Edition 6
Time to Arise
EVITALIS
December 2022
REVIVING the Heart of the Nation
Focus Kids 2022
04
How 2022’s newest 29 church plants are bringing life to their communities.
WHERE WE ARE
Contents
REVIVING THE HEART OF THE NATION
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Take a look at our global family of churches.
Church Planting WHAT YOUR ESTATE CHURCH LEADER WANTS YOU TO KNOW 14 Ray Driscoll and Ben Atkins share their perspectives.
FIT FOR PURPOSE
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A lookback on recent building restorations 0yr, 3yrs and 5yrs after completion.
JARS FOR JESUS
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Whatever we have is enough for God to use, explains Archie Coates.
CHOOSING BETWEEN HEATING, EATING OR MEETING BILLS
20
As the cost-of-living is reaching crisis point, Bruce Connell, CEO of Crosslight Advice explains how to help.
Reviving Communities
HUBS OF HOPE
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How Love Your Neighbour Hubs are bringing care to communities across the country.
LOVE UKRAINE
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How churches across the Network are responding to the crisis in Ukraine.
CREATIVITY, CULTURE AND THE CHURCH
32
RAISING UP REPRESENTATION
01
Equipping churches to renew and reimagine culture.
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How the Peter Stream is re-addressing the leadership balance.
Leadership Pipelines
THE CALEB STREAM
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Linde Melhuish describes what the Caleb Stream has meant for her.
THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
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Recent graduate Andy Dykes on how he prepared for church planting.
MY PLAYLIST
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Network Worship Leader’s favourite songs.
FAMILY ON A MISSION
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A look back at our summer of fun!
Network Highlights
THE DIFFERENCE JESUS HAS MADE TO ME
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Testimonies from congregation members across the Network.
SMILE!
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Your favourite memories of 2022.
Sarah Jackson on why it’s never too late for Jesus.
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Welcome
TIME TO ARISE
The Story at a Glance
THE STORY AT A GLANCE Caleb Stream graduates now trained to minister in their local context
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people from across the nation gathered at Focus this summer
Peter Stream candidates now exploring ordination
men and women on the Accelerator Programme, including an Estate Church stream, being trained for church planting
of these church plants are based in areas of acute deprivation
Welcome
Alpha Youth courses ran across the UK
Editorial
new church plants in the UK and overseas in 2022
meals delivered since Love Your Neighbour launched
Network churches serving communities across the world
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Welcome to the latest edition of Revitalise, our annual opportunity to CELEBRATE what God is doing across the HTB Network. We have themed this issue – Reviving the Heart of the Nation – because that is what we see churches across the network doing! From the energy of our 29 newest church plants and revitalisations sent out across the country in 2022, to the stories of Love Your Neighbour Hubs reaching out to their communities with support, the testimonies of churches who have opened their hearts and homes to Ukrainian refugees, and so much more. Each story speaks of a momentum of hope. These stories are only a snapshot of what’s going on, but we hope they encourage and inspire you. In the midst of real challenge and complexity for so many, we thank God for each one of you, and the work He is doing through you. Love,
Welcome
Archie and Sam Coates Vicar of HTB
Church Planting
04
Reviving the Heart of the Nation
REVIVING THE HEART
Citizen Church, Pontyprydd campus launch party
In 2022, the Network planted or revitalised 29 new churches. Each of these churches are earthed in different contexts, but all of them share a vision to be serving at the heart of their communities. Here, we hear from four of these church leaders to find out what that means for them.
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Concord Church, Bristol launch service
Church Planting
OF THE NATION
Reviving the Heart of the Nation
At the beating heart of every city, we want to see a thriving church. A church that is pumping life into its local area and beyond, deeply engaged with the needs of the community and helping people to connect with purpose, meaning and faith at the centre of their lives.
Church Planting
Rector of Basingstoke Church including: St Michael's, All Saints, Christ The King and St Peter’s
JOHN HUDSON
06
"
A town like Basingstoke is a sum of all its parts, the people who live in the suburbs, on the estates and in the high-rise buildings in the town centre. It is the offices and schools and bars and shopping centre. As one church with four sites across the town we have a physical connection with communities across the town and are looking to build bridges to every part of the community, with varied events based on the people in that location, varied worship styles to suit a wide range of people, but one heart to be fully dependant on the Spirit of God and to see people powerfully impacted by Jesus. We are still exploring what this looks like in practice, but we are listening to God to see what he is doing in the town and doing our best to respond and resource what is happening. Right now, God is moving powerfully on South Ham estate, where we are seeing families who have never been to church in their lives joining us regularly for Sunday afternoons and our midweek events there. We are starting there with the people God has his eye on, pouring the team into that space and seeing the fruit of God’s work.
PAUL PAVLOU
Minister in Wyken & Caludon, Site Plant of St Mark’s Coventry
Reviving the Heart of the Nation
Risen Christ, Wyken
“ We long to become the HEARTBEAT of this community by introducing people to Jesus.
A unique feature of our context is that families have lived and stayed here for generations. Grandparent, child, grandchild, and great-grandchild alike have been born and stayed in this area. Many have had a connection with our church over the years, but this initial spark has become dormant – we want to see revitalisation here in Wyken! By making Jesus known, we want to rebuild connection with the prodigals in our community by living out Luke 10:27 in all that we do. There are many schools and young families in our community that we are making in-roads with, some of whom are very deprived. We long to become the heartbeat of this community by introducing people to Jesus. We want this to infiltrate all of our community interactions such as: supporting parents; creating fun and safe spaces for children to interact; empowering those who are struggling with deprivation and building friendships with people who are wrestling with loneliness – in particular the elderly. Historically, people have found a place to ‘belong’ at Risen Christ Church through the rich history of community work that has taken place – we want to build on these past connections; seeing people transformed by Jesus and becoming disciples that make disciples.
Basingstoke Church team
KATIE STOCK
Estate Church Leader, Christ Church, Summerfield, Birmingham
Reviving the Heart of the Nation
Beacon Church Sunday service
There's diversity on every corner in North Edgbaston, with a busy Pakastani Muslim population in the north of the community and medics from abroad living nearby. We have asylum seekers placed in local hotels, young professionals wanting cheaper rent, sex workers living and working from bedsits, drug dealers operating county lines from houses surrounding the church building – and in the centre of it all, Christ Church Summerfield. Despite there being such busyness, there is a huge amount of isolation which, aside from reducing people's life expectancy, reduces the size of their lives. We don't want to see people being trapped in their bedsits, unable to escape the debt and addiction that limits them. We believe that there is a hope that brings freedom and fullness of life. Our vision is to see North Edgbaston living lives of hope in Jesus' name!
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ANDY CARTER
Concord Church, North Bristol
Concord Church Bristol launch day
Concord Church is situated in a major new housing development on Filton Airfield, Bristol (the home of the Concorde aircraft). With a 17,000-seater indoor arena, commercial and business districts, alongside over 11,000 new dwellings being built in the area, the context will see thousands of people move there over the next few years bringing a new town centre to the north of Bristol. Filton is proud of its aerospace industry, past and present, and we’re inspired by this pioneering innovation that changed the world. Concord Church wants to play a role in building the community within the new developments. Simply living near each other doesn’t automatically make a community. We want to help the developments form a sense of place, while being an authentic church presence and witness within the community. We have a unique opportunity to be part of the developments as they grow, meeting in community spaces such as the Aerospace (Concorde) Museum and the new community centre. We currently meet next to the last Concorde ever to fly – Concorde Alpha Foxtrot. Church Planting
The new developments are diverse, attracting all ages from all over the globe, including a large community from Hong Kong. There are so many opportunities to show people who would never normally go to church that there is a thriving church at the heart of their neighbourhood and a God who loves them.
