Missionary Update: Kristin Gilbreth

Easter is always a special time, and that was especially true this year! I want to thank you for making this celebration even more exceptional than usual!

From our first-ever Good Friday service (which was standing-room only), to three well-attended Sunday services, it was a great joy to remember and experience again the goodness and grace of God.

A total of 446 people came together for worship Easter morning. Of those, 22 people gave their lives to the Lord, and an additional nine people indicated they want to know more about following Christ. Thirteen asked to be baptized! Now that's something to celebrate!

Our annual Easter helicopter egg drop is an amazing way to build relationships in our community. Between 900 and 1000 people came this year. While we may not see immediate connection with guests from outside our church family, it's amazing how many people return to our services years after bringing their kids to hunt eggs! This year's egg drop occurred a week before Easter. This arrangement worked well and we're planning to follow this pattern in the future.

You may recall seeing missionary Kristin Gilbreth here a few weeks back. She's part of the Chi Alpha campus ministry at the University of North Texas, and is one of over 20 missionaries we're honored to support every month. You may not know, however, that Kristin is one of our own! Before moving to Texas for college, she was active in LifeSpring Kids and Youth, and her parents, Kelly and Linda Butts, continue to serve at LifeSpring in a variety of roles.

From her first day at UNT, Kristin connected with the local Chi Alpha ministry, eventually becoming a student leader and then staff pastor. Now married, she's again on the move (with husband and son) to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. Her task: building a new Chi Alpha ministry from the ground up!

Midwestern State is much like smaller public universities in Oklahoma. Enrollment hovers around 6,000. Most students are from the local area; a large percentage live at home and commute to classes. However, people from other states and countries including China, India, and the Bahamas are part of the student body.

This all makes for an interesting mix with lots of opportunities for sharing the Gospel. There's a real need for Christian influence around campus. Right now, only four other student ministries serve the university. This will be the first time Chi Alpha has been available at Midwestern in about a decade.

Kristin's been building a team for over a year, and now it's crunch time! Her crew has a solid plan for meetings during the first year, but resource gaps exist. They're busy finding innovative ways to fill those needs, and could use some help!

- Kristin Gilbreth

Please consider joining me in ongoing prayer and financial support for this new ministry. You can give through many channels such as the Assemblies of God missionary portal. Perhaps the easiest way is to include earmarked contributions with your tithes and offerings. We'll transfer all marked donations to her missionary account.

Kristin has promised to keep us aware of progress at MSU. We'll certainly pass this info along. I think of her updates as a letter from a family member...because that's who we are! In the meantime, you can learn more at their website, msuxa.com.

Jeff Robinett
Lead Pastor