Faith

An Update From Open Doors

/ Steve Petch / Leave a comment

In a World That Trains Us to Forget

Hi everyone. It’s Howard from Open Doors here, writing a guest spot on Steve’s Blog.

Last November, I had the privilege of speaking at Welcome Church (you can listen to that talk by clicking here). During the morning, I shared about Pastor Barnabas and the growing persecution facing millions of displaced Christians across sub-Saharan Africa. His story has stayed with me ever since. Maybe it has with you? If you haven’t seen it click here to watch – but be warned, it’s not an easy thing to watch!

When I first began meeting persecuted Christians around the world, one thing surprised me more than anything else. Their faith consistently woke something up in my own heart. Not guilt so much as perspective. Their courage reminded me that Jesus is worthy of everything.

When Faith Costs Something

When I visited a region near the North Korean border a few years ago, I was shown a secret map. Every small dot represented a hidden gathering of Christians meeting. Tiny groups risking imprisonment, labour camps and even death to worship Jesus together – in a country that compels its citizens to worship its leaders as gods.

Standing there, and seeing that, something shifted in me. God felt bigger again. Not because I learned something new intellectually, but because their faith carried weight. Their discipleship cost something, and it reminded me how easy it is, in comfortable Western life, to slowly drift into forgetfulness – to allow secular culture, to shrink our understanding and experience of God.

Most of us do not consciously walk away from Jesus. Life simply gets noisy. Work, family life, phones buzzing, bills, deadlines and endless distractions slowly crowd our attention. Over time, the things that matter most can drift to the edges.

The Bible speaks often about remembering because God knows how forgetful we are. Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison.” The writer is speaking specifically about believers suffering because they follow Jesus.

Remembering the Body of Christ

Today, more than 388 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution and discrimination because of their faith. Behind every statistic is a real person. A brother, a sister, a church gathering quietly in secret because discovery could cost them everything.

Scripture does not simply call us to be aware of them, but to remember them as part of the same body of Christ. The persecuted church has a way of helping us see clearly again. They remind us that Christianity is not simply cultural, comfortable or convenient. Jesus is worthy of sacrifice, obedience and wholehearted devotion.

And strangely, when we remember persecuted believers, we often remember Jesus – the Persecuted One – more clearly too.

A Crisis We Cannot Ignore

Right now, one of the greatest crises facing the global church is unfolding in Northern Nigeria and countries across sub-Saharan Africa. More than 16 million Christians have been displaced by violence and persecution. Many have lost homes, churches, communities and loved ones. Many are now living in camps or temporary shelters, unsure whether they will ever safely return home.

The message they are sending to the global church is simple: “please don’t forget us.“

That is why Open Doors launched, at their request, the Arise Africa campaign, calling Christians around the world to pray, speak up and stand with persecuted believers across Africa. But there’s also good news. Pastor Barnabas is no longer living in an IDP camp in a tent the size of a double mattress with his family. His story has moved on, and you can click here to view an encouraging video update.

A Practical Response

One practical way to respond, if you haven’t done so already, is by signing the Arise Africa petition and continuing to pray for the church across Africa: www.opendoorsuk.org/act/arise-africa/africa-petition/ 

Please take action today because, in a world constantly training us to forget, remembering becomes a deeply spiritual act.

Thanks so much for your support, and especially your prayers!

Howard

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An Update From Compassion in Togo

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An important aspect of the gospel of Jesus is a heart to care for the poor, the broken, the needy, and those who have suffered injustice.

“Learn to do right; seek justice.

Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

Isaiah 1v17

Because of this, a key part of our vision to see Life Transformed Through Jesus is our heart to care for Woking and the wider world. We refer to these social action ministries as Welcome Works.

One of our Welcome Works is our partnership with Compassion UK

We began partnering with Compassion in 2019 to strategically support churches working to fight poverty in Togo. Together, as a church, we sponsor over 250 children and have also given significantly to a Child Survival Project, which supports mothers through pregnancy and the first year of their baby’s life.

In 2024, I had the joy of visiting some of these projects and seeing firsthand the difference they make. Here’s a link to a report I wrote at the time.