Ben Chase
Where We Are 12
Here in California, the Church is going through a seismic shift which has been accelerated by rapid changes in culture and the events of the last two years. We are seeing the move from a largely Christian population to one which is post-Christian, spiritually seeking, but increasingly disillusioned with organised religion. But that also makes it an amazing moment to bring the Gospel of Jesus! Our church is growing fast, with new young adults and families coming every week. Although many are burned by previous church experiences, they are still hungry for truth and meaning, a place where they can belong and make sense of the new secular landscape. We’re seeing people find faith, get healed and reignite their passion for the local church.
Chris Bennett
Vintage Church LA Vintage Church Pasadena Vintage Church Malibu
Church Planting
VINTAGE CHURCH Malibu The divisiveness of our country seems to be rising and it has worked its way into many facets of the faith community. I believe that God is bringing a renewed sense of unity that is based around Jesus and not around our preferences. I believe there is going to be healing and reconciliation happening around the table in homes more than at gatherings on a Sunday morning.
Jonny Gumbel
VINTAGE CHURCH Pasadena
CHRIST CHURCH Rio de Janeiro St Jax Montreal
Brazil seems to be a country of faith and love. There is great warmth and affection and passion here, and faith in Jesus Christ is common, celebrated, and public. Brazil has a calling to the nations, increasingly sending missionaries to the world. But there are also lots of challenges. There are political challenges, with deep divisions and passions that run high. There are economic and social challenges, with a huge gap between rich and poor, and 25% of the country living in favelas. There are relational challenges, particularly in relation to family life and marriage. And there are huge environmental challenges, with growing rates of deforestation in the Amazon.
Christ Church Rio de Janeiro
Miles Toulmin
Where We Are
GLOB SNIP AL P E TS
HOLY TRINITY Bukit Bintang
At the invitation of the local bishop and diocese, CRT is planting, partnering and helping to revitalise churches around the world.
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Malaysia has been through some political uncertainty recently, with the collapse of two successive governments (not unlike the UK). This uncertainty has affected the Malaysian economy, the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in a general sense of apathy. Set amid these challenges, the Malaysian church has a great role in blessing the country. God is moving among the young people of the country who are hungry for transformation. There is also a spiritual openness and a curiosity about faith: more than 70% of Millennials in Malaysia would respond positively to a friend’s invitation to visit their church*. So, this is a fantastic opportunity to mobilise people to invite friends and family to Alpha, as well as the perfect context for church planting. Just last month we sent out our latest church plant to the city of Kuching in Sarawak.
Chris Arnold
* Barna ‘Connected Generation’ study in Malaysia
Renewal Church Nairobi
Christ Church Kenilworth
RENEWAL CHURCH Nairobi
Church Planting
Kenya is a very 'Christian' country, but this type of cultural Christianity does little to propel people towards living like Jesus. We live in a deeply corrupt and broken system with a Christian veneer on top, but as with many things, the greatest challenge is also an amazing opportunity for God to work. We are seeing a growing number of people begin to question deeply what real faith is and begin to live in ways that cause changes to the wider ecosystem of the city in businesses, communities, universities, and beyond.
Holy Trinity Bukit Bintang Holy Trinity Kuching
When Canning Town’s gang-related youth murders became prolific in 2018, Ben Atkins recalls how listening was key to transformation in their troubled community.
HOW DO WE LISTEN SO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD WILL SPEAK?
What Your Estate Church Leader Wants You to Know 14
Church Planting
Ben Atkins
When we first planted in Canning Town, we had no building or bank account, and it was the best thing that could have happened to us. We had nothing to offer apart from presence. Being present to the stories, hopes and fears of people who had been in the neighbourhood long before we were, being present to the God who was there before us; not presuming to have the answers but intent on listening to the questions the community around us was asking. I realised the question that drove my church planting changed from ‘How do we speak so the neighbourhood will listen?’ to ‘How do we listen so the neighbourhood will speak?’ Listening creates trust, trust creates relationship, and relationship is the heart of the Kingdom of God — the heart of God Himself. We became trusted by neighbours and local government alike to stand in the gap of mistrust and host safe spaces for community transformation. In early April 2018 the gangrelated youth murder epidemic hit its peak with over 20 young people murdered in the borough in one year. After the
murder of 18-year-old Sami Siddom we sensed God say that if the local churches could overcome their own boundaries and prayerwalk the borough’s gang boundaries then we could see a year of peace in our community. On 29th April the prophetic prayer walk had grown to a Peace Protest as hundreds of neighbours with no connection to Jesus asked to be involved too. We were trusted with their grief and pain because we had spent the time listening. Hundreds of neighbours of different generations and backgrounds walked the five hours it took to tread our united footsteps along Newham’s gang boundaries. In the year that passed the total number of youth murders in our borough was zero, and new community movements were started from conversations in the crowd that day. Our church was never larger than 30 households, and we were only financially sustainable due to the generosity of other churches in the Network. But when we listen to the neighbourhood and the Spirit at work within it, our impact can be far greater than our resources.
In a context shaped by pain, vulnerability is the gateway to community. When the leader walks with a limp, the wounded follow. We seek to build church communities that are deeply authentic and profoundly honest, just like the communities that we serve. If the church is a ‘hospital where the wounded, hurt, injured and broken find healing’, we are the accident and emergency department.
PASTORAL CARE is our operating system
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In estate ministry, every ministry is pastorally shaped. We prioritise extensive time for community within and around our services and events because ‘God sets the lonely in families’. Our evangelism strategy functions on presence and time. Being present to others is an embodiment of the gospel and being generous with our time is an act of grace.
We pay careful attention to POWER
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Our contexts are profoundly shaped by an imbalance of power in every sphere of life. Whether it is in our national economic policy, or the way social care is delivered, the people on our estates are profoundly disempowered. We seek to build church communities that call out this injustice and live out a different story. As leaders, we hold our power lightly. Seeking always to empower, we make space for each person to make their contribution, and so avoiding any sense of transaction. We excavate the image of God in each person, inviting them to put it to work wherever they can. We long for our churches to dismantle unjust systems of power and rewrite the narrative of shame, restoring dignity and releasing hope.
KIDS WORK is (almost) everything
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A universal concern on estates is the lack of opportunity for children and young people. We know that you win the hearts of an estate through the children, but you win the minds through the mothers. On estates, ministry to children is a sure and certain way to open-up relationships and unleash possibilities. Kids ministry is core to our strategy for growth, so we spend most of our finances on craft, pizza and Haribo. Trust us, it’ll be worth it.
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Just because it’s MESSY, it doesn’t mean it’s a mess
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Traditional church functions like the theatre, whereas estate church is more like your local pub. Our services are boisterous, distracting and free-flowing and they reflect the lives of the people. If you look deep enough, there is still order, flow and direction and God is at work in the midst of it all.
Want to dive deeper? Take a look at our RECOMMENDED READS:
Reimagining Mission from Urban Places: Missional Pastoral Care by Anna Ruddick
Ordinary Miracles: Mess, Meals and Meeting Jesus in Unexpected Places by Chris Lane
Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass by Darren McGarvey
Church Planting
It may look ‘messy’, but estate churches are bringing FIVE THINGS EVERY ESTATE hope to some of the most deprived communities across our country. Ray Driscoll, CRT’s Head of Estate PLANTER WANTS YOU TO KNOW Church Planting, tells us how they’re doing it.
