the
Issue No.1
Also inside: URAL WHAT MAKES A R ORK? CHURCH PLANT W UT A CHURCH WITHO WALLS
hub stories from young churches
FOOD FOR THOUGHT MEET THE MAN WHO KEEPS PLANTING CHURCHES 1
Working together to plant a church in your community Since 1999, CPI has supported 25 independent church planting initiatives all over the UK to help them fulfil their mission but there are still many communities where a church is needed or an existing church is full and needs space to grow. Please pray for new church plants in all corners of the country and for the existing churches to grow and reach even more people in their communities with the good news.
Where CPI has worked
Church Initiative ting Plan aboration coll a (CPI) is Growth rch Chu between and GLO s, ntie Trust, Cou bring to s aim Partnership. CPI t den pen inde people and m sfor tran to churches together ities mun lives and com through church planting initiatives.
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CPI hubs
Hello and welcome to the very first edition of The Hub mini-magazine. We aim to bring you the highlights; the challenges; the victories and all the real-life stories of young churches around the country reaching out to their communities. This issue is packed with stories from young churches including a plant in Devon which took its Sunday service to the outdoors with great results (see Page 6) and a plant in the West Midlands bringing church to the community throughout the week by meeting in a cafĂŠ above a local convenience shop (see Page 10). We hope you will enjoy and be encouraged by this mini-magazine. If you have any stories or suggestions you would like to share with The Hub please do get in touch!
James Hyde Church Planting Initiative Co-ordinator
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News in brief
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Going mobile in Devon
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Church keeps growing 10 years after launch
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Serving up a treat at community cafĂŠ
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Plant finds new building in the heart of community
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How you can help
15 Prayers
The Hub mini-magazine is produced by Tea for Three (teaforthree.co.uk) and designed by Darren Chandler (sittinggiant.co.uk) Church Planting Initiative is a registered charity (no. 1085172) and a company limited by guarantee and registered in England & Wales (no. 3928850). Registered office: The Hope Centre, 8 Princewood Road, Corby, Northants, NN17 4AP.
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NEWS IN BRIEF
news
brief
in
A divine day! Food, fun, music and a visit from the new Mayor and Mayoress of Dudley were just some of the highlights of an event organised by Divine Community Church in Wolverhampton.
The new Mayor of Dudley Councillor Mohammed Hanif with Raj Kaul and his wife Su of Divine Community Church.
Pastor Raj Kaul commented: “We held a fun day to help establish relationships in the surrounding community. It was a great success as we saw so many people from various ages, religions and backgrounds. “It was encouraging to hear the new mayor of Dudley express how he was delighted to see the church connect with people from all backgrounds and to see Asian Christians in Dudley.”
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Teen’s testimony goes global A teenager from a café church in Scotland has been invited to take part in celebrations to mark 50 years since Billy Graham’s first crusade in the UK. 14 year old Lauren McGill is a member of the youth group at The Living Rooms, a church planted nine years ago in the small rural, coastal town of Inverbervie. She has become a passionate witness for Jesus since becoming a Christian and now her journey to faith is being shared at a special celebration event. Church pastor Ken Dickson said: “Lauren is a delightful and very capable girl who started coming to our youth group a couple of years ago. Over time she stood out as being particularly attentive when we were telling the youngsters about the Lord. “In December 2014 we showed the Billy Graham film ‘The Cross’ to the group. Lauren was completely captivated and within a fortnight she had become a Christian. She has become a passionate witness for Jesus to her parents and in her school.” Ken and his wife Vee contacted the Billy
Lauren taking part in a week of youth mission.
Graham organisation to encourage them with Lauren’s conversion story. They subsequently printed her testimony and have invited Lauren to share her story at an event in Peterhead. The celebration, led by Will Graham, will mark 50 years since his grandfather’s first crusade in the UK. Ken added: “Lauren has shown great giftedness in many areas. She leads worship now at the youth group and is a regular in the worship band on Sunday nights. We are also thrilled that she has asked to be baptised. “We have had experience over the years of many people coming to faith but both Vee and I have sensed that the Lord has a significant role for Lauren in the advancement of His Kingdom. However, we are conscious that she is still very young and needs careful mentoring and encouragement.” The Living Rooms was planted nine years ago to provide a venue for reaching out to people of all ages in the community and beyond with the good news of Jesus and to build up Christians to become more mature followers of Christ.