Latest Update

As a church, through our giving budget, we provide ongoing funding for a Child Survival Project in Togo. The cost of this varies a little from year to year, and last year we gave £8,433 to fund this as a church.

We recently received an encouraging update from them, and I’ve put a link to the update below. I’d encourage you to read it!

Lives are being saved and transformed as a local church in Togo steps out in courageous faith to meet the needs of those around them. I was especially touched by Farida’s story, which you can read about below.

And be encouraged — if you give financially to Welcome Church, then you are helping, in part, to fund this amazing work. Please do read and enjoy:

TG0941 Mums and Babies update for Welcome Church – March 2026Download

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Thank You For Your Patience!

/ Steve Petch / 2 Comments

This is my first blog post since January, when I shared news of my cancer diagnosis and upcoming treatment. You can read that post here.

I’ve been out of circulation for a while due to surgery and recovery, but I’m delighted to say that I’m now beginning a gradual return to my role at Welcome Church. I even spent some time back in the office this week. It was great to be with the team and to be with several new staff members who started during my absence.

In terms of my health…

I’m pleased to say that I’m slowly recovering, and I can see progress from week to week. I’m currently nine weeks post-surgery, and the physiotherapist estimates that I’ve regained about 90% of the movement in my arm—so now I’m working on that final 10%.

I’m still using painkillers fairly regularly and need to be careful not to overdo things. I’ve been told that the minimum healing time for this kind of surgery is around three months, and possibly up to 18 months. I’m aiming for the lower end of that range, and life is gradually returning to a new kind of normal.

I want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to my wife, Jo. She has been absolutely incredible throughout this whole journey—patient, kind, and endlessly supportive. From the early days of diagnosis, through surgery, and into recovery, she has cared for me so faithfully and sacrificially. I’m deeply grateful for her love, strength, and encouragement, and I honestly couldn’t have got through this season in the way I have without her.

I also want to say a sincere thank you to everyone in the church who has looked out for me and the family during this time. So many of you have been incredibly kind—through your prayers, messages, encouragement, and practical support. It has meant more than I can properly express. I’ve felt very cared for and upheld, and I’m deeply grateful to be part of such a loving church family.

Looking ahead, I’ll have another MRI scan in late August to check on my progress. If all is well, I expect to be fully discharged from the Royal Marsden Hospital’s care in September. The Sarcoma Team have been superb, by the way—it’s such a privilege to receive this level of care through our NHS.

Returning to my role

I’m delighted to have been back in the office for three mornings this week.

In discussion with Occupational Health, I’ll be undertaking a “phased return” over the next few weeks. This means working reduced hours and days while I continue to recover physically. I’m looking forward to being back at full strength, but in the meantime — thank you for your patience.

This season also gives a good opportunity to reflect on what I should pick up again and what is best left with others who have so faithfully covered things during my absence. One thing I’m especially looking forward to is preaching again. My first Sunday back will be on 26th April, when I’ll be speaking from Acts 2 as part of our new series on Acts. Christopher has designed the series, and I’m really looking forward to it.

In my absence

The Welcome Church team have done an outstanding job during my time away, and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to them all.

While I’ve been out, they’ve completed the development of Church Gate, opened the Community Grocery, welcomed four new staff members, reorganised the church offices, moved the children’s and youth work into Church Gate, run a fantastic Alpha Course, recorded the highest-ever Sunday attendance in our 147-year history (more than 1,400 people on Easter Sunday!), and changed our Sunday meeting times—a shift that’s already made a significant difference.

Hopefully, there are still a few things left for me to do!

The most noticeable change on my return, though, was when I sat down at my desk. Christopher had been using it in my absence, and—after a few moments of wondering why it felt “different”—I realised he’d lowered it to what I can only describe as “child height.” Now, if I can just find the right Allen key…

See you on Sunday!

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Trusting God Despite A Difficult Diagnosis

/ Steve Petch / 2 Comments

If you missed the news I shared during my talk on Sunday at Welcome Church, I wanted to take a moment to explain a little more fully what we are currently walking through as a family.

