Daniel, Joy, and Lydia* didn’t know Jesus before moving to the United States. All three of them lived in a country where the government keeps a close eye on religious activities. As a result, many Christians have renounced their faith or keep it underground. Daniel, Joy, and Lydia didn’t have many opportunities to hear the gospel.

But then each of them retired from their careers and followed their children to the United States in order to help care for their grandchildren. In their new neighborhoods they encountered opportunities to hear the gospel, and each one has now accepted Christ.

New believers need a community of support in which they can continue to grow in faith, and you’re helping to provide that space for them. Daniel, Joy, and Lydia are part of a small group ministry led by Rev. James Chiang of Union with Christ Church, a Resonate church plant that you help to support in California. 

Understanding God’s Word

Daniel had not heard the gospel before, and he was skeptical about it until he read a collection of Christian books that someone lent to him. God was at work in his heart as he started reading the Bible and hearing testimonies from other believers. It wasn’t long before he accepted Jesus. 

As a new Christian, he struggled to have an authentic understanding of Scripture. “I thought the Bible was like a legend, like a mythological story,” said Daniel.

When he met Rev. James and his wife, Winnis, Daniel told them he was interested in studying the Bible. With help from you, they started a group to read and discuss Scripture together, and now it’s easier for Daniel to understand God’s Word.

“Instead of putting in my own thoughts and ideas, now I can seek out what God is really saying,” said Daniel. “Because of this group, I can apply the word to my everyday life, and my faith keeps growing.”

Witnessing God’s Power

Lydia rejected the gospel when she first encountered it. But when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she met a woman from her home country who had also had cancer. She shared her testimony with Lydia, and it changed Lydia’s life. Lydia became a Christian and witnessed God’s grace through her own cancer journey. 

A Bible study group that you help to make possible has been significant for Lydia’s walk with Christ. Not long after she joined the group, her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and had to move into a memory care facility.

“I became depressed and worried,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”

But she had you. Because you support Resonate, ministries like the Bible study group provide support for believers. The Bible study group came alongside and provided help for Lydia. “When we study the Bible together as a group, I feel like I’m literally receiving the strength and power from God to face my difficulties,” said Lydia. 

God is at work in Lydia’s heart, and she also saw God working in her husband. Her husband became a Christian while he was in the memory care facility.
James and Winnis Chiang started Union with Christ Church, a Resonate partner in California. They've provided discipleship opportunities for Daniel, Joy, and Lydia.

Reaching Out to Others

Seemingly by accident, Joy stumbled upon a church group in a park one day. She formed new friendships with some believers, and through their persistent encouragement she became a believer too.

Joy was eager to be a part of their weekly Bible study group, and this has encouraged them to share their faith with others like her! Joy and her husband developed a passion for their neighbors to know Christ, and they opened their home as a meeting place for the Bible study. When they moved into a senior apartment complex, they invited some of their new neighbors to be a part of the Bible study too—and Joy says this has brought unexpected blessings.

“This group hasn’t only helped me and my husband,” she said. “Because we invite other people and more and more come [and then keep coming] as new believers, we have witnessed other people growing and learning from the Bible.”

Thank you for supporting Daniel, Lydia, and Joy as they grow in faith! Through your support of Resonate, you are providing church plants like Union with Christ Church with much-needed finances, training, and guidance from Resonate staff. Because of churches you help to plant, more people are growing in faith and sharing their faith with their neighbors!

*Daniel, Lydia, and Joy’s names have been changed for security purposes.