AWAKENING
THE EVANGELISATION of the nations, THE REVITALISATION of the Church, THE TRANSFORMATION of society.
/03 Welcome
/05 Stories of Awakening /27 Plants & Revitalisations
/37 Network Support & Leadership Development /47 Love Your Neighbour /53 I Will Pour Out My Spirit
WELCOME
We are delighted to bring you the latest edition of Revitalise, our annual magazine. Over recent months, it’s been deeply encouraging to see headlines report an increase in numbers of people attending church, and to reflect on findings from the Bible Society and YouGov polls that reveal a growing interest in Christianity – especially among Gen Z.
Across our Network of churches and beyond, leaders are sensing that God seems to be doing something new. People are turning up on Sundays with no previous experience of church, we’re witnessing more healings, a hunger to read the Bible, and powerful encounters – with people seeing Jesus in visions and dreams.
This awakening seems especially to be happening among young people, from all backgrounds, many of whom are searching for hope and meaning. And when they meet the living God, these aren’t fleeting moments – they’re profound, transformative experiences.
In the first half of this special edition, we’ve sought to capture just a glimpse of these remarkable stories. Our prayer is that you would be encouraged and inspired by what you read and stirred to pray for more. What if this is only the beginning?
With love, ARCHIE AND SAM VICAR OF HTB
STORIES OF AWAKENING
In this special feature, we spotlight the personal journeys of young people whose lives have been radically changed through their encounters with God. And across the country, churches are witnessing a remarkable surge – people of all ages stepping forward to be baptised in response to a deep spiritual awakening. Some of these moments are captured and celebrated in the pages that follow.
JOEL 2:28 AND AFTERWARDS, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT ON ALL PEOPLE. YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS WILL PROPHESY, YOUR OLD MEN WILL DREAM DREAMS, YOUR YOUNG MEN WILL SEE VISIONS.
WILL’S STORY
I SUDDENLY GOT IT. I KNEW IT WAS REAL! “
I was 16 when we went into lockdown because of Covid. I just spent all my time going out on my bike with friends and we were drinking and smoking weed quite a lot. I was quite driven, and money was the number one thing – I’d actually had a business selling sweets at school and it was quite successful! I was also into self-development, I’d get up and do workouts and stuff, but I just wasn’t fulfilled, and I couldn’t understand why none if it was making me happy. I’d go to parties and have a good time, but I always felt empty afterwards. I had no purpose – it was like a constant cycle.
SOUL SEARCHING
I started looking on YouTube for the meaning of life and ended up going down this rabbit hole of meditation. The next thing it was tarot cards, manifesting, and all these different New Age practices. I was thinking, maybe this is the truth, but I kept feeling worse, like there was this void inside.
One night I was in my mate’s front room. We’d taken something, and we turned the PlayStation on. All of a sudden, I felt this massive demonic presence come into the room, and I felt so desperate to be saved, I wanted to run out of the room and cry out to God because it was so dark and evil, and I knew I needed Him.
After that day I couldn’t sleep, I felt like I was going to be without God forever, the thought of eternity was so heavily on my mind, and it was really bad. My mum and dad were quite concerned. My dad said they didn’t know enough about it and suggested I speak to my aunt who was the only Christian in the family.
DESPERATE FOR PEACE
She told me I was getting involved in demonic things and it was only going to get worse. She told me I needed Jesus Christ, and I was shaking, because I knew she was right. I found a Bible in the house and began reading, and it was the only thing that gave me peace. One day she sent me a YouTube video explaining the gospel, and when it shared about Jesus saying ‘It is finished’ I suddenly got it. I knew it was real! I remember looking in the mirror in disbelief because I thought I’d have to work hard and do all these things for God so that he’d accept me but suddenly it was so freeing! I ran downstairs and told my mum, ‘Jesus Christ is real!’ I think my parents wondered if I was OK! From that moment, I just wanted to follow Jesus.
I got baptised in December 2024, and my dad has been coming to church with me since because he’s seen such a change in me. I’ve prayed for my mum to be healed from sciatica and God took the pain away, and she’s felt much more peaceful. I’ve just started on the Discipleship year at Saint Paul’s Hammersmith and I’m so thankful to God for saving me.
GOD NEVER GAVE UP ON ME.
I grew up with six siblings in a fatherless home. Somehow, my mum managed to get us to church. She did a great job, and I grew up with a God conscience – although I found church boring – I found peace knowing my mum prayed for me. I felt out of place at church; it brought out insecurities in me because coming from poverty made us stand out. From a young age, I had physical and emotional needs that weren’t met, but it was also deeply embedded in me to be a good example to my younger brothers.
I was very good at sport, and popular in my peer group. At 15, I started playing Sunday-league football and got into boxing. I felt, even from a young age, that I was here for a reason – first I was going to be a mega footballer and then that fell away, so I was like, OK, boxing is it. Although I enjoyed winning and the respect it got me, it didn’t stop me feeling bad in my head.
SURROUNDED BY DRUGS
I became national boxing champion in my early twenties. I thought, right, that’s it, what next? I spent the next few weeks drinking heavily and chasing ladies. Around the same time, my mum kicked me out. For about two years I ended up living with my stepdad in a toxic environment. I would smoke weed to escape the pain, and there were Class A drugs all around me. I look back now and realise my life was just spiralling down, but at the time I thought I could handle it. Everything was chaotic, but I appeared calm on the outside. No one knew the real me and how I really felt. Every man that was supposed to be a role model in my life was either in prison or heavily involved in drugs.
