April Whalen
I was born and raised in Texas and grew up in a family that loves Jesus. My parents were faithful to disciple me in our home and God drew me to Himself at an early age. We moved to Oklahoma when I was in high school, and it was during this season that I discovered joy in ministry and knew I wanted to participate in what God was doing in the world.
After graduating from Oklahoma Baptist University, I served on a church staff in Tulsa with our Missions Pastor. God continued to grow in me a love for people and a desire to serve overseas, so I moved from Tulsa and spent two years in a country in Northern Africa. During my time there, God taught me a lot about Himself, the Church, and what community can really look like. Those short two years were life changing and have affected everything after it. It was actually some friendships formed overseas that brought me back to Texas and eventually to Stonegate.
My time at Stonegate has been transformational. I have seen the power of good gospel community. I have been equipped to study and teach the Bible and I love being able to do the same for others. It is a joy to now be a part of this staff team, helping others get connected to our church family.
My hope is that people would be drawn to the joy of Jesus that is shown in the lives of His people. I pray that people would be changed by the power of the gospel and be truly convinced that Jesus is better than anything this world can offer. May the people of Stonegate be known by our love for Jesus, for each other, and for the people in our community and around the world.