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STORY
THERE’S LIFE ON MARS
No walls were needed for one church plant in Devon – after its pastor felt a calling to go mobile and take their services to the open air. Mars Hill Church decided to abandon their usual sports hall venue and take the church to the seaside town of Teignmouth with great results. Pastor Dave Longman said: “Going mobile has been fantastic and we have had people who are not Christian join our services because of it. We have also had some complaints but we believe although the gospel is a stumbling block to some people, it is also the power of God for salvation.” The church felt that their time in the sports centre had finished. Dave continued: “I felt God say go mobile, take your services open air, let people see what the gathered worshippers
do behind closed doors. To be a church without walls both in the week and on a Sunday. So we just went for it. “The church has been amazing at embracing it, and people in the community are responding. We have now taken on a restaurant and cinema, and are in the process of renovations. Once this is complete we will move into the cinema. However, this is something we might to do each summer — go mobile!” Dave and his team are now developing the old cinema building into a place of worship, as well as a community music and arts hub. Mars Hill Church began in February 2009 in
Dave Longman with his wife Lucy and children Ethan, Miriam and Micah outside the old cinema which they plan to restore and use as a community venue.
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a rugby club function room, with a core of only eight adults and four children. The year before, Dave and his wife Lucy had been praying and dreaming of a church that would reach out to the most deprived area in Teignmouth. It later became apparent that God had also been speaking to a few others and giving them a similar vision of a church.
The church h been am as a at embra zing c and peo ing it, ple in th e commun ity are respond ing.
After setting up the church plant, Dave was invited to a CPI Hub meeting where he met others in a similar position. He said: “The Hubs were a great place to be around other people who were planting churches and to share stories and pray. Setting up a church plant is hard at times — you can feel isolated, have heavy work-loads and it can put a strain on your family. “But the highs make it all worthwhile — seeing Jesus move supernaturally and changing lives. One year we saw around 50 people saved! Also to see true love as people give of themselves sacrificially and to witness the impossible become possible.”
People from Mars Hill Church chat to the community at a Love Teignmouth event organised by the church plant.
planting a church? “Seek Jesus first above anything else, be totally dependent on him. Don’t rely on human resources, but believe in the supernatural resources of heaven — where there is a limitless inheritance waiting for those who will walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit. “Don’t focus on programmes, but God’s presence. Don’t try to entertain, but demonstrate kingdom love and power. Be totally unashamed of the gospel — never water it down, be bold and courageous and trust that Jesus comes through every time. It’s all about him.”
And Dave’s advice to those thinking of Photography by Guy Harrop
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STORY
EXTENDING THE KINGDOM IN RURAL AREAS A church plant in the Forest of Dean has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and is going from strength to strength with plans in place to extend its current building. The Hub speaks to Pastor Tim Cracknell, also a Counties evangelist, to find out what makes this church plant so popular. Can you briefly describe how the church was originally set up? My wife Katrina and I had a dream to start a different kind of church for the area, targeting those who didn’t go to church. Initially a small group of us started meeting together in a redundant Gospel Hall in Cinderford and this was followed by months of praying, planning and preparation for the official launch of the new church. The Forest of Dean Community Church held its very first service on 19 March 2006. It was clear God was at work and doing something special, as new people kept joining us and we could see many lives being touched and changed for the better by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Photography by Darren Chandler
You are now in the process of extending your current building. What are your plans? We are in the process of purchasing the property next door to the church so that we can extend the building, have parking for 40 cars and use our original town centre site fully as a community hub and church. We run many community activities in the building including two mother & toddler groups; Celebrate Recovery (for people with hurts, habits & hang-ups); a Foodbank; CAP debt coaching and support; Teens in Crisis mentoring sessions; drop-in centre for the
lonely and a CAP job club for the long-term unemployed.
Can you describe the setting of the church? The church is in the middle of a residential area close to the town centre of one of the largest towns in the Forest of Dean (pop. 8,000). Cinderford is one of the main centres for the very rural area surrounding it, made up of small villages and hamlets.
