This time last year, we were believing God for amazing things as we prepared to transition to multiple services. We had seen growth in the staff team and in volunteers to help facilitate this and I am pleased to report that God has answered our prayers and met us in that step of faith.
Currently we are seeing many new people become part of the LWC family and our capacity has increased from 400 to 600 over the 2 services. We are currently seeing an average of 460 people attend across both services. Including online attendance, on Sunday’s, we have surpassed the 500 mark. This represents new lives and families who have come to worship Jesus and make this place their spiritual home. I am grateful for the many volunteers who make provision in all areas possible – you are an inspiration.
Growth comes with stretching and the need to flex and change and I am sure we will continue to have challenges, as our systems and structures develop in line with numerical growth. This year will also see change in some departments in church.
Stewardship and ‘buy in’ has remained strong this year and although we have seen ongoing increases in costs, we have met all our commitments fully. One area of church life that I really feel reflects health currently are the number of groups and discipleship opportunities that exist. Not a week goes by without discussion of a new group, outreach or event. Whatever opportunities we provide for people to relationally connect, we always see strong attendance. This is the connection to the life of the vine that we see mirrored in the church. An indication of this is seen on a Sunday when most weeks people gather in large numbers in the café after both services and just love catching up!
“One area of church life that I really feel reflects health currently are the number of groups and discipleship opportunities that exist. Not a week goes by without discussion of a new group, outreach or event.”
With people regularly making decisions to follow Jesus and be baptised we need to be careful not to sit back, but to continue to push into God’s ‘next’ for us. There is, however, wisdom in a time of consolidation which I feel that we are in now, but let’s be ready to keep in step with the Spirit as new opportunities to show the love of Jesus in our community arise.
I am delighted that this year we will be taking three ‘Love Chorley’ offerings in December, January and February, blessing some amazing local organisations. Following that, throughout the month of March our First Fruits Offering will be open which I believe in faith will help to clear the remaining mortgage on our facility, releasing funds to invest in the mission of the church in multiple areas.
I want to thank the leadership and staff team who have helped to bear the load over summer as was I slightly removed doing some work for Elim central, you are all gifts to the body and seeing each one of you develop is an honour.
May God bless you,
Pastor John
Emma writes…
Limitless Kids is our children’s ministry for primary school-aged children and their families. We meet during the Sunday services for worship, fellowship, and teaching, keeping it fun, active, and creative with lots of application for daily life. We also gather once a month for a themed social and hold special celebrations throughout the year.
This past year has been marked by wonderful outreach and growth. Our Easter Experience saw a great turnout as we explored the meaning of Easter, including a special ‘Last Supper’ style communion lunch. At Christmas, our Community Celebration reached out and welcomed many families, giving them a chance to see who we are and, we hope, who Jesus is. It has been a joy to see the diversity and number of children in Limitless Kids grow, ensuring they all feel they have a place at Living Waters and that they matter to us and to God.
“This past year has been marked by wonderful outreach and growth.”
Diversity and growth within our children’s ministry also brings a need to diversify in the activities and opportunities we make available to our children. More opportunities mean more team members are required, and in particular, extra support for our friends with SEN needs.
Sonia Writes…
The Tots and Babies ministry exists to provide a safe and engaging environment for children aged 1-4 during our Sunday services.
This year, the team managed a seamless transition to providing care across two services, with all members showing fantastic commitment. We have been delighted to see the team grow, with more youth members and adult volunteers joining us. This has enabled us to continue providing an excellent and safe provision for the youngest members of LWC.
“We have been delighted to see the team grow, with more youth members and adult volunteers joining us”
We would love to add more adult volunteers to this team so if you’d be interested, speak to one of the team or head to the Connection Point on a Sunday morning. Growth in this team would give us the opportunity to develop tailored age specific activities for the children in our care.
Hannah writes…
Limitless Youth provides a dynamic community for our secondary school-aged young people. We run weekly Sunday sessions, monthly socials, and attend national Limitless events. This year saw a successful leadership transition from Pastor Ben Ryan to myself (Hannah Harris), and the group continues to grow as faith is built, and friendships deepen.