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What Your Estate Church Leader Wants You to Know
VULNERABILITY is our superpower
St Luke’s, Blackburn before
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Fit for Purpose
FIT Hope Street, Wrexham after
Church Planting
St Marks, Coventry before
CRT works in partnership with the diocese to find a centrally located, ‘iconic’ building which can be renovated or adapted to fit the needs of 21st-century mission. These buildings become hubs to their community, spaces for fellowship, social transformation, youth work and more. We caught up with teams from some of the recent transformations to find out what’s happening now…
FOR St Marks, Coventry after
PURPOSE
St Mark’s, Coventry
St Mark’s ceased operating as a church in 1972 and was in use as a doctors’ surgery until work started on the refurbishment of the building in 2017. The building and adjoining hall were divided into multiple small consulting rooms which had fallen into a state of significant disrepair. The programme of refurbishment concentrated on making the building safe and weathertight, with the bulk of the effort and finances focussed on the internal remodelling. After 45 years without church gatherings, St Mark’s was relaunched as a church in November 2017. Five years on the church is thriving and plans to extend and reorder the attached hall are under way.
St Luke’s, Blackburn people
3 YEARS ON
Hope Street, Wrexham
Fit for Purpose
5 YEARS ON
The former Burtons menswear store, in the centre of Wrexham, was purchased by the Diocese of St Asaph with the purpose of converting it into a contemporary church. In 2019 work started on the planning phase of the project with the construction phase starting early in 2020. Unfortunately, this coincided with the arrival of Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdowns. Delays were unavoidable meaning the church finally launched towards the end of 2021.
Hope Street, Wrexham before
Tabernacl (the Welsh spelling of Tabernacle) coffee opens Tuesday to Saturday, providing an open door to Wrexham, and welcoming guests to midweek groups and events including Alpha, a parent and toddler group, a college-age hangout, youth events, prayer events and a community craft group. We’ve hosted a Wales music festival and we’re about to host music performances from the local College.
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Two years’ later, No.1 Hope Street is a thriving church at the heart of the city. The coffee shop acts as a great draw for young and old alike, and the worship space, which previously saw service as a Bingo Hall and a roller disco, is now busy and full of life.
BUILDING LAUNCHING THIS YEAR
St Luke’s, Blackburn
Work commenced in November 2021. We soon discovered that the church hall, built in the 1970’s, was built on contaminated land. The budget for the project was thus consumed within the first few weeks! As the project proceeded, the impact of Covid on the construction industry became apparent and we saw huge delays to the availability of materials. Despite all this, the project is due for completion in time for Christmas. The results are spectacular, and the hall is going to be a wonderful venue for youth ministry. Our temporary offices are based in the town centre which has meant the massive sixth form college and university centre – 10,000 students strong – has been on our doorstep. We've had amazing connections with students on the streets, run a café-based student Alpha course and we are now able to help launch a Christian Union on campus!
Church Planting
We've connected with schools – running regular lunch clubs, taking lessons, and hosting collective worship, connecting with over 600 young people every month. We've helped unite churches across Blackburn – running events that have seen over 500 young people hear the good news of Jesus!
Jars for Jesus
JARS FOR JESUS
Reviving Communities
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Hillsong LYN food hub
What do we do when we feel we don’t have enough? Drawing inspiration from 2 Kings, Archie Coates encourages us that God will use whatever we have – a little or lot – to build His Kingdom.
Our vision is to play our part in the evangelisation of the nation, the revitalisation of the Church and the transformation of society – to see the lonely loved, relationships restored, addictions broken, the homeless housed and the streets safe. We want to see churches brought back to life and the Good News and love of Jesus Christ, everywhere. We have an audacious vision, but it’s one that’s only possible if we all play our part.
THEY BROUGHT THE JARS TO HER AND SHE KEPT POURING.
PRINCIPLE 2
God needs only what you have
God uses only what we offer
Playing your part in the vision will come out of who you already are, what you already have, rather than who you aren't, and what you haven't got. So let’s let go of the notion that you need to be somebody else, or at a different stage of your life, or have different gifts to play your part. Instead, let us start to think of what we can do now with what we do have. This widow said she had nothing ‘except a small jar of olive oil.’ Perfect – God could use that!
I want my life to be like a jar that I put out for Jesus to fill, and the more jars we put out and offer him, the more he will fill. The truth is that God will pour himself into anything that we bring him and the more we bring, the more he’ll pour in.
The greatest danger is to think of what you don't have or what you can't do. But God only needs what you have. In the New Testament, 5,000 people are hungry and all are fed using 5 loaves and 5 fishes. God used what they had. It’s the same with Moses and his staff; David and his slingshot; the disciples and their nets; and Paul in captivity. And, most importantly, the crucified body of Jesus. The miracle comes out of what you have, not what you don't have. Welcome to our vision – where God has a track record of receiving whatever we give to him and expanding it to His great purposes. Think of St Mellitus Theological College established 15 years ago with five ordained men and women in training to become clergy. To date, it’s now trained 1,184 men and women. Think of the church planting too – 35 years ago, the first church plant was sent out from HTB. Now, that's over 130 church plants and revitalisations sent out to towns, estates, and cities all over the country.
I say we’re all jars. Those on production teams, worship, prayer, hospitality – you’re all serving in your church, while also bringing Christ into your work, home, communities, and friendship groups. Why don’t we put jars out into every corner of the nation and see Jesus fill every one of them? That’s how we, the Church, become the heart of our community. Finally, did you notice in the story who does the pouring? It's not Elisha, it's the widow. Because God will do the miracle, but He'll do it through your hands and your actions. So, I want to invite you to join us in being a jar for Jesus and together we’ll see the evangelisation of the nation, the revitalisation of the Church, and the transformation of society. Amen.
Reviving Communities
You see, you give what you have, not what you don't have, and God takes it and expands it. You hear about Alpha – Alpha started in a London living room. That's now been done by 30 million people across the globe. The truth is you don't need much. Just need a willing heart to give whatever you can, because God will take the little and make it overflow.
I haven’t been at HTB all that long, but I keep running into all these jars. I met Beth. She's a jar for Jesus at the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, where she's a nurse. And on Sunday, she puts out another jar when she leads worship. And I've met Sam, he's a jar for Jesus as a civil servant, and in the week, he's helping on the Afghan resettlement programme. And then on Sunday, he puts out another jar when he helps with younger youth in the church.
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In 2 Kings 4:1—7, we have a story that strikes me as giving us two principles about how God wants to use each and every one of us to bring about our vision.
PRINCIPLE 1
Jars for Jesus
Archie Coates speaking at Focus
"YOUR SERVANT HAS NOTHING THERE AT ALL,” SHE SAID, “EXCEPT A SMALL JAR OF OLIVE OIL."
Choosing Between Heating, Eating or Meeting Bills 20
The number of people Crosslight has helped in the last 12 months.
Choosing BETWEEN heating, eating or meeting bills
Reviving Communities
As more than 7 million low-income households are forced to choose between food and other essentials*, the rising cost of living is bringing many to crisis point. Bruce Connell, CEO of Crosslight Advice, explains what we can do to help.
Joining the journey
Many in our communities are facing impossible choices just to get by. Food costs are increasing for everyone, but we’ve seen recently that the price of low-cost basics is increasing the most. Half of all those seeking our help tell us that they have had to cut down or go without food in the weeks leading up to their appointment.
Getting practical
And of course it’s not just food. The levels of so-called ‘self-disconnection’ – having no gas or electricity because you can’t afford to top up your meter – are on the rise. And with interest rates rising, and warnings of an impending deep recession, it can be easy to feel that ‘hope’ is in short supply. As someone said recently, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off to save money! But ‘hope’ is what the Church does best! And whilst we don’t have all the answers, there are still things we can do.
