"We're a church of the community"

If your church closed tomorrow would your community notice? After 33 years of practical support and outreach, Watford Elim’s certainly would, says Guy Miller.

Years ago, a visit to a megachurch in America left a lasting impression on Guy Miller, but not for the reason you might think.

“I was on my way to a service there but got lost and went into a shop to ask where it was,” says Guy, who pastors Watford Elim. “It was a massive church.”

“Around 12,000 people came to it from everywhere every week but the shop had never heard of it, even though, as it turned out, it was just around the corner. That really struck me.

“Back home I asked our church, ‘If we closed tomorrow, would our community notice?’”

As it happens, Watford Elim has nothing to worry about on that score. As God has revealed need and opened doors, the church has offered practical support for local residents for the past 33 years which has rooted it in its area.

In 2013, for example, it set up its Manna Project to give food out on weekdays. The town is a mixed and transient place, explains Guy, with a growing number of people in need of food banks.

“We have around 3,500 people on our books at Manna and get new sign-ups every week. We don’t means-test our hand-outs, so word has got out about us and people come from London and other places around here as well.”

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