Issue No.3
Also inside: YOUNG PLANTERS COMMUNITIES REACHING ROMA CHURCH MULTI-CULTURAL PLANTS
the
hub stories from young churches
Church Planters DISCIPLES MAKING DISCIPLES
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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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Front cover photography by Peter Medlicott
CPI hubs
Welcome How are people becoming church planters in the UK? In this edition, we focus on planter’s stories. God uses spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood to lead people into mission. All planters indicate that scripture and God’s call are essential to their successful pursuit of church planting. But it’s noticeable that relationships are key in journeying toward lifelong service in the Kingdom of God. Of course having a good support network, including friends and family, is important. But the wisdom of 2 Timothy 2:1-2 is that long-term planters, mentors, and individuals in supportive agencies are important too. If you are considering planting, CPI wants to offer you the opportunity to personally get to know church planters. People become planters because they know planters. So if you or your church are considering planting, get to know one of the planters in this issue.
James Hyde Church Planting Initiative Co-ordinator
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News in brief
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Mentoring young planters
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Disciples making disciples
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A multi-cultural church in South London
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Annual Gathering
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Meet the chairman of the CPI trustees
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Helping young churches grow
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Pray with us
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 Barn, Baines Lane, Seaton, Rutland, LE15 9HP.
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NEWS IN BRIEF
news
brief
in
Church converts cinema to music and arts hub The Hub caught up with Dave Longman from Mars Hill Church to find out how their project to develop an old cinema building into a place of worship is going. Dave says, “We have done a huge amount of renovation work on the auditorium/cinema
and lower rooms, and we are currently using it for Sunday services, prayer meetings, band practices, our toddler group, a CAP release program and our office. We also hire it out to various groups, such as a choir and some kids’ groups. We hope to open the old restaurant in a few weeks as a tea room. “The vision is still for the building to be a music and arts hub, where we can connect with people, and introduce them to Jesus. We have had some amazing conversations with people, and great opportunities to pray for them too. We have seen a number of people saved since being here, and during a recent Alpha course which included a Holy Spirit day where a number of people responded.
Neighbourhood Chaplains Over the past 12 months, pastor Martin Korchinsky and a team from Brinnington Community Church have been piloting Counties’ Neighbourhood Chaplains programme, a door to door ministry.
You can find out more about Dave’s church plant at mars-hill.co.uk or email admin@mars-hill.co.uk
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Martin Erwin, CEO at Counties, said: “The aim of Neighbourhood Chaplains is to equip volunteers so they can show the love of Jesus in both word and action. It gives local churches the tools to connect their community projects (such as CAP, food banks, parents and toddlers, coffee mornings) with the vast numbers of lonely people in the UK. Martin Korchinsky said, “We are slowly but surely expanding the ministry in both
To learn more about Martin’s ministry visit brinningtoncommunitychurch.co.uk or email martin@brinningtoncommunitychurch.co.uk
numbers of people involved and numbers of people befriended, as we develop relationships where we can share both the love and message of Jesus with people. “The Neighbourhood Wellbeing Navigator from the local health centre referred a local retired gentleman to us. He was looking for a way to be more active and socially integrated so we have got him volunteering - doing
the practical helps side of the ministry.” Brinnington Community Church have also been developing their ministry to the elderly through the NC programme and contact with the residential care homes in the community. Find out more about the Neighbourhood Chaplains programme at neighbourhoodchaplains.co.uk
An answer to prayer Windmill Community Church started on 13 September 2013 with just four people. It has doubled in size over the past year and now has around 30 plus. The church still meets at Smestow School Sunday mornings and in homes during the week but are delighted to report they have purchased a redundant church in Finchfield.
in the study of Nehemiah which currently mirrors our situation. We have both support but also opposition as we plan to take the word of God back to the area and rebuild the broken walls of St Thomas Church. We are moving forward in complete faith we trust the Lord to provide the funds to enable us to renovate the building. The building is only a means to reach local people and preach the Gospel,” Terry said.
“We hit many problems with planning restrictions. However, planners have now removed all restrictions and at the end of June we exchanged contracts,” said Terry Wilkes, who came out of retirement with his wife Margaret to plant the new church. “We have now made contact with 130 people in the community who want to help us with the St Thomas Church building project. This is an amazing mission field! “We are growing in love for the Lord and each other. We are deeply involved
windmillcommunitychurch.co.uk or email Terry at wcc@windmillcommunitychurch.co.uk to find out more. 5
FEATURE
MENTORING YOUNG PLANTERS CPI is pleased to welcome Jordan Armstrong to the network Jordan is a member of Church in the Community in Brierley Hill near Stourbridge. He and Andy Hodson share a vision to plant a church to reach the large population of local students in the middle of Stourbridge, where there is very little if any evangelical witness. Andy Hodson is assisting and supporting Jordan by mentoring and studying with him in regular sessions. In November 2016, Jordan started a meeting in a cafe in the centre of Stourbridge and now 10 -15 people attend. The Stourbridge population is around 63,000 people (2011 census), and approximately 60 per cent of these people visit Stourbridge High Street per week. This works out to around 38,000 people who can be connected with in the town centre. Jordan is also a gifted worship leader, which he does at Church in the Community (CitC) and with a group called Harmony. Harmony meet regularly together not only to practise, but also to pray and study. They released
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a small EP in December 2014 to share their worship music with others, which they gave out for free.
