Our Vision
FamilyLife Canada exists to bring help and hope to every marriage and family. We believe…
The family is the foundation of every community.
A healthy marriage is the cornerstone of a strong family.
The ultimate and lasting strength of every marriage and family is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Our Team

This is the FamilyLife Canada Team, women and men from coast to coast committed to changing Canada and the world by strengthening families. Individual biographies can be found below. If you are interested in joining our team and this cause, please contact us for more information.
Our team is truly committed to bringing help and hope to marriages and families. Most of the team raise their own salary to be able to carry out this mission. If you would like to invest in a member of our staff, please click on their “GIVE” button below.

Neil & Sharol Josephson
Directors of FamilyLife Canada
Sharol and Neil were married in 1978 and have two married sons and four grandchildren. Together they speak at FamilyLife events.
Fun Fact: On a sunny day, Sharol will turn to the garden and Neil to the golf course. On a rainy day, it’s books by the fire for both. But playing with the grandkids rules any day.

Brent & Céleste Trickett
Brent – Associate National Director
Céleste – Regional Representative: SK
Brent and Céleste married in 2000, they have four children and reside in Saskatoon, SK.
Fun Fact: For Valentine’s Day Brent bought red headgear to enable kickboxing at home. With four young children kickboxing relieves a lot of stress.

Joe & Lois Balfour
Joe – National Conference Coordinator
Joe married Lois in 1970, they live in Kelowna, BC, have four children and four grandchildren.
Fun Fact: Our ideal day is touring the Okanagan Valley in our 64′ MGB (top down) A picnic by the lake completes this relaxing day.

June & Neal Black
Neal – Leadership Development
June & Neal married in 1984, they live in Langley, BC and have two children and one granddaughter. Together they also work with engaged couples.
Fun Fact: Reading and playing games are two of the favourite household activities.

Mindy Antemir
Director of Operations
Mindy and David were married April 2022 and live in Langley, BC. They enjoy the outdoors, spending time with people they love and cooking together.
Fun Fact: David is slowly convincing Mindy to go on motorcycle adventures.

Intan Gunawidjaja
Administrative Assistant
Intan and David married in 2014 and have two children. They live in Langley, BC.
Fun Fact: David and Intan both came from Indonesia and arrived in Canada in 2005. They didn’t know each other until they met at the church! The rest is history.

Morgan Turner
Regional Representative – BC
Morgan is on staff with FamilyLife and her husband, Michael, is a youth pastor. They enjoy supporting each other’s ministry journeys.
Fun Fact: Morgan and her husband enjoy most of their quality time in the outdoors, accompanied by their dog. She loves painting, being creative, road trips, and camping.

Lydia Nigh
Regional Representative: Greater Vancouver
Lydia and her husband Gilbert have been married for over 30 years and have three amazing young adults in their family.
Fun Fact: Being a Trinidadian-Chinese-Canadian with a Zambian experience means I’ve eaten a lot of interesting foods in my lifetime but my favourite chef is Gilbert.

Valerie Bruyere
Regional Representative – ON & QC
Valerie and Allan married in 2008 and have three children and four grandchildren. They live in Ottawa, ON.
Fun Fact: Val did not know Al was of Filipino ethnicity when they first met and she almost ran away thinking he was the wrong date. They still giggle to this day, wondering how was it possible to miss this on his on-line profile?

Fay Chao
Chinese Ministry of FamilyLife
Bob and Fay have been married since 1974. They have two married daughters and a grandson. They live in Ottawa, ON.
Fun Fact: A month after their wedding, Bob and Fay were notified that their marriage registration was rejected; the pastor had mixed up the paperwork. Bob and Fay had signed another couple’s form! Always read the fine print!

Jerry & Dorothy Chee
Regional Representatives – ON
Jerry and Dorothy have been married since 1984 and have one grandson and three adult children. They live in Unionville, ON.
Fun Fact: On their one year dating anniversary Jerry freaked Dorothy out with his gift of a pair of baby shoes.

Sheldon & Valerie Dean
Regional Representatives – SK
Sheldon and Valerie married in 2001 and they live in Regina, SK with their 3 children, a dog and a cat.
Fun Fact: In the summer you will find the Dean’s either on a surf board, sitting around a fire or at a Bible camp. In the winter you won’t find them…because they are hiding from the cold (they live in Saskatchewan).

