Bio

Don and Karen Winch both grew up in a church that taught baptismal regeneration and salvation by good works. After serving time with the military in Ethiopia, East Africa, they returned to the U.S. By God’s grace they began attending a Gospel-peaching church they saw advertised in the newspaper. Karen was saved during one of their revival meetings, and Don was saved a year later during different evangelistic service.

In 1978, after surrendering to full-time ministry and graduating from Bible college, Don and Karen with their three small children left for Africa again, this time as missionaries. They have now been in ministry for 44 years, which includes 30 years as church planting missionaries in the French-speaking countries of Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Cameroon, Africa, and three years in Moldova, Eastern Europe. Wherever they were as missionaries, Don conducted a Bible Institute to train national leadership in ministry.  In 2015, they returned to the USA for medical reasons.

Since then they have served in churches as interim pastor and then joined GFA where they have served two more churches as pastor in the interim. 

Don had serious neck surgery July 1, 2021, that has placed him in a period of recuperation and limited mobility. They have been waiting on the Lord and praying to be directed to a nearer interim ministry as Don is no longer physically able to move to a distance. Their desire is to get back into the interim ministry even if he is unable to do as much as he used to do. 

They have three children who grew up in Africa and love the Lord. Two are active in their local church. The other recently moved to another state so is looking for a good church in their new area. They have 11 grandchildren.