Are the needs different to a city/town? What are they? In most ways the needs are not much different to anywhere in the UK; for example drug problems, combined with alcohol-related issues and debt. However, we have a higher level of older people due to lack of work and a nice area to retire with cheap housing. So loneliness is a big issue, transport for the less mobile and employment for younger people, are all key problems.
Many churches in rural settings are closing due to low numbers, why do you think that is? Rural settings tend to have higher levels of older people who struggle with change. This makes it harder for churches to adapt to the changing culture around them. For many people church is the one constant in their lives that they don’t want to see change, as it gives them a sense of stability in a world that is constantly changing. Therefore, church members fight any change with vigour, not realising that by doing so they are often making the church inaccessible to the next generation who see them as old-fashioned, out-dated and therefore irrelevant. The other factor is that now we have cars and easy transport ten minutes in a car will take most people to a town where a good, well-populated church is, so those churches that don’t find a way of connecting with the next generation die off once those in control pass on.
Why do you think the Forest of Dean Community Church is so popular? Essentially we have been able to bring the unchanging message of Christ into a traditional area in a culturally relevant way. Enabling people to understand the message, trust Christ and engage with church knowing that they will be accepted regardless of who they are and what they look like. Our community work has helped people see that we care about them and help make the church much more accessible to many people.
How has CPI helped you in your journey so far as a church plant? They have helped us in many ways: financially in the early days; continual, wonderful pastoral support through Julian, Liz and James; as well as giving us great advice from their extensive wealth of knowledge and wisdom, helping to resolve many issues that have arisen.
Do you find the hubs a useful place to exchange ideas and encourage others? The hubs are always times of inspiration. Like-minded people coming together, pooling ideas and experiences for the glory of God and growth of His kingdom.
What would you say to someone who feels a nudge from God to plant a church? If God is nudging you to plant a church — go for it but don’t expect it to be an easy ride. Get godly, trusted people around you to give support before you start. People who will be there for you, pray for you and encourage you, especially when the going gets tough. You will need it! Don’t try it alone as it will not end well. Connect with other planters through the hubs as they will be your life line at times and an opportunity to learn from others who have gone before. Keep the main thing the main thing and have fun watching God at work in the lives of other people. 9
STORY
MEET THE MAN WHO KEEPS PLANTING CHURCHES!
Father of three Andy Hodson knows a thing or two about church plants – having helped to establish five communities in the past 12 years. Andy, a Counties evangelist and an elder at Church in the Community in the West Midlands, has planted four churches across the Black Country and one a little further afield — in Zimbabwe. The church meets in a community café above a local convenience store and it aims to serve the community throughout the week with various activities, including The Stripey Oss Café which serves bargain breakfasts, lunches and drinks. The Hub speaks to Andy to find out more!
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Can you describe the journey to planting Church in the Community? We are a church plant of Crestwood Church, which I planted in 2004, with a team of six people from Wall Heath Evangelical Free Church. After seeing God bless this first plant we believed God for more. So four of us, set out to plant Lakeside Church. We met in various locations across the estate and grew through evangelism, discipleship and community outreach. We set up small groups to share the gospel and the Bible, whilst encouraging
Photography by Simon Hadley
hub in a different area of Birmingham. There are a number of people in the hub that have been mentored, trained and supported, some through direct training and others through coaching.
others to follow us in missional thinking. We changed the name of the church to ‘Church in the Community’ when God gave us a clear vision to plant other communities under one church; not a denomination but a network of churches that connect under mission.
What is the vision for the church? To reach the people of Stourbridge through our new church plant. We want to make disciples by building community. We feel called to reach the unchurched where they are. We are less about Sunday and more about all the week. We believe the church is the people and mission is every day and in every sphere of life. Therefore, we want to gather and scatter throughout the week wherever we find people of peace and those open to the message of the gospel.
What would your advice be to someone who feels a call from God to set up a church in their community? Find others who have the same vision; build a team and get the support of a local church. Leadership is key; capacity is small without it.
