Much encouragement has taken place at Headland Baptist Church in Hartlepool, a church supported by Home Mission. Headed by Fiona Preston, it has developed key partnerships with several groups, and is a much more vibrant presence in its community.  

Fiona has led Headland since January 2020. Prior to that the church, without a minister since 2013, opened its building just a couple of times a week. Fast forward a couple of years and it’s now a hive of activity, both with its own groups and other organisations such as Slimming World, a history club and others using its premises.

One example is its partnership with The Bread and Butter Thing, a national charity which receives surplus food from supermarkets to provide affordable weekly groceries through a membership scheme. The charity approached Headland Baptist Church to see if it could be one of its distribution hubs in Hartlepool. Around 65 people use the service each week.   

Fiona says she and the volunteers have been able to build relationships - a couple of children have started coming to the church groups, and people have been prayed for. The partnership is meeting a practical need, developing community, and showing the love of God in action.    

Its youth and lunch clubs have grown and are thriving. A Christmas carol service was hosted outdoors for the first time, and with much prayer, saw more than 200 people come, including many representatives of the different groups now using the building.   

“At the start of my ministry here I prayed about us making a noise outside our building, being of use to the community, sharing God’s love,” Fiona explains.

“It’s been two years of being shocked. And we believe it’s come from God.”