My life has always included Jesus. Growing up in a small town called Mansfield, I was raised in the church. I remember waking up early, sometimes as early as 6 a.m., to go to church faithfully with my uncle. Church was a big part of my foundation.

As I got older, life experiences began to shift my mindset about church. I didn’t walk away from God, but I did step away from the idea of church because it wasn’t what I had imagined or experienced growing up.

In my early adult years, I felt God calling me back. I knew that because I had let go of church, I wasn’t living the life God wanted for me. I was living in sin, running from my problems instead of facing them. Eventually, I moved to Texas with my little one, and that’s where my journey of rebuilding a close relationship with God truly began.

I had no one there: no family, no friends, only God. Looking back now, I truly understand what He means when He says, “Come as you are.” I didn’t need to be perfect. I came exactly as I was, and over time God has been working on me and through me.

I came to this church because of someone God placed in my life for a reason. Honestly, when I was first invited, I didn’t accept. But one day I woke up and clearly heard God tell me, “It’s time.” I came to this church on 8/10 and have tried to attend consistently ever since. Joi and her family have been a huge part of my journey, and for that I’m forever grateful.

The reason I chose to get baptized is because one day during service, I heard God tell me, “Do more.” To me, that meant my relationship with Him had to be more than just showing up to church on Sundays. God has always made sacrifices for me, and now I feel it’s time to show Him that I’m ready. I know the road ahead won’t be easy. I know that after baptism, life won’t suddenly become perfect; everything won’t be strawberries and sunshine. But with Him by my side, I’m ready. I’m ready to be used. I’m ready to be a vessel.

My life before Jesus was an absolute mess. I’ve struggled with drugs, depression, and lack of family and support. Growing up was very rough for me. I never really had a place I could call home. I met my wife Jaelyn in 2020 and my life completely changed. She provided a foundation for my faith journey. We have 3 beautiful children.

We started attending X Church in 2023. My first few Sundays I just questioned everything, skeptical, past doubts. My wife pushed us to keep attending. I would say my 4th Sunday attending, my life changed forever. I felt the presence of God in my heart. I felt something so overwhelming and strong that I couldn’t refuse it. I knew Jesus was the truth and the answer I’ve been missing.

Here we are in 2026, and God has had a heavy presence in my life. I believe it’s time to give my all to Him. I believe I am ready for baptism. It’s time for me to become the spiritual leader in my household. It’s time for me to step up and spread the gospel, walk in His faith, and share my story with some who may struggle to seek His kingdom.

I grew up in foster care, always going from one home to another, always dealing with abandonment issues. I always prayed, and over the years I have seen prayers come true. Accepting Jesus Christ into my life was the best choice I ever made. It has changed so many things about my life, my health, and my career. I spread the word every chance I get in the job world I’m in at a service plumbing company. I know God is real. I would not be where I am today without Him.

I lost my son to suicide, and just a few months later I lost my dad. He was my superhero. I don’t understand some of the Lord’s plan, but I am here to serve.

I had a lot of trauma in my life, which led me to many difficult decisions. One was to stay away from church. I have always believed in God but felt He never listened to me when I prayed. I felt like my life was spiraling downward and no one was there for me. Until I prayed this past summer for peace and happiness, and found a man who showed me your church.

I found faith again in coming to your church. From childhood until adulthood, trauma has been a major part of my life. But in coming to your church and learning about perspective, I found my peace.

Growing up, church was always a part of my life. I went to church regularly, attended youth group, and even served in kids ministry. I always believed in God and knew He was present in my life.

After my husband and I got married and started our family, we attended church on and off over the years. While my faith was always there, there were seasons when church and my relationship with God weren’t always a shining light.

Over time, as I’ve leaned more into my faith and truly started trusting God with the things I can’t control, I’ve experienced so much more peace. Learning to trust in His plan has changed the way I handle anxiety and challenges in my life.

In August of 2022, our family found X Church, and it immediately felt like home for our entire family. From the beginning, our kids loved it, especially the movie series, and it quickly became a place where our whole family could grow in faith together.

My hope is that my life reflects my faith and that I can share the love and peace I’ve found through my faith journey and here at X Church.

I lived most of my adolescent and adult life being a devout atheist. I was not raised in a church nor did many of my family really exercise faith. One day while still defending atheism, my pre-teen son began parroting my opinions and I found it gut-wrenchingly sad to hear my opinions and sense of bleakness come from his mouth.