Limitless Youth has seen incredible growth and impact this year. We took 31 young people and 8 leaders to Limitless Festival 2025, where three gave their lives to Jesus and several others recommitted their faith. Our midweek Youth Alpha course welcomed 15 participants, creating space for honest questions. We also attended Limitless One with young people from another local church for a fantastic night of unity. One of our greatest joys has been celebrating five young people choosing to be baptised—a beautiful reflection of their personal commitment to following Jesus. These moments have marked a year of spiritual growth, strengthened friendships, and expanding community. We’re excited to keep building on this momentum as we continue to create spaces where young people encounter God and grow together.
“One of our greatest joys has been celebrating five young people choosing to be baptised—a beautiful reflection of their personal commitment to following Jesus”
Looking ahead, we are excited to establish our midweek youth group, Limitless Life, where young people can go deeper into the Bible and grow in everyday discipleship. This space will help faith become a part of daily life, encouraging spiritual maturity and stronger friendships.
Matt writes…
The Worship and Production team leads musical worship at our Sunday services and other events in the life of the church. We also manage the online livestream of our services, enabling people to join us from wherever they are.
Over the last year, we have continued to integrate new members into the team and have worked hard to improve both musically and technologically. Many of the young people who were part of the Youth Band have now transitioned into the main team, and we have had the privilege of leading worship at key events like our UNBROKEN nights. The team has flourished and grown to approximately four fully staffed teams, and we have made a concerted effort to create space for other leaders to develop their gifts, which has been a blessing to see.
In the coming year, our team will focus on strengthening our musical expression, particularly in spontaneous moments of worship. Our heart is to grow deeper as a team spiritually, musically, and relationally through intentional prayer and dedicated practice. We want to provide authentic environments where people can participate in worship that brings glory to God and transforms us in the process.
“We want to provide authentic environments where people can participate in worship that brings glory to God and transforms us in the process.”
Julia writes…
We provide nutritious food for the community three days a week through our café. On two of those days, we also serve clients from the foodbank. Additionally, our team provides buffets and meals for numerous church events and external room bookings.
“This has been a year of expansion and relationship-building”
This has been a year of expansion and relationship-building. We successfully opened the café for an additional day each week and were pleased to welcome an increased number of volunteers to our team. It has been encouraging to see many new customers come through our doors while we maintain strong relationships with our regulars.
Our hope for the next year is that our volunteers will be able to develop their skills through new training opportunities, helping us to meet the growing demand of the café and catering ministry.
Tony & Jenny write…
We oversee the church’s support for our global mission partners by maintaining regular communication, sending monthly funding, and providing prayer and encouragement. Our primary partnership is with Living Waters Mission India, which runs a Bible College, an orphanage, and a church network. We also support Pastor Moses in Liberia and Pastor John Kiseba in Zambia.
We have seen God’s faithfulness in our mission partnerships this year. In India, we celebrated the graduation of another class of students from the Bible College and successfully raised the deposit for a land purchase to secure space for future expansion. Throughout this, the vital work of schooling and caring for the children in the orphanage has continued. We have also maintained consistent prayer and financial support for our partners in Liberia and Zambia, enabling their work to thrive.
“We have seen God’s faithfulness in our mission partnerships this year”
The primary focus for Living Waters Ministries India this coming year is the development of the newly purchased land in India. We aim to raise the necessary funds to construct new facilities that will enhance our care for the orphanage children and expand the Bible College’s capacity, helping to extend our mission’s impact across India and beyond.
Heidi writes…
The Operations department provides the practical foundation that enables our ministries to flourish by supporting the administrative, financial, human resources, and facilities functions of the church. This involves overseeing daily activities, events, building use, volunteer coordination, and compliance.
“A key success was co-creating a new Service Operations Team, which is co-led by one of our young people, to ensure a consistent and welcoming experience for everyone”
This past year, the operations team provided crucial logistical support to facilitate the smooth transition to two Sunday services. A key success was co-creating a new Service Operations Team, which is co-led by one of our young people, to ensure a consistent and welcoming experience for everyone. In addition, we have streamlined church-wide communication regarding events and weekly activities, improving clarity for the congregation.
Our focus for the coming year is the strategic planning and execution of our church’s discipleship pathways, ensuring we can effectively support and direct people in the moments that matter in their faith journey.
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