Accelerating Kingdom Initiatives As Opportunities Arise
Hey Church,
2024 is a year of faith in Equippers. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We are so thankful for all of you who have heard God and responded in faith to play your part in giving to Impact Offering this year. Your gifts have helped release answers where many have been standing in faith.
As you read this report, we hope your faith will be encouraged as you hear how Impact Offering has continued to help support humanitarian work in Ukraine, relieve those suffering with Podoconiosis, support church planting, continue to support IJM in rescuing people; closer to home, we’re reaching teenagers through Generation Unstoppable and partnering with East to West. These are just a few areas where what has been hoped for, by faith, has become reality.
We want to thank you for faithfully sowing into Impact Offering - your sacrificial giving is touching many many lives in real and tangible ways. What has been hoped for is now becoming reality for many.
Ps Mark & Monica Collard
A Year Of Faith
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
Chapel Renovations
In 2022 Equippers took on the tenancy of a very special property. With deep roots in the Weybridge community, St Charles Borromeo was originally built in 1835 as a Catholic church, and is now home to Equippers College.
We as a church felt led to the property, especially the white building, and so reached out to Pastor Caleb and Grace of World Mission Church Korea (WMCK), who have been the owners of the building since the 1980s. As well as housing and training up to 1000 missionaries in the white building, the property was used by the Korean church community in Weybridge, but fell out of use as members relocated and the upkeep on the listed building became more difficult.
Caleb and Grace had turned down many offers from churches and organisations that wanted to rent or buy the facility over the past 10 years,
but when they heard from us they were excited for it to be used as a bible college. And so we came to an agreement: instead of paying rent we completely renovated and restored the white building, and it has been a perfect home for Equippers College over the past 2 years.
We now have another exciting 4 year agreement. With planning permission underway, we aim to restore large parts of the chapel with the intention of using it to house the new and growing Worship Stream of Equippers College.
It has been a privilege for Equippers to restore these buildings with such rich Godly heritage.
A huge thank you to Caleb and Grace for their trust in us to steward their buildings and for their ongoing prayer and support.
Generation Unstoppable
In the summer of 2023, we launched a new initiative that aimed to bring the hope, life and love of the Kingdom into our local secondary schools. Our heart is to help students deal with the problems that they faced by creating and delivering content that showed them how they could overcome the challenges of life.
From this vision, we created Generation Unstoppable, a schools programme that delivers lessons, workshops and assemblies that equip young people to be ‘unstoppable’. We aim to bring a memorable and inspiring message that is presented in a fun and engaging style, but also rooted in the truth and freedom of the Kingdom. As a result, we’ve delivered content on Identity, Hopes and Dreams, Resilience, Exams and Mental Health, whilst also racing students on space hoppers, eating super sour sweets and firing ping pong balls across a classroom!
One highlight from the previous academic year was spending the day with different groups of Year 9s, looking at how they can be resilient. A few students in the final group of the day were initially reluctant to join in, yet started to engage as the session progressed. We managed to have significant conversations with these students, who openly told us they were classed as ‘the naughty kids’, that they didn’t fit in at school and that this made them want to give up with their classes and their education. Over the course of the session, we helped these students identify the qualities they possessed and how this could help them in school and in life. By the time we had finished, we’d gone from working with a group of ‘naughty kids’ to a group of ‘unstoppable kids.’
Shout Conference
We really are very privileged to be able to host Shout Europe here in the UK. Impact has helped facilitate a gathering space large enough to hold people from different nations across Europe and beyond to encounter God. There is something so unique and special that is released as we gather together. It’s in this space that individuals are marked by the call of God and His dreams and initiatives are birthed. What happens at Shout doesn’t just impact us locally, but goes beyond the UK, and into the nations.
This year we witnessed some significant moments, as Ps Steve Graham (Equippers College) tells us in his story:
“Over the last year there has been a growing sense of God’s glory in the church and a hunger for more! At Shout I saw miracles at a level I have not seen in 40 years of ministry and most of these were not even in the main auditorium. God was breaking out everywhere! Children and youth being filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and experiencing the power of God. One youth who previously answered
questions with a one word answer, declaring “the power of God”, another youth who had not grieved the loss of a parent. crying as he hugged a pastor. Supernatural experiences of someone praying in tongues for a person and the person hearing the prayer in Arabic which she knew! Another person singing in the spirit, but someone hearing it in their language as the cry “Return to us again.” That is the cry of the Holy Spirit for another move of God - it is happening in Equippers and all around the world!”
Weybridge Hall
At Equippers Surrey, we feel strongly that God has a prepared home for us - somewhere for us to become established as a church, for us to serve the community, and to be a resource centre for future generations. Many of you have been on the journey with us in pursuit of purchasing a property in the Weybridge Business park over the last 4 years. We had multiple offers rejected for the former Toshiba HQ and eventually the plot was sold to a developer, with plans to build a large distribution centre. These plans were rejected and the site is currently being demolished.
We have been pushing this and a number of other doors, with none seeming to be open to us.
Earlier this year we discovered that Weybridge Hall, an important local property on Weybridge High Street, was up for sale. Weybridge Hall was once at the centre of the Weybridge community, beginning life in 1899 as a shop. During WWI, the hall was used by the Gordon Watney Engineering Company, and
in June 1920, Weybridge Hall had its grand opening as a cinema called Weybridge Kinema Theatre. In 1929 it was extended to 500 seats and renamed King George’s Cinema. Over the past 100 years it has served as a public hall and local theatre. After running into financial difficulties the hall was closed around 10 years ago and has been empty since.
