New Church Plant: Calvary Chapel Maidstone
Calvary Chapel Maidstone is a new Calvary Chapel affiliated church plant in Maidstone, England. Here Pastor Matt Hobbs shares the wonderful story of how the Lord brought together three families to begin this work…
Pastor Matt & Abby Hobbs with their four beautiful children
Calvary Chapel Maidstone began on 8th July 2018 when the Lord brought three families together with a burden to begin a new work in Maidstone.
Matthew & Abigail’s Story
We had been seeking the Lord for a vision and the way forward for us and two ladies we had been meeting for bible studies.
In December 2017 the Lord closed the door on a work we had previously been involved with and simultaneously spoke to us about a new work one Sunday evening. The vision was for a new church named ‘Calvary Chapel Maidstone’ and a motif ‘Spirit Led; Word Based.’
After this, conversations with Barry Forder of Calvary Chapel Portsmouth and Steve Vickery of Calvary Chapel Oxford helped get the ball rolling and opened the door to the wider family of Calvary Chapel UK.
The next six months were marked with prayer asking the Lord to raise up people to come along side us in the work. Specifically, we were praying for a man with a burden to share the leadership, teaching and oversight of the church and also for someone with a burden and gifting to lead worship.
In July, Jonny and Hannah Bourne contacted us with an interest in a Calvary Chapel in Maidstone. They were a spirit-filled couple with a burden to lead worship!
Two days later, Ian and Frances Fox contacted us. The Lord was leading them to Calvary Chapel Maidstone too and, what’s more, Ian had a gifting to teach and a burden to assist in leading!
And so, Calvary Chapel Maidstone was born. Meeting in our home with a congregation of 8 adults and 6 children.
Jonny & Hannah’s Story
Hannah and Jonny Bourne have been inspired through the teaching of Calvary Chapel. Having been mentored by the leadership of Shoreline Calvary, a Calvary Chapel affiliated church in North London, they sought to find a like-minded church in Maidstone in which they could use their gifting in music to lead others in worship and praise.
As such, Hannah contacted Calvary Chapel UK to ask if there were any plans to start a church in Maidstone. To her surprise, and joy, she was told that there was indeed a church in the process of being started in Maidstone, and she was given contact details for Matt Hobbs. They immediately sensed that God was involved in leading them together!
Ian & Frances’ Story
In the meantime, Ian and Frances Fox (Hannah’s parents) were involved in another local church, but they had long enjoyed the teaching from various Calvary Chapel pastors.
Having heard about the meeting that Hannah and Jonny had with Matt and Abby, they too arranged to meet them. They discovered that they had much in common with Matt and Abby, and had a very similar vision for Bible teaching, coupled with a biblically based openness to the work of the Holy Spirit.
Matt and Abby had been praying for someone to share the Bible teaching load that Matt was carrying, and Ian was keen to help with that following his extensive biblical knowledge, theological training and experience in delivering sermons and Bible study with a number of different fellowships.
Over the ensuing weeks it became clear that God was leading Hannah, Jonny, Ian and Frances to join Matt and Abby in helping to form Calvary Chapel Maidstone, and it was a joy for them to be sent out from their previous church with the blessing and prayers of the leadership there, to go and help start this new work.
An Invitation to join us!
It has been a blessing to see the young church develop since then and God is clearly at work in the lives of the people who attend. We are excited to see the Lord build His church in the years ahead, and if you are looking for a church in Maidstone area, please do get in touch!
Matt Hobbs
If you are interested in finding out more about Calvary Chapel Maidstone, please visit their website www.calvarychapelmaidstone.uk or email Pastor Matt Hobbs at matt@calvarychapelmaidstone.uk.
