I have been attending LIFT since second semester of my first year. For me, it has been an environment in which I can worship God with other students within the close proximity of my everyday life. It wasn’t really until this year, my third year, that I have really become involved the community of LIFT. I joined a Simple Church, was involved with some of the food preparation for the meal we serve every week, and embarked on an adventure with some other students to the Dominican Republic. LIFT has become an environment in which I bring other friends who are curious about my faith and are interested in learning more. The exciting atmosphere can only be attributed to the presence of God and the Holy Spirit working within its members. Hosting various speakers and learning from many different individuals and perspectives have proved to be life changing in terms of my faith in Jesus Christ. The encouragement, accountability, and access to resources have spurred me on to truly pursue a personal relationship with our creator. I am so excited with how God is working at LIFT and in my own personal life, and pray that I will always be pursing the Lord wherever I am.

Moving off to school and out on my own for the first time, I had no difficulty in adjusting to the new situation, but I did discover the difficulty in finding a church. I checked out various churches around McMaster, but it wasn’t until I first attended LIFT that I immediately felt at home. Since then, LIFT has been a great serving-based community to be involved with that has helped me develop a deeper understanding of my faith, and what it means to me in my daily life and my relationships with others. Through Simple Churches, myself and other members of my Simple Church have been challenged as we focus on more in-depth ideas and questions about our faith. LIFT also provided me with the incredible opportunity to go on my first mission trip to the Dominican Republic this past May, which has challenged my faith more than can be explained. Now in my final year, I am very grateful for Lift and how it has shaped me and my relationship with Christ during this period of my life, and I hope many others are and will be impacted as I have been.

Because I grew up in a Christian home, I assumed that I would find a church as soon as I got to McMaster. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I was overwhelmed by all the changes of first year and, regrettably, missed out on finding a church at first. When a friend invited me to come to LIFT, I had hesitations about going to a church that was in a bar on campus, but I agreed to give it a try despite this. I've been hooked to LIFT ever since. The worship, message, outreaches, and amazing community are just a few of the things I love about LIFT. LIFT helped me keep on track so much during first year. It has helped me become more comfortable in my faith and my ability to express myself, especially to my friends in residence. I have gained such an amazing Christ-filled community through LIFT. I am so thankful for the people who are there for me to lean on for guidance and prayer, who have kept me accountable for my actions, and who have simply showed me love. I honestly have no idea where I would be right now if I hadn't gotten involved, and I thank God every day for giving me this opportunity, this safe place, and this loving community. 

Before coming to McMaster, I had never attended a secular school. My first semester I took a course on naturalism, and in that class I realized that my faith would need to be stronger to face the pressures of university life. I am so thankful for LIFT because it has kept me secure, and I’m not sure what my relationship with God would look like if I hadn’t found such a support. It has been so encouraging to see my peers excited about God and passionate about his work on campus and in the Hamilton community, and it has inspired that same excitement in me. I have been able to develop strong friendships with people at LIFT that have kept me accountable and challenged me to grow in my faith more and more. Because LIFT is a student-led church, I have had the opportunity to take additional ownership by becoming involved in the leadership here. LIFT has supported me through some of the most difficult periods of my life. In this, I have been able to develop a relationship with Christ that is meaningful and life changing. I truly believe in the work that LIFT does, and the blessing that its presence is for students and the surrounding community.

LIFT Church has pretty much changed my life. The first time I stepped into TwelvEighty, where LIFT meets, I had no idea what I was really looking for, let alone who God was. But over the course of a year and a half, LIFT has helped me answer both of those questions. The leadership and community of LIFT have allowed me to grow in ways I had no idea were possible, never pushing me to fit into a perfect box of Christianity, but allowing me to discover a faith that I am able to call my own. They have encouraged me to admit my struggles, and have always been there to support me through them. It is through this outpouring of love and the genuine relationships that I have formed at LIFT that I truly feel I found Jesus. This realization led me to get baptized with LIFT this past summer. LIFT has been there for me through so many ups and downs of my still winding journey. I can say with confidence that I wouldn't be able to comfortably call myself a Christian if it wasn't for the supporting, loving, and graceful ways that LIFT has taught me about who God is, and what my role is as His child.

LIFT Church has been an awesome place of encouragement and community during my 4 years here at McMaster. I first started going to LIFT in October of my first year when some people on my residence floor invited me. Being on the cross country and track teams, a lot of my time is spent with friends that don’t yet know Jesus. It’s been great developing authentic relationships with the people at LIFT, enabling me to talk freely, without judgment, about anything that is going on. It’s remarkable how everyone there comes from different church backgrounds, yet everyone loves the same Jesus. It’s been a tremendous experience seeing my fellow students and I really make LIFT our own, and seeing it grow and flourish. Of course, that wouldn’t be possible without external support, whether that be financial, prayer or otherwise. This support has allowed myself and others to make realities out of our dreams for LIFT.