A SENSE OF GOD
When I was 26, I was at church for my nephew’s christening. An old lady came up to me and started telling me things she couldn’t have known. My mum had also started going to church again. A couple of weeks later I decided to go again, and Mr Connor came up to me and started speaking truth into my life. I knew God was there, but I wasn’t ready to trust him.
I did get baptised, but in that first six months, I committed every sin there was. I had figured out a way to financially gain from my workplace to money I wasn’t entitled to, but I realised I had to stop that. But then I said to God, I need some money, so I started selling cannabis to my family members. I’m not proud of this when I look back. But God never gave up on me.
One of the first things He did was free me from worrying about what people thought of me. I also knew I needed to walk in a new direction and now my life is so different. I spend my time mentoring young men via various activities. It’s going lovely and God is in control. He has put me back in all the areas that caused me a lot of damage as a young boy, and it fulfils me to bring back good to them.
God saved me from the chaos, and he’s healing me. It’s a life-changing thing when you know God loves you and is proud of you.
Until this summer, I had no relationship with God. I had been struggling with depression for years, unable to find a reason to live.
In September 2024, I moved into a flat that shared a wall with St Swithin’s Church in Lincoln. Every Sunday, as I got ready for work, I would hear the worship, but it wasn’t enough for me to go along. In March this year, God sent a man in his sixties called Keith into my workplace. After some time, he invited me to church, and on Easter Sunday, I finally went along.
I SOBBED FOR SO LONG THAT THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF TEARS ON THE GROUND. “ “
Going to Focus a few months later, I was still desperately searching for a reason to live. During a service in the Big Top, after the sermon, God spoke to me. He asked me to stay seated, to open myself up to Him, to let out my tears and let Him take the pain away. I sobbed for so long that there was a puddle of tears on the ground.
Afterwards, I opened my eyes and looked up to realise that up to this point, my whole life had been colourless. The colours I could now see were vibrant, and the heaviness I didn’t realise I had been carrying was gone. I was excited to live.
God gave me the purpose I was looking for, He told me He had a plan for me, and He healed my depression. Since then, I have quit weed and vaping; I am learning who I am and trusting in what He has given me.
I HAD BEEN STRUGGLING WITH DEPRESSION FOR YEARS, UNABLE TO FIND A REASON TO LIVE.
I’ve always felt spiritually drawn to something. Up until recently though, I’d never been able to say exactly what or who was calling me. I have always been obsessed with the premise that there’s more to life than the immediate and the physical.
However, being raised with no Christian background, I was spiritually directionless. I had no guiding light and this often resulted in emotional dead ends. I was always searching for approval, achieved in hindsight only by some form of self-sabotage. When I was good, I wouldn’t hesitate to remind myself of my oh so wonderful character, but when I wasn’t, I found creative ways to justify my behaviour to cope with the consequences.
I judged myself by my own standards and the standards of the world. My ideals were obnoxious; it was easy to judge others by them, but I failed to live up to them myself. When I reflect honestly, my approach and attitude to people were always through an unnecessarily zealous lens or some kind of self-serving narcissism.
Shortly after a holiday to Egypt, something moved in me. I was convicted by what I now understand as the Spirit to read the Bible; I’d never read it before. I began pouring over scripture and various other books, with a sole focus on proving God’s existence. Shortly after, I began attending my church – St Swithun’s Retford. Then, at Focus 2024, after witnessing the Spirit move on such an immense scale, I realised the missing ingredient in my journey was faith.
I began to put my trust in Christ, and I now live a life driven by purpose, secure in His love. At times it hasn’t been easy, but for the first time in my life, I now recognise how blessed I’ve been.
“
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OBSESSED WITH THE PREMISE THAT THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN THE IMMEDIATE AND THE PHYSICAL.
FORTY MEMBERS OF EXTENDED FAMILY GET BAPTISED
Earlier this year, the congregation at St Ed’s Derby witnessed something extraordinary: the baptisms of forty members of the same family. We spoke with Jeff Golding, leader of St Ed’s, to hear the story behind this remarkable moment.
JEFF, TELL US A BIT ABOUT ST ED’S
We’re a relatively new church that planted in 2023 out of St Werburgh’s Derby. Based on a nearby estate, we’re in one of the most deprived areas of the country. We started with around seven people, but now about 100 people come along, including around 30 kids. It’s a real community.
AS A BIT OF BACKGROUND, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN GOD DOING?
It’s been amazing, there are so many stories. People are just walking in who’ve never been to church before. We had one guy who started Alpha, and halfway through he said, ‘So I’ve read the Bible, and I’ve finished it, what do I do now?’ He’d read the whole thing! We had another guy who was fully addicted to gambling and had hit rock bottom. He prayed a desperate prayer asking for God’s help. The next day he woke up and the desire to gamble had completely gone, so he came to church. He’d never been before in his life! There are so many stories like that.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE LEAD UP TO THE BAPTISMS?
A few months ago, I had an email from a young lady, Ashley, who asked if I’d be up for doing a big baptism, so I agreed to meet her, thinking she might mean four or five people. The family had been through a very traumatic few years, with a series of tragic deaths, beginning with Ashley’s 19-year-old cousin being killed in a drink-drive incident, followed shortly after by the untimely deaths of two siblings of the cousin who died, and not long after, their father. They were really at the stage where they couldn’t take any more when Ashley reached out.
WHAT HAPPENED THEN?
One by one, different family members began asking questions about God, about hope and about life beyond death. They seemed to be on the same spiritual journey at the same time. They weren’t blaming God for what happened; they were just done with the pain and suffering and wanted some hope. Amazingly, they all asked to be baptised together. They wanted to say yes to God and have a fresh start. Some were baptised by full immersion, and others wanted to reaffirm their baptisms.
