. Ann has labored faithfully in ministry alongside Mark for 35 years in various roles. After homeschooling their children for 10 years, she returned to school to obtain her master’s in education with a focus on special education. She has taught special education in elementary and middle school for 12 years.

Meet Our Leaders

  • Dr. Mark Custalow – (Mattaponi) Founder and Director of First Nations Gospel Storyers; Regional Catalyst with SBC of Virginia
  • Ann Custalow – Ministry Partner; Special Education School Teacher

Current Board Members

  • Rev. Randy Green – Founding Pastor at Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church in Smithfield, VA
  • Rev. Vince Blubaugh – Church Planting Strategist, SBC of Virginia
  • Dr. Joe Hernandez – Leadership Team Member at Global Gates; North American Mission Board (Retired)
  • Dr. Mike Cummings – (Lumbee) Pastor at Deep Branch Baptist Church in Lumberton, NC; Retired Director of Missions at Burnt Swamp Association in North Carolina
  • Rev. Warren (Jr.) Pratt – (Pawnee) Pastor at First Indian Baptist Church in Cushing, OK; Head Chief – Pawnee Nation
  • Rev. Lance Kramer – (Iñupiat) Pastor at Change Point in Kotzebue, AK; Director at Workers in the Harvest Alaska Ministries
Bible

Belief Statement

First Nations Gospel Storyers subscribes to the confessional statement of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. A copy of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 can be found by clicking HERE.