On Sunday, July 15 at 10 AM, First Assembly of God Church of Crookston will host the missions ministry of Michael and JoAnn Eldridge, who have been
missionaries to Native Americans for many years. They are US Missionaries appointed through the Assemblies of God. An offering will be taken to support their ministry.
In 1978, they went to the White Earth Reservation in Northern Minnesota to plant a church and pastored there for almost 10 years. In 1988, they transitioned to South Dakota and taught 10 years at Central Indian Bible College. While in South Dakota they produced Sunday morning Christian radio programs for the Native radio station KLND. In the year, 2000 they moved to Keshena, Wisconsin and pastored Keshena Assembly of God on the Menominee Reservation in Northern Wisconsin until this year. Now, they are looking forward to starting a Bible training center for Native Americans in Northern Minnesota to reach their own people for the Lord.
Rates of suicide among Native Americans are the highest compared to other groups, and they keep increasing over the years. This is especially true among Native American youth, who are three and a half times more likely to commit suicide compared to other groups, according to an Indian Health Service study in 2012.
