Hope Street Leaders Appointed

Introducing Rachel and Andy Kitchen

The Bishop of St Asaph has appointed the first two leaders of Hope Street, a new kind of Christian community being established in Wrexham.

Andy Kitchen and Rachel Kitchen are currently on the staff of Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), in London and will be moving to Wrexham with their two children, Joel (11) and Tia (9) during the summer of 2020.  Over the next year, they will be praying, dreaming and preparing for Hope Street with regular visits.  Andy worked as a Town Planning Consultant for nine years, so will bring that expertise to the design and refurbishment of Hope Street.  Rachel, worked for a short period for Tearfund, and brings a heart for justice and compassion.  As well as recruiting other team members, including Welsh speakers, and developing relationships across the town, Andy and Rachel will be finishing their work and training at HTB.

Rachel and Andy will share the role of Leader of Hope Street. Both have twenty years of experience investing their passion, time and energy in new and growing churches in London, the Midlands and Watford.  Rachel said: “For a long while we’ve sensed a call to church planting and, as we’ve prayerfully considered Bishop Gregory’s invitation to lead Hope Street, we’ve sensed this is also God’s invitation to us. Through scripture, prayer, prophecy, the wisdom of friends and looking at our own experience to this point we have a growing sense of excitement, faith and peace.

“We are excited to join with what God is already doing in St Asaph, to reach out to young people, students and families, and to partner with others to serve the surrounding area and see transformation.  We are drawn to the pioneering nature of this project; it is a bold move to start a new and differently styled worshipping community right in the centre of Wrexham. We have been really excited and impressed by the work the Diocesan team has already put into this project and count it a privilege to join them to see what God wants to do.”

At the end of June, the Church in Wales announced it was awarding the Diocese of St Asaph the first grant from its £10m Evangelism Fund.  The £1.9m award to Hope Street will see the establishment of a community, centred on outreach to younger people.

Refurbishment work on Hope Street is getting underway.  Window displays show the sort of work already being undertaken by churches in Wrexham and illustrate future ambitions for Hope Street.