Resurrection Life Church (ResLife) in the Gladden Farms community of Marana, Arizona, is experiencing the presence and blessings of God abundantly after only four months of its planting.
ResLife officially opened its doors March 17 of this year, a plant of two churches: Village Church in Redrock, Arizona, and Foothills Community Church in Tucson, Arizona. Shalom Liddick, who co-pastors ResLife with her husband Michael, is passionate about making the church a space where people know they belong.
She said, “We want to be a presence that no matter who moves in, they know that ‘hey, these people are here for us.’ So, our church and our church family are quite active in the community. We work hand in hand with our community to create a sense of family and belonging.”
Part of this goal to make people feel loved, welcomed and connected also carries over into Liddick’s desire to connect people to the Spirit of God. “We desire to show people a fullness of fellowship, both with each other, and with God,” she said. This means a willingness to break from the traditional American church service when needed.
“We’re a church that allows the Spirit of God to just move,” she said. “So, while we have a structure for our Sunday mornings, we tend to be more willing to move wherever the Spirit of God wants to go. There’s a little bit of fluidity that exists there, and that is something that requires a certain kind of surrender.”
Liddick’s readiness to be obedient in meeting needs over following a structure has transformed the lives of people in the community. She has witnessed the power of God, allowing men and women to overcome addictions, mental illnesses and other lifelong struggles.
“If I can take how in love with Jesus I am and push it onto people so they can feel it and experience it, I think that would make the biggest difference. So, watching that happen in our church family and our community is quite exciting — just showing people that Jesus is their friend, that he is genuinely interested in their life, in whatever is going on and that he can be trusted,” Liddick said.
As ResLife is still a new plant, the attendance on Sundays can be low, but Liddick is not discouraged by the numbers. She is prayerfully hopeful about the church’s move toward intentional discipleship and outreach and how this can create a revival in their community.
“There is a shift that is going on throughout our church to move our focus away from depending on the corporate. This is because God has empowered us in the private to go out and change the world. We are the answer to the issues that are going on right now in our world,” Liddick said. “So hopefully, out of that, we’re going to be a place that binds our community together through prayer. And we can move on to multiplication of leaders, disciples and churches.”
In two years, ResLife hopes to have two missional communities developed and another church plant in progress.
Hear more from the Liddicks on what God is doing in ResLife Church.
