LEADERSHIP AT HOPE CHURCH
TIM (PASTOR)
AND ANN SAUNDERS
Tim has been pastor at Worthing Tabernacle, Barton Evangelical Church Canterbury and Cheam Baptist Church before coming to Sutton with a group from Cheam in October 2015. He is convinced that the Bible, as God's Word to us, is the best means to the greatest end - that is knowing God through faith in Jesus and bringing glory to Him. In recent years he has had the privilege of ministry in Pakistan, Russia and Western Europe. Tim is married to Ann and they have three grown up daughters. He is an active FA referee, lifelong follower of Brentford FC and Sussex cricket and has a keen interest in British natural history.
MARTIN (ELDER)
AND SHARON CAMPBELL-SMITH
Martin has been a member of Hope Church Sutton since 2015 when a group from Cheam Baptist Church joined with Hope Community Church. This was a return to Sutton with Martin having grown up and baptised at Sutton Baptist Church before several years living in Scotland.
Martin was elected to the Elders in July 2018. As a chartered accountant he took on specific responsibility for overseeing the church’s finances. Martin is involved also with the music group and both he and his wife Sharon lead one of the church’s community groups that meets on Wednesday night.
DAVID CORNISH
(ELDER)
Dave has been a member at Hope Church Sutton since the 2015 graft and an elder since 2019, having grown up down the road at Cheam Baptist Church. He leads the youth work at Hope, enjoying the privilege of teaching teenagers about following Jesus and the excuse for socials and camps and weekends away. Dave is an English Literature grad who works in international development, and enjoys reading, theatre and almost all sport.
ZEBULON LEKWAPE
(ELDER)
Zeb's family was resettled to Soweto when he was a small boy. Growing up under the oppression of apartheid he lived in danger. When he became a follower of Jesus he began to work for reconciliation, inviting white Christians into the township and visiting white churches. This again brought trouble both from the authorities and local people.
Zeb works for the South African consulate, is married to Johanna and they have three adult children. Zeb is elder with special responsibility for evangelism.
VIKKI (DEACON - HARDSHIP FUND)
AND WILL CLARKE
Vikki and her husband Will joined Hope when it was just a tiny church and have loved seeing it grow and being part of the wonderful diverse community. Vikki and Will both grew up locally and have hearts for the vulnerable, both working in charities. Vikki also volunteers with Sutton Community Works, a local Christian charity which runs various projects such as a local food bank and jobs clubs.
Vikki has served in various ways in the church and currently chairs the Hardship Fund which was set up in 2020 to help anyone in the church family who is in financial distress. The fund is administered by a small team which is made up of Vikki, Sharon Campbell-Smith, Michael Cowley and Jacques van Zyl. If anyone in the church is in need of urgent financial help, they can reach out to the team or to one of the church leadership group for more information.
JENNY (DEACON - HOPE HOPPERS)
AND STEVE CRAGGS
Jenny grew up in Sutton and chose to follow Jesus after attending a summer camp as a teenager. Jenny’s passion for overseas mission grew when she went to Ecuador and Peru with Latin Link to do a Spring STEP team. Jenny is a Spanish teacher in a secondary school in Bromley and mum to Daniel and Susannah. She loves working with children and young people and she co-runs ‘Hope Hoppers’ which is the parent and toddler group at Hope. She loves to tell mums and toddlers about the amazing things that God has done for us.
FRANCO BESSO PIANETTO (DEACON - VISION)
Franco has been a member of Hope Church Sutton since 2015, and is from Cordoba, Argentina. He became a Christan as a teenager and went to university to study Computer Science where he collaborated with Cru as an associate student sharing the gospel with students and studying the Bible for many years. Franco came to the UK in 2014 and enjoys working with multimedia and how to connect the church with people through technology.
