Andrea Replogle
The Revolution
Ball State University, Muncie, IN
I grew up in Wonder Lake, IL and went to college at the
University of Illinois. When I began college, I was an Athiest,
Evolutionist and pursued the gay lifestyle. During my junior
year, my best friend became a Christian. I just hated her
for it. She bugged and bugged me to meet these folks with GCM.
Just to get her off my back, I finally did. To my surprise,
I really enjoyed them. Slowly we discussed the evidence for God
and the resurection and they loved me. Eventually, I gave my life
to Christ and lost everything. I had been planning to be a field
biologist but it was clear that God was a people person and I was
really just running away. I wanted to save the Pandas, but God
wanted me to lead lost people to Him. I graduated with a degree
in Evolution and got a second bachelor's in Education. While I
was student teaching, I made the decision to go on staff with GCM and
joined the second training class in 1990. (Wendy was my hero!)
Support raising was very difficult for me, but God provided in
miraculous ways and I was on campus by the fall of 1990 at U of I. I was also engaged! Joel and I married in April '91 and
moved to the GCM National Office in Columbus, OH. We spent 9
years at OSU ministering in music, discipleship, admin and
finance. Joel helped rebuild the computer systems at the GCM
National Office but our heart was always pulled to campus. In
2000, we moved again to Ball State University to minister full time on
campus. My journey on staff has gone from full-time to associate
to part-time to volunteer to associate again. My changing roles
have been based largely on having children. We have 4 kids, 2
girls and 2 boys and they are the light of our life. Joel left
full time staff in 2005 and works for a computer group out of Chicago.
But our hearts continue to be with GCM and we are in the process
of moving to East Lansing, MI to join the Schuberts and Van Nadas.
My heart for women's ministry began back at U of I and grew while at
OSU. At BSU, Collette and Leah Chandler and I did women's
ministry together and saw an amazing outpouring of the spirit in our
own lives and in the lives of the women we ministered to. It
changed the way I did ministry from then on. Today I do all my
ministry in co-leadership situations. With WWLT, I co-lead with
Sarah Brown and Stacey Lovett. With NWM, I have the joy of
co-leading with these wonderful women Kathy, Wendy and Collette.
During my years of ministry, I have also been on a road of personal
healing from lesbianism. God has been filling in the holes left
in my soul from growing up and He has done it through the love of godly
women. I desire to care for women's hearts and loosen their
chains in the same way God has done for me.