Blackpool Centre of Mission 

Blackpool has some of the most deprived estates in the country, and Grange Park folk face some of the greatest challenges. With a population of over 7,000, Grange Park has a reputation of having high levels of unemployment, poor educational standards, crime and drugs. Launched in June 2018, Blackpool Centre of Mission is a new and exciting partnership between Church Army and the Diocese of Blackburn to breathe new Christian life into the estate and the deanery of Blackpool. Lead evangelist Matthew Rowley and his family have moved into the heart of the estate, where his wife Lucy has already been making an impact as a church community worker. God is already opening doors and connections are being made. Soon a pioneer evangelist will join the team, and they will work with local people to grow new disciples and establish new Christian communities. In time they will offer their experience and gifts in evangelism to the churches of Blackpool as a resource for mission and fulfil the Church Army DARE strategy.

Bradford Centre of mission 

The Bradford Centre of Mission is home to the Sorted Project – a church for young people, run by young people. It was established as a fresh expression of church in 2005 by Andy Milne, and his wife Tracy has since grown into three separate youth churches with a focus on teenagers and young adults from non-church backgrounds. It has been awarded a Bishops’ Mission Order which officially recognises it within the Church of England. It's work includes: three youth churches; outreach to schools and housing estates youth clubs; worship evenings; home groups and one-to-one mentoring and discipleship. Carl Firth is also based at our Bradford Centre of Mission. You can find out more through Sorted's website or by reading their latest supporter newsletter.

Chatham Centre of Mission 

In its glory days Chatham was home to Henry VIII's navy, but over four centuries have gone by and the town is now a place where people with many needs live. Stephen Ramshaw is the lead evangelist and he is determined that people's lives will be better because of the centre of mission. He wants to give people hope in a place where there is low aspiration, security where there is practical need and a Saviour in a place where many people don't know how much God loves them. During 2018 the team will grow because a pioneer evangelist will be appointed to work with Stephen in Chatham and the Medway towns. Find out more about what Stephen has been up to since he moved to Chatham in his recent newsletter.

Greenwich Centre of Mission 

The Greenwich Centre of Mission in South London works across a number of housing estates and deprived communities and is led by Nick Russell and Nicholas Lebey. Their work includes: The Superkidz Community Trust, which reaches out to hundreds of deprived children, young people and parents each year through youth and children’s clubs, home visiting and mentoring, families work, holiday clubs and trips and employment advice and training, with specialist work with young offenders and those at risk of offending; Coffee Stop for socially excluded adults; Friendship Tea – an accessible Christian service for adults; Messy Church; a partnership with the youth charity, XLP, to help those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion and the Friday Night Youth Club in Abbey Wood with the vision of growing this into a youth congregation.

HARLEsTON Centre of Mission 

The Harleston Centre of Mission serves a group of villages in a rural part of south Norfolk, mostly between the towns of Harleston and Diss.  Church Army is learning fast what it means to bring Good News in both words and actions in a rural area, where great poverty and great comfort often go cheek by jowl.  Trevor Clarke is the evangelist who leads this centre of mission, and during 2018 he will be joined by a colleague so that they can not only help people hear about Jesus for the first time, but also encourage nearby churches to be Good News in their communities.

Kings Lynn Centre of Mission 

James Hawksworth is the evangelist who leads the Kings Lynn Centre of Mission.  He ministers in an area of considerable poverty – the kind of area where Church Army has made its home in all the fourteen decades of its history.  His mission is to serve those in need – both in need of a more secure life and in need of a Saviour.  His heart is with young people and their families, and during 2018 he will be joined by a colleague so that a community of people determined to bring Good News begins to grow.  The vision is for evangelism to become a way of life for many Christians not only in Kings Lynn but in the surrounding churches in the north-west of Norfolk.

Liverpool Centre of Mission 

The centre of mission in Liverpool, based in the parish of Norris Green, was launched in November 2017. This is a strategic partnership between the diocese, the parish of St Christopher’s and Church Army. The Parish of Norris Green is based close to the centre of Liverpool. It is an area of social need but also there is much regeneration and new housing being built. St Christopher’s is a church at the heart of the community, with the community on its heart. Paul Smith leads the centre of mission and Cherith Collins is the pioneer evangelist. They currently run a foodbank, with a strong focus on befriending those attending, regular groups for men, children and the elderly, a walking football club (in partnership with Liverpool Football Club) and they regularly lead school assemblies in local schools. They also run a youth summer camp and a group to get the young people involved in evangelism and outreach. Paul and Cherith also have a number of other projects in development, including a football league, community garden, Faith Pictures course and potential partnership to run a CAP job club.

scunthorpe Centre of Mission 

The vision for Scunthorpe Centre of Mission, launched in July 2017, is 'Transforming Communities, Building Church'. It is led by Paul McDonough and Sean Andrews and works in three communities across Scunthorpe (Riddings, Westcliff and Berkeley) that are a mix of economically and socially deprived areas, with areas within them that materially are quite well off. The role of Scunthorpe Centre of Mission is to encourage the present church communities and also bring hope to the wider community and show that Jesus is relevant and that he cares about the folk who live in these areas.

