Spring 2015 Edition
Helping independent churches grow www.churchgrowth.org.uk
Passing the Baton What do you do when your church office doubles up as a kitchen and a dining room for nursery parents and children? Ruth Lee reports:
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hat’s the situation Steve Gabriel, Pastor of the Potters House Christian Fellowship in Southend found himself in several years ago. The church had been meeting in a rented Church Growth Trust (CGT) building in Leighon-Sea for a number of years, but as the congregation increased and the church’s needs grew, Steve and the church leadership began to look around them for a new property. That’s where Giles Arnold of CGT came in. He recalls, “We don’t just see ourselves as a landlord, but as a partner with our occupying churches. We had been working with Steve for a couple of years looking at an alternative building in the town (with the idea of selling ours and buying the new one) and had arranged a feasibility study to see whether the existing building could be extended to provide the accommodation needed. But nothing came of these. “Giles knew we needed a bigger building so he suggested we had a
look at the Coleman Street Chapel in Southend”, explains Steve. “Their congregation had dwindled to a handful of people and they had decided they had (cont. on p2) to close.”
Renovations to the new church building for Potters House
www.churchgrowth.org.uk // t: 01536 201339 // e: enquiries@churchgrowth.org.uk
The building proved to be ideal, but £50,000 was needed for the necessary improvements. “We had to raise £25,000 and CGT said they would match fund. One church member works on commission and for six months their commission went through the roof. People who pledged money testified one after the other about miraculous funds coming which the pledge had unlocked. A bank actually called one member to say, “We owe you money!” which is a miracle within a miracle. Every one of us had a testimony to share of blessings from unexpected sources.” Pastor Steve was keen to form close Potters House inside and out before the renovations relationships with his flock, but the all-purpose kitchen/office/feeding room could not Street Chapel for many years and had kept work long-term. Added to this, as Steve regular contact with the assembly. Giles says, “Our desire to expand our ministrystates, “We knew they had struggled to base to include Sunday school in addition see any growth for some time, but were to relocating to a more central location in surprised when we were asked to meet Southend, as we were based in Leigh-onwith the elders, who told us they wanted Sea on the outskirts of Southend, caused to close later in the year”. CGT helped the us to really cry out to God in prayer for assembly deal with all the complications help and that was the very thing we of handing over the property, as well as got—help, in the form of Giles Arnold and supporting them through the difficult the board of trustees from CGT, to whom decisions of giving up a life-work, the selfI am deeply thankful and appreciative of, doubts and feelings of failure, helping the for their faith and investment.” assembly see the changes as ‘a passing CGT had been Trustee of Coleman on of the baton, rather than closing of
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Potters House inside and out following the renovations
a work’. Giles puts it this way: “Part of our role is to help assemblies that have decided to close, to do so with dignity, to be able to celebrate what God has done through them over many years and to have confidence that the gospel work in the local community will carry on”. With this in mind the leadership of the Coleman Street Chapel generously agreed to hand over their building to the Potters House. The church worked closely with Geoff Hayman, one of the elders of the Chapel during the handover, clearly a man of energy and vision. “The last time
I ran into Geoff was at the gym,” recalls Steve. “He called over to me: keep preaching and keep pumping iron!” Steve found working with Giles and his team a very positive experience. “Our relationship was heaven sent for sure.” The assembly from the Chapel moved out in July 2013 and the renovations began. Now that the fellowship has settled into their new surroundings, they have been able to expand, start a Sunday school and look to the future. “It feels like a new start,” says Steve. “It’s been good to see people coming in from our community to see what it’s all about. There have been positives and negatives. Many people round here have lost respect for God, and we have felt under spiritual attack from time to time.” Steve is stoic about this however. “It’s not pleasant, but the devil doesn’t attack that which he doesn’t fear.” Meantime, Geoff and Val Hayman have moved to the URC in Southend. “We are still serving God at our new church, not taking things as easy as we thought we would be! Although we’ve left the Chapel, He’s still got plans for us.” As the former assembly hand on the baton to the Potters House, the Kingdom continues to prosper in Southend.
church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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This is the fourth and final article in a series by John Grayston on the biblical and theological background to church growth.
