Enjoy this interview with Liz Altieri. She grew up in our church and is now married to Gus and has two cute little boys.
Liz, when and how did you start coming to Covenant Fellowship Church?
My parents were part of the original church plant from Covenant Life Church in Maryland, so I was born into it. However, I stopped going to Covenant in high school but later returned after college and have been a member ever since.
Where do you live and what community group do you attend?
We live in Glen Mills and attend the Witters’ community group in West Chester.
Tell us about your family.
I’m married to Gus and we have two sons: little Gus who is three, and Max who is one. They keep me on my toes!
Do you have an interesting family tradition?
Um, does being late for everything count?
What is your most embarrassing moment?
It takes a lot to embarrass me so I had to dig deep to remember the last time I felt a little shame. Haha. When I was pregnant with little Gus, I woke up one morning and felt my water break. I was so eager not to be a beluga whale that I immediately called out of work and texted everyone and their mother telling them I was in labor. I went to the midwife to get checked since my contractions weren’t picking up, and she told me my water didn’t actually break, I had wet my pants! So when people kept texting me to check my progress, I got to tell them all the great news that I should have been wearing an adult diaper.
Tell us about your job.
I work for my family’s real estate business and manage a few of our apartment communities.
Can you list “five favorites in five words”?
Family, french fries, beach, loyalty, laughter.
What ministries do you serve in at CFC and how have you have seen God work in one of those ministries?
In the college-aged community group that my husband and I led for several years, we had a number of students from Widener University and they started an InterVarsity chapter. It was incredible to see how God used these young adults to save the lost on their college campus. College is such a pivotal time for many, and to see these students use their time to glorify Christ was pretty awesome.
What are you currently studying and learning in your devotional times?
I’m doing a Bible reading plan that will for sure take me more than a year if I’m honest. When I’m short on time I like to read Free Grace and Dying Love, a morning devotional by Susannah Spurgeon. I’ve been learning that reading just a little something is better than doing nothing for my soul. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sleep deprived and crazy busy for the foreseeable future, but there are no excuses for not spending time with my Creator.
What is your favorite verse or passage of scripture, and why?
One that I have kept close to my heart in the last few years is Psalm 121. It has brought me great comfort in many times of anxious thought. Verse 2 says, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” That’s crazy! The same God who made heaven and earth is watching over little old me!
If you could talk to a younger version of yourself, what advice would you give her?
I would tell Middle School Liz that blue eyeshadow and mauve lipstick are a terrible idea. But in all seriousness, I would tell myself how important community (the church) is while going through major life changes. We aren’t meant to do things on our own!
When and how did you come to Christ?
I would say I was saved at age twelve during youth camp. I remember being aware of my rotten, sinful self for the first time and laying it all down at the Lord’s feet and feeling his forgiveness washing over me. When I went to college my faith was tested for the first time. Having grown up in church and attending Christian school my whole life, I thought I was pretty solid in my relationship with God. I was soon living with one foot in the world and the other in church. Many of you may know from experience that this is a terrible way to live! In His kindness, God brought me to my knees once again and reminded me of my desperate need for a Savior.
What is one situation you have faced or are facing? Share how God moved, or is moving, in the midst of this experience.
When I experienced postpartum anxiety after my first pregnancy, I felt very distant from God. One minute I could be fine and the next I was crying for no reason and feeling very lonely. Psalm 121 was a passage I would recite to myself over and over again in the middle of the night. The Lord brought me through that dark time and continues to watch over me and my thoughts. After my second pregnancy, I am much more aware of the dark path my thoughts could lead me down and I have clung to the truths of the gospel. I recommend listening to Jared’s message “A Firm Faith” if you are struggling with anxiety or fears.
