Missionary Biography

William & Tressia Gillespie
Maranatha Baptist Church
St. Louis, Missouri

The Laborers

Before William received Christ as his Savior, he was constantly faced with the question of where he would spend eternity. One Monday in June 1974, Dr. James Earls visited the Gillespie home in Chesapeake, Virginia, and shared God's plan of salvation. Both he and Tressia were saved that same night. A few months later God called William to preach the gospel.

The Work

After he graduated from Bible school in 1983, he became involved in church planting in the St. Louis, Missouri, area. For five years, he ministered in Washington Park, Illinois, and for nine years in south St. Louis. Easter Sunday of 1999, the Gillespies started Maranatha Baptist Church in their basement in north St. Louis. They soon saw fifteen people in attendance and eight baptized by fall. Since starting services in their home, they have moved to meeting in a bowling alley and now in a daycare center. Their average attendance is 20-25. William is conducting a correspondence school using the RAMA materials with about forty students. One young man recently received Christ as a result of those studies. By using the Source of Light materials, William plans to take the Bible studies into a second phase. His long-range goal is to start a Bible institute for that area. Along with this, he is teaching his people how to conduct door-to-door visitation, where his wife recently led two young ladies to the Lord. Also, the church now supports nine missionaries with their Faith Promise Mission budget at $10,000.

The Requests

• A house with two or three acres or a vacated church building for a permanent home for Maranatha Baptist Church
• Financial needs after a loss of $300.00 in personal support
• Scheduling meetings for deputation
• Faithfulness and more involvement for the people who attend
• Soul-winning to reach more families and make greater inroads into their neighborhoods