WHAT IMPACT HAS THIS HAD ON YOU AND YOUR MINISTRY?
I have played such a small part in this, and yet I get to see this incredible move of God. It’s what you pray for through your whole ministry as a leader! We’re a little church in the middle of an estate, it’s really humbling.
“
THEY WEREN’T BLAMING GOD FOR WHAT HAPPENED; THEY WERE JUST DONE WITH THE PAIN AND SUFFERING AND WANTED SOME HOPE.
One of the younger members of the family is baptised Ashley surrounded by members of her family
CHELSEA’S STORY
“
I DABBLED IN NEW AGE, TAROT, ANCESTRAL WORSHIP, ASTROLOGY, TRADITIONAL AFRICAN RELIGIONS, AND BUDDHISM.
Although I was raised in the church, it was very conservative, and misogynistic. I was groomed from a young age and became sexually active, so I felt I was sullied, like I’d messed up my life so I decided to go all in with a sinful lifestyle because I could never again be one of the ‘good girls’.
In my early twenties (I’m 29 now), I moved to Oxford on a scholarship to do a master’s, and met my then partner, now husband. I spent years exploring different religions, searching for something. I dabbled in New Age, tarot, ancestral worship, astrology, traditional African religions, and Buddhism – trying to find some kind of spiritual home for myself. Despite the hurt I carried, and suspicion of Christians, I could never convince myself to be atheist, but every time I dug deeper into these practices, I consistently came up empty.
INTERNAL STRUGGLE
I had so much great stuff going on, I was just married and working for myself, but inside my world was crumbling. I was struggling mentally and emotionally and having intrusive suicidal thoughts. I smoked weed several times a day to manage stress, but so long as everyone around saw me doing well, I kept up a facade.
During this whole time, my neighbour and friend had been inviting us to church. I used to tell her it was a ‘no’ for me! I’d also seen a flyer for Alpha on the side of a bus one day, which said ‘Is there more to life? Try Alpha.’ I looked it up on my phone, but as soon as I saw, ‘Hosted at a church near you,’ I was like, immediately no!
LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
I got to a point where I was so stressed, and I was isolating myself from friends and family, having suicidal ideations, and dealing with terrible insomnia. I tried everything – manifestation, astrology, dream catcher, dietary changes, tarot, burning sage, doing spells, and even booking a reading with a Shaman – yet I still couldn’t sleep.
One night, I was lying awake at 3am. Out of sheer desperation, I looked out the window to the sky and said, ‘Hey, if you are really there, if you’re real, what do I need to do to get some sleep? Whatever you say, I’ll do it.’ I had this internal feeling saying, ‘If you want to sleep, you need to go where my people are.’ I knew that meant I had to go to church.
Next morning I rang my neighbour and said, ‘What church do you go to, and what time?’ She told me about St Aldate’s, and I had no excuse because they have four services each Sunday!
At church, the pastor said someone in the crowd was lying awake at night with insomnia – I knew he was talking about me. The same week, I went to a worship night, and it was transformative. I didn’t feel judged, shamed, or controlled, I just felt loved and accepted, like all that I’d been carrying God was saying – give it to me. I gave my life to Christ that night.
I JUST FELT LOVED AND ACCEPTED, LIKE ALL THAT I’D BEEN CARRYING GOD WAS SAYING – GIVE IT TO ME. “
GOING DEEPER
I was so hungry for more, and they mentioned Alpha starting. I thought, ‘Alpha again? Maybe I should just go.’ Week by week, my personal relationship with Jesus grew, my prayer life took over my anxiety and anger, I was sleeping well, and my desire to read the Bible increased. When I told my husband at the end of Alpha that I wanted to get baptised, he asked me to wait until he’d done Alpha, so we could get baptised together.
Previously, I was struggling with my mental health and wanting to kill myself, now I wake up every morning refreshed and thanking God for another day.
ALL SAINTS WEYBOURNE BAPTISES 23 IN THE SEA
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At All Saints Weybourne in Norfolk, the church family recently experienced an unforgettable evening as 23 members were baptised in the sea. In a small village community, this was a wonderful moment. Adrian Wolton, Associate Vicar of All Saints, shared how the joy was overflowing, and the presence and encouragement of their local bishop made the celebration feel even more special.
ZOE, ONE OF THOSE ADRIAN HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BAPTISING, SHARED HER STORY
I came to All Saints completely broken – ready to end my life and the pattern of pain and abuse. It was a last cry for help before I did something that my son would never forgive me for. I walked in the doors of the church, trying not to scream and cry, and I saw happy people.
When you said we could go to Focus, my heart told me to do this one last thing together with my son. I got there, and he was so excited, but I just wanted to run away. Everyone was smiling, but I felt I had nothing left to give, like I didn’t deserve to be there. I wanted to be on my own and shut myself away, but in the Big Top on the first night I felt the most incredible ‘washing’ feeling. I heard the word ‘Rest’. I never rest – I hadn’t this whole year. It was all I wanted to do though and it’s not my voice I heard at all.
The next day I had no intention of going to the Big Top, but Fran asked me to go with her and something in me made me go. Then I heard a voice in the silence, ‘Zoe, you are worthy, you can be here, it’s alright, it’s okay, you’re worthy to live.’
This voice was an awakening. Worthy? Me? Why?
This experience changed me. The next day I wanted to go together with everyone. I lifted my arms and felt joy. I just knew all of it was OK. The backpack of pain and suffering, the frightened nights of fighting to survive was all gone! I looked around and saw a family that cared for me and wanted me there. I saw my boy, my gift, my miracle, that God reminded me of.
