Leadership Team

Please find below an introduction to our church leaders and members of staff.


John Young - Pastor & Church Leader		Phil Purkiss - Deacon & Youth Leader
Having stepped up from his long-standing role as Elder and since the retirement of Pastors Derrick & Ann in November 2020, we were delighted to welcome John officially as our Pastor. In his time at Leigh Elim, over 30 years, John has seen a lot of changes. But the biggest change is seeing peoples lives impacted in their relationship with God. You will often find John behind a drum kit or helping man the sound desk, as well as preaching and supporting our church family! In addition to pastoral care, John now oversees the Little Treasures Nursery and Childcare Centre at Westcliff Elim.		As well as taking charge of our amazing group of young people here at Leigh Elim, Phil is also our church Elder, supporting Pastor John and our church family. He organises our youth events and clubs and is so encouraged by the faith of our young people, and the questions they ask as they explore more about who Jesus is and what their faith means to them. Phil is also involved with many other aspects of church life, including helping with our sound desk and preaching on a Sunday morning, whilst developing his ministry. Phil recently graduated with a Ministry Foundation Certificate from Regents Bible College.


Iréne Young - Worship Leader		Maria Purkiss - Church Administrator
Iréne, as well as being wife to John, heads up our music and worship teams within the church. As part of this, she has led a music workshop for budding musicians, and gets involved with organising worship for external events. She is an active supporter of the Believers in Recovery group and also a keen prayer warrior. Iréne loves crafts and making cards, as you will probably soon realise when attending Leigh Elim.		Maria is our church secretary and administrator. It doesn’t stop there though. Maria is part of our worship team, plays guitar, sings and is part of a local choir. She supports Phil in leading the youth at Leigh Elim, as well a preaching on occasions too! Maria loves finding new ways to serve God and encourage our young people and families. Maria and Phil have two children, Bethlyn and Thomas.

If you need to contact the Church then please visit the Contact Us page.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

Leigh Elim is more than just a church. We are a family, supporting each other in prayer, encouragement and sharing God’s truths.

Our church aims to be Prayerful, Missional and Fruitful in its outlook and actions.

Come and join us to discover more!

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building in Glendale Gardens, for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits after the service finishes. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free but you are welcome to make a contribution if you wish.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 3 or 4 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service but someone will always be willing to pray with you. We regularly include communion in our services.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Kids Church (5-14 years)
Encounter
Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Family Space
Golden Oldies
Winter Warmer

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Pastor John Young		Church Elder Phil Purkiss
Leader Intro		Leader Intro

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)