Church planting is never the work of one person. When a man is sent to plant a church, his wife and family serve, minister, and labor alongside him.

That has certainly been true for Kathryn Thomas, wife of Jeremiah Thomas, lead pastor of Church of the City Brampton, an Acts 29 church in Ontario, Canada.

Kathryn works in a local early childhood program where she met Vivan,* a Brahmin Hindu woman who seemed curious about Christianity. They became friends, and over time, Katherine sensed a softening in Vivan’s heart and invited her to coffee. As they talked, Kathryn shared the gospel. Vivan listened quietly, nodding but saying little in response.

Kathryn left the conversation confused. Why was Vivan nodding? Why did she say so little? Did she understand?

Still, Jeremiah and Kathryn continued to minister to Vivan—first inviting her and her family into their home for a meal, then inviting them to a worship service. One day, she expressed a desire to be baptized. As they celebrated this, Vivan shared that she had gone home from that coffee with Kathryn many months earlier and had trusted Christ that evening, but had told no one.

Since then, Mithra,* Vivan’s husband, has also come to faith in Jesus, and today they are worshipping Christ together as a family.

A family changed through the faithfulness of the local church.

“It was so encouraging,” Jeremiah shared, “and it’s stories like this that are why I got into church planting in the first place.”

**Names changed for privacy.