A growing church plant in the Lake District has been funded by a non-Christian millionaire – but pioneering without a ‘mother church’ is particularly hard work, its minister has said.
Jonny Gios leads Gateway Church, a Free Methodist evangelical church in Kendal, Cumbria. After stints as a youth worker and youth pastor, then a community worker – Jonny began the church plant with the Free Methodists in 2018 (its Articles of Religion are based on the 39 Articles of the Anglican Church).
It was made financially possible after being given a £30,000 donation from a millionaire – a non-Christian who wanted to support Jonny’s community work in Kendal following the severe flooding caused by Storm Desmond in 2015.
‘We parked the money and used it wisely,’ he said. ‘I went to work for the police for a couple of years, and on a part-time basis started the church plant.’ (He has continued to work part time to support the work).
Others also financially supported the church plant. However, there has never been a mother church – and Jonny is still looking for partner churches to support them in the work.
In 2018, the Gateway Church plant began with just four people – ‘Literally my family’, said Jonny. ‘Today, if everyone is there it’s about 30 people. We’ve sown the seed, sown the gospel. Some have come to faith then wandered off; some joined then moved away because they know we’re evangelical and have a Biblical stance on marriage. But we have a steady number.’
He highlighted a particular encouragement: ‘One man, who had been ‘dechurched’ for some 13 years – came up the stairs of his own accord to a meeting in the pub [where they met at the time] – and has been with us ever since. He is now a trustee.’
He emphasised that Gateway is a Bible-believing, community-focused church. Today, it meets in Kendal Town Hall. ‘We are truly blessed,’ he added. ‘God’s favour is upon us. We’re cash-rich, resource poor. But we have a desire to plant across Kendal and beyond.’ Nearby Windermere is in his sights (they have the offer of a building but not the people or the funds to start it).
‘As a church planter,’ Jonny observed, ‘not having a mother church for financial support, governance and encouragement, etc., is a challenge. Pioneering is hard, but doing it on your own is even harder.’
Alongside his ministry, Jonny is also a photographer. Though he only took up photography four years ago, his skill is increasingly recognised: he is reportedly among the top 500 photographers worldwide posting on the photographic website Unsplash; and Land Rover has used one of his images right across its national ‘Outspiration’ campaign.
This year he was shortlisted out of 17,000 entries for the Landscape Photographer of the Year award (the UK’s most prominent UK photographer competition).
To find out more about Gateway Church, contact Jonny Gios at jgios@me.com
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