It was around this time I started exploring ideas of alternative creation, simulation theory and more, which led to an epiphany. If there was any sense of simulation, the program would have to have a programmer: that was the way my mind started thinking. From that, I started reading the Gospel, and teaching and learning it with my wife and kids and I saw how happy it made them to see me believe after not believing for so long.

Growing up, my parents were very religious, but the way I served God was out of fear and was always afraid of making a mistake. Not feeling loved by Jesus. Feeling like a disappointment, constantly.

When I came to X Church I was admittedly not living a life that aligned with God. But the love and care I felt was one I had never experienced before. I’ve been through a lot. Made a lot of mistakes, but I know that Jesus is the only way and that’s why I’m making the decision to follow Him for the rest of my life.

Liana grew up at X Church and has always called it home for 9 years now. She has always loved Jesus and looked forward every Sunday to coming to church! She says she loves to learn more about Jesus, the Bible and to grow closer to Him, so the decision to be saved was important to her. She has struggled whenever she would make mistakes with feelings of embarrassment and not being good enough.

Last year she was faced with some hard things and choices that she made that she was not proud of that put her into a very dark place. She says it was her faith, family and relationship with Jesus that helped her push through. She was reminded that it’s okay to make mistakes and that He will always forgive her and love her.

Her prayer life grew tremendously through this trial she faced and while it took a lot of healing and time, God was always there for her. She wants to continue to have a closer relationship with God and feels getting baptized is the next step on her faith journey.

I grew up in church and have known about God and Jesus for as long as I can remember. Throughout my life, I have always believed in God, but my faith journey has not always been easy. There were many times when I prayed faithfully and tried to do the right thing, yet it seemed like things would only get worse. Because of that, I often struggled with my faith and sometimes pulled away from church. I never stopped believing in God, but I struggled to understand why so many difficult things seemed to happen in my life.

One pattern I noticed throughout my life was that whenever something good started, it felt like something bad would soon follow. Whether it was a job, a business, or another opportunity, it seemed like challenges would always come and tear down what I had worked so hard to build.

When COVID began, I had recently opened a car dealership. What started as a thriving business quickly became a nightmare. Sales dropped, businesses shut down, and uncertainty was everywhere. Even though the pandemic affected people around the world, it felt personal to me because it seemed to fit the pattern I had experienced my entire life. I fought hard to keep the business alive and held on for four years despite difficult economic conditions. Eventually, I was using my own savings just to keep the doors open, and I reached a point where I had no choice but to close the business.

At the same time, my real estate investments were also suffering. The market changed, profits disappeared, and suddenly two major parts of my life were falling apart at once. I felt lost, defeated, and overwhelmed. My relationship with God was not where it needed to be, and I began turning to alcohol to cope with the pain and disappointment. What started as a way to escape reality slowly became a serious problem.

Eventually, things became so difficult that I entered rehab. Looking back now, I can see that God was working even in one of the darkest seasons of my life. While I was in rehab, I began finding my faith again. The day I was released was April 20, 2025: Easter Sunday. I was released at 9:00 that morning and came straight to church. Whether it was a coincidence or not, that day felt like a fresh start and a reminder that God was not finished with me.

Since that day, I have remained sober, returned to church, and recommitted my life to Christ. God has shown me that even when I couldn’t see Him working, He never left me. He was with me through every struggle, every disappointment, and every dark moment.

For the past year, I have felt God placing baptism on my heart. Every time I thought about taking this step, I would hesitate or pull back. Yet the feeling never went away. Instead, it became stronger and stronger. I now realize that God has been calling me to fully surrender my life to Him and publicly declare my faith. My journey has not been perfect, but God’s grace has carried me through it all, and I am ready to fully give myself to Him.

I always grew up in the church. I went to David Lutheran from preschool to high school graduation! I went every Sunday and was involved in everything possible. I’m not sure I really understood my connection with God. I think I just enjoyed the social aspect.

When my dad died by suicide the summer before my senior year, I felt betrayed by God. I stopped going to church and really put Him on the back burner.

In college I found myself praying to God and seeing those prayers be answered. At times I really felt like God was speaking directly to me. I met my fiancé, Joe, who was an answered prayer. His family went to X Church, so I started attending with him and his family. I joined a Bible study at my college and a Circle here at church. I felt connected and on fire for the Lord for the first time in my life.

