Life Stories  

MY WIFE , Valorie, and I both grew up going to church, but we didn’t have a good understanding of what a relationship with Jesus Christ really means.  That is, until about fifteen years ago, when we had just moved to the Chicago suburbs and started attending a home Bible study group through our church.  We wanted to make friends in our new community. We did that, and got much more than we expected.  We quickly came to realize that neither our desire to be “good people” nor our church attendance was enough to get us to heaven; we needed to invite Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior.  That small group led us to lifelong friendships with the other members, and also to a living relationship with Jesus Christ!

Since that time, we have seen faith in Christ sustain us in the challenges that life has given us through the years – in work, finances, relationships, and especially in parenting. Teaching our faith to our kids (now high school and college students) has given them a solid foundation to help them handle whatever is thrown at them. It has also been exciting to see them live out their faith in Jesus as they have matured.

A few years ago, we had the opportunity to host a dinner for a missionary in our home. He shared fascinating stories of his work in Taiwan and even taught the kids a few words of Chinese. When our paths crossed again at a conference six months later, the kids were so excited to see him that they followed him around the entire morning! Since then, I’ve kidded them about being “missionary groupies,” but it’s a real privilege to see our children looking up to a Christian leader as their hero, especially with the many questionable influences around today.

Following Christ with the folks at Fall Creek has been a great opportunity to deepen our faith, learn from God’s word, and develop loving relationships with wonderful, caring people. I continue to be grateful each day for everything Jesus has done in my family’s life – and in mine!


– Steve & Valorie Gelwicks