Since 2007, Reach South has planted four churches in the south of England, and now another is planned to launch in Chichester this summer.
Reach South, a collection of Fellowship of Independent Evangelical (FIEC) churches, is committed to reaching Hampshire and its surrounding counties with the gospel by strengthening, equipping and planting evangelical churches in the region.
Last year, Chichester was identified as the next site for a church plant due to the growth of the area. A city of 30,000, Chichester is a hub in West Sussex with 110,000 people living within a ten-minute drive of the centre, said Chris Fry, who is leading Hope Church Chichester, the new church plant. “It’s quite a key city,” said Fry, noting Chichester’s university of 6,000 students and the increase of housing developments springing up in the area.
Chris already knew three of the other Reach South pastors when he was asked to lead the plant. “We were looking to see where the Lord would have us serve as a family,” he said. “On a personal level, it’s probably the right time. We felt that the experience we gained made it right to look at something like this.”
Chris, who was a primary school teacher for 12 years on the outskirts of London, went into ministry ten years ago. He served as the trainee pastor at Banstead Community Church for two years before becoming associate pastor at Cheam Baptist Church in 2017. For the first four years of ministry he also studied part-time at Oak Hill Theological College in north London.
As he and his family begin this next journey, Chris is looking forward to leaning on the experience of the other church plants in the Reach South network and connecting with the broad spectrum of the residents of Chichester, from students to families to retirees. “A healthy church represents that mixture of ages,” he said. “We want to be a church that sees Christians grow in their love for God which is expressed in love for one another. An overflow of that should be a love for sharing the gospel with those who need to hear it in the area of Chichester.”
The launch team of 26 people (15 adults and 11 children), all of whom are already living in the area, will initially gather at Chichester College with a launch date set for Sunday 29 June.
“We are excited to see how God might use Chris and Hope Church Chichester to build on the gospel work that is already happening in the city,” said Jonny Clifton, pastor of Redeemer Winchester, another Reach South church.