Those we support often talk about their advisers becoming like ‘family’. Time and again, the occasions when we’re able to see lives changed are the occasions when we’ve been able to walk alongside someone to support, encourage, and be present with them on their journey. And that’s something every church can do.
Many churches are leading the way by providing practical support such as foodbanks or community hubs. But even if you have limited resources, there are still things you can do. You will know best what’s needed most in your own community – the important thing is to act! If you need resources, Crosslight runs a ‘Financial First Aid’ workshop which will equip you to support others. And our money skills and cost of living programmes are available to anyone – themoneycourse.org.
Choosing Between Heating, Eating or Meeting Bills
It is a humbling experience to see someone cry. Particularly when the person in tears is someone you’ve only just met! Sadly, it’s a situation our volunteers often find themselves in. Of course, there are lots of reasons behind the tears, but all too often right now, they come from a sense of hopelessness. For many, the current cost-of-living crisis is immediate, and profound.
Knowing where to go
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Do you know what to do when someone tells you they have fallen into debt, or are at risk of being evicted? Moneyhelper.org.uk has useful guides, including a tool to find free debt advice near you. And if help is sought, is there someone from your church who would be able to support that individual on their journey, maybe even going with them to their first appointment?
Bruce Connell, CEO of Crosslight Advice
Speaking out
Crosslight supports some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in society through person-centred, holistic programmes providing debt & benefit advice, money skills, and budget coaching. crosslightadvice.org
Churches are often uniquely placed to see what is occurring in their communities. Not everyone will agree with me, but I believe we have an obligation to raise awareness – particularly with our local councillors and MPs – about what we see. The current situation needs us all to play our part, but it needs political action too. Times are undoubtedly tough, but churches, now more than ever, can be beacons of light. My hope is that when those in need come into our churches, perhaps for the first time, and experience love through the practical, down-toearth support we provide in this time of challenge, they might get to glimpse something of the image of God!
Reviving Communities
* From the Joseph Rowntree Foundation briefing “Not heating, eating or meeting bills” June 2022.
FREEDOM FROM DEBT
I'M SO GRATEFUL
St Matt’s, Exeter
LOVECHURCH, Bournemouth
“Having lived with debt for over 20 years, and the constant battle to make repayments whilst bringing up two young children as a single parent, I had reached a point where I couldn’t see how to get out of debt and had started to believe it was something I would live with for the rest of my life.
“I can’t thank you enough for how much you really have helped me these past few months. Before calling CAP, I was in debt that had got to the point where I could now no longer afford to pay them off.
I couldn’t understand how I could pay my monthly outgoings, eat well, repay my debts and put money aside for birthdays and Christmas etc. And so, I attended my church’s CAP Money course, which provided some really meaningful insight into how to manage your money and set me on a path to financial freedom. 16 months on…. I am proud to say I am now debt free.” Support recipient
I found CAP at church one Sunday and I was impressed how sincere they were, so I called them. Now, my debt relief order application has just been approved and I have a weight off my shoulders. When the news of being debt-free came, I knew that this feeling of being free wasn't only about money but more about God's love in action through how good the team were. The restorative effect of the CAP debt relief process was in fact revelatory, restoring especially my faith in my Christian brothers and sisters and releasing me to, in turn, cautiously trust again.” Support recipient
WRAP AROUND CARE
Hope Church, Hounslow
SOUL Church, Norwich LYN food hub
How The Church is Caring for Those Trapped in Debt 22
How the Church is CARING for those trapped in debt
One of the things that she highlighted was financially she had no help and was in debt. We called Crosslight together and made her an appointment so she could get some help. A month later, she came back to collect some food and said that she had talked to Crosslight and they had supported her a lot. Her husband had since moved out. She was a different person.” Volunteer at Hope Church Foodbank
SOUL Church, Norwich
Reviving Communities
“A woman came into foodbank and sat quietly looking like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. I went to serve her and asked if she was okay. She explained that she was at the foodbank as her husband wouldn’t give her any money to feed her two children; he was also abusive.
How The Church is Caring for Those Trapped in Debt 23
“ I knew that this feeling of being free wasn't only about money but more about God's love in action. Reviving Communities
”
Hubs of Hope
COMMUNITY SHOP, ENGLISH CLASSES AND A PLACE FOR HELP
Gas Street, Birmingham After the Pandemic, the needs of our community, like so many, were connection. Stay and Play, Craft Club, Community Choir, and more all allow a space for people to meet others, get to know them, and build community. The Community Shop, where members can get 10 items for £3 together with a free tea or coffee in our café, also gives a space for relationship building as well as tackling food insecurity. And of course, at the heart of a lot of the need in our community is financial, which our CAP Debt Centre and Job Club seeks to address. English Conversation Classes are also a key part of how we meet the need of food insecurity and social isolation, increasing ability to make connections and find employment.
F O S B HU 24
Most of all, our hub is a place for help. We’ve seen more and more people walk through our door needing assistance, whether it be with a form they need filling, or because they’ve been scammed, or with their asylum process. This is what I love to see, that people can walk into our church and see it as hope, as somewhere they’ll get help. Esther Rai
Reviving Communities
Across the country, hundreds of churches are partnering together to respond to the needs of their communities: from crisis food provision to debt and employment support, to other wrap-around care. This year, Love Your Neighbour launched its Hub Accelerator – a pilot programme supporting 16 city centre hubs to become more highly impactful centres of social transformation. These hubs are helping to coordinate social action projects and resource their surrounding communities.
LOVECHURCH, Bournemouth
SOUL Church, Norwich LYN food hub
Hubs of Hope
HOLIDAY HUNGER PROGRAMME, EMPLOYMENT COACHING AND LIFE SKILLS During the Pandemic our pop-up foodbank gave out around 210,000 meals-worth of food to people across the town. We are in one of the most deprived areas in the UK, and food insecurity is a huge issue. Since the Pandemic we have reshaped our thinking, and developed a holiday hunger programme for school families in need. As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, we are responding with breakfasts for children before school. Whilst these improving nutrition and learning spaces has a lifetime impact – imagine no hungry children across our nation! We work in a multi-ethnic and multicultural context, with 31 different first languages in the local schools! The LYN Hub Accelerator has given us a brilliant toolkit to maximise our impact as we walk with, and empower people to move from crisis (debt and food provision) to things that help with the causes such as unemployment coaching, debt counselling and life skills. And we’re excited to be putting forward a bid to become part of the local mental health and wellbeing hubs. It is wonderful walking with people as they journey from despair to hope and purpose. We love working in partnerships locally and being part of a national movement of the Church through LYN is so great. In history, God’s people have changed nations, cultures and people, because his new Kingdom of light, life and justice is just so attractive. God develops beauty in all our broken places through the cross.
E P O H OF SCHOOL UNIFORMS, MAKING MEALS ON A BUDGET AND FREEDOM FROM ADDICTION
SOUL Church, Norwich
Most recently we have been able to help families out with school uniforms as their children return to school which our families have said has taken a huge weight off them. We have also been able to launch nutrition classes which begin in a few weeks and our customers are so excited to learn how to make healthy meals on a budget.
LYN guests at HTB
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Here at Soul Foundation we are busier than ever! Since the cost-of-living crisis began, more and more people are coming through our doors and we love it! What a blessing it is to get to be the hands and feet of Jesus here in Norwich.
Tracey Radvan
FOOD, DEBT, BENEFITS ADVICE AND SCHOOLS WORK
Network Church, Sheffield
‘Is this the foodbank? We’ve just walked from Shiregreen’, said the women coming through the doors of our warehouse. ‘No. This is just warehousing, the foodbank is across the road, let me take you.’ As we walked across, I asked why she’d walked four miles (from Shiregreen) to get here, rather than going to one of our closer foodbanks.
