Get to Know the Coats Family

Ministry Description

The Lord has given us the privilege to serve at Word of Life Fellowship in Hudson, Florida as the Conference Hosts. The responsibilities will include making the guests at Word of Life Florida feel welcome, as well as scheduling all the speakers and musicians for the winter / seasonal conferences. We also have the privilege to minister to the residents living in the RV / Modular Home Park. Currently, there are 274 homes in the RV Park with an expansion project in full swing adding 300 mores sites in the next year. The guests who come to the WOLFL property will be all ages and they may or may not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Michelle and I have a passion for evangelism and we are excited about sharing the love of Jesus with the guests in hopes of having many gospel conversations and encouraging others in their walk with the Lord. We are very excited about this ministry opportunity that God has given us. If you would like more information about partnering with us as we serve Him in Florida please reach out to us at ccoats@wol.org

Learn more about the ministry in United States.

About Chris

CHRIS’ TESTIMONY

I had the privilege of growing up in a home where Jesus was constantly talked about. My dad, who was a pastor, always made it a point to have family devotions, to pray together as a family and to be in church every time that the doors were opened.

It was when I was 9 years old that I realized that I was lost in my sin and that I needed a Savior, Jesus, to rescue me from my sin. I realized that one day I would stand before God ALONE and that I would have to answer or give an account for my sins. I believed and confessed that Jesus loved me so much that gave His life for me by dying on the cross for me. Also, I believed that He rose up from the grave the 3rd day and overcame sin and death and that He lives today sitting on the right hand of God the Father. I chose to turn from my sin and to put my complete faith and trust in Jesus ALONE for salvation. The next Sunday I made it known to the people at our church by publicly being baptized and letting them know about my private decision to follow Him in believers baptism.

Also, when I was 9 years old, God called me to serve Him in full-time Christian ministry. I attended Tennessee Temple University to study the Bible and to study music. God taught me so many life lessons during my years in college. He was also preparing me for each step that God had planned ahead for me.

In 1992, I met my first wife, Nancy at TTU. Together we had 5 kids, a son-in-law and 2 grandkids. We helped start Word of Life Austria back in 1997. I served as the Assistant Manager at the WOL Inn and Conference Center in Schroon Lake, NY and served with WOL for a total of 10 years. Earlier in 2023, the Lord chose to take my wife home to be with Him through cancer. BUT GOD!!! Later in 2023, the Lord provided for me another wife, Michelle (Brooks) Coats. I have known her and her family for over 32 years. Michelle and I reconnected when she was serving the Lord as a single missionary in South Africa with Word of Life Fellowship. She is the daughter of Rick and Vi Brooks, who have served with Word of Life Fellowship as missionaries for 55 years.

For the past 21 years of the 31 years of full-time Christian ministry, I have been serving the Lord in the local church as a Minister of Music as well as serving the Lord in Missions. The Lord has called Michelle and me to serve once again with Word of Life Fellowship in Hudson, Florida as the Conference Host. We are looking forward to starting this new ministry position in FL on January 1, 2024.
We know that the Lord has some great things in store for us and our family as we minister to the guests at WOLFL.

About Michelle

MICHELLE'S TESTIMONY

I was born into a Christian family, to missionary parents, who loved the Lord and taught me to know & love the Lord at a young age. At the age of 6, I put my faith and trust in Jesus, recognizing that I was a sinner, in need of a Savior to forgive and cleanse me of my sins. As I grew in my faith, I became involved in my church and youth group. I loved memorizing scripture and competing in various scripture memory competitions and youth events where I also competed in singing, piano and public speaking. I loved teaching children the Bible and would often teach in Sunday School throughout my Junior & Senior High and early college years. Every year I would attend various Christian youth camps where my zeal for Jesus would be renewed through the various speakers who challenged us to GO ALL IN and LIVE ON FIRE for Christ! I distinctly remember one year, during a campfire service, committing my life to FULL TIME Christian service, not knowing where God would lead me or in what capacity that full time ministry would look like.

In 1988 I had the privilege of going to Kenya & England on a youth mission’s trip where the Lord burdened my heart for international missions. I came back, excited about serving the Lord overseas, and by the time I graduated and started Bible College at the Word of Life Bible Institute in Upstate New York, I was convinced that God was going to send me overseas to serve Him.

