On Saturday, 24th June 2017, the building was filled with praise, prayer and delight. 120 people gathered to give thanks to Almighty God for his provision of a new pastor for Union Chapel, Bethersden, Kent. His name is Matthew Cox.
Matthew comes from Chorlton Evangelical Church, Manchester, where he has been an elder for six years. His fellow leaders encouraged him to consider full-time Christian ministry and leave his job in local government. Matthew is 37 and, together with his wife Mary and their three children Owen, Imogen and Simeon, has now moved from large city to small village.
One of the elders, Ian Jemmett, gave the history of how the church’s invitation came to Matthew, and this was followed by the ‘charge to the church’, delivered by Jeremy Walker, pastor of Maidenbower Baptist Church, Crawley. Jeremy urged the fellowship (from Hebrews 13.17) to give the preaching of the Word a Berean, deliberate, intelligent and ready reception, and to gain the intended profit from the gift of a pastor from the Lord who gave him.