Now I know I’m worthy and I’m so thankful to be here. I have joy with Him, I want to be in church with my family, and I want to smile. I want to follow His path and give back to others what He gave me. God is good, and I’m so thankful.
NIAMH’S STORY
I never grew up with faith or a relationship with Jesus. My Grandfather had been the only person in my family with faith, and when I attended his funeral in 2023, something changed in me. I had a very spiritual moment of complete and utter peace, and it felt like something touched me. I really can’t explain it.
From that moment on, I began searching for God. I would look for Him in sunsets, nature walks and at Lincoln Cathedral. It felt like God would be right there with me, but then I would fall back to earth as I didn’t know how to love Him back. I had nobody in my life who knew Jesus and no one to ask.
A year later, in February 2024, I was praying to Jesus and asking Him to accept me and to know me because I wanted to know Him. I was sitting in my university house, and as I opened my eyes, I saw on my white wall a vision of a door right before my eyes.
I blinked and tried to get the image away until Jesus told me that it was Him. I was led to the verse in Matthew where it talks about ask, seek and knock, and then I understood this was Jesus welcoming me home. After that point, I decided to fully dedicate my life to Jesus Christ.
Jesus has truly saved me. He freed me from nicotine addiction, helped me from depression, panic disorder and anxiety, and has made me a better person. Living with Jesus has given me so much hope and purpose in life. I pray everyone can accept His love because it is the best feeling in the world. Jesus can save anybody.
When I started university, I didn’t know anything about Christianity. I had been struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression for a long time – I was having such dark thoughts that I didn’t want to be here anymore. As a teenager, I began looking for something to give me a reason to live. This is when I discovered crystals and witchcraft. I began to carry crystals around with me to protect myself or reduce anxiety. The more I began to learn, the darker things got. I started doing rituals, spells, burning candles and saying different chants.
In November 2023, I went to a uni house viewing and I noticed a church at the end of the garden. I remember thinking that maybe I would go one day. A month later, I found myself researching Christianity. I went along to the Christian Union on campus and was invited to church. At a worship evening, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, and in that moment, I chose to give my life to Christ.
Since then, Jesus has turned my life around. My mental health has been improving, and I am now secure in who I am. In January of this year, I also experienced physical healing from a long-term hip condition. I had struggled to walk upstairs, and to stand for long periods of time, but when my friends prayed for me, the pain instantly went away.
Even the toughest of days today would have been considered some of my best days before I knew Christ, and I am so blessed that He has turned my life around.
Growing up, faith was a part of my life – I would go to church with my mum, and the school day started with prayer. But when I got to university, any faith I had didn’t reflect in my actions, and I found myself frequently partying and drinking. I tried joining a church, but it was very much like the Anglican ones back home, with no young people.
A few months later, a course mate invited me to Saint Mary’s. I was overwhelmed by the number of people my age and feared that I was the only ‘lukewarm Christian’ there. What’s more, the style of worship was totally different to what I was used to, but over time I came to love it and my faith in God grew exponentially.
Last November was a real turning point when I went away for a weekend with our Collective (for 18–29s). In the extended times of prayer and worship, I was able to address the thing God had been convicting me about – my drinking and how it directly fed into my lust. God really spoke to me, and since then I’ve given up drinking for good (apart from Communion wine of course!).
Being part of Saint Mary’s has been amazing. I’ve stepped into new leadership opportunities with Bridge the Gap football and Collective Team, and all it took was one invitation from a course mate.
As someone whose circle predominantly consists of unbelievers, they’ve seen my faith journey, and I always point them to the cause of it all – my relationship with God. I’ve realised my peer group are far more receptive to receiving the good news than we sometimes think, and we shouldn’t let fear prevent us from sharing our faith. Our job is to plant the seed and let God do the rest!
GOD REALLY SPOKE TO ME, AND SINCE THEN I’VE GIVEN UP DRINKING FOR GOOD.
“ MY PEER GROUP ARE FAR MORE RECEPTIVE TO RECEIVING THE GOOD NEWS. “
HUNDREDS GATHER FOR BEACH BAPTISMS IN BOURNEMOUTH
FIND OUT MORE BY VISITING LOVECHURCH.ORG.UK
On a perfect sunny day in July, hundreds gathered to watch 92 people publicly declare their faith in Jesus by getting baptised in the sea at Boscombe beach in Bournemouth. Five local churches united to organise the event, including Love Church Bournemouth, which was planted from HTB a decade ago. It was an unforgettable event, and even the local BBC team came to share the story!
LUKE WAS ONE OF THOSE BAPTISED, AND HE SHARED SOME OF HIS STORY: ...I felt lost, I had no sense of direction, I lacked motivation, and I sometimes struggled mentally and just felt empty... I constantly felt as if one piece of the puzzle was missing. I was online and somehow came across the students and young adults’ group (at Love Church) and I decided to turn up... I didn’t know anyone. I had my first encounter with Christ when we read the passage in Matthew where Jesus calms the storm. We were asked to imagine ourselves on the boat with Jesus and what we would say to Him and what He would say to us… it was a really special moment and the beginning of my journey with Christ. I now have joy, comfort and reassurance through good and bad times, and getting baptised is the next step on that journey.
HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?
Jeremy Jennings – Director of Special Projects at Revitalise Trust and formerly Director of Prayer at HTB – invites us to pray with passion and humility in response to all that we’re seeing God doing in this moment.
“ J.EDWIN ORR ”
Historyissilent aboutrevival s thatdidnot beginwithpray er
I remember John Wimber once saying it wasn’t the state of the nation that worried him so much as the state of the Church because he knew that if the Church was in good shape the nation would quickly follow!