I have cancer

That’s not a sentence I expected to be writing in a church blog. The good news — and there really is good news here — is that this is a very low-grade form of cancer and it is not considered life-threatening. Even so, it does mean surgery, and it does mean a season that will require prayer, patience, and trust.

Here’s what’s going on

Back in September, I found a lump under my right arm, on the side of my chest. It was painful, and after seeing my GP I was sent for an ultrasound scan and then an MRI. In November, the consultant in Guildford referred me to the Sarcoma Team at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

On December 16th, I had a biopsy to determine whether the lump was benign or a type of low-grade cancer called an ALT (Atypical Lipomatous Tumour). I received the results on January 22nd, and it has been confirmed as an ALT.

This was not the outcome Jo and I had hoped or prayed for. That said, there is genuine reassurance in the diagnosis. The tumour is well-differentiated, which means it is slow-growing and very unlikely to spread elsewhere in the body, unless left untreated long term. This is not the kind of cancer that normally shortens life expectancy — something we are deeply grateful for, especially after walking through a lot of uncertainty during the autumn and the run up to Christmas.

The challenge is that, left untreated, the tumour will simply continue to grow — and it’s already quite large. Because of its location, that growth would cause increasing physical problems over time — and it’s already painful. Also if left long term it could spread, so for these reasons, surgery is necessary.

What happens next?

I’m scheduled for surgery at The Royal Marsden in early March. The aim is to remove the tumour completely.

I’ve been warned that the surgery may not be straightforward.

The lump I can feel is only part of it. The tumour extends into my shoulder and has grown around the brachial artery (the main artery supplying the arm), as well as several important nerves that affect movement and sensation. Because of that, the surgeon has been very open that this is very risky surgery, with a possibility of lasting weakness, numbness, or restricted movement in my arm or shoulder.

Even so, it does need to come out, and they need to make sure they get all of it.

The surgery will be done under general anaesthetic, I’ll be in hospital for several days, and there will be a period of recovery afterwards. This isn’t how we imagined the start of this year — but we remain thankful that the situation is not far more serious. It’s low-grade. It hasn’t spread. And we’re receiving excellent care.

Please Pray

We would really value your prayers in the weeks ahead:

  • For us and our family, as we navigate what has been an emotionally demanding season
  • For wisdom and skill for the surgeons and medical team
  • For no delays in treatment
  • For a successful operation with no lasting damage

And yes — please also pray boldly. Pray for God’s healing. Pray for his intervention. We believe God is able, and we are asking him to do what only He can do, even as we place our trust in the care we’ve been given.

Walking this road with faith

I committed my life to Jesus as a child more than forty years ago. That commitment hasn’t insulated us from difficult situations, but it does mean we don’t walk through it alone.

As I shared on Sunday, while preaching from Genesis 39, faithfulness is often forged in disappointment. We don’t yet know exactly how this will unfold, but we do know who holds us — and that is enough for today.

In case you missed the talk, here’s a link: https://www.welcomechurch.uk/sermons/genesis-39-disappointment-god-meant-it-for-good

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21 Days Of Prayer – Starting 2026 Together

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As we step into a brand new year, we believe there is no better way to begin than by seeking God together.

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be kicking off 2026 as a church family with 21 Days of Prayer. This is an invitation to pause, refocus, and intentionally devote ourselves — and the year ahead — to Jesus.

For 21 days, we’ll gather in person to seek the presence of God, call on His name, and create space for Him to move in our lives, our church, our town and our nation. We believe prayer changes things, and we’re expectant for all that God will do as we come before Him together.

This will be an all-in church family moment, so we won’t be running Life Groups or any other competing events during this time. Our heart is to journey through these days as a united church family, making prayer our shared priority as we begin the year.

All meetings will take place at Welcome Church, with the following schedule:

Dates:

  • Monday 5th January – Sunday 25th January 2026

Times:

  • Monday to Thursday: 7pm to 8pm
  • Fridays: 7am to 8am
  • Saturdays: 9am to 10am
  • Sundays: 6pm to 7pm

Whether you can make it to every session or just a few, you are so welcome. Come as you are, bring your faith, your hopes, and your prayers — and let’s start 2026 together centred on Jesus.