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ur knowledge of the church in the early centuries is sketchy, but by the end of the fifth century there were certainly Christians in an area stretching from Ireland in the West to what is now Iraq in the East and from Ethiopia in the South to Central Europe in the North. There are good reasons to believe that in reality the spread was wider. Much of this was the result not of planned initiatives, but of ordinary Christians who, having experienced the love of Christ could not but talk about him wherever they went. The adoption of Christian faith by the Emperor Constantine in AD 325 gave rise to a new relationship between church and state with boundaries becoming blurred; this was not entirely helpful and created complications for mission, with the church in danger of being seen as an institution
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rather than an organic community of Christ’s followers. Despite these difficulties and those caused by the collapse of the Roman Empire, plus tension between the churches of the East and West, the gospel spread, initially into northern Europe, the East through Russia and then, as Europe discovered new lands, the Americas, East Asia, the Pacific and Africa. With the Reformation a new dimension emerged. In many parts of the world Catholic and Protestant missions competed for converts. The Great Awakening in the first half of the eighteenth century gave renewed impetus to the preaching of the gospel in Europe and North America which was, in part, responsible for the great missionary expansion which started at the end of the century. Missionaries went out in significant numbers and churches were planted throughout the world. Today things have changed again. Where once European and North American countries were the main sending nations, the highest concentration of Christians is now to be found in sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Korea, and these have joined the sending nations. Much missionary
activity now takes place not on the other side of the world but through local initiatives in the national context. The history of mission has not always been a happy one. Too often there has been conflict and self-interest. Because much of the activity has been undertaken by independent missionary societies, there has not always been an emphasis on planting churches. Often the impact has been shallow or short-lived; conversion has taken priority over the long haul of making disciples. Sometimes too many concessions have been made to pre-Christian religious belief. European divisions or practice have been exported without any real thought as to what Christian faith would look like in other contexts. There has been confusion between political ambition and imperial expansion and the spread of Christian faith. And yet the church has grown! Only in the last century did serious analysis of these issues come to the fore. Missiology became the subject of college courses and serious research. The Church Growth Movement with Donald McGavran, founder of the School Mission at Fuller Seminary, and Peter Wagner as prime movers, has been criticised for its somewhat mechanical attitude to the way churches grow, but it has ensured that growth remains on the agenda. In some parts of the world, confronted by the challenges of secularism, atheism,
communism and consumerism and the need to relate to those of other faiths, the church has lost confidence in the gospel and growth has halted, or the church gone into decline. Even there, however, signs of growth exist and a renewed emphasis on mission can be seen; in other places the church continues to grow apace. The history of the church over two millennia is a story of human failure, misunderstanding and wrong directions. But is also a story of conviction, commitment, sacrifice and above all the grace and power of God which transcends the human weakness and ineffectiveness. Down the centuries the words of Jesus ring out, ‘I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.’ There have been times when it seemed that the light would go out, but God has always preserved his people. He is still building—where will we take our place within the story? John Grayston is a writer, trainer and Bible teacher; part of the leadership at Tile Kiln Church, Chelmsford and volunteer Theological Consultant for Scripture Union.
Briefing Papers Visit www.churchgrowth.org.uk to see CGT’s NEW briefing papers on the following topics: • Fund-raising for church building projects • Accessible WCs
• Accessible ramps and steps • Accessible corridors and internal access
church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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An Extension of Grace Grace Church in Dell Road, Cotteridge in Birmingham is a lively and growing fellowship. With spacious and fit-for-purpose church buildings, you would think it had always been that way.
