London City Region

Kensington Temple in London is not only Elim's largest church but, under the leadership of Colin Dye and his team, has developed into a network of churches around the city designated 'London City Church'.  KT, as it is more commonly called, is not however limited to the England's capital and supports many churches around the world several of which it has pioneered.

LCC has grown at such a rate that it is considered to be a Region in its own right within our Movement.  It was a great pleasure for me to spend an entire Saturday with all of the leaders from the LCC region - something that I do at least once every two years.

Rushey Green, London

Rev. Sam Larbie (pictured here his wife Sophia, Marilyn and I and Regional Leader David Campbell at the opening of their new facilities) was a major in the Ghanaian army before coming to the UK 28 years ago.

He commenced a church with just a handful of people and since then has never stopped planting and expanding.  I estimate that over a thousand Elim members have sprung from the work that he has accomplished over the years.

Recognising the apostolic gift on his life I have always referred to him as 'The Bishop'.  Apart from the many  who have found Christ under his leadership, several people testify to have been healed through his 'Right Now Jesus' ministry.

Though it has taken many years to reach the point when there fine facilities could be finally secured, it is clear that the tenacity that he and the leaders around him have shown has paid off.  A large auditorium and many ancillary rooms pay tangible tribute to their work throughout London.

Kingstanding Elim

One of the first things that you notice as you enter the Kingstanding church is the excellent "Elim Life" branding around the building and the next thing would be the warm welcome.

Johnathan and Sam Skelton (pictured here with their two lovely daughters Olivia and Charlotte) have done a tremendous job in the years they have been at this influential Birmingham church.

Jonathan's parents pastored the AoG church in West Bromwich when I was a young minister in my Twenties and we became firm friends.  So I have known Jonathan since he was born.

Now having to run two morning services because of the burgeoning numbers 'Elim Life' is well known in the community for its social concern as well as its vibrant services.

Also on team is Sarah Whittleston who is a key person in Elim's National Prayer initiative and a major voice in the Lift-Up intercession emphasis in our Movement.

Winson Green, Elim

More times than I can recount I come away from visiting our churches thankful to God for the men and women that God has gifted to our Movement in Leadership.  My visit to Winson Green, Birmingham was one such occasion.

In the two years since James and Kasia Talbot moved there with their children Gabriela and Jonathan the congregation has grown from the 35 to well over twice that number and much progress has been made on the church building giving it a profile in the vicinity that it had never enjoyed previously

It was a pleasure to preach at such a warm and welcoming congregation and the worship was enthusiastic and powerful.  Marilyn and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with the Winson Green church family.

A century of service

When anyone thinks of Elim's International centre it is usually in the context of excellent facilities spread over a 32 acre site at the top of the Malvern Hills.

But what really matters in Malvern is the scores of dedicated staff who work loyally and faithfully in all the many departments - Administration, Finance, Missions, Conference Centre, College, Serious4God, Reach and Aspire.

This photo celebrates three of our staff who between them, had given a century to our Movement.

Jenny Locke (centre) has worked for us  for an incredible 40 years and Miriam Loveridge (left) and Cath Symons have served for 30 years respectively.

To make this very special occasion 25 members of staff from their immediate department gathered for a buffet lunch and each received a large bouquet of flowers and the latest edition of the iPad to mark the occasion.

I consider it an immense privilege to serve alongside staff of this calibre and our Movement could not operate without them.

Ground level

Ground Level is a network of churches led by Stuart Bell, a prominent member of what is often referred to as the New Church Movement.  He covers a number of fellowships  from the 'Humber to the Wash' and his own congregation is situated in the heart of the City of Lincoln

I was responding to an invitation to speak to the leaders in his network.  It is always a joy to minister to groups in Streams beyond the borders of own Movement and there is always strength in cross-fertilisation, mutual learning and bridge building.