I’ve always known who God was but never grew up in church. Up until last October me and my family wanted to start attending church. We tried out a couple of different churches before coming to X. I had been going through friendship breakups and just didn’t really feel myself and happy.

One normal day at church and we were singing “Gratitude”, Trae was singing. I remember this like it was yesterday. For the first time I had experienced the presence of God. At first I didn’t know what it was, I was crying, had goosebumps and just was confused. Until later I found out what it meant. From that moment I knew God.

I started going to Youth shortly after that and it became my home. Then I went to XYC over the summer where I gave my life to Christ and became filled with His presence. I want to continue to grow with Him and walk with Him. I want His light to shine through me and onto others!

I was Catholic before going to prison. Since I came home in 2018, I started attending Christian church. I gave my life to Christ my first year of incarceration. My life is just amazing with Jesus at the center.

My faith journey has been long and winding, but the overarching pull and desire to learn about Jesus has stuck with me since I was a little girl. I grew up in a family environment where faith wasn’t discussed or a focus. Aside from attending Easter Sunrise Service with my grandma and the occasional church service where I always left feeling out of place, I was entirely unfamiliar with faith. As silly as it sounds, I was teased for not knowing the words to Bible songs on those occasional Sunday visits and that was enough for me to think “church isn’t for me.” I was maybe 8, but the impact was heavy.

Faith was put on the back burner.

In 7th grade I met a set of twins, the Chaneys, at school and we continued to become closer in high school. They were active in their church and youth group and invited me along several times. I had a great time and it restored my desire to learn (their youth group friends seemed fun!) At the same time, another friend was Jewish and I attended temple with her several times, along with her Bat Mitzvah, Chanukah events, and even her sister’s funeral - I was eager to learn about her faith and culture but ultimately knew that wasn’t quite the pull to my beliefs. Another friend in our group was Mormon. Again, me being social and sponge, I listened a lot and realized that although I didn’t fully understand what my beliefs were yet, they weren’t tied to that either. I believed in SOMETHING and SOME GOD, but I knew it was not that.

Faith was put on the back burner.

When my grandpa was sick my sophomore year of high school, I remember praying on the bus on the way to school. I had never REALLY prayed before that moment. I had participated in prayer over meals and at weddings, but this was the first time I recall really praying myself, to God, and it was to save someone’s life. Surely if God were real, this would work! My grandpa passed away that day. I remember being so angry because “it didn’t work, my prayer didn’t work.”

Another setback in my faith journey - I was again unsettled and didn’t know what to believe in. My desire to learn about God and Christianity had dimmed.

Faith was, again, put on the back burner.

High school happened and college was a blur. I went to a private art school and much of my surroundings felt political and not centered by faith - this weighed heavy and felt polarizing. It was my first opportunity to vote in an election, my opinions and views were forming as an individual, and I felt stuck. Stuck between believing in God and believing in equality/rights for all people. It felt like I couldn’t possibly believe in both. Guess what?

Faith took a pause again.

After college I became close with the Chaneys again. Weddings, babies, friend and family events took place with them. Paul & Jess Chaney’s oldest son, Ethan, asked me why I didn’t go to church and what I believed in. I looked at his parents and asked how I was supposed to answer a kid like that and Paul said, “Answer him honestly.” So I did. Ethan always talked about Jesus. Every time I visited their home, or their kids’ functions, faith came up and there I was left having conversations with a kid who was TEACHING ME. There was a biblical timeline on their wall and they broke Jesus’s life down into measurable events and steps on a literal timeline. As silly as this sounds, this was pivotal for me.

I was a very literal A-Z person (and still am) and I trusted in science. Now I had friends teaching me how science worked alongside God. And will you believe it? Jesus, too, had a life and timeline that was backed by facts and recollections just like science. I was back to learning and soaking up information like a sponge again - I was curious. I was in my 20’s, single and in and out of relationships that just weren’t for me, and as much as I wanted to dive further into my walk with Jesus, I wasn’t brave enough to do it on my own. My friends and their kids taught me a lot, but their church environment was a lot of large families with young kids and it came back to feeling like I didn’t fit in with that community, I wasn’t brave enough to seek out my own.

Then I met David.