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church plant from City Church Birmingham, the fellowship began on Easter Day 2007; Pastor Andy Weatherley takes up the story. “As a church, we’re passionate about planting. We had been searching for a suitable site for some time, but the only place we could find was the Brethren Gospel Hall in Dell Road. They had been meeting for well over 100 years and their church building was the third one which had been on that site. In the early 20th century, the Gospel Hall was locally known as the Tin Tabernacle. It was rebuilt in the
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1950s which is how we found it in 2006.” Andy and the church plant team faced a number of challenges. While the Brethren congregation was very small in number, they were not ready to move out or to close their fellowship. However, an agreement was reached whereby the two churches ran their services at different times in the same building. This went on for about nine months. The first significant change came in 2010 when the two congregations became one. A number of the original Brethren fellowship have now joined Grace Church. Andy is warm in his praise. “They were very faithful in keeping the church open and were incredibly welcoming to us. In turn, we never pushed them to join our congregation. We were willing to work with them and make relationships, but the decision to join us had to come from them.” The building itself was far from welcoming, as Andy explains. “Nothing
had been renovated or refreshed since the original build. As you walked into it, there was an oppressive feeling at the front, the windows looked as if they belonged in a prison camp, the toilets were grim and everything said stay away! The whole place was cold, unwelcoming and deeply utilitarian. It gave completely the opposite message to the one we hoped to get across.” In 2012, the church decided that it was time to take the plunge and start renovating. By this point, it was clear that the constraints on space and growth were huge. “It was incredibly cramped. We had the main hall and back room, plus some elderly toilets, a tiny kitchen and a store cupboard. Our Sunday school met in the kitchen and the crèche and other half of Sunday school in the small back room. People didn’t feel they could invite others along to church as we were full up. It wasn’t conducive to growth at all.” The church employed an architect and began fundraising in earnest in 2013. “The total projected cost of extending the main hall at the back and extending the frontage came to £200,000. We set ourselves a fundraising goal of £120,000 and CGT gave us a loan of £80,000.” Clearly, this was a huge target to meet. “We raised money within the church via giving, received several significant one-off donations, we had cake sales, table top sales, sponsored bike rides, applied to all the trusts and charities we could think of and contacted everyone who had ever been a member of the church. The week the building work started, the sheer scale of what we were trying to do dawned on us and we began to wonder how on earth we’d raise all that money. Then, quite out of the blue, we were left a £5,000 legacy
which was a huge encouragement.” Andy and his team worked closely with Giles Arnold at CGT. “Giles was extremely supportive of our church vision, not just for the building but for our heartfelt ministry. He always gave us a good, helpful perspective on things. Without CGT’s financial support, I doubt we would (cont. on p8)
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4 Photos: 1. Dell Road Church in 2006, 2. Architect’s internal building plan, 3. Building work begins, 4. Front extension gives a light and welcoming feel.
church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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have been in a position to go ahead with the extension. We would have had to delay the project for at least three years, and it may never have got off the ground. CGT were a huge blessing to us.” Planning and fundraising was just the beginning. As with all projects, not everything was plain sailing. “We had a few difficulties with the foundations, we had to modify some aspects of our designs and we went over time and budget a bit.” However, the impact of the works on their church life was not nearly as severe as Andy had expected. “The building contractors were amazing. At the end of each week, they would clean up so that we could still meet on a Sunday. We were so blessed to have the elder of a Coventry church as our site foreman. Many of the builders were Christians too. They worked around us with such sensitivity and understanding.” The impact which the renovations have had on Grace Church has been huge. “We 8
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now have space to breathe,” says Andy. “The children’s work in particular now meets in a space which feels appropriate for its needs. We started off with about 5 children and now have between 25 to 30. Our congregation was around 30 in 2007, and is now up to about 100 on a Sunday.” The impact on the local community has also been noticeable. “Our stay and play and kids club are really developing. The front of our building now looks attractive and welcoming and local people know what we are all about. A number of community groups have approached us to ask if they can use our building to meet, which is wonderful.” Eight years after Grace Church moved into Dell Road, the church building is now almost full again. Who knows what the future holds for this dynamic congregation! Photos: 1. The renovated Dell Road Church is ready to open, 2+3: Party time!
ACAT–the national charity for church treasurers
ACAT was formed in the wake of the Charities Act (1992). Since then, the Association has grown to over 11,000 members.
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he Charities Act requires charities to present accounts to a much higher standard and level of disclosure and with most church treasurers being untutored book-keepers, it became apparent that training and support was sorely needed. ACAT is truly ecumenical providing help and advice to all Christian churches and organisations without undermining the authority of any church. ACAT aims to offer a coordinated approach endeavouring to bridge the perceived gap between the needs and understanding of ordinary treasurers and the complexity of legislation, by providing advice as well as access to professional expertise. Training and support is offered in the form of a regularly updated handbook, quarterly newsletters, an advice line and training courses in the form of Foundation Courses, Workshops & Seminars. These take place at various locations around the country throughout the year.
Training is structured into Foundation Courses designed to provide an overview of the Treasurer’s responsibilities. Workshop Days are also provided and these go into more depth. Attendees of the workshops feedback very positive comments and find them of great help in de-mystifying the process of dealing with some of the complex issues that arise when handling church finances. Membership is open to anyone, from any denomination concerned with the accounts of a Christian church. The annual subscription is great value at £12.50 including a paper copy of the handbook. Membership can easily be bought online by visiting www. acat.uk.com.
church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Lifting the burden
How does CGT’s trusteeship service work? Giles Arnold, Church Growth Trust’s General Manager, explains what happens when church property trustees decide to use CGT’s trusteeship service.
