A church the community knows

If your church closed tomorrow would your community notice? After 33 years of practical support and outreach, Watford Elim’s certainly would, says Guy Miller

If your church closed tomorrow, would your community notice? After 33 years of practical support and outreach, Watford Elim’s certainly would, says Guy Miller.

Years ago, a visit to a megachurch in America left a lasting impression on Guy Miller. But not for the reason you might think.

“I was on my way to a service there but got lost and went into a shop to ask where it was,” says Guy, who pastors Watford Elim. “It was a massive church. Around 12,000 people came to it from everywhere every week but the shop had never heard of it, even though, as it turned out, it was just around the corner.

“That really struck me. Back home I asked our church, ‘If we closed tomorrow, would our community notice?’”

As it happens, Watford Elim has nothing to worry about on that score. As God has revealed need and opened doors, the church has offered practical support for local residents for the past 33 years, which has rooted it in its area.

In 2013, for example, it set up its Manna Project to give food out on weekdays. The town is a mixed and transient place, explains Guy, with a growing number of people in need of food banks. “We have around 3,500 people on our books at Manna and get new sign-ups every week. We don’t means-test our hand-outs, so word has got out about us and people come from London and other places around here as well.

“From Tuesdays to Fridays we give away 20–40 food parcels daily of things like meat and fresh veg. Throughout the rest of the week we also supply food to four charities and give surplus food to care homes and schools.”

Many years ago, the church also noticed that while organisations were helping local people struggling with poverty or homelessness during the week, little was available for them on Sundays. That’s when they began serving its weekly Oasis meals.

“We started doing a meal every Sunday for people who have nowhere to go for food,” says Guy. “Around 40–50 people come regularly for a roast or a three-course meal. We never open the doors and wonder if anyone will show up – we’re full every Sunday.”

At Christmas and during the holidays the church also runs ‘God Bless You’ events, opening the hall for people to come and fill their bags with free food. Last Christmas 400 people came along.

These food projects are part and parcel of daily life for Watford Elim, but a story Guy shares shows the impact they are having.

“One man told me his life was changed by the food bank because we helped him feed his family for a year. He was able to save money and pass his driving test to get a better job. Now he doesn’t come anymore because he doesn’t need to. This is the sort of thing the Lord has allowed us to accomplish in our town.”

The projects are not just food-centred, however. The church also offers free music lessons for children.

“We have a couple of guys who give guitar and drum lessons every week,” says Guy.

And now, with the church having recently closed its day nursery, it is considering using that space for a music school in order to reach more local youngsters.

In the years that Watford Elim has quietly gone about its work, it has come to the notice of several organisations which have been keen to help out.

“God has been so good and we’ve had local companies helping us,” says Guy. “We were given a van a couple of years ago and there’s a possibility we’ll get another one this year. A number of years ago we had a councillor get involved too. He was walking past the church, saw what we were doing and decided that the council would help refurbish our kitchen.

“We hadn’t applied for grants to do this because there’s too many loopholes with us being openly Christian and sharing our faith. Instead, the council blessed us with a new kitchen!”

And when the church was planning to redecorate, Tesco was quick to help.

“They sent a group of staff and spent three months helping to paint our building and make new signs. The community helped too and we refurbished the building with no costs or borrowing.”

Now, as Guy is approaching retirement, he and the church are asking God what the future should look like for Watford Elim’s community work. But he is happy that God has established the church as a well-known Christian voice in its area.

“Our Sunday services are just our shop window,” he says. “We’re a church of the community that serves the community and our real service is during the week when we meet and help hundreds of people. If you ask, lots of people will tell you, ‘I know where Watford Elim is!’”

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.