“God is on the move in Northeast Ohio and the Holy Spirit is flooding hearts,” says Paige Testa, the worship coordinator at the Barberton campus of Grace Church, Akron, Ohio (Jeff Bogue, senior pastor; Joel Gregory, campus pastor). Paige recently took the position at the campus following her wedding to husband, David, in December 2019.
Paige is one of the many young adults being released into full-time ministry as a result of the calling the Lord has put on her life coupled with the discipleship she’s received at her home church, Western Reserve Grace Church in Macedonia, Ohio (Jason Haymaker, lead pastor).
Her growing love of music started at a young age. Paige’s parents would invite her to join in the musical aspect of the worship service at their church. In addition to that, Paige spent weeks of her summers at camps provided by the Charis Fellowship.
“I went to camp every year and was able to experience many different worship bands. I looked up to them so much and wanted to serve in ministry just like they were,” she says.
Her first experience leading worship was at the middle school camp, Beyond, in 2012. She was a part of the worship team that Western Reserve Church had provided for the week. It was her first experience leading and praying onstage, not just 
singing like she had been used to. To her realization, leading worship did not only require her to sing well, but she learned the importance of prayer and planning in relation to leading in front of a crowd. Despite learning how challenging it could be, Paige felt a stirring in her heart from the Lord to pursue leading worship further.
“God really began shaping me that week at Beyond, and He instilled in me a passion for leading worship that I still feel today. Seeing young people lift up their voices in worship is something I will never get over,” says Paige.
At Momentum Youth Conference in 2013, she decided to pursue full-time ministry, specifically worship. Being deeply impacted by worship, she wanted to be used by the Lord in that way for others.
Paige expresses her enthusiasm about worship perfectly below:
“So many things excite me about leading worship. I love seeing the body of Christ singing as one unified whole! What a blessing it is to lift one voice in praise. It’s awesome because everyone can be singing the same words, but be responding in completely different ways to the voice of God. Worship connects people on all levels; young and old, male and female, wealthy and in need. Looking out at God’s people singing one song is one of my favorite things to do every Sunday. Another thing that excites me is getting to point people to their Creator above all. Becoming invisible is one of my goals while leading worship. I want to point people to look upward to their Creator in the context of congregational singing.”
Paige is looking forward to her work at Grace Church alongside her newlywed husband, David.
“I am so amped to be leading at Grace because of how relational everyone there is. Everybody knows one another and genuinely cares about how you’re doing and what the Lord is doing in your life,” she says. “Leading worship for Grace is going to be (and already is) so Jesus-filled!”
Paige and David are both graduating from college this May. Paige will receive her degree from Malone University in Christian Worship with a double minor in Bible and Theology. David will be graduating from Kent State University with his BFA in Visual Communication and Design. They continue to serve alongside one another at Grace Church.
[Connect:] Send Paige an encouraging note here.
