A group photo of Resonate church planters Mark and Debra Jallim and Andrew, Lisa, and Alec

Andrew hadn't been to church since he was young, and Lisa believed there was truth to all religions. But when their son started struggling with depression, he asked to go to church. They found your church plant.

Andrew and Lisa Liddle and their son, Alec, did not attend church as a family.

Andrew had attended church and Sunday school with his family when he was younger, but for some reason that he can’t remember, they stopped going – and he never went back. He said that he believed in God but that his faith “wasn’t really in his heart.”

Meanwhile, Lisa didn’t grow up religious at all. At a young age, she was abandoned by her father. Her mother and stepfather didn’t really want her either, so they didn’t take care of her well. Lisa never understood how people could be so mean to an innocent kid, but as an adult, she was able to forgive them. She believed in being kind to people—and that there is a little bit of truth in all religions. She read tarot cards and found friends through a Wiccan community.

“I was never really comfortable with it,” she said. “It didn’t feel right . . . it wasn’t what was true to my heart.”

But for years and years, Lisa wasn’t sure where to find the truth that resonated with her—not until Alec asked if they could go to church. 

Seeking Truth

When Andrew and Lisa met, they got married and started a family. Their son, Alec, was always a happy kid. But then he started struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. Nothing seemed to help. Andrew and Lisa were at a loss for what to do, so when Alec asked to go to church one day, they were willing to try.

It took one phone call to your church planter Mark Jallim.

A group photo of Living Hope Community Church's Families and Individuals

With your support, Mark and his wife, Debra, were able to plant Living Hope Community Church—a church that has grown from providing online worship services and ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic, to meeting in the Jallim’s basement, to now meeting in a church building in Whitby, Ontario.

Lisa and Alec knew it was exactly where their family needed to be.

Finding Truth

The Liddles started attending worship and other programs and ministries together. Week after week, Andrew and Lisa watched Alec slowly transform before their eyes.

“My son, at 18 years old, drove himself [to a bookstore] and bought himself a Bible,” said Lisa.

Alec and other church members work in the kitchen at Living Hope Community Church's building

As Alec has worked to heal from depression, the gospel has given him hope, and he has found a supportive community through your church plant. Last fall, Alec decided to give his life to Christ and was baptized in Lake Ontario!

And that was just the start of God’s work in the Liddle family. This past summer, Andrew and Lisa decided to publicly declare their faith in Jesus and be baptized too.

Living Out the Truth

Andrew and Lisa were baptized during one of Living Hope Community Church’s worship services. Alec read from the Bible and prayed: “Thank you, heavenly Father, for all the work you’re doing in my family’s life. It’s truly a miracle, and I give you all of the thanks and all of the praise. One day we were all in darkness, and you just took us out.”

Living Hope Community Church families and individuals gathering around long tables to enjoy a meal together

The Liddle’s lives are completely different now. Lisa threw away her tarot cards and has given up her Wiccan community and practices—she and Andrew have both found truth in the gospel.

“I look forward to becoming closer and closer to Christ,” said Andrew. 

Thank you for supporting church plants like Living Hope Community Church through Resonate! You are helping to make a difference in people’s lives!

If you or a loved one are struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text 988.