We can’t wait to see you there.

And don’t forget, you can see in the New Year with us too at our Crossover service on New Years Eve. It’s not too late to book your tickets by clicking on the image below:

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Welcome Church Carol Services — A Truly Historic Sunday

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What a Sunday! What a celebration! What a moment in the life of our church!

I hope you loved the Carol Services as much as I did. It was an unforgettable day, filled with joy, worship, generosity, and the unmistakable sense that God was at work among us.

Our best estimate is that 2,762 people joined us across both the adult Carol Services and the children’s Christmas parties that ran alongside them. That makes this the largest single Sunday in Welcome Church’s 146-year history — something truly worth celebrating and thanking God for.

The 11am, 4:30pm, and 7pm services were completely full, with only the 2pm service having any remaining space. We’re already praying, dreaming, and planning about how we can increase our capacity for next year 🙂

Thank You

Moments like this don’t happen by accident — they happen because of people.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone who served so generously to make the day possible: the band and singers, meeting hosts, readers, production team, brew crew, welcome team, busking band, caterers, kids teams, tots teams, decorations teams, set-up and clear-up teams, car park team, and everyone involved in planning and preparing.

There are so many moving parts to an event like this, and while listing roles always risks missing someone, please know this: if you served in any way, your contribution mattered, and we are deeply grateful. Thank you for giving your time, energy, and hearts so freely.

Well done, church!

We are especially proud of how our church family stepped out boldly to invite others. So many friends, neighbours, colleagues, and family members joined us — and we were also honoured to welcome special guests including the Mayor of Woking, several local councillors, and representatives from organisations we are privileged to partner with.

This is what church looks like: open doors, open hearts, and a shared desire to help people encounter the hope of Jesus. I’m especially proud of the way our church stepped out en masse to invite so many people to join us this year. In addition to the many friends, neighbours, colleagues and family members who attended, our special guests also included the Mayor of Woking and several local councillors, along with other guests from some of the various organisations who we partner with.

IIf you missed the Carol Services, you can catch up by clicking this link here, and don’t forget to join us on Christmas Day at 10am for Welcome Church Online too.

Below are a few photos capturing some of the joy and fun from the weekend — a small glimpse of a very big day:

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December 2025 – Updates & Prayer Requests

/ Steve Petch / Leave a comment

Here are a few Welcome Church updates and Prayer Requests for December 2025 – enjoy!

Belong Believe Become

In November and December we ran our latest Belong Believe Become course, known as BBB. BBB is a three-week course, and we love everyone who is new to us as a church to do it if they can. It’s a great way for people to get to know who we are as a church, and for us to get to know them.

At the end of the latest course, 67 people made the decision to say that Welcome Church is their church, which is a wonderful sign of the growth God is continuing to give us.

Prayer: Let’s give thanks to God for the last course, and let’s pray for everyone who’s new to really find their place. Let’s also pray for God to continue growing us as a church so that more lives can be transformed through Jesus.

The next BBB course starts on Thursday 5th March, for three consecutive Thursdays. You’ll get a great meal each week and a chance to connect well to the church. If you’re connecting to Welcome Church and you’ve not yet done this course, it’s for you! You can sign up already using this link.

Open Doors

We loved having Howard S from Open Doors with us back in November. You can hear the talk he gave on this link here. Following Howard’s visit we made a gift of £5000 to Open Doors as a church and they sent us this reply:

“Thank you so much for your kind gift of £5,000 to strengthen your persecuted church family around the world who are risking it all to follow Jesus. Thanks to your prayers and support, our brothers and sisters know they are not alone and can stand strong in their faith.“

9.5 million persecuted believers were helped through Open Doors last year, and millions more were prayed for. Here’s a link to a 3-minute video for more information on the impact that’s being achieved – please do give it a watch.