4 years ago I started attending LIFT after my cousin, who had attended, died. I was searching for a church and I decided to check out LIFT. I started attending by just sneaking in late and leaving early, trying to avoid talking to people because it was the easy thing to do and it didn't cause me to step out of my comfortable bubble of shyness. That soon changed. The community made a point of talking to me, and getting me involved. I soon found myself becoming actively involved in LIFT and finding a desire to serve God in whatever way I could. The unique atmosphere that LIFT provided, a church predominately composed of students and young adults, provided an avenue to pursue God and grow my understanding of him in a way no other church could at that time in my life. And through the years, God has helped me grow in my faith and provided me the ability to serve the church through ministry, whether that be leading the set-up crew, being student vice-president or leading Red Frogs. LIFT became a home when I was searching for God and helped me along in my faith journey.

I grew up as a pastor’s daughter attending church every Sunday, but until university I just didn’t understand the importance of church community. I didn’t like youth group so I never went, and I never had many Christian friends. I thought it was enough to read my Bible and pray, but I didn’t necessarily see any value in attending a service every Sunday. LIFT has taught me that church community is an important and very necessary part of your faith. In my opinion, it is nearly impossibly to stay a strong believer if you aren’t connected with a Christian community, especially in university. I came to LIFT the first Sunday of my first year, and have been going ever since. I am now connected with people of many different ages and have learned so much from all of them. The girls in my Simple Church are such a blessing and encouragement to me and I am so thankful for the opportunity to meet with them every week. LIFT has taught me the value and importance of community, mentorship, and building and maintaining relationships with others. I am beyond thankful for this church, all the leaders, and the people here who have had a major impact on my life.

University presents a new challenge in one’s faith. It is a time when you really must take ownership of your faith. I came to LIFT on the recommendation of a friend. I was excited to be part of a new church and to learn more about Christ, but I didn't know how much more God had in store for me! I decided to really commit to the church in my second year after attending on and off in first year. I became a leader for a Simple Church. Simple Church creates a space to engage in fellowship, to have conversations about God, learn about God, share struggles, and pray for one another. Through this I not only formed many friendships, but I began to better understand my faith. Serving opportunities, such as the Ronald McDonald House, impacted my faith in a way I would never have expected, allowing my faith to grow deeper and wider. In all this, faith became less of a 'me' thing and more of a 'we' thing.
LIFT Church has taught me that church isn't just a place to sing nice songs and listen to a message; church is a place to engage in fellowship, learn about Christ, and grow in relationship with Him. It isn't just Sundays, it is an everyday thing. LIFT has given me the opportunity to own my faith and own my church in a time and environment that can be difficult to navigate.

When I started first year at McMaster I wanted to get connected to a church that would help me to grow in my faith, rather than losing it at university. I got connected to LIFT during my first semester and absolutely loved it! Everyone was so welcoming and supportive towards me, regardless of what I was going through. The support that the LIFT community provided helped me immensely in my adjustment to university life. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be involved in a Simple Church (small group), to attend the outreach to the Dominican Republic, and to build relationships with other Christians on campus. It is these relationships that have kept me coming out to LIFT and growing in my faith. The sense of family and community that LIFT offers is one that has become more and more valuable to me over the years. Thank you for all of the support that you have given to LIFT as well as for all of your prayers!

Some people would call it a fluke, but I call it the will of God. I had mentioned to my pastor back home that I would be leaving for McMaster in the fall. “There is an awesome student church there, right on campus,” he said, “I think it’s called LIFT. My good friend planted it.” Little did he know what an impact that suggestion would have on my life. It saved me from myself. If it weren’t for LIFT I would probably be living the party life, faithless and self-destructive. Living in residence as a Christian in my first year was tough, but because of LIFT I am even stronger in my faith than when I started university. In LIFT I found a community to not only keep me on the straight and narrow, but also to challenge me to be all that God made me to be. I can honestly say I’ve found my home away from home, my second family, at LIFT.

I attended a different church in the Hamilton area during my first semester at McMaster University. I started attending LIFT during my second semester and right away I felt like I was home. Even then, I mainly kept to myself and to the friends I knew from outside of LIFT. I know now that God was preparing me to be the leader that I am today. LIFT has been a safe community where I have been able to grow in my faith and my leadership abilities. Robin and Laura Wallar have been amazing examples of what the heart of a godly leader looks like. They been incredibly supportive and have helped shaped me. This couple believes in our visions and empowers us to make our visions into a reality. LIFT has provided the opportunities for me to grow in all those areas by letting me be a part of many of the things that LIFT has to offer: the Dominican Republic missions trip, leading the Downtown Outreaches, initiating the knitting projects to supply scarves for the people living in downtown Hamilton, the leadership team for our Heart to Heart events that reach young women on campus, and co-leading a Simple Church. LIFT has been my home and, because of this, I want to make sure that anyone and everyone who walks through the doors also feels as though they are home.

Robin & Laura Wallar have the privilege of leading this community. As a couple that has invested into LIFT since its inception they passionately believe in the power of a church community directly on campus. They have a deep rooted faith in the power of the Gospel to bring hope, purpose and direction to a campus that is desperately searching. As McMaster alumni they understand first-hand the situations students face and the potential for LIFT to help them navigate university life. Their role ultimately boils down to empowerment: equipping, encouraging and mentoring students to live in the fullness of what Jesus has for them.