Selby Centre of Mission 

"Where change is possible" could be the motto of the Edge Community, Selby. Richard Cooke leads the Selby Centre of Mission, where he is working with Amy Hayes alongside local Christians as they reach out to families of the Flaxley Road estate. It is one of the most socially deprived estates in North Yorkshire, where there is much brokenness and hurt. With no overt Christian presence or outreach for 100 years, the poverty is spiritual as well. Richard and Amy work with the local church to bring the Good News of God's love and power for change in a variety of ways: in the local primary school with assemblies, RE and a Christian after-school club; running DNA youth group and Youth Alpha style meetings; using a converted double-decker bus as Community drop-in and Youth Café; supporting young families through a parent and toddler group and helping people practically with parenting and debt. You can find out more about the Edge Community through their website or by reading their latest newsletter.

sheffield centre of mission 

Kinder Kalsi leads the Sheffield Centre of Mission, working alongside Deborah Battersby. Across the city they are involved in: establishing fresh expressions of church for those who are vulnerable or mentally ill; youth clubs; schools’ work; outreach on housing estates; one-to-one mentoring; providing evangelism training to churches and individuals; food banks and practical support and outreach to workers in the city centre. Find out more news from Sheffield Centre of Mission by reading Kinder's latest newsletter.

Southampton Centre of Mission 

Tim Hyde and Ruth Hills are based at our centre of mission in Southampton. Church Army has had a very long association with Southampton, so it is appropriate that it was one of the first cities in the UK where Church Army developed a Centre of Mission. Changing to meet changing needs, its work now has the scope to encourage and enable evangelism across the city from a base on the east side. Tim is based in Sholing Parish where he works alongside St. Mary’s Church, Sholing. Together they run a youth project called Impact. SCOM Lighthouse is a project that gives people opportunities to experience both practically and spiritually the deep love that God has for them. The project is currently looking at what they can do in the Varity Park area of the parish to create new opportunities for mission. Work that Tim began with dads, through lunch clubs and by praying with people on the streets is being sustained by local Christians, allowing him to move on and pioneer further projects in new locations. You can read more about the latest news from Southampton Centre of Mission in their supporter newsletter.

Thanet Centre of Mission 

The Thanet Centre of Mission brings hope to communities in Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and the surrounding villages on the east coast of Kent and is led by Lynne Bone.  Across the deanery, there continues to be good collaboration between the centre of mission and other agencies including the Police, Food Link, schools, Manston Army base and community projects. Its work includes: Prayer Care, where the team visit residential care homes on a regular basis and build relationships with residents, family members, staff and management; Ignite, which seeks to build community by creating an environment where people are valued and accepted, and enjoy being with each other. It has been likened to Messy Church for adults; St Georges Ramsgate Project where we build community and show God’s love in a practical and relevant way; Men’s ministry; Thanet winter shelter; The Dream Team, which is an exciting new venture aiming to “enthuse the pews” with reaching out to our local communities in mission and evangelism;  taking assemblies and visiting classrooms on a weekly rota; we are also a part of Schools+, an ecumenical group who run Christmas Unwrapped and Easter Cracked events for year 6 pupils across many different primary schools. Catch up with Thanet's latest news by reading their summer newsletter.

Torbay Centre of Mission 

The Torbay Centre of Mission was launched in September 2016 and is bringing the Good News of Jesus to Paignton, Torquay and people who live in the bay between. Torbay was once a thriving holiday destination, but now it has a very high rate of poverty among children, old people and those of working age. The local churches long to respond, and they have identified people aged 18 to 30 and their families as a priority. Jeff Hill has been living and ministering on the Foxhole Estate, Paignton since August 2014. He is serving families practically through community lunches, a toddler group, work in the school, a big termly community event for families and a Messy Church. Adrian Prescott joined the team in September 2016 to live in nearby Torquay and begin new projects that bring help and hope to people who live in the forgotten corners of the town. Between them they long to encourage other local churches in their mission, and gather people around them to share the vision for introducing Jesus to people who do not yet know how very much God loves them.

Find out about our other centres of mission in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.