We also run our weekly wellbeing group which provides community for the lonely. We see around 80 people each week who have lunch, a time of worship and then will break into small groups where we run discipleship courses, arts & crafts as well as freedom from addiction courses. We also had the privilege to baptise 12 of this amazing group! We couldn’t be more grateful for LYN and being a hub of hope!
‘They aren’t open now’, was of course the answer. She needed food now.
Sam Mitchem
Sam Evans
The conversation was a window into the needs in Sheffield and how our Hub is meeting them. A window into the lives of people in crisis, in desperate need for food and warmth.
Reviving Communities
A window into how the hub has grown to 11 foodbank sites and made a whole building a warehouse to meet that crisis. A window into the causes of poverty that we are working to tackle as it has included debt, benefits and employment advisors into the support available. A window into the care offered in the community of Shiregreen with one-to-one schools work, youth and children’s clubs, sports work and holiday activities – meaning that the day’s conversation and support was part of a much bigger picture and vision – towards social transformation in our Sheffield.
Hubs of Hope 26
St Mary’s Andover
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Reviving Communities
hubs participating
The HUB Accelerator Pilot This year, Love your Neighbour launched the Hub Accelerator – a 7-month programme covering 3 modules – in mission, strategy and operations.
Hubs of Hope
B&A Bristol LYN hub
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hours training over 7 months
Johannes Radvan, Hub Accelerator
Theory of CHANGE 27
Churches are in the business of changing lives. But how do we know that what we’re doing in our local community really makes a difference for the right people? We are grateful to the Impact team at Resurgo who have been working with Love Your Neighbour to help equip the Hubs to think about their social impact in more depth. Drawing on a ‘theory of change’ process – our aim has been to help Hubs understand better the needs in their local community, identify groups they could work with and define the change they are hoping to bring about. The Hubs now claim to have deeper insight into the effectiveness of their activities and a more focussed strategy for social transformation.
Reviving Communities
5-year plans created
Love Ukraine 28
The Table, Pattern Church Swindon
Reviving Communities
K U E V O L
Andriy, Yuliia and Tetiana moved from Ukraine to London, and are now working on the Love Ukraine Campaign. They share their experiences of how Ukrainian refugees have been cared for by the UK Church. When war broke out in his country, Andriy Kopylash, then National Director of Alpha Ukraine, was studying in the UK. No-one was better placed or qualified to help Love Your Neighbour with Love Ukraine, a new initiative linking Ukrainians fleeing the war with Network churches and host families. Seconded from his role at Alpha to lead the UK Love Ukraine campaign, and now living with a family in London, Andriy has been amazed by the UK response to the war.
‘Having been a Church Pastor in Ukraine, I know how hard it is to reach Ukrainians with the message of Christianity. Yet here in the UK we are experiencing the Gospel of
When living in Kyiv, Yuliia Levchenko ran her own travel agency and Tetiana Havryliuk was an accountant. After fleeing their homes, both women were linked with host families in London by Andriy. Now working with him for Love Ukraine, they support and help other Ukrainians coming to the UK. ‘Living through a war is very painful’, Yuliia shares, ‘We’ve lost our homes, we’ve lost relatives. When men are sent to the front, families are broken up, and our women and children are forced to flee’. Describing the significance of the role of the Church, Yuliia says, ‘The UK Church has taken the Ukrainian crisis very seriously and our community has been strengthened by your response. It’s given us confidence we will survive the war and return home to a peaceful Ukraine.’
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‘Ordinary people don’t open their homes to strangers’, Andriy insists, ‘It just doesn’t happen. This is not normal, your response is crazy! We’re being treated like family and welcomed into your church communities with open arms. It’s exciting to see how God is touching your hearts and what he’ll do through this.’
Jesus in action with no need for words. When the war ends and we are able to return home, we will all be changed because of this.’
Love Ukraine
Andriy, Yuliia and Tetiana, Love Ukraine team
As well as opening their homes, host families are playing a crucial role in helping Ukrainians settle. Sharing her experience with a family from HTB, Tetiana Havryliuk says, ‘I’ve been very blessed by a Christian couple who’ve welcomed me into their home. They are very supportive, hospitable, and include me in their lives by inviting me to spend time with their family and friends and to go to church together.’
Reviving Communities
KRAINE
Love Ukraine
UKRAINE WELCOME HUB
B&A Church, Bristol ‘There’s a real buzz and sense of relief as newcomers to our Hub find others facing similar challenges who speak their language. Arriving for the first time, they often look tense and nervous; but leave smiling, with the bunches of flowers we’ve been giving out. Mums who come with their young children get a break and the opportunity to chat over coffee and cake, while their children enjoy craft activities. More practically we’ve been able to help with CV preparation and job-hunting. Soon we hope to be starting English lessons.
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The Table at Pattern Church, Swindon
Wanting to create a space for deeper conversations, we’re hosting a supper club and will be serving traditional Ukrainian dishes cooked by people from our community, including one family’s Grandmother’s borscht recipe. It’s been so exciting to have this opportunity to bless others, build connections and experience God’s provision of everything we need.’
Love BEYOND Our Walls Pattern Church, Swindon took Ukrainian refugees to a beach
Across the Network, churches have been caring for Ukrainian refugees in their communities. Here’s a snapshot of what’s been going on…
UKRAINIAN SANCTUARY PROJECT
Holy Trinity, Hastings
Reviving Communities
‘Our heart is to foster a sense of calm and create a safe space where friendships and community can be built. One couple who come to our Sanctuary Café every week, and who are now part of our church family, describe being “Welcomed with open arms, given support and shown love” by our church community. It’s been humbling to see both the resilience of our Ukrainian guests and how many people in our community have rallied round to help. The opportunity to host too has had a profound impact. One of our church members, whose husband died just over a year ago, describes having a Ukrainian couple live with her family as “One of the most enriching experiences” of her life and says “Already we feel a bond as strong as family. We are both exactly what the other needs at this time in our lives”.’
Love Ukraine
HTB Love Ukraine
THE TABLE
Pattern Church, Swindon
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‘Every Tuesday evening our church is transformed into a Ukrainian community hub as we continue to work in partnership with a range of organisations, including the local borough council. It’s been a joy welcoming Ukrainians and their host families to the Table as they bring and share food and eat together, making friends and building community. One Ukrainian guest describes how she believes this is creating a feeling of such “Unity in the Ukrainian community in Swindon". Over the summer we were able to run some day trips away, including one to Bournemouth where one retired couple, who were made refugees for a second time after fleeing the 2014 Russian invasion of parts of Donetsk, were just so overjoyed to see the sea again and led the way into the water with great joy. One woman said it is like, “part of our healing”.’
Mother and daughter at HTB Love Ukraine
Reviving Communities
Creativity, Culture and The Church 32
Reviving Communities
Image credit: Andrew Hughes
How SAINT are on a mission to equip churches to renew and reimagine culture.
Throughout history, the Church has been the incubator of and catalyst for some of the greatest works of art and music, as well as a breeding ground for leaders of significant and profound social and cultural change. But what about now, where is the Church in this cultural moment? What can the Church do to help nurture and grow and inspire a new wave of creativity and shape and commission future leaders in all spheres of society?
One of the challenges facing the Church, Mark says, ‘Is its potency. The world is asking the Church to be a little bit more like the Church, to have a different offering to the world. To teach a little bolder and stronger and attune itself in a sensitive and difficult cultural moment.
