Our annual Vision Meeting was held at the Gatehouse on 24th February 2026 and attended by a group of 30 people.

Pastor Neville Walker opened the meeting with a welcome and encouragement from Joshua 1:3. He mentioned appreciation of what has been achieved in the last year (see Annual Reports) and how these things have worked towards the fulfilment of “The Church I would like to see”.

There was a call to volunteer and recruit volunteers to carry out running of church and plans to move forward.

Election of Elders

Kay is not continuing as an elder having completed three years and we are very grateful for her leadership. Liz Hall is being put forward by the current leadership for another 3 year term, Patrick Fleming and Ihechiluru Anozie are being put forward as elders for the first time having served on the leadership team for two years or more. There will be a short members meeting after church service on Sunday 22nd March with a vote to express support from the members. Any objections should be sent to the pastor in writing before then.

It was noted that eldership positions require that people have been members for at least 2 years in an Elim church.

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Safeguarding

Ihechi delivered a presentation on the importance of Safeguarding in all church activities and the necessity for all volunteers to have safeguarding training. There will be an online training event on 4th July 2026.

Looking Ahead

Buildings: Reduce our building loan and also open up the entrance/lounge area of church. Current loan is approx. £29,000 and in May we will move from paying interest only to also paying off capital. We may introduce a special offering to try and significantly reduce this loan to enable us to move forward with our building plans.

Ross presented a plan to improve the “front of house” experience including developing teams to do the cleaning (saving money on cleaners’ salaries) and as car park attendants.

Continue the Big Yes, Little Yes and Healthy Maybe programme (see Evangelism Events report in Annual Report).

Equipping: Over the next year or two years we will be giving people access to various courses and training – Holy Spirit Course, Leadership training, Exploring your Gifts, Freedom Course, Marriage Course.

Add to our leadership team

We have advertised in Elim to take on an assistant pastor half-time, with a particular focus on the younger generations. This is a stretch financially, but we will save money on salaries from the cleaners and the small stipend that Kay received for her work as Families and Community Worker.

Neville is due for retirement in 4½ years – before then we will be working to raise up more, younger leaders to join the leadership team.

Increase the number of connect groups – we see the value they bring to the individuals in their discipleship journey and to the church as a whole.

We anticipate an increase in forthright Gospel preaching in Blackpool and beyond and look to support this work.

Contributions in an open session

There were words from various people at the meeting, namely:

A word of encouragement to trust God for the finances.
A word to point out the importance of prayer and fasting as a church – to hear God’s will.
A word to leave space to seek the move/baptism in the Holy Spirit.
A request for training in personal evangelism.

Presentations

Safeguarding - Ihechiluru Anozie

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

new to church

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Créche - from approx. 6 months to 5 years (decided on a child by child basis)
Limitless Kids (4/5 - 11/12 years)
Limitless Youth (school years 7-11)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for two worship songs and the “Kids slot” and then go to créche or Limitless Kids. Limitless Youth may go out at the same time as the children but sometimes stay in the service to take communion before going to their class. Children can be picked up by parents after the service ends (but not before 12pm).

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our Connect groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Connect Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Rev Neville Walker		Kay Walker
Pastor		Families & Community Worker


Liz Hall		Ihechiluru Anozie
Elder / Finance Officer / Open Doors Leader		Elder / Safeguarding Lead


Patrick Fleming
Elder / Buildings Team Leader

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel part of the church family.

Best Wishes
Gatehouse Leadership Team