Selly Oak Elim Church

There are two vibrant Elim churches within a mile of one another in the Selly Oak area of Birmingham.  The one that I was speaking on this occasion is pastored by senior minister Iain Hesketh (pictured here with his wife Rachel) and assistants  Jack and Annie who, by the time that this is published will be a newly married couple.

Marilyn and I have visited this church on several occasions during the time that Maldwyn Jones was the minister and it was great to be there on this occasion and see the continued growth of this fine church.

Iain, apart from his leadership of the local church is also active beyond its walls in a number of Regional and national initiatives.

Lakeside Elim Church

If ever there was a church that lived up to its name it is Lakeside Elim Church situated at the heart of the beautiful northwest coastal resort of Southport and on located by a lake with stunning views.  Not too many church cafes overlook a vista populated by swans.

This vision is the result of the tireless and tenacious efforts of senior minister Malcolm Hathaway (pictured here with his wife Lorna) and associate pastor Richard Vernon (pictured here with is wife George).

The former fitness complex provides some of the best facilities seen in any Elim church and incorporates two squash courts and is surrounded by a car park for 180 cars.  But of course, as great as buildings are, its the people that matter and Marilyn and I so much enjoyed our Sunday with this warm and welcoming congregation.

Barking, Elim

It is always a joy for Marilyn and I to be with our friends John and Trish Waller who are the senior leaders of the Elim Church in Barking, Essex.

Immediately after arriving on Saturday afternoon I met with the Elders and pastors of the church for an informal two-hour leadership session

Sunday morning consisted of two identical morning services in order to accommodate the expanding congregation that has almost doubled in size since John and Trish came to the church. Also, since I was last there eighteen months ago, the adjacent building has been renovated and modernised - a great addition to their already excellent facilities.

Most churches have a moment in the morning service where the children go out to a parallel meeting of their own.  That morning I understand was a record as no less than 97 children filed out - phenomenal.  Thank you Barking for the warm welcome you gave us and your openness to the input we were privileged to bring.

Metropolitan Regions

David Campbell is the Regional leader of the two Metropolitan Regions and covers the largest number of churches and leaders in our Movement

Ealing Christian Centre pastored by senior ministers, Richard and Rajindark Buxton provided the excellent venue and generous hospitality to the large numbers of leaders who attended. 

Worship was led by Sam Blake

It is on days of this nature that I become increasingly aware of the great calibre of men and women who are leading the churches across our Movement.

Ellesmere Port Elim Church

As I revisit churches over the years, it is great to see the development and expansion that is evident since the last time that I was there.

 I was at Oasis (Elim in Ellesmere Port) just eighteen months ago and it was remarkable how many people that I spoke to after the meeting told me how they had joined the church during the past twelve months.

Peter Peters, originally from Nigeria, pastors this church that continues to grow numerically and as well as in faith and vision.

Claude and Sue Ellerington - retirement

 Marilyn and I attended the retirement meal for our close friends Claude and Susan Ellerington who have Pastored the Elim Church in Weston Super Mare for the past 19 years.

Both of their sons (Richard and Steve) are ordained Elim ministers.  Richard is planting a church in the south of France and Steve is the senior pastor of Bude in Cornwall.  Their daughter, Dawn (pictured here with her mother Susan) holds an Elim 'License to Minister' credential and his based in Holy Trinity (Elim) Weston.

Many tributes, from church Elders and members, were made to Claude and Sue who have seen the church triple in size during the years that they have been there.  They clearly will be greatly missed by this warm and friendly family church.

Feast of Esther

It was a privilege to speak at the opening night of the 'Feast of Esther' Conference attended by influential women from the black community who are leaders in church, academia and commerce.  It is hosted by Pastor Foluku Adeboye the wife of Rev A. Adeboye who is the pastor of the largest church in the world based in Lagos Nigeria and who was voted by Newsweek magazine as one of the fifty most influential men in the world. He is also the leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.  It was an exceptional evening and it was a joy for Marilyn and I  to be with these great women of God.

