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Today, John is Senior Pastor at non-denominational Baxter Road Bible Church in East Anchorage. It was a long and winding road to get there.

Born in Los Angeles, his family moved north, and he grew up in Eagle River, about 15 miles outside of Anchorage, before graduating from nearby Chugiak High School in 1977. John bypassed college, and began his broadcasting career as a disc jockey at rock station KENI.  He quickly learned that playing “Stairway to Heaven” (eight minutes and two seconds!) allowed him both a bathroom break andthe opportunity to work on job applications.

“Carp,” as he’s known to his friends, parlayed his engaging personality into a television job at KTVA in Anchorage in 1983. A year later, he scored a gig as weekend sports anchor at KTUU, the beginning of a 26-year career there, working side-by-side with John Tracy at the anchor desk. During those years, Carp was named Alaska Sportscaster of the Year too many times to mention, was a fixture on the Iditarod Trail, and covered several Winter Olympic Games.

The best thing he ever got out of his TV years was his wife Kelley, who worked in Operations at the station. She recently retired after 28 years teaching kindergarten in the Anchorage School District. Pastor John says Kelley now spends her time, and their money, making sure Amazon continues to be a profitable business. Carp and Kelley have a 21-year-old son, Sam, who graduated from high school in May 2022.

With the millennium approaching in 1999, Carp started thinking about life beyond television, which led him to enroll in college-level Bible classes. That’s when he says he heard his first call from God, and began studying to become a pastor.

In 2011, at age 51, Carp left television to begin his second career, joining the staff at Baxter Road Bible Church in Anchorage.  Carp’s mid-life riding career began with what he calls “a cute little scooter,” and today he rides a cobalt blue Harley Sportster 1200 Custom. Though a man of faith, he hedges his bets with a Harley “guardian” bell,” designed to keep riders safe. (Blog author’s note: I have one, too — a gift from John Tracy!)

Next time you’re in Anchorage on a Sunday, Pastor John invites you to join him for one of his legendary sermons. Heckling is both expected and encouraged. “My congregation has yet to run me off,” he says.

Pastor John rode with me in 2016.