Jordan shares with us some of his church planting journey: I came to Christ on 25 July 2009 at a youth camp called Oasis, following a powerful message that really challenged me. I went to Soul Survivor in July 2015 and I felt a strong calling to something new. Following Soul Survivor, I ended up involved at Church in the Community in August 2015, and have been there ever since. In October 2016, Andy and I met together and we both shared our visions that we felt called to for the church plant, which were extremely similar, coming together to form a strong vision for how the church plant could look. Following this, we were blessed with an opening to begin the church in a coffee
ber In Octo and ndy 2016, A her and get I met to ared our h sh felt we bot that we s n o i s i e v o for th called t t n a pl church
shop called ‘The Chemistry CafĂŠ (it used to be a Chemist shop), and on 7 November 2016, we held our first service. The congregation was mostly people who were already involved in other churches, but it was a starting point to have a presence on the high street as people passed. It was also an opportunity to witness to the owners of the coffee shop who had already explained to us that they were atheists. The primary aim for the church plant is to connect with the students from the three colleges surrounding the Town Centre, with a total between them of approximately 13,000 students. Only one of the colleges has a Christian Union, which has around 20-25 members, so there are a lot of students left to connect with and share the gospel with. CitC Stourbridge has also begun
to have weekly church services in the coffee shop, and we are already seeing interest from people who pass by, and have seen a couple of people join us, even if for just one week. We are beginning to pull together ideas for how we can do further evangelising and reaching out to the community that we want to connect with. I personally, acknowledge that I am young and perhaps not as experienced as others, so I know I have a lot to learn. With Andy guiding me, I am learning more about church planting. I make connections with different people through things such as CPI Hub Meetings, visiting churches and bringing churches together to events such as our Nights of Worship. Find out more about what Jordan is doing at churchinthecommunity.org/stourbridge
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STORY
DISCIPLES MAKING DISCIPLES WHO PLANT CHURCHES As CPI works with church planters across the UK, we’ve found relationships between church planters are one of the most valuable areas of support for those in this ministry. We spoke to Stan Strunc about his church planting journey and to his mentor Kelton Black. Tell us about your church plant Stan: The main focus of our church planting ministry in the UK is to help plant Roma churches. We do this through organising conferences, workshops and seminars across the country which encourage the Roma community in their life with Christ.
How has CPI helped you in this journey? Stan: I enjoy being surrounded by older and more experienced ministers. Coming from the Czech Republic, where communism destroyed the church for many years, we didn’t have this opportunity to learn from older ministers. Here I’ve found something that I have always wanted. I love being a part of a CPI hub.
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Who is your CPI mentor? Stan: My mentor is pastor Kelton Black from Gospel Tabernacle Church in Highbridge. He introduced me to the CPI hub in Portishead. There I met many other amazing people, who adopted me into their family and into their hearts, and are always encouraging me. Kelton: We connected in conversation on social media, and soon became interested in each other’s ministry. After meeting up nearly two years ago, Stan expressed a need to relate to wider ministry. I accepted the role with him to serve as mentor and prayer supporter.
How does your mentor help you in your church planting journey? Stan: Pastor Kelton and I meet regularly. He visits our ministry events and he’s invited me to speak in his church in Highbridge. In the UK, I’ve been introduced to other ministers through pastor Kelton. We pray for each other and keep each other updated. Kelton: My aim is to encourage him in discovering his calling. I serve as coach, asking key questions to help him develop his ministry plans. We pray together and travel together. I have introduced him to the various networks I am connected to which has opened up further support and opportunity for him.
Since 2005, Stan has lived in the UK as a mi
What are your hopes for the future? Stan: In our ministry we hope to see many new church leaders moving into their call and new churches being planted across the nations. We hope to see more cooperation among many different ministries and ministers. Kelton: I have just celebrated my 60th Birthday and I feel strong in the Lord, so I continue to serve both the local church and the wider fellowship of ministry God has given me. We will harness technology like Skype and social media to serve our ministries better. I continue to learn. Stan and his wife Sarah are helping build people up and encouraging them to maturity in Christ.
I consider it a privilege to work alongside others and help them fulfil their vision for God. I understand the demands of planting and developing churches and know how much it meant to have experienced workers help me in my years of ministry.
