We're flourishing inside and outside the church

What priorities underpin your church’s life? Jamie Lavery talks about what drives the community and discipleship projects at Elim Church Crawley.

Ask Jamie Lavery (pictured above, inset, with family of wife Sophie, daughter Lily and son Judah, on a main photo of an Alpha course at the Crawley church) what matters most in Elim Church Crawley and he lists four things: worship, discipleship, ministry and mission.

That’s why, in the eight years he has pastored the church, he has poured his efforts into each of these areas to nurture flourishing ministries both inside and outside the building.

“Our mission is to glorify Jesus and transform lives, and that’s the ethos that works its way through everything we do,” he explains.

When it comes to mission, the church has long invested in outreach to its Sussex community. The area was hit hard by the pandemic and then the cost-of-living crisis, so the church has recently ramped up these efforts still further.

Its popular Tea & Toast Friday drop-in has run for 20 years, for example, having launched after a request from Crawley Borough Council that the church help support isolated older people.

Today, this group is growing as a wider mix of people come along for friendship and a warm place to meet.

“It’s now a more eclectic community with older people, but also young mums with pre-school kids and carers bringing along those they care for,” says Jamie.

THIS ISN'T THE END OF THE STORY!

Read the whole article in context in the April 2024 issue of Direction Magazine.

Direction Magazine

Direction is the official monthly publication of the Elim Pentecostal Churches in the UK, and is packed with all Elim's latest news, inspiration, vision and teaching. Find the latest edition and many back issues of Direction here.