They grew up in south America, worked in influential jobs within the media yet struggled to  find their voices in the atmosphere created by two military regimes.  Now they are partners in a new expression of church in north Belfast, where they long for people to find and raise their voices….

The paths of Dario Leal from Chile and Pablo Mandresa from Argentina only crossed in Belfast, yet their stories share some remarkable parallels.

As Dario explains: “We grew up without voicing our voices, we didn’t express our stories, because in the 80s over there you couldn’t say you were against the regime.

“But stories are the right of every individual.”

And now through the Living Room project, based in the Cliftonville Road area, these two men and their families are seeking to release people to tell their stories. “I guess we feel,” Dario explains, “that humanity has lost its dignity, there seems little hope, people are demoralized and discontented.  It was never meant to be this way.”

North Belfast is one of the areas most scarred by the Troubles, experiencing some of the worst inter-communal violence and the shadow from that still holds sway.  So, through a ministry of presence and serving, the Living Room aims to foster hope in this community.

“In the gospel we find the most amazing story of all,” says Dario. “There’s regeneration, restoring dignity - and that’s what we like to do.  We want people to find wholeness in God and to give them back their dignity.”

It’s a model of church that many in Belfast are perhaps unfamiliar with - as these church planters seek to create a space where people can share stories and explore faith issues.  As Dario says: “In a city full of history we want to start a small worshipping community that unites our stories with the story of Jesus…”

**For more information check out http://www.livingroombelfast.org/the-living-room.html