David and I met on a dating app around Thanksgiving 2023. I remember his profile said his faith and family were important to him. The first time I visited his home, he had a yard sign showing the Christmas services at X Church. That first visit to church with him the next Spring, I remember praying for my twin sister and nephew Joey as she was experiencing critical pregnancy complications. My prayer “didn’t work” when I was 16 with my grandpa, but this one did. After surgeries and hospital stays, they were both healthy! Easter service 2024, I was moved by God and raised my hand to dedicate my life to following Jesus. I was still unsure of what that entailed, but I felt the pull and I was willing to take next steps. Faith was always terrifying and everything up until this point caused me to pause, but not anymore.

Ironically, David and I took a pause in our relationship, but I didn’t pause in my faith journey. The timing wasn’t right for us, but I asked if I could continue going to his church. I remember him telling me it wasn’t “his church,” it could be “mine too,” and that he would still support me in my faith journey because that walk was mine to take and separate from a relationship with him. Although, it didn’t feel separate, it felt easier with David there with me. We continued seeing each other at X Church that year. The first time I went alone, it took me the entire length of worship to get out of the car and go in, but I did it. My second time, I was moved to tears at church and I couldn’t understand why faith made me so emotional.

I kept going to X Church weekly. I was so proud to tell my friends the Chaneys that I had a church and I would often call Paul to tell him what I learned each week. Along with those conversations I was sharing details about David and how I was so drawn to him and how he made this new journey so much more comfortable.

David and I never pulled away. In fact, we got closer. The relationship we had paused had a central point that kept us coming back together on Sundays. It took a year, but at the same time I was building a foundation in my walk with Jesus, David was also building a foundation with me. By Spring 2025, I trusted and loved this man. Faith was still new, but it wasn’t intimidating anymore. I felt belonging, joy, love, and acceptance from my relationship with David and God. There was no polarizing fear, they felt connected and for the first time in my life, I felt peace and balance.

I attended Scripture Lab this year and learned so much. It felt like the adult version of the Sunday School class I didn’t fit into when I was 8, but this time I was welcome and okay admitting in my group each week that I was new. I was ready to learn from other people and expanded on what my friends and David had poured into me. At this point, my commitment to walk with Jesus no longer feels new or private. I’m ready to proclaim to others that I have a relationship with Jesus and that, while it took longer to get here and I’m still learning, I’m proud of where I am at in my life.

It may have taken 30 something years from Sunday School at 8, to youth groups in high school, uncertainty in college, chats with the Chaneys in my 20’s - to being in love with a man who has shown me peace and comfort for the first time in my life to realize Jesus was there the entire time and is more present now than ever because I fully trust in Him. I’m excited to take my next step in my journey with faith through baptism and would be honored to have all of the people who were patient enough to see me through this process for decades see my relationship with Jesus today. It’s still growing, and I’m still learning, but I’m ready to show my pride and excitement for the next chapter of growth.

I just wasn’t happy. Arguing a lot. I just needed some peace and joy in my life. Then I gave my life to the Lord in October of 2025. I started to find what was missing in life. God has really cleaned up and changed my life. I’m not perfect but I know I’m nowhere the way that I used to be. And I truly Thank God for that!

My faith journey began at an early age, growing up in the Baptist church and being involved in youth ministry. Like many people, there were seasons when I was deeply connected to my faith and seasons when I drifted away. Today, though, faith has become a staple in the Woodward household and a foundation for how we live and raise our family. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to coach Upward Sports Christian flag football, where I can combine my love for sports with the chance to encourage young athletes in their relationship with Christ.

Most importantly, my wife and I are raising our 14-year-old and 8-year-old to understand what it truly means to have Jesus in their hearts and souls, not simply to know about Him, but to live with faith, love, grace, and purpose. As I continue to grow in my own walk with Christ, I hope my children see that faith is more than something we practice on Sundays; it is something that guides how we live, love, serve, and lead every day.

I was brought up and baptized Catholic. I’ve always believed there is a God, but as I grew older I thought more and more that faith was about religion and had become a business.

But last year my faith took a turn. I had to have open heart surgery and I knew that no one could understand my fear more than God. That He knew my most inner thoughts. I was full of fear from the day I found out til the day of surgery. The day of surgery, as I lay waiting right outside the operating room it was only me and God, and I prayed that He would take over every scalpel and every hand performing the surgery. To say that a miracle touched my body and soul is an understatement because I had realized my fear was not dying but it was the aftermath - Would I heal properly? Would I have to depend on others? But I healed very quickly, and 10/3/26 marked a year since then and my faith little by little continues to grow.