Over the last 5 months we have been exploring the possibility of purchasing Weybridge Hall and restoring it to its place of prominence in Weybridge High Street.
We currently have an agreement to purchase the property. There are a few more steps in the process for the contracts to be signed and the purchase completed, but we’re incredibly hopeful that this is where God has been leading us.
The view of Weybridge Hall from the high street.
Weybridge Hall is currently in need of significant internal work.
Our Plan
Our plan is to create an auditorium space for up to 400 seats, an open-plan foyer over two levels, and a number of multi-function rooms for kids ministry, mid-week meetings, youth on a Friday night, and many other church activities.
We believe that purchasing this property is a ‘divine deposit’ for future generations and for the church’s continued growth.
We believe it is a promotion to be in the town centre. Cleves School has been a great Sunday service venue for the past eight years, but meeting on Weybridge High Street means we become much more visible to the community.
An architectural sketch of what the auditorium at Weybridge Hall could look like.
Church Buildings
We believe that we will change the world, primarily through the local church; the church is God’s chosen vehicle to reach the world. We’re passionate about the pattern that God has given us to build with and are committed to reproducing it.
Over the last decade we have helped a number of churches around the world purchase properties. Through Impact Offering we have sown funds towards the purchasing of property for Equippers Ghana, Equippers Rome, Equippers Berlin, Equippers Wellington (NZ), Equippers Central Coast (USA) and Faith Church in Newport. We have also partnered with Equippers Auckland in their restoration of the Mercury Theatre.
We believe that all of these investments have been seed for our future in the UK.
Baptisms at Equippers Central Coast’s new venue
Mercury Theatre Auckland, NZ
Since 2019 Equippers has been working with engineers, architects, consultants, heritage specialists, and experts in the music industry to ensure the Mercury Theatre remains an iconic venue for future generations. They have completed earthquake strengthening, and are undertaking a significant refurbishment, to return the theatre back to its former glory and serve as home to Sunday services in Auckland city. The plan is for the theatre to be ready in 2026.
Equippers Central Coast, USA
“We can’t thank Equippers UK enough for their generosity in partnering with us in acquiring a building on the Central Coast of California. Every step of the way has been a total miracle and we could not have done it without our larger Equippers family. We now own 22,000 sq/ft of space that has been renovated into a fantastic worship auditorium, state of the art kids areas, and a new location for our offices. We believe God will use this building to facilitate an incredible move of God here in California. Thank you!” - Ps John Sparrow
To keep up to date with the progress of the Mercury Theatre’s restoration scan this QR Code
Projects & Initiatives
Equippers has continued to sow into God’s work locally through charities such as East to West who bring hope to young people seeking a way out of mental health difficulties, and Riverbank, who support and equip local vulnerable single mothers. We have also continued to support Good News for Everyone in their mission to distribute scripture in varied locations such as schools, prisons and care homes.
Further afield, we remain in relationship with a number of churches around the world, supporting their ministry needs. Our giving has seen God’s hand in organisations such as Action on Podoconiosis Association (APA), who continue to aid communities in Ethiopia affected by a devastating skin condition, Podoconiosis. Our financial support has also continued to go out to nternational Justice Mission (IJM), supporting their incredible work against slavery and violence.
Back home, Impact Offering donations supported this year’s fantastic YxYA conference, our Cost of Living Fund which financially supports church members in times of unexpected need, and Equippers College. We have seen God’s miraculous provision in Equippers College, launching our first year of Worship Stream, and equipping the next wave of Equippers leaders with a number of students being called to be pastors and church leaders.
The APA team in Ethiopia washing the feet of a patient with severe Podoconiosis
Thank you for your generous giving!
Over the last year we have sown
™ £239,920
• Connectkerk (The Netherlands)
• Equippers Auckland - Mercury Theatre
• Equippers Central Coast
• Equippers Ghana
• Equippers Network International
• Equippers Swindon - Transition from JD Church
• Individual Pastor Support
• Shout Conference - Sponsorship & Hosting of Pastors
£62,655
Impact Through Charities, Ministries & NGOs
• Action on Podoconiosis Association (APA) - Ethiopia
• Father’s House - Ukraine
• International Justice Mission (IJM)
• Missions Trips
• P3 Leadership Book - Arabic Translation
• YxYA Camp Impact Through Church Development
£43,998
Impact Through Local Initiatives & Training
• Cost of Living Response
• East to West
• Equippers College
• Good News for Everyone
• Iranian Refugee Support
• Riverbank Trust
• Schools Programme
• Shout Conference
£133,267
A Unique Opportunity
This year’s Impact Offering is a unique opportunity to sow into the restoration of Weybridge Hall, as well as our continued impact around the world.
This year we will receive our Impact Offering pledges on Sunday 27th October.
This is an annual pledge, meaning once you have pledged an amount, you can fulfil this at any point over the course of the next 12 months. We offer the option of fulfilling your pledge in one lump sum or in monthly instalments over the year.
Once you have pledged, you will receive details on how to give (by email), based on your location and your giving preference.
Pray
Over the coming weeks, allow God to guide you as you prayerfully consider your contribution in what to give. If you are married, or have a family, why not do this together and come into agreement on how much to pledge?
Plan
Once you have agreed in your heart how much you would like to pledge, plan how you can fulfil it over the next 12 months.
Pledge
Finally, submit your pledge by scanning the QR Code! We’ll receive our Impact Offering together, as a church family, on Sunday 27th October during our church services.
Find out more at equippers.co.uk/impact