Our Stories
New Generation, Sidcup
New Generation Church Sidcup is a Pioneer church led by Paul and Paula Weston. In response to a prophetic word from over a decade ago, the team at New Gen started Hope Community School – a free school with a Christian designation. A few years later, they also took on management of the community library on Sidcup high street in order to stop it closing.
It was great to visit Paul and Paula this month and get a feel for how the school and library are impacting the community, and how we as the church can lead the way in transforming community spaces and bringing out the best in our neighbourhoods
Lighthouse Church, Anglesey
Lighthouse Church (Capel Goleudy) is a bilingual expression of church on the island of Anglesey, planted out of Open Heaven Church in 2017 by Alan and Rachel Radbourne. Many Christians on Anglesey were used to travelling off of the island for church community, so Lighthouse Church was planted to be a thriving family expression of church – on the island and for the island.
It was brilliant to visit Alan, Rachel and the family last month and hear their stories of baptisms in the sea, outgrowing their building and hosting their annual community fun day.
The Basement, Ealing
The Basement is a Youth Cafe for the young people of Ealing, started by Bless Community Church. There was a prophetic word given to the church 20 years ago about there being an underground space for young people to belong and find Jesus, and last September Jacob and the team launched The Basement in a community cinema in the centre of Ealing.
The Gather Collective, Eastbourne
Gather Collective is a Pioneer church who started a community garden on the allotment down the road from where they meet in Eastbourne. The garden is a hub for the local community to grow food, eat together and connect with one another. Over fifty volunteers visit the plots over six mornings each week to work the land throughout the seasons and share in the fruits of their labour.
The Branch, Huddersfield
Huddersfield Community Church is a Pioneer church who go over and above in responding to the needs of their local community. What started as a mums and toddlers group called Melody Makers, in the pandemic expanded into what is now The Branch – a community hub who provide the Paddock neighbourhood with an ongoing stream of groups, courses and services. The Branch meets people’s needs by connecting them into a community. Their work is an excellent example of how the love of the church can reach beyond the walls of a building and out into a neighbourhood.
