The team at Lord’s Hill Church, Southampton, are rejoicing after seeing their congregation of less than 30 grow over the past 6 months – such that over Easter there were 128 people in the building, and now over 130 that would call Lord’s Hill their home. As there are only 80 chairs downstairs, more space has had to be made in the balcony above to accommodate all the new people.
The growth of the community is the result of a revitalisation project, with a team sent by nearby church Saint Mary’s in Southampton, one of our diocese’s largest Resource Churches which are churches that have received strategic development funding from the national church. Conversations initially started with Saint Mary’s about the possibility of a partnership in September 2022.
Naomi Clarke, Churchwarden of Lord’s Hill, who has attended the church since 2000, says the partnership is like being part of a big new family. “Everyone would say, ‘Wow! It’s been amazing’. Our mission had been to reach out to families and children as they are our future and as soon as the announcement was made about the partnership, we were immediately joined by two new families. We’ve prayed to have that contact with the younger generation and engagement with the local community. It was definitely God moving. The church is just buzzing”.
There are now two services on a Sunday morning at 9am and 10.30am, as well as a monthly 4pm family service.
The church is led by the Revd Tom Boulter who was curate at Saint Mary’s and moved to the area with his wife Jenni and their three children. Tom and Jenni say their aim is to build on the faithful Christian witness of the past decades – when the Lord’s Hill estate was being built in 1970, Revd Chris Atkins was appointed to pioneer a new church and it grew from just 4 members to more than 60. Lord’s Hill Church was built in 1981 and for many years it flourished, but by 2021 the congregation had fallen, with the impact of Covid being felt particularly keenly in the area.
Tom says, “It’s been a really encouraging first six months where the existing congregation have virtually all stayed. We brought some people from Saint Mary’s with us, and quite a few people who used to come to the church have returned, we’ve then had lots of new people join as well. It’s a privilege to be part of this new chapter, and my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will continue to unite all those groups of people together into one family that worships God, loves each other, and plays our part in the renewal of the city.”
The church has now also been able to employ a Children, Families and Community Lead, Martha Lloyd. With the help of a newly formed team Lord’s Hill hosted an Easter holiday club attended by 40 youngsters, and recently launched a toddler group on a Wednesday morning with a bouncy castle, toys and soft play area. 100 people came on the first week, many of whom had never been to church. Martha and team also regularly go into local primary schools to take assemblies. The church also welcomed over 200 people for a ‘Live Nativity’ at Christmas with farmyard animals outside and people dressed as characters from the nativity re-telling the story in dramatic fashion through an interactive trail.
I’m very aware that we’re not doing something completely new, but rather building on the rich spiritual heritage of the church community in this area which has been going for over 50 years. Equally I believe we are seeing a new move of God, particularly among the next generation, here in Lord’s Hill. For the first 12 years of Lord’s Hill church’s existence there was no church building, instead the community met in people’s homes and the local school – the church’s DNA has always been focussed on the people rather than the building, and being the heartbeat of the community. I see our role in this time as re-igniting the flame that had gone down to an ember, and following God’s leading to see his kingdom come right across our community.
Revd Tom Boulter
The church is in the centre of the community next to the supermarket, library and local pub. It’s been renovated with the help of a Diocesan Investment Programme (DIP) grant and is an asset to the community, hosting a bereavement group, dementia café, Rainbows, Brownies, and Basics Bank, one of the busiest in Southampton, which fed 130 people in the run up to Easter. Communion services are also held at nearby Erskine Court and Manston Court which provide supported accommodation.
Tom said, “Part of our role is to raise the faith and hope aspirations of the community because sometimes people can view Lord’s Hill a bit negatively, assuming there isn’t much going on. In fact Lord’s Hill is a fantastic place with incredible potential, but like everywhere it has its needs. We want to be a church where everyone is welcome, where every generation finds a home, where new leaders are raised and released, and where lives are transformed by Jesus”.
So far 67 people have attended Alpha at Lord’s Hill since September 2023, with a further lunchtime Alpha course starting in May. Eight adults were baptised during the Easter Sunday service. One of those was Terry Weston who has been coming to Lord’s Hill for seven months having previously attended Saint Mary’s.
Terry said, “As soon we arrived, everyone was so friendly. It’s like an extended family. It’s doubled in size since I’ve been coming and every week there are new people. It’s somewhere to come and off-load, to hand over your problems and start afresh. I am a recovering alcoholic and have been sober for 11 months. I always thought someone was looking after me. I now know it was Jesus. Getting baptised was so important, getting rid of my sins and being born again. I feel like I’m moving forward and leaving the past behind. Coming here has made me stronger with the support of my church family”.
Lord’s Hill is one of the first two revitalisations to come from the Diocese of Winchester’s resource churches, the other one is at St Andrew’s Charminster in Bournemouth. Excitingly, there is further national funding available for four more revitalisations in Southampton and Bournemouth over the next three years as well as support for growing rural parishes. To find out more about how the national funding process works and our diocesan bids for national funds, see National Church Funding Projects – Diocese of Winchester (anglican.org).
Tom adds, “We spend a lot of time just listening to people and to the needs of the local area rather than trying to dream up a strategy in an office. Some people view revitalisation as a big church taking over a small church, but we didn’t force this. Lord’s Hill approached Saint Mary’s for help, and we then felt called to come here. It’s a partnership, a family united by the spirit. Of course it hasn’t been without its challenges, but I strongly believe that God is doing something special at this place in this time. It’s been an encouraging start to see so much growth, but there is so much more to come. There are 12,000 people in our parish, so even with 128 here, that’s only 1% of people in church. My heart is that we would always exist for the 99% of people who don’t yet come, and continually live out the mission of Jesus, to seek the good of the area he has placed us in, and to play our part in seeing a whole city renewed.
