Hope Church, Tolworth launched on 24th November at Knollmead School on the Sunray Estate with much excitement and with much praise to the Lord as just over 100 people gathered in the school hall for the first service.

The verse read out at the start of the service, and preached on later, was 1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’ We began focussed on the hope we have in Jesus, a sure hope because it rests on the historical event of Jesus’ resurrection and on God’s mercy.

Hope Church is a plant from Cornerstone Church Kingston with people from Emmanuel Church, Tolworth. Roughly 60 adults and 20 children make up the core of the church who long to bring the hope of the gospel of the Lord Jesus to the people of Tolworth.

The area we are planting into on the east of the A3 previously had no churches and has an increasing population with the new ‘Signal Park’ towers being built. Tolworth is a suburb of around 5,000 people with a wide range of ethnicities and ages. It is an exciting area to plant into and it is great we are able to meet in the primary school who have been incredibly welcoming to us.

So please would you pray for us. Pray that we would be faithful in proclaiming the gospel and wise in how to go about doing so. Pray that the Lord would open up ways for us to engage with people on the estate and in the new flats. Pray that the Lord would grow our love for one another as people from the 2 churches have come together. And most of all, give praise to God for the living hope we have through the resurrection of Jesus.