In the summer of 1991, I was privileged to travel to Kenya, Hungary & Romania on another mission’s trip, and during that trip is when I decided to pursue full time ministry in Kenya. Unfortunately, after I returned, no doors were opening, and I became discouraged. I started contacting other mission boards to look into other countries that might be open to someone with my skill sets and ministry mindset but found that no matter what doors I pursued, none were opening for me. Confused and discouraged, I decided to stay in the states and work on my business degree while waiting for a door to open for me in international missions. Monthly, I would receive ministry newsletters from my friends who were heading off to the mission field but month after month no doors opened for ME.

Having traveled with a singing group in college, I was encouraged by friends and family to sing with a ministry called Life Action Ministries based out of Buchanan, MI. In 1994, I grudgingly (because my heart was focused on international missions) applied and auditioned for a spot on one of their three singing teams. I was accepted to travel and sing with them for one year, and during the course of that year, I caught a vision and burden for the local church in America and saw how I could be involved. So, after one year with LAM, I moved to Northern Kentucky where I started working for a ministry called Answers in Genesis and joined a thriving church, Calvary Baptist Church, pastored by Dr. Charles Wagner, where I jumped into everything that I could be involved in. I sang in the choir, facilitated ladies Bible Studies, taught 5th grade girls Sunday school, became a small group youth leader, sat on the ladies steering committee, served as a ladies decision counselor, and assisted with the planning of ladies events and conferences.

After a few years, I became reacquainted with a childhood friend who I had attended school with in Portland, OR from 6th – 12th grade. Soon we were married and we both became heavily involved in our church. Sadly, after 4 years, he decided to become involved with a woman from his work and he left our marriage to pursue that relationship. My church was amazing, and they held me close as I worked through that difficult season. God used that painful chapter of my life to take me deeper with Him and even though I still have some scars from that very painful experience, I can honestly say, I would never trade that season for an easier, less painful season because of all that God did in my heart & life during that time. A year after the divorce, I moved to Texas, with my pup Sally, and we started over. God healed my heart and soon I was immersed in my new life. I eventually started working my way up in the corporate world through Administrative Assisting, Executive Assisting, Office Management, and finally as a corporate & residential relocation specialist.

In 2017, the Lord led me to start my own relocation and organization services company in Dallas, TX, which He blessed in big ways, allowing me to, not only use my skill sets but also have MANY opportunities to shine the light and the love of Jesus to my clients.

In 2021, the Lord burdened by heart to go deeper with Him, and the Holy Spirit seemed to be nudging me to pursue a different path. I decided to spend more time in the Word of God and in prayer, seeking Him and His direction. By June of that year, I sensed He was getting me ready for an opportunity in international ministry, so I reached out to my friends, John & Christy Page, who were serving in South Africa at the time, to see if they had need on their team for anyone with my skill sets. They responded immediately by saying YES and asking how quickly I could get there. I immediately jumped into the pursuit of serving Jesus with them in South Africa and started raising my funds, packing and then selling my house so I could leave as soon as the funds came in. However, as it would so happen, and in God’s perfect timing, it ended up being May of 2023 by the time I would actually move to South Africa. My pup, Molly & I settled in quickly and soon began to thrive in the new ministry and location God had placed me.

Fast forward 2 months to July, while I was serving and THRIVING in the exciting ministry in South Africa, a former acquaintance of mine, Chris Coats, reached out and we began talking. Soon we realized that God was leading us together and after just 4 months of living and serving in South Africa, God brought me back to the States where Chris & I were married on September 17th, and we began our lives together. Since we both love ministry and Word of Life, we reached out to the ministry directors in the U.S. and asked if they had something available for our skillsets. They responded immediately with 3 opportunities and out of those 3, God directed us to choose the one where we would still be able to serve together each day, with minimal travel, and allow him to be home with the family in the evenings and weekends.

To wrap up, my life has gone in a completely different direction than I ever expected but I have no regrets, only excitement for the future God has given us.

Chris: Proverbs 3:5 & 6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Michelle: I Corinthians 15:58 – Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for you know that the labor in the Lord is not in vain. Psalm 73:25 & 26 – Whom have I in heaven, but you and earth has nothing I desire besides you! My flesh and my heart may fail but you, O God, are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Contact Information

cmcoats2023@gmail.com
Email: ccoats@wol.org

Mailing Address:
13001 Word of Life Dr.
Hudson, FL 34669