Dan & Joy DeGaris
Director of Development, Indigenous Ministry
Dan and Joy married in 1978 and live in Airdrie, Alberta. They have two married daughters and four grandchildren.
Fun Fact: Opposites in many ways, Dan and Joy enjoy doing simple things together like watching old movies, walking, new ethnic restaurants and coffee dates.

Keith & Stephanie Dillabough
Regional Representatives – AB
Keith and Stephanie were married in 1992 and have two adult children both walking with the Lord. Keith and Stephanie were in Pastoral Ministry for 15 years and live in Carstairs, Alberta.
Fun Fact: Stephanie and Keith met in grade 3 so they have known each other for over 40 years, so they truly are childhood sweethearts.

Bob & Denise Dobson
Bob & Denise – Blended Family Ministry
Bob and Denise married in 2012 and live in Langley, BC. They are a blended family and together have 5 married children and 8 grandchildren.
Fun Fact: They like to travel abroad but love family time at the lake in beautiful BC. They enjoy time with their grandkids, their Portuguese Water dog, and playing board games.

Lorne Giesbrecht
Administration Assistant for HomeBuilders
Lorne and Joan married in 1982 and have adult daughters and two grandsons. They reside in Delta, BC.
Fun Fact: Life is rarely boring in their household. Their 12 year old Maltese Poodle, Sasy, keeps life interesting.

Braden & Kristen Hafner
Regional Representatives – Edmonton and Northern AB
Braden and Kristen married in 2008 and have a dog named Milo; they live in Edmonton, AB.
Fun Fact: Braden is a glutton for punishment: He’s an Oilers fan. Kristen is a health nut, and she loves to eat her favourite vegetable, Chocolate!!

Heather Harman
Regional Representative: Maritimes
Heather and Chris have four children.
Fun Fact: They are from Halifax.

Rennier Hernandez
Regional Representative: Greater Vancouver
Ren and Jet married in 1994 and have 3 young adult children. They live in Richmond, BC.
Fun Fact: Ren does all the cooking at home, while Jet is in charge of all IT and home maintenance repairs! They love to go on walks and enjoy espressos and dessert for date night.

Matt & Josie Jaggers
Regional Representatives – BC Interior
Matt and Josie were married in 2000. They have 3 boys and live in Kelowna, BC.
Fun Fact: They love summer and hot weather. Travelling to see new sights, river swimming, and camping are some of their favourite activities as a family.

Michael Jantzen
Director of Marketing and Communications
Michael and his wife Stephanie have been married for eleven years. Their blended family of four boys keeps them busy juggling life and planning adventures.
Fun Fact: Michael moonlights as a musician on the side, usually with his guitar and harmonica. Recently, he’s been adding banjo to the mix too, which he picked up at age 39.

Jay & Gretta Kennedy
Regional Representatives – Vancouver Island
Jay and Gretta have been married 18 years and are in the throes of raising their 3 teenage children.
Fun Fact: They met as adventure based ministry white water raft guides in Oregon and were legit friends for 4 years before falling in love.

Angela & Edmund Lau
Angela – Chinese Ministry Representatives
Edmund and Angela married in 1979. They have two married sons and six grandchildren. They live in Calgary, AB.
Fun Fact: Edmund and Angela enjoy serving together as a team, not only in ministry, but also in caring for their children’s families. They love biking, camping, and playing with their grandchildren.
Sandy & Jason Yuen
Sandy and Jason – Regional Representatives: ON
Jason and Sandy were married Aug 4, 2007 years but their love story started 25 years ago when they began dating in high school. They have three kids, live in Toronto, and love biking and growing their faith as a family.
Fun Fact: They enjoy a plant-based diet and experimenting with new recipes from around the world!

Shireen & Che Spencer
Shireen – Regional Representatives: ON
Che and Shireen married in June 2003. They have 2 wonderful boys.
Fun Fact: Che and the boys love to swim and ski but Shireen doesn’t like to do either! She enjoys watching them and everyone stays happy!

Matt & Rylee Andres
Regional Representatives: SK
Matt and Rylee have been married for 6 years and have two young kids. Together they love to serve and host people in their home in Martensville, Saskatchewan.
Fun Fact: They enjoy anything that’s competitive, trying new foods and dance parties with their kids in the morning! Matt is a fantastic cook!
Join The Team
Perhaps you’d like to explore the possibility of joining this dynamic team. We’d love to talk to you about helping marriages and families where you live. See below for current openings. Contact: info@familylifecanada.com or 1-877-352-6888
Our Affiliation