Howard also asked for as many of us as were willing, to sign the Arise Africa Petition, through which The African Church is calling upon the global community to ensure that Christians and other vulnerable individuals in sub-Saharan Africa are treated with dignity in the face of huge persecution. It asks for:

  • Provision of robust protection from violent militant attacks
  • Justice through fair prosecutions of the attackers
  • Healing and restoration to be brought to all affected communities

The petition is intended to be presented to the African Union, United Nations, EU and local governments around the world in 2026. If you want to sign the petition or read more about it, please follow this link.

Prayer: Please be praying for the persecuted church around the world, and if you need resources to do that more effectively, here’s a link to Open Doors website – it’s full of inspiration for your prayers.

Hardship Fund

Our Hardship Fund has been a blessing to a number of people in our church who needed a little help at this time of year. Gifts totalling £12,750 were given to people this December, and I want to thank our Life Group leaders, Pastoral Team and various ministry leads for helping us identify where the biggest needs were.

Don’t forget, you can always give to the hardship fund. Just make a gift to Welcome Church as normal but let us know that it’s intended for this fund.

Prayer: Let’s give thanks to God for the generous giving of so many people in our church, and let’s be praying for Him to continue to meet all of our needs as a church.

Compassion UK

We love our partnership with Compassion UK, sponsoring children in Togo in Africa. If you want to know a bit more this link will help

Compassion have now created a dedicated webpage for our church! It shows the very real impact that we’re having as a church through our combined child sponsorships: do check it out here – it’s very encouraging!

Prayer: if you sponsor a child, please pray for them, and write to them too. (BTW – if you’re not sure what to write then ChatGPT can really help…)

And if you don’t yet sponsor a child and you’d like to, please just ask us how.

Christmas

Last Sunday afternoon I had the joy of speaking at Hope Church Guildford’s Carol Service. It was a lovely occasion, and I’m told that 14 people completed a form to say that they prayed with me to commit their life to Jesus. It was also the largest event they’ve ever held as a church, with hundreds in attendance, so a real privilege for me to be there.

Prayer: Please be praying for this lovely and fast-growing church

Our own Carol Service For Woking events are being held this Sunday – 14th December. As it stands today roughly 2,600 people have booked to attend, and we expect this to grow again in the coming week (please click here to book your free place)

Details for our full Christmas programme at Welcome Church can be found in a previous blog post: Christmas At Welcome Church – I’m especially looking forward to our all-age services on Sunday 21st, which Stephen D and Cassie S will be running. Get ready for a treat!

Prayer: Please be praying for God to meet with people at our Carol Services this weekend

Job Vacancies

Please don’t forget that Welcome Church is recruiting at the moment. For information on the jobs that are available and how to apply please click here

Prayer: Please be praying for the right person to fill each role

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Four Amazing Job Opportunities At Welcome Church

/ Steve Petch / 1 Comment

In June and July, I preached a series at Welcome Church called “The Generous Life”. Together we explored how we can steward our finances with faith, grow in generosity, and reflect the generosity God has shown to us.

During that series, we shared that although our church has doubled in size over the last five years, our staff team had actually shrunk—a significant challenge for a growing church.

We asked you to step out in faith with your giving, and you did. The number of people giving regularly has grown by 27%, and for us that is a game changer.

Please remember: Welcome Church is a charity. Everything we do—both for those who are part of our church and for those who are not—is funded by your generosity. There’s nowhere better to invest your money than into God’s church!

A Huge “Thank You”

Some of you…

  • Increased your giving – thank you
  • Are new and jumped straight into giving – thank you
  • Moved from giving occasionally to giving regularly – thank you

Between April and October this year, our giving increased by 18% compared to the same period last year. Praise God for His provision, and thank you for standing with us in faith.

Because of your generosity, we are now able to move ahead with expanding our staff team, and are delighted to announce four new employed roles:

1. Operations Manager — 3 days per week

This key role supports the full range of our operational activities, with overall responsibility for the management and support of all food-related ministries—especially our Community Grocery and our kitchens.

Closing date: 4th January 2026

2. Finance Manager — 3 days per week

This role ensures the accurate, transparent, and compliant management of our finances. You’ll help our leadership steward our resources wisely, meet charity regulations, and provide clear reporting to the Senior Leadership Team and Trustees.