I previously went to Peace Church in Pickerington and belong to a ladies Bible study through them. With my husband passing in October 2025, I have been looking for a connection to God and feeling of peace. I have found that through X Church. The sermons, connections and prayers have brought me closer to God. Giving me a better understanding of Him and how I can be a better person for Him.

As long as I can remember, I have believed in God, but growing up we were not a church going family. I did attend church occasionally, whether it was with a friend, or with my grandparents on Saturday afternoon, but was never made to go. I have been married and divorced, twice. I have a soon to be 13 year old son from my first marriage, and I thank God for that boy every day.

When my second marriage fell apart, I found myself saying, “never in a million years would I think that he would do that to me”, but despite that, I still wanted to try and fix my marriage. Thanks to a close family member, I turned to God. I began reading the Bible in November of 2023, I started praying daily, crying out to the Lord to fix my marriage, and was just thirsty for more. I can recall laying in bed one evening when I was home alone, in that relaxed state where you could just fall right to sleep, when I heard a loud whisper from the corner of my room that said “Just be patient”. So much for relaxed, I quickly opened my eyes, and without moving my head looked around, as I thought someone was in my room. After what seemed like an eternity, which was probably a minute or two, I realized that the Lord was telling me to just be patient. What an amazing experience that was.

I continued with my reading, and praying, and I started attending a local church in January of 2024, and even with all of my prayers and crying out to God to fix my marriage, God did not fix it, and now, I am so grateful that He did not fix it, and that His ways are so much better than mine.

Another close family member had suggested different books to read, and podcasts to watch/listen to that she believed would be helpful for me, which brought me to watching Better Together on TBN. In my healing journey, listening/watching Better Together was what I needed. I follow many of the ladies from the show, on Instagram, with Lisa Harper, being one of them. I really enjoy her stories, and listening to her sermons she has shared when I find them online.

Fast forward to the end of 2024, Lisa Harper posted her schedule on Instagram for the first part of 2025. Being that I live in the Western New York area, the closest speaking engagement of hers was at the Inspired Conference, and Sunday service, at X Church. I checked to see how long of a drive it was, and decided that I really wanted to attend this conference. However, with divorce #2 newly completed, I was left very financially drained. In a conversation with a good friend, I was saying how I wanted to go, but I don’t want to spend the money. To which he replied, “You know if you don’t go, you are going to regret it.” I said, maybe, I will pray about it.

That night, I did pray about it, and I had a dream, I was sitting by a fireplace chatting with Lisa Harper and another woman was with us. When it was time to leave, Lisa turned around and said to me, “I’ll see you in Ohio in March.” Needless to say, when I woke up, the first thing I did was order my ticket for the Inspired Conference. I attended the conference in March of 2025, and came to Sunday service the following day before heading back to New York. I met some amazing women there. Everyone at the X Church felt so very welcoming, and so friendly. Little did I know that was the beginning of part of God’s plan for me, and my son.

In August of 2025, my son and I came out for At the Movies, where he attended X-Youth and loved it. I signed up for an online women’s circle, and I have met some of the most wonderful people via Zoom.

We came back out in February of 2026 for my son to participate in X-Games, which turned into him wanting to attend XYC. And bonus, I got to meet one of the ladies from our circle group.

We were back for conference in April of 2026, and yes, I said we, my son came and helped out the staff, while I was attending the conference. It was amazing, and I got to attend with some of the ladies from our circle group.

My son did attend XYC in July, and I prayed that God would do an amazing work in him while he was at camp. Not only did He do a work in my son that week, that I noticed on our trip home, the work He also did in me that week, was something I didn’t even know I needed.

Living about 5 ½ hours away, we clearly cannot attend X Church in person each week, but I do attend online every week, in addition to attending my local church here in New York. I absolutely love X Church, and am very grateful when we get the chance to be there.

My son and I came out and celebrated my 50th birthday in Ohio, came to church the following day for At the Movies (I love this series), and bonus, my son got to participate in the Color Wars before we headed home. I am so grateful that we were able to come out celebrate in Ohio, and I am so grateful, and feel amazingly blessed to have met such wonderful people here. God is so, so good. All of the time. X Church has definitely become a second family to us, and even though we are miles away, our lives have been changed by X Church and the community there. I am very thankful, and grateful, that God brought us out to the X Church.