With that in mind, here is a verse that has inspired prayer in this context for decades and still does:
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
‘…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’
Surely, the fact that God is moving in new ways, especially among young people, should inspire us to lay hold of this verse more than ever – after all the prize is national revival! Firstly, the verse is addressed to ‘us’ and not to ‘them’ – WE are the ones called by His name.
The Hebridean Revival broke out when one of the men who had been praying for months said to the small group gathered: ‘Gentlemen, all this prayer for revival is so much poppycock unless we are rightly related to God.’ He began to quote from Psalm 24 and heaven broke in as it did simultaneously in a cottage several miles away where two elderly sisters were also praying for revival.
WHAT DOES GOD ASK OF US?
HUMILITY AND PRAYER
When we pray, we’re acknowledging that we need help. It’s hard to combine pride and kneeling!
SPIRITUAL HUNGER
Try praying through the night without God’s presence! At a prayer weekend I was once on, one of the leaders of the early nighttime watches reported, ‘For an hour and three quarters it was like wading through treacle, then God showed up and for the last fifteen minutes we were surfing!’ Moses told God he and his people couldn’t do without God’s presence (Exodus 33:15) and neither can we.
REPENTANCE
Turning from our ‘wicked ways’ involves a change of heart and a change of direction. We can do it!
GOD’S PROMISE
To hear from heaven, to forgive our sin, to heal our land.
I sometimes ask at prayer meetings, ‘Hands up if you want to live in a land that has been healed by God?’ – it’s a rhetorical question. John Knox, founder of the Church of Scotland, prayed: ‘Give me Scotland or I die.’ Surely, we can find the same passion in our generation!
CHURCHES ARE NOW PART OF THE HTB NETWORK
CURATES HAVE BEEN THROUGH ACCELERATE
194 35% 124
OF NETWORK CHURCHES ARE IN LOW-INCOME AREAS
OF THE HTB NETWORK ARE 18 AND UNDER
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED WITH DEBT ADVICE THROUGH LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR HUBS
20% 19.6K
MEALS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED THROUGH LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR HUBS
CONGREGATION MEMBERS ACROSS THE NETWORK
31M 40K
PLANTS & REVITALISATIONS
This year, nine new church plants and revitalisations were commissioned at Focus –across the UK and beyond. We hear from Emma Andersen, who shares the journey God led her on before planting a church in a rural community; Alan Gault, as he outlines his vision for a new Resource Church in Stoke; and receive inspiring updates from two recent church plants.
“I really didn’t think I was right for the Church of England, and I kept believing God was going to shut the door.”
Emma Andersen joined Accelerate last year in her third year of curacy. Here she shares more about the journey God has taken her on – one which culminated in her being commissioned at Focus to set up Barn Church in the Meon Valley in Hampshire.
A few years ago, my family and I were actively involved in a church in Hampshire, but we began to get frustrated that all the city churches had all the fun, and it was much harder work in the villages! So, I began to pray; that God would send someone to bring Jesus back to the villages of the Meon Valley. As I was praying one day, I opened my Bible randomly at Isaiah, and the words just jumped out of the page, ‘Whom should I send to tell the people this message? Here I am, send me.’ But I didn’t want to hear it. I cried for quite a long time and chose to ignore the prompt.
HOLDING ON TO A DREAM
At the time, I was seeing a mentor who was encouraging me to get ordained, and eventually, I entered the discernment process. It was a difficult couple of years, and I decided to pull out a few times. I really didn’t think I was right for the Church of England, and I kept believing God was going to shut the door, but it didn’t happen.
Our family was struggling in our local church, partly because there were no other teenagers there, so we agreed with the diocese that we’d move to Harbour Church in Portsmouth to finish my training. My dream was to bring worship back to the village communities so that we could reach those who weren’t in church.
PRAYING FOR A SIGN
In my final year of training, the bishop appointed someone as Priest in Charge over eight parishes in the Meon Valley. I’d had a vision in 2016 of Christians in the villages gathering together in one place to worship in a more contemporary style, so when the Priest in Charge
was appointed, I wondered if this was some kind of door opening. I talked to my archdeacon about it and when she asked me what it should be called, I flippantly said ‘Barn Church’ because I thought we could meet in a barn. The name stuck, but I wasn’t sure about it!
Sometime later, I was praying in the car, and I said to God, ‘If you really want this to be called Barn Church, I need a sign.’ I pulled up at the traffic lights, looked across, and saw a sign outside a pub that said, ‘The Barn’, so that was it!
A THRIVING NEW COMMUNITY
Since May this year, we’ve been meeting informally in our living room. There are about 50 of us, including children. We’ve been overwhelmed by the people who’ve come from different villages, desperate for a more contemporary style of church. We’ve run our first Alpha, and it’s been amazing – people have had tangible experiences of the Holy Spirit and been healed and set free from addictions.
This is a different model for the HTB Network. People live in villages, and we don’t want them to commute to the cities – you can’t invite people to Alpha if it’s half an hour drive away. For now, we’re meeting in a Guide Hut, in the middle of the eight villages, and we’re praying for a barn. We had our official launch in September, and we were overwhelmed and overjoyed to see 79 adults and 23 children turn up – it was chilled chaos! The long-term vision is that people will go back to their villages and start similar services in their own churches to reinvigorate them. My dream for the Meon Valley is to be a place known for the Spirit of God.
Our mission is to plant and revitalise churches across the nation to enable everyone to encounter God in a vibrant, Spirit-filled church. This year, alongside Barn Church, we’re excited to see a new Resource Church open its doors in Stoke, a revitalised church in Liverpool coming to life, and many more across the UK and beyond.
