The Pastors

Martin & April Andrews along with their two children, Savannah and Logan relocated to the Columbus area in October, 2006 to begin planting REAL LIFE CHURCH. After leaving the Business world as GM of an overseas lumber operation Martin has been in full-time ministry since August 1997. He has taken more than 75 overseas missionary journeys to South America and Africa organizing and leading teams from all over the U.S. He has been directly involved in bringing over 500,000 people closer to God and seen God transform and heal their lives. He has also travelled within the U.S. preaching in numerous churches and youth camps. Most recently he has served in the capacity of an Associate Pastor in Minden, Louisiana for the last three years where he was directly involved in community outreach. April was the Nursery Director and directly involved in other areas of childrens ministry as well. The Andrews sold their farm and cattle operation to make this move possible.

Martin is a firm believer that Christianity should be practical, relevant , and produce results in our lives every day. It should be the difference between life kicking our butts and winning in the face of adverse circumstances. His desire is to help others reach their potential in God. He is also a devoted family man and is an avid outdoorsman that loves hunting, fishing, NASCAR, riding horses, and most any sport. 

To read Pastor Martin's Blog: Click Here.

April is a Homemaker that loves spending time with her family. She also enjoys showing hospitality and serving others. She has been very active in Nursery Ministry for 13 years and served as Nursery Director for 3 years. She understands the importance of your children being taught God's word  in a safe and fun environment.

 

How we came up with the name

As with anything, your name says so much about who you are and what you stand for. That is why when trying to come up with a name for this new church plant we wanted a name that fit what we're about. Along the way I had several names that were OK but nothing that really grabbed me. After praying about it (there's an idea), I was on my way to Columbus and going through West Monroe, LA, when all of a sudden I knew on the inside that we were to name the church REAL LIFE CHURCH. That was the first time I had thought of it but it was settled. That's what Christianity is about. REAL LIFE! John 10:10

Our Story

Having been in full-time ministry since 1997 and being fully entrenched in my local church, I began to sense a change of direction in my life and ministry. It wasn't that I was looking for one. In fact I resisted it. My family and I were happier than we'd ever been. We had the best of both worlds so to speak. We were totally involved in ministry and had our farm that we got to enjoy as a bonus. Soon it became clear to me that God was calling me to Pastor. I became overwhelmed by what I considered to be my own inadequecies and point blank told God that I wasn't going to do it. Please understand, I am a very confident person but I just didn't feel like I measured up. After months of telling the Lord NO, April came to me and confirmed he had been telling her the same thing. Shortly thereafter we got clear direction. The Lord was leading us to Columbus, MS,  where we didn't know a soul. In the fall of 2006 we sold our farm and all our belongings and relocated to Columbus in order to lay the foundation of REAL LIFE CHURCH. We are excited about this new opportunity and are happier than we've ever been.