Closing date: 4th January 2026

3. Children’s Ministry Lead— 3 days per week

This role leads our Children’s Ministry across all age groups from birth to Year 6. We’re looking for someone who can shape excellent children’s ministry, build strong teams, create safe and welcoming environments, and help our children to encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and feel at home in church. This is a role for a leader of leaders.

Closing date: 5th December 2026 (Please note the earlier date)

Youth and Young Adults Pastor — Full Time

This role carries responsibility for the leadership and discipleship of our youth and our fast-growing 18–30s community. We’re looking for a strong, dynamic leader to help shape how we engage, pastor, and disciple the next generation. This will be a significant leadership role for our church.

Closing date: 4th January 2026

How do I apply?

Please click this link for full details on each role and how to apply. You’re also welcome to get in touch for an informal chat, or to come and visit the church if you’d like to find out more.

A Few Encouragements for Those in Welcome Church

There are four things I’d love us all to do:

1. Continue stepping out in faith in your giving
Your generosity makes all of this possible.

2. Share these opportunities
Spread the word to anyone you think would be a great fit, and share the roles on your social media.

3. If you apply, hold it lightly
There may be many applicants but only one position for each role. If you’re not successful, please don’t allow that to affect how you feel about your church or cause you to withdraw.

4. Pray with us
Ask God to bring the right people into each of these roles.

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        Christmas At Welcome Church

        / Steve Petch / 1 Comment

        Christmas is just over a month away now, and bookings for our “Carol Service For Woking” opened last Sunday morning. The tickets (which are free!) are going very fast— even faster than last year—so please don’t leave it too long to book, or you may miss out on your first choice of when to attend.

        Here’s a summary of our plans as a church over Christmas and New Year 2025/26:

        Sundays 23rd & 30th November and 7th December: Our Christmas Preaching Series

        Our Christmas Preaching Series starts this Sunday at our 9am and 11am meetings. I’ll be kicking the series off myself. I won’t be giving any spoilers here, but we’re going to have some fun together, so make sure you don’t miss what will be this year’s number-one series!

        Sunday 14th December: A Carol Service For Woking

        We’re holding four services across the day at 11am, 2pm, 4.30pm, and 7pm. Come and enjoy singing your favourite carols, followed by free mulled wine and mince pies.

        Children up to school year 4 are invited to join our free Kids’ Christmas Parties, which will run alongside the 11am, 2pm, and 4.30pm services.

        Booking is essential for all adults’ and children’s tickets, and be warned that we are likely to be sold out again this year. Don’t delay— – Click here to book

        Remember: this is a great opportunity to invite your friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues—there is no easier invitation to church than to our Carol Services.

        Sunday 21st December: An All Age Christmas Celebration

        We’ll be meeting at 9am and 11am for an all-age celebration of Christmas. Instead of our usual Welcome Kids and Welcome Youth groups, we’ll all be meeting together for a whole lot of noisy fun and games as we celebrate Christmas as a church family and worship Jesus together.

        Each meeting will be roughly one hour long, and we’ll start and finish with refreshments as usual.

        Thursday 25th December: Christmas Day Online

        This year, to make sure there’s room for everyone who wants to attend, we’ll be taking Christmas Day online. (Don’t forget, the 21st December is our in person all age celebration)

        Join us on Christmas Day at 10am, at WelcomeChurch.Online, for a short time together with Christmas carols and an accessible Christmas message. It will be a great way to mark Jesus’ birthday together as a church, and we’ll all be able to join in and connect via the online chat feature.

        Sunday 28th December: No Meeting!

        There is no meeting planned for Sunday 28th December, but instead…

        Wednesday 31st December: Crossover ’26

        After an amazing Crossover Night from 2024 into 2025, we are coming together again on 31st December to celebrate all that God has done and all He’s going to do in 2026.

        Join us as we celebrate God’s faithfulness over the last year and ask for God’s favour as we Crossover into 2026! Together we will praise, pray, and party! It’s a lot of fun—so don’t miss it.

