Apostles Dale & Loretta Martin

DALE AND LORETTA MARTIN ( APOSTLE GCN LEADERSHIP TEAM)

BIOGRAPHIES

Dale was born October 21, 1943, the oldest child, in a family of five children into a Mennonite family.  He enjoyed driving tractor, working in the fields, growing up on a farm in Franklin County, PA.

Dale accepted the Lord into his life when he was only 10 years old, in 1953.  A significant event that would change the direction of his life. This would take place in an evangelistic tent meeting in a small town called Marion. Although being a small town, this tent had the capacity to seat over 5,000 people! The evangelist, George R Brunk was a Mennonite from Virginia, known for his powerful preaching.  As a young boy at the age of 10, Dale was impacted by the message of this evangelist. 

TEEN YEARS

When he was 16 years old, he was teaching Bible School at Pleasant View Mennonite Church.  By the time he was 20, he was teaching Sunday School classes.  Even at that age, he knew God had a call on his life.

YOUNG ADULT YEARS

1969 was a pivotal time in his life.  When Dale and his wife Loretta were 25 years old, they  were approached by the Franklin Conference of the Mennonite Church along with two other couples to establish a new work in Fairview, PA.  The conference bought two acres of land in the small town of Fairview.  They fixed up the one house to use as the church where they met for the first five years until a sanctuary could be built.  Many years later Fairview Chapel would become LifeGate Ministries.

For 10 years, until 1979, Dale described this time of his life as "two streams moving together".  There was his life as a successful business man, running a business in Frederick, MD and there was ministry.  1979 was the year for him to make a choice as to which stream he was going to follow.  God met him miraculously and he choose to go 100% in the calling God had for him.  At that time, he was ordained as pastor of Fairview Chapel.

He also served overseer over several congregations in the conference and appointed to the General Board of the Mennonite Church.  He held this position for 10 years.

EDUCATION

Through correspondence classes with Vision International University, Ramona, California, Dale earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in theological studies. 

Several years later he would receive an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Teamwork Bible College and University. 

MINISTRY

Dale was introduced to the baptism of Holy Spirit by a friend, Mark Wadel, who was not ordained at the time but one who was being used mightily in the move of Holy Spirit.  Dale asked him to come and speak at LifeGate for a week and during that time there were many miraculous signs and wonders including demonic manifestations, salvations, speaking in tongues, being slain in the Spirit, laughter...all manifestations of Holy Spirit!  This changed Fairview Chapel forever and they entered fully into the Charismatic movement.

In 2000, through a series of prophetic words, Fairview Chapel left the Mennonite Conference, changed its name to LifeGate Ministries, formed a network of churches called Global Community Network.  

In 1989, Dale took his first trip to Kenya, Africa as part of a team who would be ministering at the Nakuru Happy Church for their annual Maturity Conference.  This started a love relationship with the African people which has continued to this day.  Under Dr. John Chacha's leadership, he would preach at this conference every year for the next 16 years, often preaching twice a day for 10 days.  Dr. Chacha became Dale's mentor and when he felt God calling him to quit preaching and build the City of Hope, Dale became part of that ministry in the village of Ntgacha.  He went over many times to help with the building projects.  Dale traveled with Dr. Chacha to many other places, including India, South Africa, Tanzania, etc.  Dale and Loretta also traveled to Ghana to conduct leadership training for pastors.  

CURRENTLY

They are currently serving as the apostolic leaders of the Global Community Network, a network of multiple congregations in the Pennsylvania and Maryland region. It is their belief that as Divine Order is established in the Church, God's power and authority will be released to gather the harvest of this next generation!

As of this year 2022, Dale and Loretta Martin have married 58 years. Their family includes 2 sons, plus daughter-in-laws, 5 grandchildren and a granddaughter-in-law, and 2 great-grandchildren. 

THEIR LIFE VERSE:

"When He saw the multidudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

Matthew 9:36 (NKJV)

Loretta's Biography

Loretta Stoltzfus was born October 19, 1943, the middle child in a family of seven children.  Her father was a Mennonite pastor who died suddenly of a massive heart attack when she was 10 years old.  This had a huge impact on her life in so many ways.  Her earliest memories always included church and ministry.

She met her future husband, Dale Martin, at Lancaster Mennonite Hgh School where they both graduated in 1961.  They were married on December 28, 1963 and immediately were involved in ministry at Shady Pine Mennonite Church.  She was particularly drawn to children's ministry.

They have always worked together as a team, whether it was in ministry or in business, using their individual God given abilities to make the team work.  Her secretarial skills were used in the church, keeping records, taking care of finances, bulletins, etc.  They also included typing Dale's messages and typing his courses as he furthered his education.