DAVE
PASTOR
- Dave has been the pastor of Hope Community Church since September 2021.
- Although originally from Yorkshire, Dave now lives in Biddenden with his wife and two children.
- Dave is passionate about people meeting Jesus and finding joy in Him. He became a Christian in his teens and has loved learning and growing in God ever since.
- Dave originally worked as a structural engineer, designing buildings. He then trained for ministry at Oak Hill College in London, and for 3 years worked as a pastor at City Evangelical Church in Leeds. He served for 2 more years as an elder doing a range of pastoral work before moving to Kent in August 2021.
- When he's not working, Dave likes to spend time cycling, reading, or making things.
STEPHEN DEAN
ELDER
- Born in Hertfordshire, Stephen is an Elder/Leader at HCC in Biddenden.
- Stephen and his wife Sarah are founder members of the church.
- Although Stephen grew up in a Christian home it wasn’t until many years later that life’s events caused him to revisit his faith.
- Becoming aware of his need for a Saviour he committed his life to the Lord and was baptised soon after the millennium.
CHRIS MERCER
ELDER
- Chris is also an Elder/Leader at Hope Community Church.
- He and his wife, Evelyn, are founder members of Hope Community Church
- He was born in Wittersham near Rye to a loving Christian family.
- Chris moved to Tenterden in 1956 and in 1970 he married Evelyn (also born into a Christian family).
- Both he and Evelyn were baptised in 1979.
- Chris also loves to be in the garden, and is very interested in weather-related programs and forecasts.
- He particularly enjoys reading the Bible and praying with Evelyn in their quiet times.
PETER MAWSON
ELDER
- Peter is an Elder/Leader at Hope Community Church and is also a founder member along with his wife Linda.
- Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Peter began playing the trombone at the age of 11 and music quickly became the love of his life. However, at the age of 17 everything changed when he realised, through discussions with a school friend that the Lord Jesus Christ died for his sins and he needed to commit the rest of his life to God.
- Peter worked as a free-lance trombonist with the London orchestras and then joined the orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, subsequently becoming the Principal of the Bromley Youth Music Trust for 25 years.
- He and Linda decided that God wanted them to take early retirement from education and work full-time serving local churches, first in Bristol, then in Tenterden and now in Biddenden.