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he core work of CGT is to hold church properties to ensure that they continue to be used by evangelical churches as places of worship and outreach centres for their local community. The work started in 1906 when the East of England Evangelization Trust was set up to hold Brethren properties. The Trust changed its name in the 1950s to the United Kingdom Evangelization Trust (UKET) and later became Stewardship Services; now simply known as Stewardship. In 2010 Stewardship set up CGT to continue its property and trusteeship services. In 2012 the Midland Evangelization Trust merged with CGT and the work continues to grow as property trustees seek their assistance. In many cases property trustees are struggling with the burden of their responsibilities and are also concerned about the future of the property, often because the
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occupying assembly has decided to close or may do so in the near future. The first thing that CGT do is review the Trust Deed under which the property is held and then meet with the property trustees to advise them on the options available to them. Often the Trust Deed will restrict what the property can be used for and sometimes will also prevent the property from simply being sold
or gifted. In some cases the property is a permanent endowment, which will restrict what can be done with the property and any sale proceeds. It is important for trustees to understand what they can and cannot do, as well as when the Charity Commission will need to be consulted. It is important that this advice is taken at an early stage so that the trustees do not commit themselves to actions that they may live to regret. One example of this is where trustees had agreed to sell a gospel hall to a next door neighbour for a price that was well below market value, which meant that they were unable to show that they had achieved the best value for the charity’s assets. Often when an assembly closes, the property trustees think that the only option available to them is to sell the property. Appointing an organisation such as CGT as sole trustee of the existing property trust or gifting the property can be an attractive alternative to selling the property, as they will allow the property to continue to be used for its original purpose. CGT will meet with the property trustees to explain the services that it offers. If the trustees decide to appoint CGT as sole trustee or gift the property, CGT will then ensure that the property deeds and appointment of trustees are up to date, working with the existing trustees to resolve any issues and instructing CGT’s solicitors (at CGT’s cost) to provide any legal documents that will be required. This will normally be Deeds of Appointment, Statutory Declarations in relation to any missing documents, Transfer and Registration of the Title with the Land Registry.
CGT will also draw up a Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out the reasons why the existing trustees wish to involve CGT and their aspiration for the future of the property. This is an important document for the future, as often people forget why a decision was made many years before. If the assembly wishes to continue using the property, normally CGT will draw up a Tenancy Agreement in order to record the basis of their occupation and responsibilities of each party. A nominal rent is paid by the assembly, for which they receive a number of benefits, including regular visits to the property, access to CGT’s briefing papers and Stewardship’s Consultancy Helpline, updates on current legislation, discounted building insurance through CGT’s block policy, professional advice on property, architectural and charity matters and help with funding for building projects. CGT sees itself as a partner with the occupying churches to help them grow and fulfil their mission. Giles Arnold concludes: “There are times when I have met with property trustees and explained their options and the work that CGT can do, where I have seen a visible burden being lifted from the trustees’ shoulders, a genuine relief that they are able to make a fully informed decision and often they can see a hope for the future of the property”. If you require any further information on CGT’s property and trusteeship services or wish to discuss your current situation, please contact Giles Arnold: Tel 07721 666660 or email giles.arnold@ churchgrowth.org.uk. church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Funding Opportunities There are always a myriad of reasons why church assemblies would want to raise additional finances.
