Holmfirth Elim

The church in Holmfirth was birthed out of Huddersfield Elim. It is pastored by Ian Sharp (pictured here with his wife Gail and their son Joshua) who left a successful career in retail management before taking up leadership in Huddersfield.

Before arriving at the church I was taken to the church cafe in the centre of the village that, apart from providing meals six days a week, also has counselling and prayer rooms for the use of the community.

I was surprised on my visit on two levels. Firstly I did not expect the level of growth in a church that had only been accepted by Elim at the 2009 Conference. It was standing room only at the local community centre at which the congregation meets. Secondly, the worship team that,is led by Gail, is worthy of a congregation many times its size.

Huddersfield Elim

It is said that one of the elements of successful church growth is a long pastorate with the right leader. Well, if that is the case, Huddersfield is a case in point.

The first thing you notice about the church is the new building that they have been in for the past twelve months. It is contemporary and high profile in the town centre.

Peter and Kath Hannam (pictured) have given most of their years in ministry to this great church and the hundreds of people who now attend bear testimony to the effectiveness of their ministry.

After the morning service I had the opportunity to have lunch with the core pastoral staff and their wives. The three hours that we spent together left me in no doubt as to potential that this church has in the years to come.