On Sunday 10th July, we had the great joy of celebrating together and blessing all those taking on responsibility at Hope Church. As we all know leadership is not easy and so it was great to look back in Exodus chapter 31 at the moment where Moses takes time to speak to Joshua and see the Lord Commission him for leading the people of God. You can catch up with the talk here.
Towards the end of the service we took time pray for all our leaders and also to share some exciting news about the future too. Here is a brief snap shot of what we shared...
Eldership
Chris Kimbangi and Stuart Parker continue to serve as Elders in the church. We're pleased to let you know that we're not alone in this, and receive great support by regularly meeting with an eldership support team.
We're pleased to announce that in September 2022 Stuart will start working 2 days a week for the church alongside Chris. This appointment will give Stuart extra capacity to focus on his eldership responsibilities of Pastoral Care, Kids Leader and Life Group oversight. Stuart will also carry oversight for our staff team and operations. Chris will continue to focus on the church's vision, direction and strategy, as well as overseeing our preaching and leadership development.
Staff
We've been so blessed to have Rachel May working as an interim operations administrator over these past few months and she'll continue in that role throughout the summer.
We're also pleased to announce that we are now advertising for a 3 day per week Operations Administrator role. This post can work flexibly around your stage of life and we'd like the person who receives this post to start in September.
This post is open for applications now and the attached Job advert contains the details for how to apply and receive further information about the role.
Trustees
The role of a trustee is vital in the life of our church, and we're so grateful for those who serve us in this way. We're pleased to let you know that our new Chair of Trustee's is Mike Reid (pictured right). Mike is a current elder and trustee in Welcome Church, Woking. Mike brings lots of experience to our team and is supporting us in reviewing all our systems and processes. Mike joins Chris Kimbangi, Julia Wensley, David Kimber, Matt Puusaari and Ed Poulton in serving the church in this way.
Life Group Leaders
Life Groups are at the very heart of the life of our church, support and pastoral care. They are a great way to get to know people, have fun and grow in faith. We have 6 life groups to choose from...
Worplesdon - Dan & Charlie Riddle
Burpham - Malcolm and Pam Kayes
Merrow - Tim and Anna Peckham
Merrow - Stuart and Jean Parker
Send - Gavin & Dee Labrooy and Diana Methold
Godalming - Barny and Hannah Leavers
For more information about our groups or to sign up contact us here or head to churchsuite/menu/groups.
Ministry Leaders
From the youngest to the oldest, helping people to grow in faith is at the heart of who we are. Our ministries all do that in a variety of ways, and we're grateful for every one.
Creche - Sue Peckham
Kids - Stuart Parker
Youth - Patrick and Kate Overy
6th Form - Andrew and Amy Fleming
Students & 20's - Rehana Nurmahi
Hope Tots Toddler Group - Anna Peckham and Charlie Riddle
Worship - Led by James Abbott with Dan Riddle and Hannah Leavers
Women - Hannah Leavers
Safeguarding
One of the most important areas in any church, or indeed organisation is safeguarding. So we're really pleased to let you know that Catherine Kimbangi (Safeguarding Lead) and Rachel May (Safeguarding Deputy) along with Matt Puusaari (Safeguarding Trustee) ensure that our safeguarding practice across our church is top notch. Catherine has led the safeguarding team in her previous church and with her day job brings lots of experience and expertise to this vital role.
Opportunities to Serve
It was great to have Dub Everitt with us a few weeks ago helping us explore what it means to, Love People Towards Jesus. Therefore we're delighted to say that we are launching the Alpha Course in the Autumn term. We already have a team leader and are looking for others to join this exciting team.
In addition, we're also going to re-launch our Men's Ministry team. If you'd like to get involved in either of these teams, or indeed any of our teams from across the church, we'd love to hear from you.
It was so good to join together for our Commissioning Sunday as a church family. No matter who you are, you're valued in this church and we'd like to thank you for all that you bring to the church by being you.
Thank You.
Following the words of Moses, from Sundays talk, we'd like to encourage you all to ....
...be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified … for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Exodus 31:6