ALL SAINTS HANLEY,
STOKE-ON-TRENT
Alan Gault and his wife Beth moved to Stoke in September to plant a new Resource Church. Alan explains:
All Saints Hanley (ASH) was closed for six years before I was invited by the Bishop of Stafford to re-open the church. We are situated in a very strategic location near the University of Staffordshire, and the only Church of England Secondary School in the city. We are also within walking distance of the local 6th Form and Further Education Colleges, making it a prime location to reach young people and young adults, which is our missional heart.
In a city with a lower-than-average church attendance, lower still amongst under 18s, and with higher-than-average statistics for loneliness and isolation, we believe that God is asking us to be a place of friendship, worship and wholeness for the city of Stoke; a place where people encounter a God who loves them, and invites them to be His friends, before being sent out to invite others to discover God for themselves. We long to see the transformational love of God reaching everyone in this community.
“We believe that God is asking us to be a place of friendship, worship and wholeness for the city of Stoke.”
SPRINGWOOD CHURCH, LIVERPOOL
Kirsty White was commissioned this year to lead a new church plant in Liverpool. She says:
We are praying and believing that Jesus is going to grow Springwood Church from the 20–30 people rattling around in a building that could seat 400, to a diverse community that fills that space and goes on to plant other churches. Jesus has been speaking to us a lot about being a space of healing for the community, where they can meet the God who loves them and cares for them. The picture I keep coming back to is from Revelation 7: 17 ‘For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
So, our heart is to be a church where people can meet Jesus, be changed and bring hope to our local community.
OTHER NEW CHURCHES AND REVITALISATIONS COMMISSIONED IN 2025
THE LIGHT CHURCH, ROYAL WOOTTON BASSET
LED BY TOM MORGAN
ST PAUL’S CARLTON, NOTTINGHAM
LED BY BETH RESCH
ST PAUL’S, BRIXTON
LED BY MARCUS
OTTAVIANI
IMPRINT, CROYDON
LED BY BENITA DANIEL
BASINGSTOKE CHURCH, ST GABRIEL’S LED BY NICOLA FORD
NEIGHBOURHOOD CHURCH, PERTH, AUSTRALIA
LED BY ZAC AND CLARE GAGELER
THREE YEARS AT CONCORD CHURCH, BRISTOL
Concord Church was launched in September 2022 at the Aerospace Museum in Bristol, with 25 adults and 3 children. Now they regularly see over 80 adults and more than 20 children coming through their doors each Sunday. It’s so exciting to see how God is moving in this unique place.
Highlights from their first three years include:
01
Holding community carol services under the Concorde aircraft which attract over 500 non-church goers each year
02
Hosting free family fun days for the new housing developments where they’re situated – the first time anything has been run for these communities since they were built
03
Eighty people have now completed Alpha, and 8 adults were baptised at the museum!
04
They’re embedded in the local community, with their toddler group being the only one within walking distance, meaning they are regularly connecting with 20–30 different families and carers
05
Concord Church’s international hub sees more than 30 people from Hong Kong every week
ONE YEAR AT CHRIST CHURCH
LONDON
Fernando Carrillo headed up a team to help revitalise Christ Church Peckham in June 2024. Highlights from their first year offer a glimpse into how the church has been witnessing the power of the gospel at work in their neighbourhood. However, what really matters to the team are the lives they’ve seen transformed.
A young Muslim walked into the church and asked how he could become a Christian; he gave his life to Jesus and got baptised shortly afterwards. At a prayer meeting, a young man walked in and asked a member of the congregation how to get connected into church; he is now attending and serving regularly, and active in the men’s group. And there are others, such as the man who came to Christ Church last year after being in prison – he has since been baptised and is a committed member of the volunteer team and part of the men’s group.
God is opening their eyes to new opportunities all the time, and they are truly believing the best is yet to come!
01
The Sunday congregation has grown from around 35 adults and 20 children to 120 adults and 40 children
02
33 people have been baptised
03
Over 250 people attended their Easter Service
04
Over 90 people attended Focus 2025
05
They ran a Kids Summer Holiday Club, reaching many local families for the first time
06
They host four weekly prayer meetings, and Friday evening worship nights attract mostly young people
07
The fortnightly men’s group is increasing, with many young men actively seeking Jesus
& LEADERSHIP NETWORK DEVELOPMENT
SUPPORT
To support our growing network of churches, we host a variety of touchpoints throughout the year for leaders, staff teams, and congregations to come together to receive inspiration, encouragement, and refreshment. Leadership development also plays a key role in our vision to plant and revitalise churches that will transform society.
OS M ETHINGEXTRAORDINARYHAPP E SN
WHENWE GET TOGETHER
WE HOPE YOU’LL JOIN US NEXT YEAR! FIND OUT MORE AT
MEMORIES WERE MADE, LIVES WERE TRANSFORMED, AND HEARTS RENEWED.
In July 2025, churches from across the HTB Network gathered for Focus, our annual holiday, at Newark Showground. With around 9,000 in attendance, it was our largest gathering yet! We camped, we prayed, we worshipped, we played, we built new friendships and reconnected with old ones. Most importantly, we created space to encounter God.
“Focus is a place where I can leave the distractions of the world and immerse myself in God’s word and promises.”
“Our congregation hasn’t stopped talking about Focus – it’s created such a buzz! Though we only brought 47 (about half our church), it has had a massive impact.”
INVESTING IN FUTURE LEADERS
WE CONTINUE TO EQUIP AN INCREASING NUMBER OF LEADERS FOR THE INNOVATIVE WORK OF PLANTING AND REMISSIONING CHURCHES IN SOME OF THE MOST ECONOMICALLY DEPRIVED AREAS OF THE COUNTRY.