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uilding an extension to your church building in order to increase capacity; refurbishing those old toilets; modernising the kitchen or revamping the frontage of the building, just to mention a few. Projects like these are regularly reported in this magazine with good reason, as Andy Harris, Church Growth Trust’s new Operations Manager states: “Helping churches grow is the fundamental ethos behind everything we do—it is what we are passionate about. We love telling stories, especially ones where a vibrant church wants to implement change and we can help them to see their vision come to fruition. Whether our input is giving advice, helping with producing architectural plans, assisting with the planning application process or just signposting to another area of expertise— seeing the eventual fruit of a physical change or improved facilities is what excites us and provides the drive to move forward. God is on the move and wants all churches to grow, not just those in big cities and well-known towns. The kingdom is growing in the unlikeliest places, which is something worth shouting about!” Coming up with the idea is easy. Developing the plans and getting
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something off the ground takes more effort and commitment. However, the tough part is often finding the money to make it happen. A congregation will get excited about new ideas and will readily dig deep to bolster the building fund. All over the land you will see and hear of fellowships getting mobilised with countless fund-raising activities to boost the coffers. Christians love getting stuck in and rolling their sleeves up when there is a good cause to commit their time and energy towards. Understandably big projects do not come cheap and there are limits to what funds can be generated by gift days or other fundraising activities. Often there will be a shortfall and additional funds are required in order to reach the target figure. Sometimes a loan or mortgage would bridge the gap but often it is not a viable option. So what about grant funding? The Association of Charitable Foundations state on their website that there are some 10,000 charitable trusts and foundations in the UK distributing £2billion in grants annually. This equates to about 10% of all income into voluntary organisations. Thus the funding is out there and is definitely an avenue to explore but taking this route
is hard work: finding a trust or foundation that will award grants to a church or Christian organisation takes some patience. Typically, it will involve surfing the internet to explore available options. There needs to be some caution, especially if there are strings attached to the grant which would conflict with an aspect of faith or doctrine. Completing grant applications can be an onerous and time-consuming process; success is not guaranteed but the rewards are there for those brave or persistent enough to try as is evidenced by some assemblies who meet in properties held by Church Growth Trust (CGT) and who have been awarded grants enabling improvements to their buildings. One example is Loampit Gospel Hall in Lewisham. A small assembly meets at the property and has a rich tradition going back over 100 years. They needed to change their toilet facilities as they were located in the basement of the building and some members found it difficult to use the stairs. Unfortunately, the cost of relocating the facilities to the ground floor was way beyond the assembly’s means. One morning Sister Phyllis Steadman was praying about the situation when she heard the post coming through her letterbox. On opening her mail, she was amazed to have received a letter from the JW Laing Trust inviting churches to bid for grant funding for church property improvements. After consulting the Eldership, they filled in the forms and returned them. Shortly afterwards, they received notification that the Trust were prepared to award them £10,000 to fund the project. CGT assisted with the design and planning aspects and building work is now under way. Mrs
Steadman is full of praise for both the Laing Trust and CGT for the support and encouragement. She wrote, “We give thanks and adoration to our amazing Lord, who with His Almighty power has wondrously brought us real happiness— new facilities, well placed, no stairs to worry about and enough money to do the job. To God be the Glory.” Churches and charities can receive grant funding from Landfill Communities Funds which arise as a result of Landfill Tax. Operators receive credits for a proportion of the tax they send to the government which can be donated to eligible projects within 10 miles of qualifying landfill sites. The aim of the scheme is to enhance the environment of communities near to landfill sites. We have previously reported about the new CGT church building in Wickford, known as Miracle House. The occupying fellowship, New Life Church received a £25,000 grant from Veolia towards the new building and a further grant for new chairs and a lift. Interested in seeking grants to help fund your church activities or building project? Have a look on the internet and see what is out there. Typing ‘grants for church buildings’ into an on-line search engine which will deliver a wealth of leads. Some public libraries also have grant-making trust information available. CGT has co-written with Wootton George Consulting a briefing paper on fund-raising for church building projects, which can be found on CGT’s website (www.churchgrowth.org.uk). You can also contact Simon George of Wootton George Consulting on 01785 663600 or simon@ wgconsulting.co.uk. church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Living a healthy lifestyle
The Church Strengthening Initiative (CSI) was launched in 2011 by the JW Laing Trust. The Trust, together with Church Growth Trust, Church Planting Initiative, Counties, Echoes, GLO, Interlink and Partnership, saw an opportunity to strengthen and help independent churches by offering confidential advice.
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ince the start of the initiative, 114 churches have applied for independent advice, or ‘health checks’. These churches have been from across the UK. Over 20 advisors have been helping churches identify their strengths and opportunities and finding new ways for them to develop their vision. In some cases, the health check naturally led to a second aspect of CSI: extended advice to help leaders to achieve their vision. Implementing fresh ideas can involve new challenges, including the need to manage change. Some 50% of the churches have asked for help to do this and CSI through their advisors have supported this process, enabling smoother transitions. The third aspect of the initiative has been to provide partial financial support for a new church worker. So far 30 churches have successfully applied for funding for a variety of new roles
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including a full time church leader, community worker and a youth worker. Requests come from many different independent churches across the UK and Ireland. A strong motive for this work was that it was recognised that only the Lord can build His church, but He does this by using His people, as He did through the early disciples and apostles. The advisors, who are based throughout the UK and Ireland, are independent from the JW Laing Trust and are sensitive to the needs of each church. Careful consideration has been given to ensure for each church the agreed advisor has the right experience and understanding of their situation. The advisors all have extensive experience of church leadership and so offered advice that is borne out of reality. This experience, coupled with relevant skills and gifting, meant that they were able, under God’s hand, to offer meaningful help. One advisor said “It was a great encouragement to spend the
evening with the elders for a six month review. All said they had been greatly encouraged by attendance and response to recent initiatives with increasing numbers attending and ongoing positive responses�. CSI was launched with the expectation that its work would not be permanent and its life has now been reviewed. As a result, no new health check applications are being resourced, although those
churches that have, or are still having, help via a health check, may continue to access the second and third aspects of CSI for a few more months. Like many things in the Kingdom, ministries such as those offered by CSI may only be for a season. It is evident that the work of CSI has been an effective tool in helping churches to grow and develop, which is and will hopefully continue to bear much fruit in the future.
