The reformed Evangelical Presbyterian Church, England and Wales (EPCEW) continues to grow with a further two church plants – in Gloucester and Zurich.
The Gloucester plant emerged from the nearby Cheltenham EPCEW congregation, and was formed along with Tim Dalton, a minister with International Presbyterian Church (IPC) which had been scouting the area at the same time as EPCEW.
The IPC is a family of reformed presbyterian churches across Britain, Europe and Korea.
Over in Zurich, Florian Wicken has headed up the new plant which has enjoyed more freedom than its UK counterparts being able to meet physically throughout Winter and Spring.
Mr Wicken said: ‘It was great to see that despite the pandemic the Lord gave us a core group that was willing to meet in person.’ He highlighted the privilege of seeing ‘people changing their habits and also faithfully attending the meetings of the church plant’.
• Meanwhile, in the heart of the Black Country, a Congregational church has been ‘replanted’ in West Smethwick – a few miles west of Birmingham. Three years ago the ageing and declining church was on the verge of closure. A meeting between Steve Horton of Sheffield – who had been tasked with looking after Congregational churches in the area – and David Williams, a local pastor, led to prayer specifically for the church.
This was followed by the church making clear that they did not want the gospel light to go out in their community, and further prayer and discussions ensured.
The church was put in touch with a couple from a Bristol Baptist church who, after coming to take a look around, moved to Smethwick in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic. In early July this year, work started to help prepare the church for outreach beyond Covid.