KATHRYN (DEACON - WOMEN'S MINISTRY)
AND GREGOR FERGUSON (ELDER)
Kathryn and Gregor have been a part of Hope Church since moving to the area with others from different churches in Co-Mission. Kathryn grew up in Argentina and Paraguay and Gregor in Scotland, but they’ve both now lived in south London for very much longer than they ever thought they would! They have four children, two at university and two teenagers. Kathryn coordinates women’s ministry and Bible studies at Hope and also works part-time for a local authority. The highlight for her at Hope Church has been seeing how God uses a mixed bunch of ordinary people to grow His family in Sutton. Gregor and Kathryn host the Carshalton community group.
CHUKU (DEACON - WORSHIP)
AND JANE JOHNSON
Chuku has been involved in playing and leading church music for over 25 years. Whilst developing a love of hymns and classical music as organist and choirmaster at a West African Anglican Cathedral, he has gone on to develop a passion for a variety of other musical styles, such as pentecostal and evangelical worship and jazz, amongst others. Chuku loves serving the church through music and encouraging others to join in and serve the church this way with joy.
Chuku is married to Jane and has 3 children and is a Chartered Accountant. Chuku is thankful to Jesus for his saving grace and continual patience and love to us.
FAHAD (DEACON) AND SUNAINA JOHN (CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR)
Originally from Pakistan, Fahad belongs to a family where he grew up seeing his parents and grand parents preaching and serving in church, they were always ready to share the good news with great commitment which encouraged him to accept Christ as his personal saviour at the age of sixteen.
Fahad has now lived in Sutton for over 10 years with his wife Sunaina and two boys Elijah and Isaiah. He works in clinical research organisation as a Clinical Data Lead. 1 Corinthians 13 is his favourite passage from the bible which refers to Christ and his love.
LIZZIE HOLMES (CHILDREN'S AND YOUTH MINISTRY)
Lizzie joined Hope Church in 2017 having grown up in various Co-mission churches and youth groups. Before joining the team in 2022 she worked in marketing and as a primary school teacher. She has always loved sharing the gospel with kids and teenagers and has become very used to losing games on a weekly basis. She hopes to help the children's and youth work continue to grow and eagerly proclaim God's word. Lizzie's other love is being creative, she did a degree in textile design so enjoys the challenge of trying to make anything and everything.
CHRISTY CHENG (CANTONESE-SPEAKING PASTORAL WORKER)
AND IVAN WONG
Christy is originally from Hong Kong. She has always been thankful for growing up in a Christian family and studying in a church school renowned for the mission of leading children to follow Jesus, so that she could accept Jesus since she was young.
Before relocating to the UK in 2021, Christy received God’s call in 2018 and started her ministry journey in The Chinese Rhenish Church Kowloon in Hong Kong as a Children’s Ministry Assistant, followed by counselling training. She loves accompanying and supporting others in achieving spiritual and psychological wellbeing, as well as teaching the Bible to children, and is always touched by their pure hearts.
Christy is married to Ivan, and their greatest joy is to grow together in God as a household of faith and to serve God together. Among various ministries they take part in, both of them especially enjoy serving in Bible study ministry by tasting the sweetness of God’s words. Spending time on beach and taking care of their foliage plants are their other favourite activities.
Christy 生於基督教家庭，常為到父母安排她到一所致力引領孩童跟隨基督的教會學校學習，讓她有幸從小認識及接受基督為救主而感恩。
經多年尋求，Christy於2018年決心回應上帝呼召，並蒙天父帶領開始全時間事奉，於香港中華基督教禮賢會九龍堂擔任兒童事工助理一職，及進修輔導學碩士課程接受訓練。她熱衷參與生命建立工作，喜歡陪伴及支持他人追求心理健康及屬靈生命成長，以及教導孩童聖經真理，尤其被孩子們單純渴慕主的心感動。
2021年，Christy與丈夫由香港移居英國。他們最大的喜樂是一起在主裡成長及事奉上帝。在他們參與的各事奉當中，他們特別喜歡查經事工的服事，享受神話語的甘甜。閒時他倆最喜歡到沙灘和打理家中的觀葉植物。