Speaking on day two, Al Gordon urges us to move into action. Because, he says, ‘The stories we tell and the work we create, the buildings we design, the films we make, the music, the tech, the businesses and the art we create, have the power to move people and to change the dynamic of someone’s life in a way that theology and doctrine doesn’t’. In closing the conference, Mike Pilavachi MBE, of Soul Survivor, sums up the overriding message of Renaissance, saying, ‘We the Church exist to bring blessing to the world’. Looking to the future, Mark shares that it’s their prayer that the Church does what it’s been made to do, and in doing so ‘Culture is totally transformed and renewed, art and beauty and life explode, and all in the name of Jesus. That people will look back and say, “What was it about the Church in that time?” Off the back of a global pandemic, at the time of a potential world war and a climate crisis. It’s a prayer for all of us, isn’t it?’.
Reviving Communities
‘It should be that the Church has the best ideas’, he continues, ‘I’m worried that we’ll wonder whether the Church has been as creative as it could have been in recent years? So I guess we’re trying to bury a small footnote’ he says, ‘In this season’. SAINT’s response, he explains, is to host
Giving his key-note address on the first night of Renaissance, Erwin McManus, lead pastor of Mosaic in Los Angeles, unpacks the challenge facing the Church, ‘Well-meaning people who believe in Jesus, keep waiting for God to create a future that humanity desperately needs, they keep crying out to God “God do something” but God is saying, “I did do something, I created you, now you do something”’.
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Talking about creativity, Mark believes ‘It shouldn’t be a conversation that’s on the edge of society within the Church’, but ‘right at the heart of it’, because he says, ‘The first person to be filled with the Holy Spirit was Bezalel, which bears it out for creativity’. We see it too in Jesus, who, Mark says, ‘Took a religious table and turned it into a relational table. He took mealtimes and reinvented their meaning’.
Renaissance gives space and freedom to ‘Encounter the Creator and equip, inspire, and empower the Church’ according to Mark. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a self-described creative, Mark insists, this conference is for everyone, ‘Because we want everyone to encounter God, we want everyone to be empowered within the Church’.
THE CHURCH
When the world is shrinking back under the weight of a so-called ‘Perma crisis’, Mark Nelson, Associate Rector of SAINT, believes the Church can do what only the Church can do; to use and apply our God-given creativity to do something new, something unexpected. ‘We need the renewal of all things’ he says, ‘Whether that’s the next big renewal of education or healthcare’ or the ‘New art, the new social enterprises, the new songs, the new stories, the new ways of preaching, communicating and talking about the Gospel, that will make a difference’.
Renaissance, a two-day conference full of inspiration, worship, ideas, creativity, imagination, encounter, and fun; led by Rector Al Gordon.
Creativity, Culture and The Church
CREATIVITY, CULTURE
SEVEN TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM RENAISSANCE
Creativity, Culture and The Church 34
Reviving Communities
Image credit: Nicole Gomes
Renaissance 2022, the creative conference hosted by SAINT, London
On shaping and influencing culture
Opening the conference, Farida Matthews, an Ordinand at Saint, tells us that in scripture ‘God created us to be creative’, but, she says, he also ‘Continues to pour out his Spirit upon us divinely inspiring us to create beautiful things that lift people’s eyes off themselves and onto HE who is greater’.
Whilst cutting Al Gordon’s hair on stage, renowned barber and business owner, Mark Maciver of Slider Cuts, talks about how his, ‘Faith is the reason’ for the way he does business. It’s at the heart of everything he does and influences the why behind the sharing of his expertise and knowledge for free on social media. The motivation for this, he says, is to ‘Shape culture’ and to give away the ‘Knowledge and information’ he never got to hear growing up.
On discovering God’s vision for our lives As he makes bread on stage, Tom Herbert of the Long Table, a Community Interest Company that’s changing the world through food, talks about a simple way to work out God’s vision for our lives. Saying, as he kneads the dough…to ‘Do what we have in our hands’, what’s straight in front of us.
On the power of your story to bring change
On creating a culture of encounter Upper Room Dallas share that ‘Something happens when you partner with the Lord, when you put your needs to the side’ and how in ministering to the Lord we fulfil his ‘Greatest desire’ for us and receive ‘All of heaven’s backing’.
On the importance of discipline to aid the creative process Singer, songwriter Amanda Cook, shares about the beauty and power of ‘Cocreating with the divine muse of God’ and how important daily disciplines are to unpack and encourage our creativity, by ‘Opening ourselves up at 9am every day for a new idea, a new approach.’
On changing the narrative of faith through the media Ruth Yimika Afolabi, founder of Magnify Magazine, believes in the power, of what she describes as, ‘Kingdom excellence’ to change the narrative of faith through the media, and how we can, she says, ‘Be the light in every industry, wherever you are now, wherever God has called you’ and because the ‘Creator of the Universe has given us the greatest gift of creativity’.
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Former Superintendent in the Met Police, Leroy Logan MBE, describes how he suffered abuse both from his own community and at work, when joining the Met as a black police officer. But he says, ‘Your worst nightmare could be your biggest breakthrough’ and never to underestimate the power of ‘Your story’ to bring and shape change.
Creativity, Culture and The Church
On the space between divine inspiration and faith
For more information follow @renaissance.movement or visit renaissancemovement.org to register your interest.
“ We, the Church, exist to bring blessing to the world. ” Mike Pilavachi The HTB Network
Leadership Pipelines
RAISING UP REPRESENTATION
EADERSHIP PIPELINES
Raising Up Representation 36
Mike, Kerry and Sadiya from this year’s Peter Stream cohort
Raising Up Representation
The Peter Stream is a year–long discernment process which helps those from under-represented demographics explore the call to ordained ministry in the Church of England. We spoke with three members of this year’s cohort to find out what it has meant for them and why representation in the Church is key.
KERRY How has living with a disability affected your experience of church?
MIKE When did you find out that you were dyslexic and how has it impacted you?
I began using a wheelchair in 2013, because of a neurological illness. I spent a year and a half in hospital, and – although it was hard, my faith was strengthened because I used all that time laying in a hospital bed to talk to God. When I went back to church, there were physical, practical barriers, and I found it hard living with the perception that I was someone who ‘needed to be helped’.
I struggled at school and always knew I had dyslexia. I can see how dyslexic people might feel that training for church leadership wasn’t for them because it involves writing talks and essays. But it hasn’t stopped me. If I want to do something, I’ll always do my best to find a way of doing it if I think it’s right.
I’ve felt called to get ordained for a long time, but last year, I started having dreams about church leadership and wanted to pursue it further. I was recommended the Peter Stream through a friend who was ordained through St Mellitus. The Peter Stream has been amazing. It has guided me and broken down the ordination process for me. It’s made it feel manageable.
How will being a leader with dyslexia help people in the congregation?
Why has the Peter Stream been important for you? I grew up as a Muslim, and later, when I became a Christian and felt drawn to leadership, I didn’t know where to position myself. I felt afraid to answer God’s call, because I didn’t fit the stereotypical image that I’d seen before. I’m a woman in my early 30s, Asian and a single mum. I felt like Moses, questioning if God had got this right. The Peter Stream has given me so much support and encouraged me that the idea of ordination might not be so wrong after all!
Why is representation important? It’s important to have people leading churches from different every ‘walk of life’, because in turn, it will allow the Church to reach every corner of the world.
Why is representation in the Church of England important? I think that so many people are putting off this call to church leadership because they feel they don’t look a certain way or don’t fit in. But if we look at the Bible, God calls the least likely people. God doesn’t limit us. I hope I will inspire other disabled people who may have felt the call to see that they can do it too and encourage them to try it.