        We’ll be joined by a brilliant guest speaker this year, Pastor Chris Kimbangi from Hope Church, Guildford. (I knew him back when he was just a student in Chichester…)

        This event is likely to fill up fast, so please book your FREE ticket to reserve your place, and let’s welcome in the New Year in faith and in style! Click here to book

        Anything Else?

        A few other things you may want to be aware of:

        • The church offices will be closed from Wednesday 24th December through to Thursday 1st January
        • Welcome Youth have their final meeting before Christmas on Friday 12th December, returning on Friday 16th January
        • Our Welcome Tots groups finish on Wednesday 10th and Friday 12th December, returning on 7th and 9th January respectively
        • Welcome Café will open for the last time this year on Monday 15th December, returning on Monday 5th January
        • Our Sunday meetings will return to their usual pattern from Sunday 4th January, and we have a great new series lined up for the New Year too
        • 21 Days of Prayer kicks off on Monday 5th January—more details will follow in a separate blog nearer the time

        Stay connected with everything happening at Welcome Church by subscribing to this blog for weekly updates sent straight to your inbox

        Church Gate: News About Our Grant Applications

        / Steve Petch / Leave a comment

        The redevelopment work on Church Gate continues day by day with roofers and electricians making great progress. I’ve found myself singing along to their radio a few times in the office!

        We wanted to share an update on some of our grant applications, much of which Dub shared in his talk last Sunday called, “Why Love Must Fight For Justice” – if you missed it, do have a listen.

        To date we’ve received the following grants:

        • Benefact Trust: £80,000
        • Garfield Weston: £30,000
        • Laing Family Trust: £20,000
        • Woking Healthy Communities Board: £8,000

        Total: £138,000

        We’ve been so blessed by each of these grants, and we’re deeply thankful — both to our incredible grants team, and to the organisations who have believed in this vision.

        £138,000 is a remarkable provision!

        Our Application to Your Fund Surrey

        Many of you will know that we also applied to Your Fund Surrey (YFS) for support towards the Community Grocery, which will serve families in need across Woking. Our team worked incredibly hard with the YFS grants team and submitted a truly excellent application — originally for £497,000, later revised to £350,000 at their request.

        The application met all the criteria, and the YFS grant team themselves recommended it for approval. However, despite that, the advisory panel — made up of nine Surrey County Councillors — decided not to award us the grant.

        Their reason? 

        On a video call with Dub and Mike D (our Chair of Trustees) on Monday 6th October, a senior employee of Surrey County Council told us that the panel felt that the giving of Welcome Church — £2 million raised in just ten months for this project — was raised “too easily” and that we could therefore raise the rest ourselves.

        That was hard to hear! Not because we doubt God’s ability to provide — we’ve seen Him do amazing things — but because this project is forecast to directly help around 1,000 local families struggling to afford food. We had hoped Your Fund Surrey would chip in towards helping us meet that need.

        We also know that the £2 million given by our church family was raised quickly, but it was not raised easily. It came through deeply sacrificial giving — every pound representing someone’s personal generosity and faith.

        We’re left to ask: Has justice been served here? 

        Our response: Faith and Resolve

        Whilst the decision is disappointing, our response is simple: when others step back, we will step forward. We are a people of faith, and we serve a God who provides. Our confidence isn’t in any council or grant provider, but in Him — the One who never fails.

        So we’re going to do what we’ve always done: trust God, give generously, and continue to serve our town. We’ll fund this project ourselves, because it’s what we’re called to do. Families will be helped, lives will be transformed, and Jesus will be glorified.

        So, let’s continue to give faithfully and generously to the church and to the Church Gate project. Please don’t wait for a special Gift Day — let’s keep being generous all the time, just as God is generous towards us.

        By the way, if you’d like to share your thoughts about the decision you can contact your Surrey County Councillor – but please do so graciously. (And please note: this is nothing to do with Woking Borough Council , or our local MP who has actually been very supportive)

        Our Motivation

        Ultimately, this project isn’t about funding or fairness, it’s about Jesus’ call to love and serve those in need.

        And when the Community Grocery opens, when families are fed, and when lives are changed, the glory won’t go to us – and it certainly won’t go to YFS or the council – it will go to Jesus, the One who is worthy of it all.

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