A seaside church is reaching out to its community with a huge variety of activities, and seeing dozens come through its doors.
Revive Church in Camborne, Cornwall, has launched the Choice project, which provides events for 70 adults with learning difficulties and physical disabilities at day-care centres in Camborne and Redruth.
Activities can include hip-hop sessions, a sunflower-growing competition, beach trips, arts, crafts, an allotment, woodland walks, games and fun days, with a 25-strong Choice team providing the welcome.
Pastor Sammy Millar (pictured above, inset, on a Choice event) said: “It’s truly unique. Everyone is valued and our aim is for everyone to feel accepted and appreciated.”
Choice is part of a four-pronged outreach by the church to the local area each week. There’s also the church itself, with its Sunday services and weekday activities, and the spacious Revive Cafe, which welcomes locals and holidaymakers for fresh food, cakes and drinks.
There are also the 14 community groups which regularly use rooms in the building and enjoy eating in the cafe. These include an NHS ‘singing for wellbeing’ choir, a multiple sclerosis support group and gardening, photography and various craft groups.
“We get around 300 people through our doors in any month,” Sammy said.
It reflects the fact that, beyond Cornwall’s postcard scenes, communities need the church’s support.
“We are surrounded by 15 beaches within ten miles and I love that we can enjoy that, but we’re right in the middle of hard-working and needy communities,” said Sammy.
“Our heart is to build relationships with all people who use this community hub so we can support them and share the good news of the gospel.”
Sammy previously spent eight years working with Christian rehabilitation group Teen Challenge, readying him for situations, procedures and policies he now encounters while leading Choice and the church’s community work.
“God prepared me well, so when I came to Camborne it fitted me like a glove. The work we do here isn’t all about Sunday, but about sitting with people, listening, understanding, building relationships and introducing them to Jesus.”
Over the past year, the church has prayed for opportunities to share God’s love through all four parts of its work – and has seen God answer.
“We’re already starting to see fruit after our first ten months. We’ve built relationships with people we’ve met at the cafe and through Choice, and when we ran an Alpha course recently, people from the different groups came along.”
Sammy can see several examples like this of how God has been using the church to reach the area.
“The activities we’re doing bring the church and community together and that means we’re growing. We aim to serve all the people we meet. We’re an open, welcoming, loving and caring church which values every person.”