Leadership Pipelines
I joke that being dyslexic is my superpower – It allows me to see the world with a unique perspective, which I can offer when I preach. Lots of people struggle in different ways, and representing those struggles is important and helps people identify with you and be encouraged in their own struggles. Different perspectives are really important.
SADIYA
I wanted to explore ordination, but I wondered if I could do it from a wheelchair. You don’t see many disabled vicars! I heard that the Peter Stream was seeking to represent underrepresented leaders in church, so that really appealed to me. I’ve been supported as I have somewhere I can charge my wheelchair; the teaching rooms are accessible and proper space is created for me during worship. The Peter Stream is a great community of diverse people, which continues to be an invaluable experience for me.
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Tell me why you felt the Peter Stream was right for you?
How has the Peter Stream supported you?
The Caleb Stream Leadership Pipelines
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Linde, one of the first Caleb Stream candidates
THE CALEB STREAM
This year, our first Caleb Stream cohort of 8 completed their year and have now all been ordained. Linde Melhuish, based at St Bartholomew’s Church in Munsley, describes her experience.
I've long felt a call to ordination, although originally this was in my twenties when women couldn't be ordained. So I became a licensed lay reader, which was very fulfilling. But that call never went away. It wasn't quite the right time after that because I had a family and a career in education as a Head Teacher. And then when it kept coming more insistently, the previous bishop felt I was too old to be ordained, which was a great shame. But the calling never went away. And my rector said to me, ‘Linde, we've got to have one more go.’ So we did, and I was told about the Caleb Stream. Ever since I've been a reader, I've been fully involved in church as far as it's been possible to be, which means taking services, taking funerals, pastoral, visiting. Now I'm a deacon via the Caleb Stream. I can baptise and I'm learning about what it'll be when I'm a fully ordained priest in a few months' time where I'll be able
to take weddings. I will be able to take the communion service and to give blessings. And that really is that extra layer of sharing the ministry in my parishes. And it means that one can be there for one's parishioners in all sorts of ways, which were limited before, both helping them in their happy times, weddings and celebrations, and in their more sorrowful times, being with them when things are not so good and above all, giving them hope. On the Caleb Stream, we were taught that nothing is ever wasted in God's economy, and I can look back at my career both as a reader and in my professional life, how God has used that and brought me to this point. And it is such a blessing to be able to see how that has been integrated. I hope it enables me to be a better priest. This year, there are 20 Calebs on the stream training towards ordination. Head to crtrust. org/calebstream to watch our film and find out more.
Andy Dykes planted a church in Blackpool earlier this year with his wife Nic. He describes the impact the Accelerator Programme has had on their leadership.
When planting a church, leaders often describe feeling a sense of loneliness. You're the leader and it's your thing to do. Off you go and all the best! The Accelerator Programme totally dismantles that feeling. Instead of going alone, you’re part of a cohort of fellow planters who are excited for the things you're doing and who support you in your successes and failures. This culture of celebration is a total game-changer for leadership and ran way beyond the 12 months we spent together.
Before planting, we took our PCC down to London for the weekend to show them HTB
But then on top of all of that, the Accelerator Programme is the single best source of expertise for church planters I know of. Even now, we can still draw on that expertise, on everything from branding and buildings to kids and youth work. If we need it, there are so many resources available to us and that’s made all the difference!
Leadership Pipelines
Andy, the vicar of Blackpool Church
Another top takeaway from the AP was the opportunity given to spend time in prayer and worship. It’s been so significant. Each session wasn’t treated firstly as a workshop but an exercise in worship.
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One couple we met on the programme called Fran and Adrian lead our next-door neighbour parish in Blackpool. They have a fantastic church working in one of the most deprived communities in the country. When we found out we were coming to plant, Nic and I were understandably nervous about telling them. How would they feel about us coming? What about the funding we get? Would we be in competition? But when we joined the call to chat to them, they opened a bottle of wine and toasted the things that God might do through the plant. Of all the people who have supported and championed and celebrated us, nobody has celebrated us more than Fran and Adrian.
and introduce them to a few people to hear about the Network. I’d also invited our worship leader to come and lead us in worship before we heard our first talk. As we started singing, something happened, and God just poured out his Spirit in quite a striking way. People were on the floor crying and laughing. Which, I can tell you, does not normally happen at PCC meetings in Blackpool. We probably prayed and worshipped for an hour or so with me signalling to the worship leader, ‘I don’t know what’s happening! Keep playing! I didn’t plan this!’ It feels now like the very best of the worship that happens here on Sundays started there and on the Accelerator Programme when there wasn’t a band or a team or a building.
The Accelerator Programme
" THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME IS THE SINGLE BEST SOURCE OF EXPERTISE FOR CHURCH PLANTERS I KNOW OF. "
THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
Meet Your Ministry Leads
MEET YOUR MINISTRY LEADS 4. PRODUCTION LEAD
Ben Musson
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Sarah Jeffery
Kids ministry has the reputation of being a shortterm job with a high turnover, but the vision for the Kids Network is to play our part in changing this narrative. We want to equip and champion kids’ pastors by practically supporting them and creating a bank of resources. In January 2023 we are piloting the first Kids Accelerator Programme, which is aimed at training and equipping new kids’ pastors as they start out in ministry.
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1. KIDS LEAD
2. STUDENTS LEAD
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Network Highlights
5. ESTATES LEAD
Ray Driscoll
Estates are the most wonderful place to live and serve and it’s so exciting to see how God is calling our network to plant and revitalise churches in these contexts. This is the next frontier for us as a network and it’s such a privilege to be a part of that!
Nakita Ainsworth
6. OPERATIONS LEAD
The thing I love most about my role is hearing stories about what God is doing amongst students in churches across the Network. I love watching creative ideas emerge and seeing those involved with student work excited and envisioned for what God is doing in their cities.
Penny Miller
3. YOUTH LEAD
Tom Clark
Whether it’s a shoulder to cry on, or a word of advice, your Network Ministry Leads are here to help. Meet them here.
Leading the production network has been such an amazing opportunity, I’m still so thankful to have been asked. My love for the production network is rooted in building a community of people doing an often challenging and little understood role within the church. I want to see volunteer crews thrive, and production leaders feel supported and heard. And mostly, I want to bin off the stereotype of a grumpy Tech Director – it doesn’t have to be this way!
There is so much innovative and relational youth work happening across the Network. There are many stories of young people being reached and discipled so that we might see young people fall in love with Jesus, share that faith with their friends and stay committed to Him. I long to see a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on and through young people so we might see the next great move of God amongst teenagers in this land.
Vision and Action together can change the world and I see operations as a ministry, which coupled with the clergy ministry can be a great force for good and for transformation. I love leading our Operations Managers and encouraging them to see how important what they do is and giving them the tools they need to thrive in their roles. With our new Operations Accelerator Programme, we are aiming to equip and develop our newer Ops Managers and bring them first class training.
My Playlist
R Y S
We ask Network Worship Leaders what they’re listening to.
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1. CHRIST BE MAGNIFIED BY CODY CARNES
Ciara Pearman Director of Worship at St Stephen’s, Twickenham It’s our most sung song of this year.
2. ALL HAIL KING JESUS BY JEREMY RIDDLE
Dave Cassell Worship Pastor at St Nicholas, Bristol The lyrics declare the central themes of our faith so powerfully and beautifully. The song reminds us that even in a world that can feel fractured and uncertain that Jesus is Lord and sovereign.
