The Personal Side: Some quick background on the infamous Brad Farmer? Well, he was born and raised in Casper, WY, where the Medicine Bow National Forest meets the Great Plains. He still considers himself a mountain boy (even in the midst of the big city). Brad is the middle of five kids. (In order of age, they are Brenda, Brian, Brad, Brent, and Brittany... He's the Brad in the middle.) At an early age his father taught him that "Farmers are out- standing in their field," and Brad strives to be no exception. When he was young, Brad dreamed of being an astronaut. Now he tries to conquer gravity in a different manner. Once in his life, and only once, Brad went to a professional barber. (And that was when he was the ring-bearer in his uncle Mike's wedding. Mom insisted.) Brad met Gene in seventh grade CCD class - who would have ever guessed then that the seeds were being sown that would eventually lead to the formation of APeX? Brad currently lives in Highlands Ranch, CO with his beautiful wife, Joia, two superhero sons, Jack & Caedmon, and “Daddy’s Little Empress”, Ava. Regarding his spirituality, Brad says, "God is my very best friend and I am constantly in awe of Him. I try to be conscious of His presence in every moment, and celebrate the abundant life He has given me." As far as his dreams for the future and his personal goals, he dreams there is a future and his goal is to make it there someday. Brad is an avid student and huge fan of CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, Thomas Aquinas, Theresa of Avila, and Philip Neri.

The Professional Side: Even before the formation of APeX, Brad performed as a juggler and as an all around funny guy for several years in many various venues for just as many diverse audiences. He also had experience in youth ministry. Some of his professional qualifications before Apex are as follows.

Performance Experience prior to co-founding APeX in 1996:

  • Hired for the summer season of 1996 as a professional juggler at Elitch Gardens Amusement Park in Denver, CO (now a Six Flags theme park) where he performed solo and as a member of the Denver Precision Trio
  • Performed in the Comedy Club at the '95 National Catholic Youth Conference in Minneapolis, MN
  • Member of the Wyoming based Christian performance troupe JC's Posse for five years
  • Emceed a portion of the Wyoming Catholic Youth Organization's Fall Conference for nine consecutive years

Youth Ministry Experience:

  • Currently serves as Assistant Youth Minister at Our Lady of Loreto Catholic Church in Foxfield, CO since July 2004.
  • Part-time Coordinator of Youth Ministry at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kensington, MD during the 1996-'97 school year as Apex began
  • Served as Assistant Youth Minister at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Cheyenne, WY during the summers of 1994 and '95

Keeping Up with the Farmers

Joia Farmer’s ministry and website
• An Engaging Interview
• Pictures from the birth of Caedmon (2nd son), 02/26/06
Journey to Ava (Chinese adoption blog) August, 2006
Check out Chinese Children Adoption International