The Lift Story

Family Best: Corey, Tanya, Livia, Silas and Sarah

Lift’s first "service" was Sunday night, September 9, 2004 in the apartment of Corey and Tanya Best, an American/Swiss family who had recently moved to Switzerland to be "tent-making" church planters of Lift. Ken & Kristin Eales, a South African couple, were also present that first evening along with four other adults and 5 kids. In January 2005 the "Lift Nights" were moved down by the Lake of Zug to the meeting room upstairs at Vorstadt 30. From the beginning, whether 15, 20 or only 7 people, Lift faithfully came together to worship God and open the Bible to learn from His Word. Stami (Evangelische Stadtmission Zug) a German-speaking church across town was and is a great support church of Lift.

By October 2005, the lower room was renovated at Vorstadt and Lift continued with Sunday night services now including kids' teaching time (upstairs) during the message. The ladies' ministry had already begun having mid-week studies and a great 1st ever men’s retreat that October was vital in men (A-Men) being challenged to love and lead their families in faith and their own studies launched shortly thereafter. Missions (especially 3rd world) are important to Lift, even from the beginning, as we look to be a blessing to the Lord’s Kingdom, in and outside of Switzerland as well.

Family Eales: Ken, Kristin, Maike, Danja and Talea

A few partnerships formed as Lift began to pray for and support ministries in Africa, India and Belize which we are still journeying with today. In the summer of 2006, Lift moved to morning worship service times at 10:00 am which quickly proved to be the right move in Lift’s identity as a new "church" in Zug and not just a "small group". Although from the beginning we had always seen ourselves as a church, we had previously been intentional to use the terms Lift Nights as part of Lift Ministries. From the summer of 2006 when changing to morning services we boldly proclaimed to our community that we were Lift - The International Church of Zug.

Our prayer then and now is that we will be known as a place where Jesus and the Bible are still changing lives in a relevant way! Our kids' ministry got a boost in September of 2006 as CLUB Lift, a monthly children's ministry with games, Scripture and teaching began alongside the weekly "Sunday School" that continued each Sunday morning as well.

By 2007 facilities became an issue as Lift was outgrowing Vorstadt and a great bridge into the community was formed as the Protestant Church of Zug allowed Lift to meet the first Sundays of each month in their Kirchgemeindehaus (Community Room). Late in 2007 the first broader leadership was formed, the Servant Leadership of Lift (Elders/Deacons), and by the Spring of 2008 Lift had officially been established as an independent "Verein" in Zug. Other highlights of 2008 were a second great year of Club Lift, the 1st ever ladies' retreat in May, an A-men retreat, a couples' study and a huge blessing in particular, God’s provision of a full time "home" to rent for our church at Ibelweg 18 in September that year! By this time, Bedros Portoyan had become part of the preaching/pastoring support alongside Corey and Ken and also part of the Servant Leaders. Bedros and his wife Seta, of Armenian descent but raised in Lebanon, were a great addition to Lift's growing intercultural mix with bringing Middle East insight and flavor, while also having a heart for Swiss as they too are Swiss nationals and in Switzerland for nearly 20 years.

Into 2009, with a newly built nursery, Sunday School space, and the Lift Living Room, many ministries were able to develop "at the church" while many other ministries "in the community" continued such as K-Groups (Koinonia-Groups; i.e. small groups), Ladies' and Men's Studies', Footie Nites (European Football) and lakeside baptisms! It's intentional for Lift, that the church is more about the people, not the buildings or rooms. Speaking of people, and growth in regards to people, by the end of 2009 it was clear that creating a more defined leadership structure for the growing ministries was needed, thus the formation of the LIFT Ministry, more broadly based team of all the various ministry leaders and volunteers who serve in various capacities.

The first Lift Ministry course launched in early 2010, in God's unique and just-in-time timing to take Lift into its next era as 2010 was a "transitional year" at LIFT with the Bests beginning a year long sabbatical after 5 years of church planting at LIFT and turned over the church to the Servant Leaders and the body of Lift. What a year it was in 2010 with so many simply taking their ministries and running forward in faith and passion to serve one another and Lift. 2010 also was a year of another great A-Men retreat, Club Lift, multiple ladies' studies (day and evening), Drive (for teens) and much more with continued growth of new people, finding their place to belong at Lift, and serving others as well in the various ministries. In October of 2010, ICF-Zug, another young church in Zug (German-speaking) that began just a few months after Lift back in 2005, began to use our facility on Sunday nights for their church services.....a wonderful blessing and Kingdom-minded testimony to our community of Zug around us: 2 churches - 2 languages - 1 location and 1 heart for Jesus and His Kingdom!

Bedros Portoyan, Ken Eales, Robert Shotter, Chas Gile and Wayne Rothman