Grace Park Worship Leader at St Saviour’s, Wendell Park We loved the idea of going back to the basics and simply giving our hearts to Jesus even with only a few words. He is the one who planted us and takes care of us and we cannot do anything when we are apart from Him.
4. PULL ME THROUGH BY DAMILOLA MAKINDE, KXC, AND RICH AND LYDIA DICAS
Rachel Bond Worship Leader at St Francis, Mackworth
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Someone sent me this song when our daughter became ill for the first 7 months of this year. I love it.
5. HOLY FOREVER BY CHRIS TOMLIN AND BRIAN JOHNSON
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3. WE ABIDE, WE ABIDE IN YOU BY THE PORTERS GATE
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Martin Donovan Worship Pastor at Preston Minster The joy of worship is that it lifts our head from our current situation to the sovereignty and eternity of Jesus.
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6. I BELONG TO JESUS BY PAUL AND HANNAH MCCLURE
Jack Ellison Worship Pastor at Penny Lane Church
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When we declare that ‘When the rain fell, when the floods came, when the wind blew, I was OK, you were right there, you’re in every step I take’. It’s so important, especially in the hard times to be aware of God with us.
Network Highlights
Family on a Mission
Day 2 on site at Focus 2022
" I want you to begin to ask God: would you increase my vision for something better than just getting back to pre-pandemic life? God, would you store something inside of me where I begin to get a new vision in my heart? " Jon Tyson
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92 CHURCHES ATTENDED
After a 3-year hiatus, in July 8,000 of you gathered to pray, worship, and draw closer to God at Focus, and what an incredible few days they were! Here’s what we got up to!
Network Highlights
Jo, who spoke at Focus 2022
Bridge Gap football tournament at Focus 2022
TALKS FROM ARCHIE COATES, RACHEL GARDNER, JO SAXTON AND JON TYSON
Big Top volunteers welcoming guests at Focus 2022
Family on a Mission
Youth ministry at Focus 2022
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Big Top volunteers at Focus 2022
Kids ministry at Focus 2022
2,058 CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Head to crtrust.org for 5 creative ways to connect with your church family
" Archie Coates
Worship on the main stage in the Big Top at Focus 2022
WORSHIP LED BY KINGDOM CHOIR, ELLE LIMEBEAR, CALLEDOUT MUSIC AND MORE
Network Highlights
" I believe that Jesus is saying to us as a Network, that there are three things we are to be doing to bring in the harvest that he's prepared for us. Get moving. Don't get distracted. Be completely dependent on Jesus.
Network Highlights
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Smile!
SM Top row, left to right 1. Accelerator Programme 2021/22 cohort graduation in June 2022 2. Assemble 2022 at Portsmouth Assemble Hub 3. Accelerator Programme 2022/23 site visit at Gas Street in October 2022 4. Gas Street Birmingham and Trinity Nottingham hosted The Orchard Women 2022 in November Middle row, left to right 1. From the Gumbels to the Coates' handover session at Focus 2022 2. Holy Trinity Hastings host an Easter Spy Hunt 3. King Charles visits HTB Earls Court to see HTB LYN’s work 4. Leadership Conference 2022 Bottom row, left to right 1. St Matt’s, Plymouth turns 6! 2. St Nicholas, Bristol celebrate their Leadership Development Year cohort 2021—2022 3. St Wins Totton celebrate baptisms 4. Easter Day at St Werburgh’s Derby
Smile!
ILE Let’s take a look at some of the memories you’ve made this year...
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Network Highlights
Top row, left to right 1. Nine new Christians baptised at Beacon Church, Blackpool 2. Bay Church Torbay celebrate their launch 3. John, one of the first Caleb Stream candidates, celebrating his ordination 4. A local MP opens Veterans Breakfast Club at St John’s Crawley Middle, left to right 1. MP visit to HTB LYN 2. HTB Network Ops Teams Away Day in June 2022 3. Peter Stream ordination 2022 4. St Mary’s, West Kensington host 100 people for their Community Day Bottom row, left to right 1. Renaissance Conference 2022 2. Launch of Citizen Church PontyPrydd 3. Youth Weekend Away for St Stephen’s Twickenham 4. St Swithin's Lincoln, Paella Social for students
Time to Arise 48
E M I T S I R A
The HTB Network
" DON’T EVER FORGET, I AM IN THE BUSINESS OF BRINGING DEAD THINGS BACK TO LIFE. "
Amid challenges and complexities, Sarah Jackson, CEO of CRT, reminds us that where we may see decline and death, Jesus sees the potential for vibrant life. Even as a born optimist, I was dismayed to read the results of the 2021 Census showing that less than half of England and Wales population are Christian. When I look at the national data of church attendance, the absence of teenagers, the lack of diversity, the tsunami of isolation, and longing for community in our streets and neighbourhoods. I had one of these ‘low’ moments recently, but I was reminded of a time when I attended a global church leaders conference. As people spoke out, it became clear that the consensus was that the institutional church had had its day and it was time to look for innovation in other places. As it came to my turn to introduce the work of CRT within the Church of England, I felt a lump in my throat, wishing I could be skipped. I represented everything they saw as past its sell-by date. In that moment, as clearly as I have ever heard the Holy Spirit speak, I heard him say, ‘Sarah, don’t ever forget, I am in the business of bringing dead things back to life.’
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Front cover: Love London Campaign by HTB Back cover: SAINT, Hackney Image credit: Thom Hobbs
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This truth hit me with force – how could I have ever doubted? Where we see decline and death, Jesus sees potential for a vibrant life. Jesus says in John 10:10, ‘I have come that they might have life and life in abundance’. In that moment I remembered, Jesus IS the bringer of life. Everyone Jesus ever touched was healed, restored, and liberated. Everyone who encounters Jesus encounters resurrection power and new life. Death doesn’t have the last word, in our lives, our families, our churches, our workplaces, our communities, our cities or our nation. We the church have the very same resurrection life pulsating through our veins and not even death can stop the kingdom advancing. We are at a Lazarus moment – where some are mourning the slow death of the church, I am reminded that it is never too late for Jesus. I picture Jesus standing in front of the tomb, crying ‘Come out Lazarus’, ‘Come out Church’. It’s time to arise, as the same power that resurrected Jesus from the grave floods our churches with new confidence to step into this broken world and shine a light so bright that the darkness is dispelled. In this season Jesus is asking us: where do we need his touch? What areas do we need his power to bring life to? Do you need his resurrection power to empower a breakthrough, transform a difficult relationship, bring healing, or inspire new beginnings? You and I can ask him, because he is in the business of bringing dead things back to life!
Please join us as we dare to pray that in every estate, in every village, in every town, in every city, a Jesus-centred, Holy Spirit-filled, worshipping community is empowered – one so radical, countercultural, and loving, that they offer invitations of abundant life to every single person in our nation.
Thank you to our writers and contributors, and our feature writers Sarah Wynter, Jane Kirby and Sarah Olowofoyeku. Designed by
The HTB Network
I am encouraged that God is on the move. Across the CRT network of 140 UK churches and 6 global hubs, the resurrection power of Jesus is springing up everywhere. The circumstances are unquestionably tough and challenging yet, there is new life; Ukrainian Alpha courses running for refugees; Farsi and Arabic groups for asylum seekers; 40% of our church plants are lovingly serving in low-income estates tackling systemic deprivation needs; Love Your Neighbour is helping train hub churches to be more effective in supporting the most vulnerable in our society; 100 diverse men and women are in ordination training on the Peter Stream; 300 people are on the waiting list for the Caleb stream; 21 churches were commissioned at Focus with 25 more young women and men on the Accelerator training preparing to launch new churches next summer. The church is very much alive, and the Holy Spirit is on the move.