What benefit do you get from attending the CPI Hub meetings? Stan: CPI helped me to get connected with similar-minded people and allowed me to meet with experienced ministers. It also showed me that we are not alone in what we are doing, but there are so many people actively engaged in church planting.
What would you say to someone who may be feeling the Lord is nudging them to plant a church? Stan: If you sense the call of God to become a church planter, surround yourself with those who are already actively engaged in church planting. Find some mature leaders who are willing to invest in you or church planting movement and learn from those who went before you. Be willing to learn and observe and don’t be afraid to take small steps of faith. As you will progress, you will grow and you will become a church planter too. Kelton: Obey God. I recommend you test your calling by sharing your vision with people experienced and those who understand church planting. Seek help in the work and believe God for each step along the way. Fellowship with others of like mind. “Iron sharpens Iron�
issionary to Czech and Slovak ethnic minorities and to the Roma people.
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STORY
A MULTI-CULTURAL CHURCH IN SOUTH LONDON Caleb and Adanesh Mathewos, originally from Ethiopia, have joined the Counties Evangelists Training Programme (ETP) and have also become network members of Church Planting Initiative.
Caleb, who is the pastor of The Message of the Cross Evangelical Church in Kennington, London, has a heart to see a multi-cultural church in South London and beyond and has set up several English-speaking Bible study groups that meet in various locations in the surrounding area.
Tell us a bit about your background. I grew up in a Christian home. My father, who is a full-time evangelist, helped me to know Jesus and to follow His way. I decided to believe in Jesus as my personal saviour at the age of 12 and was baptised soon after. God called me to serve Him when I was 19 and opened the door to study His word. Since then, I have been in full-time church ministry which involves preaching, teaching, training, evangelizing and planting a church
in Ethiopia. I came to the UK in 2005 and have been granted a refugee status to live here permanently. I am married to Adanesh Tura and we are serving God together.
Describe your church plant. I recently planted a church in South London near Elephant and Castle and I’m also doing the evangelism and pastoral work at The Message of the Cross Evangelical Church, an Ethio-Eritrean Church based in South London. God is doing a great thing in our ministry: people are coming to Christ from various addictions and different religious backgrounds. We are evangelizing all people regardless of religion, race or colour. We baptized four people and we are currently preparing some of the new converts for water baptism. We are actively engaged in mission and organise various multi-cultural groups during the week.
How has Counties and Church Planting Initiative helped support you? I am very grateful for Church Planting Initiative (CPI) which are currently coaching and mentoring me and following up on the growth of the church. I feel privileged to join Counties. Though I have a vision and passion, I don’t have any financial support for myself and ministry. Now I have joined Counties and CPI, I will get support in terms of training, mentoring and finance. Now with all this support, I am ready to stretch myself as God calls me to do His mission. For more information on Caleb’s ministry visit tmcec.co.uk or email pastor@tmcec.mobi
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STORY
ANNUAL GATHERING
It was fantastic to gather together earlier this year. The theme was releasing leaders and the keynote speaker Sam Gibson looked at 1 Thessalonians 5 and talked about how in our celebrity culture we are still building towers (Genesis 11). But Jesus is building His Kingdom. A church culture that is biblical and kingdomoriented (and avoids tower building) starts with identity as sons and daughters. We are raising up successors (churches planting churches) not trying to be professionals. The most important foundation for a church is culture. A culture of
encouragement, accepting authority, peace, joy and prayer. Feedback from attendees said what an encouraging event it was and a great opportunity for networking.
Jesus replied, “Blessed are yo u, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not re vealed to you by flesh an d blood, but by my Fa ther in heaven. M a tt ) hew IV 1 6: 17 ( N 11
STORY
MEET THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CPI TRUSTEES Giles Arnold has acted as a trustee of CPI for the last decade. He took over as chairman of the CPI trustees in 2015. Giles is a chartered surveyor and General Manager of Church Growth Trust, a role that uniquely combines his property management experience with his pastoral gifting and passion to see churches grow. Church Growth Trust is one of the member organisations that makes up Church Planting Initiative (CPI).
Outward looking Any community, whether it is a village or a housing estate in the town/city needs to have an active, Gospel-based and outward looking church. If there is not one in a community, then that community is likely to need a church plant! This may be a missional community group or life group that is part of a larger church or a newly planted fellowship. All it needs is people who are committed to the community, ideally living in it, so they can be incarnational in their relationships, and who have a call from God and desire to reach that community with the Gospel. Anyone feeling the nudge to plant should test the call and speak to the team at CPI, go along to one of our regional hubs to see what the likely issues are and to be encouraged that it is possible. Then step out and do something. If God is in it He will do the rest!