Living the Passion
Excitement for this conference is building! The number of delegates booked has already exceeded the number attending the last conference in 2012.
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his year it is being held between 23rd and 25th October at the Hinckley Island Hotel in Leicestershire. The subject is Confidence: confidence in the Gospel, confidence in Christ, confidence in the Word and confidence for the Future. The main speaker will be John Lennox, the internationally renowned speaker on the interface of science, philosophy and religion. There will be entertainment provided by humourist Adrian Plass and illusionist Todd Alexander. Delegates will
be able to select from a range of small group sessions, broadly grouped into Mission, Church Growth and Pastoral Issues, with insights from experienced practitioners and opportunities to share and ask questions. There will also be agerelevant activities for children and youth. John Lennox is Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University and a Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College, Oxford. He studied at (cont. on back page)
At Living the Passion this year will be John Lennox, Adrian Plass and Todd Alexander church growth trust // www.churchgrowth.org.uk
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Cambridge from which he holds the degrees of MA, MMath and PhD and was subsequently Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of Wales where he was awarded a DSc. He also holds an MA in Bioethics. Professor Lennox is interested in the interface of Science, Philosophy and Theology and his books include Gunning for God, Seven Days that Divide the World, God and Stephen Hawking and God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Over the past decade, he has debated a number of the world’s leading atheists including Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Peter Singer. He is married to Sally and they live just outside of Oxford. In keynote sessions over the weekend John will address the topics of Confidence in Christ, Confidence in the Gospel and the Word, Confidence for the future. Adrian Plass is a humourist, performer and author of over 30 books, with his best known, The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass Aged 37¾, having sold over 1 million copies to date. Volume 6 of the diaries— Adrian Plass and the Church weekend, won the 2014 CRT award for fiction title of the year. His gentle satire holds a mirror to us as 21st century church, and we are prompted to reflect and learn from what we see. He is married to Bridget and
lives in County Durham. Adrian will be performing in an after-dinner session on the first evening of the conference. Todd Alexander is a Christian performer whose illusions will amaze and amuse. From seemingly levitating audience participants to sawing people in half, Todd uses his talents to introduce people to the reality of Jesus, encouraging fellow Christians to be confident in their faith and active in their witness. Married, he regularly enjoys appearing to push a sword through his wife’s head. Todd will perform in a late night session on the opening evening, and again on the second evening of the conference. Bookings can be made by telephone on 01373 823013 or online at: www.livingthepassion.org/bookings. Places are disappearing fast, so book now to avoid disappointment.
This ‘One Twenty Seven: One’ publication is one way of us keeping in touch with you. For those that have not already worked it out the clue is found in Psalms! Church Growth Trust is a Trust Corporation with the aim of helping independent churches grow by owning and acting as trustee of church properties; letting properties to growing churches; offering professional property advice; giving guidance on church governance and supporting church planting.
Designed and printed A5 size to save on postage. We encourage you to recycle. Better still, sign up to receive future editions by email. Please email us on: 127-1@churchgrowth.org.uk The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views or position of Church Growth Trust.
General Manager: Giles Arnold Operations Manager: Andy Harris Trustees: Leslie Lucas, Dave Foster, Ian Gardner, Trevor James, Richard Naylor, Neil Walker and Paul Withams Church Growth Trust The Hope Centre, 8 Princewood Road, Corby, Northants NN17 4AP T: 01536 201339 E: enquiries@churchgrowth.org.uk W: www.churchgrowth.org.uk Charity No: 1138119 Design by Simon Petherick Graphic and Web Design Ltd.