What are the highs and lows of church planting? Hard work, takes a lot of commitment, failure can follow risk-taking, many times you journey with people and many fall away. But the privilege is discipling those, who once had no understanding of Christ, that go on to disciple others and follow Him.
How did CPI help you in your journey? It is still early days, but I get some financial support, advice and through the hub meetings, good fellowship and mentorship where needed.
Your hub has multiplied, how did that happen? Yes, we have another CPI Photography by Simon Hadley
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STORY
WINDS OF CHANGE Christian housing consultants Terry and Margaret Wilkes were all set for a peaceful retirement until they heard a call from God – who had other ideas in mind!
Photograph by Darren Chandler
The couple from Wolverhampton had led busy lives leading a specialist Christian housing consultancy, where they helped large charities set up multi-million-pound retirement villages. But in 2013 they felt it was time to close the business and enjoy a happy retirement. Terry explained: “We were all set to relax but the burden to plant a church simply grew and one day in church the Holy Spirit confirmed the call – so retirement went out of the window!” A friend told the couple about Church Planting Initiative (CPI) and invited them to a local hub meeting, where they met other
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church planters for encouragement and advice. The hub also provided them with training, including GLO Tilsey College’s church planting Joshua course. The couple set up Windmill Community Church and began to meet in a school hall with a handful of people. They had originally wanted to meet in the small town of Finchfield but couldn’t find any premises until a ‘chance’ partnership changed everything. Terry said: “As part of our outreach we joined the local community association, where we found out that they had been trying to buy a small redundant church in the heart of Finchfield but couldn’t raise the funds. They
asked if we could take on the project and our eyes opened to the possibility of us having this old church as our building. It was in the exact location where the Lord had first called us.” After much prayer, fundraising and with the help of Christian property experts Church Growth Trust (who advised on technical building issues), the church plant is now all set to take on the property. Margaret added: “We are still short of funds but we are moving by faith that the Lord will provide the means as we come to the point where solicitors will need to be instructed. “Our first priority is to see people coming to Christ, not buildings, but this will enable us to
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have a permanent place of Christian worship and fully engage with the community in the day and evenings.”
Windmill Community Church and all the young churches in this edition are members of Partnership, a support network aimed at encouraging and strengthening independent churches. It does this through networking and training leaders in local areas, providing practical support and advice to leaders, staff workers and churches, as well as producing publications.
Church Growth Trust are helping Terry and Margaret take on the new church building. The organisation aims to help independent churches grow by providing a professional and complete church property service from trusteeship to architectural support and everything in between. They are passionate about offering skills, experience and practical support to serve the church and help to see God’s Kingdom grow.
partnershipuk.org
churchgrowthtrust.org.uk
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SUPPORT
GET INVOLVED
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There are many ways you can get involved with CPI and help transform communities across the UK through church planting initiatives. Visit cpi-uk.org to find out how you can: • Join a hub meeting in your local area • Become a church-planting church • Give a gift
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Church, Bri
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Photograph by Guy Harrop
We encou are always r peopl aged by he at wo e share how aring rk God is contex in each lea der’s l t. We labou oc know ring we ar al and si alone. We en’t st ha in the ers who sta ve brother se ‘spi nd be s sid ri gathe rings tual trench e us h es.’ CP elp u needs across s learn of t I he o u coord r area in a peopl ate sharing nd e and resou of rces.
HELP YOUNG CHURCHES TO GROW You can help CPI to grow its church planting by making a donation to support new churches around the country. CPI provides start-up grants and planter care services to help young churches be successful. Last financial year, £65,262 was invested.
Planter care
55%
4% Governance
Funds at work
£65,262
Supporter contributions
£49,047
41%
Church, individual and Hub Grants
2% Investments 2% CPI church plants 14%
82%
Individuals & churches
Organisations
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To find out how you can help support or plant a church in your community: Call
James Hyde, CPI co-ordinator on 07899 670924 Email
planterdiscovery@cpi-uk.org Visit
cpi-uk.org Pray
• For Jesus to clearly speak to us about His vision for what kind of churches He wants to build. • For churches to be distinctive in loving one another, making disciples and caring for the poor. • That God will help us plant new healthy congregations in all corners of our land. • For God to cause all our young churches to grow through salvation.
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hub stories from young churches