FIND OUT MORE AT REVITALISETRUST.ORG/ ACCELERATE
Accelerate is a year-long leadership training programme for curates in the HTB Network who will be planting or revitalising a church. Ben Atkins, who helps oversee the programme, reflects on seven years since the first Accelerate was launched.
FULL CIRCLE
We are not just training a leadership community; each year, the cohort bring a rich wisdom from their time as members of our existing Network churches, and many of them are part of churches now led by some of the very first Accelerate cohort.
A GROWTH IN DIVERSITY
As the HTB Network has grown more diverse in its leadership, we’ve seen this reflected in the expanding variety of backgrounds and church planting locations on Accelerate. I’m thrilled that we continue to equip an increasing number of leaders for the innovative work of planting and re-missioning churches in some of the most economically deprived neighbourhoods in the country, while also building on the experience and insights gained from the past seven years as we evolve our well-established training.
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Sarah McDonald and Rachel Bedford led the ‘Arise’ initiative seven years ago which encouraged women in the Network to step into senior leadership spaces. We are now seeing the results of their efforts in the number of women attending Accelerate. Bearing in mind the seven-year lead time, there are now 51 women who are senior leaders in the Network out of a total 184 leaders.
A FINAL THOUGHT
Over the last seven years, each cohort’s dedication to leading thriving, healthy churches in the way of Jesus, is truly inspiring. Let’s pray together that the God of hope will fill their hearts with joy as He unfolds His plans for their lives and ministries.
WHO WHO
WHO ARE YOU WHEN NOBODY’S LOOKING?
( left ) Jay Pathak speaking at Summit 2025
DO NOT BE SURPRISED WHEN LEADERSHIP REVEALS WEAKNESS BECAUSE LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT GIFTING, IT’S ABOUT CHARACTER.
As headline speaker at Summit 2025, Jay Pathak, National Director of Vineyard USA, challenged us with a message from 1 Samuel. Here we share some edited highlights.
Have you noticed that some people are just naturally gifted? There are certain people that by the favour of God, are just better at things! It’s a good thing if you’re gifted at something and you want to use it to serve Jesus, but I want to tell you – that’s not enough.
There is story after story in the Scriptures of people who have incredible gifting but the inside of their lives, their character, is not being formed. They are used by God, but eventually the fuse blows. Over time, the flaws and weaknesses in their lives become more pronounced, and there are actually very few in the Bible who finish well.
LEADERSHIP IS NOT ABOUT GIFTINGS, IT’S ABOUT CHARACTER
So, my challenge is this, do not be surprised when leadership reveals weakness because leadership is not about gifting, it’s about character, and it is generally only revealed when you’re tested. Who are you when nobody’s looking?
In 1 Samuel 10, the people are looking for a leader and along comes Saul. The Spirit of God is upon Saul in such a way that he wins battles, things turn for the better economically, and he’s pretty good at what he does. But look at what happens in 1 Samuel 13 – Saul did not keep God’s command to wait, but he finds a way to spiritualise his sin by turning it into an act of worship. He probably does want God’s favour, but he doesn’t want it in the way God prescribes it. Ultimately it was a test which Saul failed.
Those moments when you are tested, when you react in fear, anxiety, anger, or frustration, that’s when you find out who you really are. Those moments reveal weak spots in your life and God uses them to test you so that things might be revealed. And you get to make choices to be the kind of person you want to become.
TRUST AND OBEY
For Saul, he didn’t trust God’s timing. And timing can challenge us too. You might not understand why you’re waiting, but it’s a test. Do you trust God or not? And it’s going to cost you something to obey the Lord. If it doesn’t cost you anything, is it really obedience?
Where do you need to yield and humble yourself? If you keep ignoring those voices, it just gets worse. Study Saul’s life, because over time he does see ‘success’ but he’s avoiding different kinds of weakness in his life, and eventually it all comes to an end.
THE SMALL QUIET VOICE
Pay attention to the small quiet voice that speaks to the hidden things. When you experience the conviction of God – respond! There is always grace, there is always love, and there is always forgiveness.
Summit is an annual event for HTB Senior Leaders and their teams to gather for two days of encouragement, envisioning, and equipping.
FIND OUT MORE AT REVITALISETRUST.ORG/SUMMIT
Across our communities, churches are finding new ways to bring kindness and hope where it’s needed most. Discover some of the ways the Love Your Neighbour Hub on the Isle of Wight is having a beautiful impact.
WOMEN RYDE NEEDS THE MEETING THE NEEDS OF WOMEN IN RYDE
THERE IS SO MUCH NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND SOME OF WHAT WE’RE DOING HAS GROWN VERY ORGANICALLY. “
We caught up with Liz, the driving force behind the Love Your Neighbour team at All Saints Ryde, to learn more about their inspiring work.
LIZ, TELL US ABOUT THE LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR HUB THAT YOU HEAD UP. We’re based at All Saints Ryde on the Isle of Wight, at one of the Network churches that was planted a couple of years ago. I’m the social transformation lead and head up a team of ever-growing, wonderful volunteers.
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT YOU RUN?
One of the main projects we run is Vista, which works to support women involved in the sex industry, past or present. We visit massage parlours and offer regular one to one support.