Isle of Man

It is thirty years since Elim first planted a church in the Isle of Man as a result of a series of special evangelistic services conducted by Paul Epton.  There are now three Elim Churches on the Island which has a population of around  85,000 people.

The reason for my visit was to celebrate this special anniversary.  The Saturday meeting was in Onchan and then on the Sunday all three churches (Onchan, Peel, Ramsey) came together in a hired venue.  During the service ten people indicated their decision to commit their lives to Christ.

One of my nieces and her husband (Amanda and Alex Brown) head up Scripture Union on the Isle of Man and it was a joy to attend their annual Conference on the Sunday afternoon.

I am grateful for the work that the three pastors Des Deehan, Jonny Harding and John Powell are doing for Elim on the Island.

Elim - Church of Pentecost

The Church of Pentecost, based in Accra Ghana, is the Denomination to which we in our Movement are the most closely associated.  Every year members from our NLT attend their Conference  and, similarly, a delegation from Ghana attends our Conference.

This photo depicts the Elim NLT together with two CoP apostles from Ghana and senior leaders of the Church of Pentecost in the UK.  CoP is the largest of all Denominations in Ghana with a world-wide membership which now exceeds two million. 

Cardiff City Temple

Due to the volume of my appointments and the printing schedule of Direction, there is often a gap of some weeks before a report can be seen in the magazine.  An example of this is my Easter visit to the City Temple in Cardiff

This church always had good memories for me for it was when attending the Easter Convention in 1971 that I first met the lady who was later to become my wife.

The City Temple today is far larger and more effective than it has ever been in its long history. This is due to the fine leaders that it has had over the years and the faithfulness of the members of its congregation.  Steve Ball (second from the left) has been senior minister for the past four years and the church has continued to grow in size and depth under his ministry and that of the team (pictured) that work alongside him.  There were around 500 present for the Good Friday service and almost 800 in total in the two morning services on Easter Sunday.  It was a great pleasure to spend Easter 2014 with everyone at the City Temple.

Oasis, Wallasey

Another example of the commitment of bi-vocational ministry is that of Vinny and Helen Devonport (pictured here with their son Joshua and daughter Anna)

Vinny and Helen both hold senior roles within the educational system and yet have committed themselves to lead the church in Wallasey.

Vinny and Helen have been members in Wallasey for some years and, when a pastoral vacancy occurred, the congregation were supportive of Vinny applying for ministerial status and, from what I witnessed while I was there, they could not have made a better choice.  This a great family who through dedicated commitment are making a very real difference in the place that God has planted them.

Wembley Christian Centre

Readers of this page will know how much we in our Movement seek to honour bi-vocational leaders - people who engage in secular employment in order to support themselves in pastoral ministry

Someone who has done this for many years Soke Mun Ho who has her own dental practice in Wembley while at the same time giving pastoral leadership to the local Elim congregation.

The service at which I ministered included a testimony from a long-term member of the church who was leaving to take up a senior position as Barrister in the Nigerian government and who expressed gratitude for the input she had received from Pastor Soke Mun during the time she had been part of the congregation.

Longton Elim Church

It was in 1968 that I first met Phil Parsons (pictured with his wife Sue) when we were both Students at the Elim Bible College in Capel, Surrey so it was a privilege for me to be present at the Sunday service in which his current church put on a surprise program to mark his retirement.

What a track record these two remarkable people have within our Movement - 44 years in Elim incorporating a staggering 38 years in leadership of the church in Longton.

Apart from his faithful pastoral ministry, Phil has also served with distinction on a number of committees within the Movement.  We pray God richest blessing on their lives together in the years that lie ahead

Elim Brazil

Being with Elim in Brazil was one of the most memorable trips that I have made overseas and I am grateful to our International Missions Director Paul Hudson for planning the very full trip with such precision.  A full account can be found in this edition of Direction.  The photo shows the Elim pastors and their spouses at a Saturday teaching day that we spent together.  I love the Brazilian warmth, hospitality and openness to the word of God.