Meet our Metro Missionaries
Welcome to our list of dedicated missionaries appointed by North American Missions to spread the gospel and build new Apostolic communities across North America.
Meet our Metro Missionaries: These missionaries venture into metropolitan areas where the need for spiritual guidance is pressing. Their mission is to plant and establish churches in bustling metro centers, bringing hope and faith to diverse communities.
With our support, these missionaries are empowered to fulfill their calling and make a lasting impact in communities that are largely unchurched. We invite you to learn more about each missionary and join us in supporting their vital work. Together, let's spread the gospel of Jesus Christ across our continent.
Baumann, Todd & Anne – Boston, MA
Boston has long been recognized as being at the forefront of every important historical trend in the United States. During its early years, it was a city of great spiritual awakening. Today, however, it has lost those spiritual roots and has now become one of the most unchurched and post-Christian cities in North America. God began to speak to Todd and Anne Baumann in the spring of 2018 about the need for another spiritual awakening in Boston. He placed it in their hearts to plant a dynamic, Spirit-led church in the heart of the city. The Baumann’s are experienced church planters. They became pastor of a small church of less than 20 people in 2002. Since that time the church has grown into a revival-minded church with over 200 in attendance. Because of his passion for spreading the gospel and keen strategic sense, Todd has served on the Minnesota Strategic Growth Committee as well as the Minnesota NAM board. This experience in ministry and their passion and vision for Boston was so moving that they were appointed in the spring of 2019 to be Metro Missionaries to the city of Boston where another spiritual awakening can begin!
Blackburn, Mark & Crystal - Kansas City, KS
In September 2016, the Blackburn family received a call from God to become metro missionaries to the greater Kansas City area. The Kansas City metropolitan area currently has only nineteen United Pentecostal churches for the 2.1 million residents. This is one church for every 110,000 people.
Their vision is to plant a growing and healthy multi-congregational Apostolic church that saturates the greater Kansas City area with the gospel of Jesus Christ through the planting of daughter churches, church campuses, and autonomous churches. They would like to see one hundred new United Pentecostal churches in the greater Kansas City area over the next twenty-five years.
Ens, Anthony & Melissa - Vancouver, BC
In 2007, God began to deal separately with both Anthony and Melissa about the city of Vancouver, BC, but it would take a four year journey before they would arrive in Vancouver. During that time they travelled across North America speaking at churches, raising funds for the new church plant, and seeking God’s wisdom for this great undertaking.
Anthony comes to Vancouver with a heart for people, leadership experience, and a love for God. Melissa’s heartbeat is investing in the personal growth of people, working with music, and being involved in the community. The whole family enjoys meeting people, volunteering in their neighbourhood, and hosting gatherings where people can find friendship and a sense of belonging.
Grant, Scott & Liane - Quebec City
For over a decade, Scott and Liane Grant have been planting and growing churches in the province of Quebec. They are currently based in beautiful, historic Quebec City, where they are teaching and training with a vision to plant churches in every sector of this city with almost 800,000 people. Your prayers and financial support make a difference in this mission field! Training and translation have been an integral part of the Grants’ work in this French Canadian province. They oversee three Purpose Institute campuses, from which 120 graduates are now active in local ministry, and 17 are licensed and planting or pastoring churches in Quebec. In addition, Liane leads a nonprofit translation team that has translated 100 apostolic books into the French language. At the 2021 General Conference, Nonprofit Translation Solutions received an official endorsement from UPCI. Liane is using her doctoral research to help equip teams in other languages to provide apostolic resources, reaching and teaching the world with apostolic truth!
Maratta, Joseph & Anna - El Paso, TX
Lying at the southern end of the Rocky Mountain chain and just north of the Mexican border is the city of El Paso, Texas. This is where the Maratta family has a burden to plant a church. They have lived in El Paso and are familiar with the unique cultural and economic setting of the city. Bro. Maratta has been a licensed minister for over 20 years and has served with his wife and children in various church related capacities in both established and new works. Notably, he has served as a senior pastor and as an associate pastor for several years. In addition, Bro. Maratta is a member of the Occupational Chaplains Association and the Christian Prisoner Fellowship. The Maratta family looks forward to returning to the city of El Paso and asks that you prayerfully consider supporting them in this endeavor.