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We spoke to Giles about his work and passions: The work that I do for Church Growth Trust (CGT) is a ministry and I find it incredibly fulfilling. CGT manages around 90 church buildings across the UK. We discuss with trustees of gospel halls and independent church buildings how we can take on the long-term ownership/ trusteeship of their Giles Arnold property, to ensure that it continues in Gospel use for the future. We encourage assemblies to continue when they wish to and, where they decide to close, we find new evangelical churches to take on the buildings. Often the new church is a church plant and we are delighted to be able to help by making buildings available in this way. Being a trustee of CPI has been enriching in many ways. I have enjoyed personal contact with a number of church planters that we have and still support, seeing some of them regularly. It has been a delight to be able to help them both pastorally and in practical ways, such as negotiating leases on properties and in other cases letting them use CGT’s buildings or guaranteeing their lease. For three or so years I led an independent church plant we started in 2006 with a Swiss family that had recently moved to the village. We saw three and a half years of
STORY incredible growth, both with people being saved, but also lives being transformed, as people were able to grasp and put into practice biblical principles. We also experienced an amazing sense of community, living as New Testament church and sharing our lives together. When for various reasons we sensed that the Lord was closing the fellowship, there was a
huge sense of loss. But the Lord even used this for my good, as he taught me to be more in love with Him than the ministry! I am hoping that the work of CPI and CGT will continue to grow with fledgling church plants turning into established churches that are then considering church plants of their own and looking to connect more of CGT’s church properties with church planters.
HELPING YOUNG CHURCHES GROW You can help CPI to grow its church planting by making a donation to support new churches around the country. We are pleased to report our strategy of encouraging Hub meetings to multiply is working, so that we now have six meetings in four regions of England. Our Hubs report they support at least 60 church planting locations, variously classified as pioneer, revitalisation, mother-daughter or multi-site. Not all initiatives become churches. We are delighted to report that one of our church plants is already planting again and, as part of this, CPI is supporting a 19 year old church planting apprentice (read about him on pages 6-7). We welcomed this new Network Member so seven locations receive financial grants at the time of reporting. Our Annual Network Review of grant-aided churches reported 24 conversions, 11 baptisms, 58 leaders, and nearly 2500 community contacts from young churches whose median size is 29 attenders. In England, we hope to begin Hubs in the North East, Yorkshire & Humber, East Midlands, East England and South East. CPI does not want to build a denominational structure and in any event is limited on its operational capacity, and so the way towards achieving the purpose of church planting over a wider area of England
is through establishing CPI Hubs. *From 2016 it was agreed GLO would take responsibility for church planting hubs in Scotland and Ireland
Planter Care
60% Funds at work
£72,094
Governance
7% 33%
Church, individual and Hub Grants
3% CPI Plants Supporter contributions
12%
£48,344
83%
Individuals
2% Investments Trusts and Organisations
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PRAYER
PRAY WITH US OCTOBER David Longman Please pray that God continues to build a church that is fully devoted to Him, and that actually loves each other authentically. And that God will continue to supply the resources needed for what we believe He is calling us to.
Martin Korchinsky Pray for the Neighbourhood Chaplains programme in Brinnington and that more churches will get involved with this initiative across the UK.
Terry Wilkes Pray for conversions, pray for Windmill Community Church and Lidl UK planning applications which are currently with the Local Authority. Our little group have given £80,000 to buy the building but we need funds to renovate it – pray for grant support as we make our applications to various Trusts.
NOVEMBER Jordan Armstrong We need to grow our team in both numbers and strength, welcoming other people equipped for different roles with the church plant. But we then also need to have a focus on praying together, sharing together, and becoming a strong team that are connected, so we can connect with others well.
DECEMBER Giles Arnold, CPI chairman of the trustees
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Prayer for wisdom for CPI trustees in decisions we take and encouragement for the staff team.
JANUARY Caleb Mathewos In the next 1-3 years, I would like to see: • Our Amharic service to increase to 30-40 people • Two multi-cultural churches with 50 members each • Building up 7-9 small groups (discussion and discipleship) • Training small group leaders and future church leaders • Church weekend program for reflection and review • Monthly joint gathering of both English and Amharic churches • Increasing budgets, fundraising, inviting partners, approaching trusts Our team needs to grow in leadership skills (administration, communication, pastoral, teaching and preaching). We also need to learn more about children’s ministry (training, resources), music (more musicians, training) and fundraising (how to do, where to look and who to ask).
FEBRUARY Stan Strunc Please pray for churches and leaders of churches that we helped to plant, so they can grow in maturity and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Please pray for supernatural provision for our travel expenses.
MARCH Church Planting Initiative 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.
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For God to cause all our young churches to grow through salvation.
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Call James Hyde, CPI Co-ordinator on 07899 670924 Email planterdiscovery@cpi-uk.org Visit cpi-uk.org