Dear friends,

It feels as though lots of different pieces are beginning to come together at the moment, so we wanted to send a proper update and say thank you for continuing to pray for us and support the beginnings of All Saints Paderborn.

We are just about to get in the car and head to Germany! The past month or so has been incredibly busy as we have been sorting through our belongings, packing up the house and preparing for this next chapter. We have already completed our Anmeldung (official registration) in Germany, so some of the practical foundations are beginning to fall into place. Our focus now turns to settling into life in Paderborn, building relationships and continuing preparations for the launch of All Saints Paderborn.

One of the big things we are exploring at the moment is housing. We are looking at both rental options and the possibility of purchasing a house in Paderborn.

There is one particular property that we are interested in, and we are waiting for further information from the estate agent as the paperwork and property details are prepared. Purchasing, as opposed to renting, could reduce our monthly housing costs by around half, so we would really value your prayers for wisdom and clarity as we make what is obviously quite a significant decision.

Behind the scenes, work on All Saints Paderborn is continuing steadily.

Our hope remains to begin public worship in January 2027, serving the English-speaking community across Paderborn and the surrounding area. This includes military families and veterans, international families, students, professionals, young adults and others for whom an English-speaking church could become home.

Our vision, though, is about much more than simply beginning a Sunday service.

We want All Saints to become a healthy, worshipping and discipling community: a place where people can encounter Jesus, grow in faith, find genuine community and be equipped to live out their faith in everyday life.

We hope to build clear pathways for discipleship and create a church in which people are welcomed, encouraged to discover and use their gifts, and equipped to serve others. Our desire is not simply to launch services in January, but to establish a sustainable Christian community that can grow, serve and become firmly rooted in Paderborn over the years ahead.

We also hope to develop ways of serving and supporting the military and veteran community around Paderborn, alongside international families and others who may otherwise struggle to find an English-speaking Christian community to call home.

We are continuing conversations about a suitable place for All Saints to meet. Some possibilities have not worked out, but other relationships are beginning to develop.

One particularly encouraging avenue is through the Meissen Agreement, which brings the Church of England and the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) into a formal relationship of fellowship and shared mission. This gives us a wonderful basis on which to build relationships with local Protestant churches in Paderborn, not simply as we look for somewhere to worship, but as fellow Christians seeking to serve the city together.

We have been making contact with local pastors and church leaders, and these conversations are beginning to open up further connections within Paderborn. We are really encouraged by the willingness of people to help us as we establish All Saints.

We are increasingly convinced that partnership and friendship with the wider Christian community will be an important part of the life of All Saints. Please pray that, through these developing relationships, God opens the right door for a place to worship and continues to bring the right people across our path.

Our relationship with the military chaplaincy in Sennelager has also been really encouraging.

The summer camp in August gave us a wonderful opportunity to serve families and deepen those relationships, and we are grateful for the support and encouragement we have received from the chaplaincy.

In November, Adam will also be leading the Royal British Legion Remembrance Service in the area. We are praying that this will not only be a meaningful act of remembrance, but also an opportunity to build relationships with people across the wider British, military, veteran and international community.

Over time, we would love All Saints to be able to offer genuine community and pastoral support to veterans, serving personnel and military families living in the area. This is something particularly close to our hearts, and we are beginning to explore what this might look like as the church develops.

There is also a lot happening that isn’t particularly exciting to photograph but is essential for building a healthy church!

We are beginning to put some of the less visible infrastructure in place: church email, file systems, administration, safeguarding and the practical systems that will be needed as the church grows.

We are working with ELCM on setting up Microsoft 365 for the ministry and continuing to develop our website and communications.

We are also really pleased to now be ICS Mission Partners as we prepare to establish the church. Alongside this, the necessary processes with the Diocese in Europe are progressing, providing the wider Anglican relationships, accountability and support within which All Saints will minister.

We are incredibly grateful for the encouragement we have received from ICS, ELCM, the Diocese and so many others who are helping us turn the vision into reality.

We have been hugely encouraged by the generosity of those who have already chosen to stand with us.

We are delighted to share that we have now secured funding equivalent to almost one full stipend. We are continuing conversations with individuals, churches, charitable trusts and the Diocese in Europe about further financial support, both towards our ongoing stipend needs and to help cover the practical costs of establishing the new church in Paderborn.

The Diocese in Europe is also considering an application for support towards the delivery of the church plant, and some very encouraging supporting material has been provided by ELCM and the military chaplaincy.

We are grateful that Bishop Robert has responded positively and has arranged for the case for support to be shared with the diocesan Finance Committee.

There is still a gap to close, so please continue to pray for the remaining provision.

If you would like to support the ministry financially, either with a one-off gift or regular support, you can do so through our Stewardship page:

But above everything else, we really value your prayers.

Please pray for:

There is still plenty to do, but we are increasingly excited as things begin to move from vision and planning into something much more tangible.

Thank you for praying, encouraging us, giving and simply being part of the journey. We genuinely couldn’t do this alone.