Vista was launched four years ago at Harbour Church in Portsmouth and we received funding in 2024 to enable it to extend to the Island. It’s really hard for women to get access to support here due to the hidden nature of the industry, and women we support have often experienced a significant level of trauma throughout their lives. Vista offers a non-judgemental space, confidential listening ear with safety, and next steps planning where a woman is seeking change, as well as holistic support to any woman affected by sexual exploitation. We offer advocacy, signposting and referrals, and help with access to safe housing, drug and alcohol services, and sexual health. We also offer prayer if that is welcome. Women who we support have also attended the ACE’s Recovery Toolkit that we host in partnership with Community Action Isle of Wight within our church building.
CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT THAT?
ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experience) Recovery Toolkit is a well-established programme that’s run nationally. Over 10 weeks, the programme helps those who attend to unpack and understand stressful or traumatic experiences in childhood, and how it has impacted them. There are different modules, such as managing emotions, understanding attachment, and understanding toxic stress. Often, people have a light bulb moment where they realise that they’re not a bad person, they’re just a product of their environment and circumstances. It gives them tools to help them move forward.
CAN YOU SHARE ANY STORIES OF LIVES IMPACTED?
There’s a woman currently on ACE’s recovery who works for one of the statutory services on the Island who saw a flyer and realised she would benefit from coming on the programme herself. It shows that you never know what people are dealing with or working through in their own lives. Both Vista and ACE’s feed into each other. We have had women who have attended ACE’s who we have then been able to offer support to through Vista.
WHAT OTHER PROGRAMMES ARE YOU INVOLVED WITH?
We manage two separate Alms houses in Ryde offering accommodation for women over the age of 60 in financial need. They are separate charities but linked to All Saints and the church in Ryde.
We also have a Hope into Action house; a project offering housing to women at risk of homelessness, including those recovering from addiction, refugees, or women fleeing domestic abuse. We’re supported by the church, other local donations, and grant funding, as well as Hope into Action UK.
We’re also very excited to be launching Spa 61 which is a safe space where the women within our community can come and be pampered and receive a bit of TLC. We serve fresh coffee, a delicious brunch and offer manicures, shoulder massages or hand massages from a team of trained professionals and volunteers. It’s an opportunity for us to show the love of Jesus in action.
IT’S A HUGE AMOUNT YOU’RE INVOLVED WITH – HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT?
I have a weekly prayer and catch up with Miriam at the Love Your Neighbour Hub in Portsmouth. She is my line manager for Vista and amazing in her passion for supporting women. We also have a women’s outreach prayer team at All Saints that meet on Tuesdays, and a Hope into Action prayer team that meet on Wednesdays. Prayer underlines everything.
HOW HAS THE HUB ACCELERATOR RUN BY LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR HELPED YOU?
There is so much need in our community, and some of what we’re doing has grown very organically. Among other things, the Hub Accelerator has helped us take some time to think about focus population for our projects in Ryde, the impact we want to have in our community and to map out a five-year plan and vision. We’ve loved being a part of it.
Afteralifetroubled tionshipbyoneabusiverela-afteranother,and withthethreatofherchildren beingtakenawaybysocial services,oneofthewomen supportedbyLizandthe teamshared:
“Now I have the support of the Vista team, it’s been amazing and has really helped me. We meet regularly, and they have shown me other support that’s available too. I just know I’m not on my own, and I now know there’s more to life than being depressed. Liz has just supported and encouraged me and been lovely.”
The Vista team serve fresh coffee and breakfast
I WILL POUR
Sarah Jackson, CEO of Revitalise Trust, shares her reflections on some of the moving stories she’s been hearing in the past months from across the Network.
One of the great joys of my role is the opportunity to catch up regularly over Zoom with the Senior Leaders who are part of the HTB Network. I’m always reminded what a privilege it is to work alongside such talented, resilient, and godly women and men. One of these calls earlier in the year felt different. Something took me by surprise, and I couldn’t shake it off, and it’s what led us to decide to focus this edition of Revitalise on ‘stories of awakening’.
We began by asking each leader how the past term had gone, and as each person began sharing, a growing and tangible sense of the Holy Spirit stirred across Zoom. Some wept as they spoke about what they saw the Lord doing in their churches – whole families of former atheists coming to Christ, young men being rescued from the occult, Muslim friends asking to explore Christian claims, and those suffering with addiction finding new freedom in Jesus. The stories kept coming…
From resource churches to smaller town centre churches and those in rural areas, leaders shared how they had experienced unprecedented numbers attending their Easter services. One church in the Midlands baptised forty young people on Easter day and when they asked if anyone would like to give their lives to Jesus for the first time, another thirty young people raised their
hands. Two Muslim brothers completed Alpha in the Southwest and were weighing up the cost of baptism, explaining they might lose their jobs, families and homes – yet both publicly declared their faith in Jesus and were baptised. Another church leader explained how some students arrived at their front door saying they had seen a picture of the church in a dream and googled to see if it was the library, but the voice in the dream said they needed to ask for the Gospel. One group of young people in a London church decided to give out Bibles on the streets, and in a single hour on a Sunday, they handed out 500 Bibles to those interested in Christianity.
THE WORDS OF JOEL 2 SEEM TO RING SO TRUE IN ALL OF THIS.
‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.’
Where secularism has failed, and the sexual revolution has not brought the promised freedom, there is a hunger for purpose and meaning. The Holy Spirit is stirring in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
Will you join me in crying out to God in that well-known prayer – ‘Lord Jesus would you do it again in our time and our land – may your Holy Spirit fan these tiny sparks into a blazing furnace that will set a generation, our churches and our nation on fire with the love, new life and freedom only found in Jesus.’
OUT MY SPIRIT
Building on Holy Trinity Brompton’s 30 years of church planting experience, Revitalise Trust exists to serve, resource and revitalise the Church. Our passion is to see vibrant, Spirit-filled churches, sharing the love of Jesus in practical ways in every community.
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