Lakeside Church in Haliburton, Ontario is a contemporary, family-oriented church with ministries for all ages. We welcome you to join us for worship on Sunday morning, or for any of our weekday events or activities.
Ministry Staff
Rev. Paul Graham, Lead Pastor (paul@mylakeside.ca)
Paul grew up on a farm just outside of London, Ontario, and attended high school in Dorchester, the best outcome of which was meeting his future wife, Wendi. After university, a decade of building and running a
dot-com technology start-up with his other partners gave way to his calling to full-time ministry in the local church. Paul is head over heels in love with the local church, with a passion to see it growing, healthy,
and laser focused on its mission to see God glorified in all ways among all people through Jesus Christ.
Alison Bangay, Ministry Director (alison@mylakeside.ca)
Alison spent most of her childhood at Lakeside as her family attended was involved for many years. She left after high school to attend college and pursue a career in Travel and Tourism. After almost 15 years working in Hospitality, Alison returned to Haliburton with her husband Mark and two boys. They have been blessed to raise their family in this local community and church. Alison has a desire to build into, serve and equip those serving in ministry. Alison’s role is to provide support and resources for the many volunteers and ministries of Lakeside.
Elena Bjelis, Children’s Ministry (elena@mylakeside.ca)
In 2013, Elena was added to the Lakeside ministry family to provide purposeful direction and execution of our Children’s Ministry. Her background as a DSW, and as a long-time volunteer in children’s ministry, has given her a heart for caring for the needs of diverse families. Elena comes with over 30 years of experience in the Developmental Services sector, where she provided support to children and adults with exceptionalities. Her role at Lakeside includes building strong families, discipleship, high parent engagement, and mid-week programming. Elena also assists with facility and property management. Elena and her husband Stefan Sr., along with their children and grandchildren, attend and are actively involved at Lakeside Church.
Melissa Weir, Children’s Ministry (melissa@mylakeside.ca)
Melissa joined Lakeside part time in September of 2018 to provide assistance in the area of children’s ministry. Melissa attended Mohawk College and graduated with a diploma in Early Childhood Education and is now a registered ECE. She grew up in Burlington but had connections to Haliburton through Medeba where she worked for many summers and graduated from their leadership program, Proságo. Melissa loves working with children and building into their foundations of faith. She has always wanted to teach children and serve the church, and now has the unique opportunity to do both in the same location.
Leanne Young, Youth Director (leanne@mylakeside.ca)
grew up in Haliburton being heavily involved at Lakeside. After graduating from Hal High she went to Briercrest College in Saskatchewan where she got her BA in Christian Ministry with an emphasis in youth ministry. She spent 10 years as a female mentorship worker at a drop in centre in Moose Jaw, SK and was one of Lakeside’s mission partners for many years.