McGovern, David & Monique - Los Angeles, CA
If you were to spend any time in the Los Angeles metro, you would undoubtedly become familiar with the term “Greater Los Angeles,” which is used to characterize a region that is home to nearly nineteen million people. The city and metro of Los Angeles are the second most populated in the United States (behind only New York). With such a vast harvest field, we believe the term "Greater Los Angeles” characterizes much more than the area itself, but it also characterizes a Greater spiritual outpouring preparing to sweep across this great city. David and Monique McGovern were both born and raised in the Los Angeles area. They have four daughters; Anevay, Ambree, Adeyln and Arwen. In 2013, the McGoverns answered the call to plant a church in Los Angeles. For 5 years they labored, and God has raised up a great church in the LA community of Glendale. Through this process it became clear God was calling them to plant more churches in Los Angeles, and in 2017 they were approved to become Metro Missionaries to the city.
Richmond, Timothy & Rachel - Detroit Metro
For the past 19 years, the Richmond family has been privileged to be the pastor of the Solid Rock Church in Clinton, MI, which they planted alongside a team and became the pastor a few years later. This church has grown into a strong apostolic church with a heart for giving and starting churches. They went on to plant two more works which they pastored until turning them over to new leadership. In 2020, God began to speak to the Richmond’s about the need to plant more churches in cities within the Detroit Metro Area that do not have an Apostolic presence. The Richmond’s were approved in 2022 as Career Church Planters to the Metro Detroit Area.
Staten, Jerry & Linda - Washington, DC
Jerald E. and Linda L. Staten are career church planters and are currently metro missionaries in Washington D.C. Their stories will breathe passion and inspiration into listeners and will foster compassion for our lost and dying world.
In 43 years the Staten’s have started five churches across the United States. In the DC metro area, there are now five churches/daughter works and 21 home groups which have been birthed in the last nine years.
West, Jerry & Annie - Washington, DC
Washington D.C. is a city known for its history and many monuments, as well as serving as the backdrop for all three branches of the U.S. government. But if you were to look beyond the tour buses and memorials, you would see a vibrant, multicultural metro area with over 6 million residents. Inside the District’s boundaries there are nearly 700,000 people who call that 68 sq. mile area home, yet there is only one English speaking United Pentecostal Church. In the Summer of 2017, God began dealing with the West family about the great need for churches in Washington D.C. After prayer and council, that burden became a clarion call for the West family to be a part of establishing apostolic churches in our Nation’s Capital. Jerry and Annie met in Indianapolis, IN. They are both alumni of Indiana Bible College and Annie graduated from Indiana University. They were married in June of 2008. They served as Youth Pastor of a church in Kentucky for 5 years before being elected Pastor of the Franklin Pentecostal Church in Franklin, KY. During their time as pastor, the church experienced tremendous growth. In addition to their local service, they have served as KY Youth President for 6 years and in other roles in the KY Youth Ministry since 2010. Jerry is also currently serving as the North Central Regional Representative for UPCI Youth Ministries. They welcomed their first son, Parker, in July 2013. They were blessed with the birth of their second son, Bennett, in September 2015. In May 2019, they were appointed Metro Missionaries to Washington, D.C. Please consider prayerfully supporting them as they reach D.C.
Williams, Chad & Tasia - Portland, OR
The Williams family is delighted to be the first appointed Metro Missionaries to the city of Portland, Oregon. They served Portland Pentecostals for 6 years as Youth & Assistant Pastor, Apostolic Truth Church for 5 years as Associate Pastor, the General Youth Division as Project 7 Promotions Coordinator, the Division of Publications as Coordinator of Ministerial Training and Development, Global Missions, Purpose Institute as a Campus Dean, and now North American Missions as Metro Missionaries.
Portland, Oregon is a unique, vibrant, and diverse area of 2.4 million people. Portland is currently experiencing an explosion of growth with 111 new residents each day. Roughly 60% of the population of the State of Oregon lives in the Portland Metro area. Sadly, today Portland is in a spiritual crisis. Forty-six percent of the population are unchurched. Over 1.1 million people have not attended a church, except for a holiday or special occasion, at any time within the past 6 months. 100,000 people are considered never churched.
