Re-Store Hope Hub/Hub Church
& Love Westhill

Michelle (above centre) is a community minister at St Marks Westhill and Christ Church Bridlington. After completing Stepping Up she heard God say ‘you've got a gift from life’, and now is working with people, where she can talk into people's broken lives, sharing God’s love’. Michelle is part of the Hope Hub at Christ Church and works at St Mark’s Westhill on Tuesday helping to run a bible discovery group and their community breakfast on Thursday.

The Re-Store Hope Hub caters for around 70 people a week. It is a space where deeper relationships can be built with many beginning to hear and believe that they have a hope and a future. Hub Church happens before Restore/Hope Hub opens and provides place for worship and people to grow in faith, reaching 35-55 people each time. The Hub also facilitates partnership with organisations such as ‘Mind’ and ‘Emmaus’ and other agencies such as ‘Oral Health', ‘Hep C Testing’ and ‘Health Inclusion Bus’. Prayer is offered to many people throughout the week and there is a real ease at inviting people to The Hub Church.

‘A gentleman came to Bridlington and was homeless. We were able to work with him, securing a shelter for him and linking him to all the services in the town. We told him he needed a scaffolding around him whilst his life was being rebuilt, and we could be that to him. He is now part of the Re-Store community and is on team. He has found belonging and home.’

The Love Westhill breakfast also provides space for deep connection. The original vision for the breakfast was to create home around the person of Jesus and the team have seen an increased sense of belonging and an increase in people receiving prayer over the last year. Some of the attendees have also begun to join in with other activities or even become volunteers themselves.

‘ A lady was overwhelmed with grief due to family bereavements. Over the course of the last year she has found a place of safety and belonging at Love Westhill. She has been a part of our Tuesday study group and loved it, she volunteers on team and stays for prayer afterwards. She came with us to New Wine and was overwhelmed in a beautiful way. She knows God is changing her life.’

Both areas of mission are spaces where prayer is offered and normalised. Together they have organised wider community events throughout the year including Summer and Easter fun days, Christmas Parties and a ‘Carols around the Campfire’ event providing homemade soup and a roll which saw around 40 people attend including local PCSO’s. The team have also been running 8-week patterns of Bible Discovery and Discipleship. The group (from both Love Westhill and Restore) meets on Tuesday mornings with most of the people attending being reasonably new to faith.

Michelle says ‘what’s beautiful is people are finding friendships and we pray for people’.