The beginning …
Timothy, the founding Pastor and Lead Elder, responded to an altar call and received salvation “by grace through faith” in our Lord Jesus Christ in 1969 in Nigeria. Simultaneously, he sensed a call on his life to serve God in full-time ministry as an evangelist. He was restrained from leaving school until after a university education. He subsequently obtained a B.Sc in Microbiology, got married to Pearl, obtained an M.Sc and eventually a Ph.D in Microbiology. God blessed them with three sons. They served God in various leadership capacities in their church and among the university students and staff; Timothy led the evangelism committee and was involved in various evangelistic programmes.
In the early eighties, Timothy received two independent prophecies, which were remarkably similar. Among other things, they stated that God was going to use him extensively in a setting outside Nigeria to reach people of many nations. God started to bring this about in 1988 by giving Timothy the opportunity to do some post-doctoral work at the University of Sussex in Brighton. By 1989, Timothy was living in Brighton with his family and working at the University.
Through remarkable interventions and leading by God, the whole family moved to Orpington in November 1990 and were miraculously led to the then Sidcup Community Church (part of the Newfrontiers family of churches). In January 1991, they became part of a group planting a new church in Orpington – then known as Orpington Town Church. In October 1991, Timothy and Pearl began to lead a home group, which soon gave rise to two more groups. God blessed their ministry, as they became deeply involved in evangelism, counselling (healing and deliverance), teaching and discipleship.
In 1993, Timothy became one of three pastoral assistants at Orpington Town Church.
The call …
In 1994, God audibly called Timothy during one of his ‘prayer walks’ and instructed him to serve Him full-time. He also graciously spoke to Pearl about His will to release Timothy from his job at the University of Greenwich. Timothy resigned his job in obedience in June and by September he was employed as a full-time pastor in Orpington Town Church. Pearl continued to work as a full-time science teacher. In 1995, the Lord spoke to Timothy and Pearl to have a ‘night vigil’ every Friday. They obeyed and the night vigils continue to this day. Many miraculous answers to prayers have resulted from this.
The Lord spoke to Timothy and Pearl and confirmed it through other sources in 1996, that Timothy should plant a cell church based in St. Paul’s Cray. From October 13 1996, forty men, women and children began to meet together in homes on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays in preparation for the planting of the cell church in January 1997. From January 1997 to the end of February 1998, three cell groups met in homes on Sunday mornings and the corporate celebration meeting was held on Friday night at Leesons Primary School. This was in obedience to God’s leading to ensure understanding that the cell group (church-in-the-home) is the basic church community.
On March 1 in 1998, the corporate celebration meetings were returned to Sunday mornings, at the comfortable facilities at Leesons Centre. Churches-in-homes continued to be the focus of church life and met on different days during each week.
Continuing miraculous provision …
From the very beginning King’s Church experienced supernatural provision in every area. Through many miraculous events, the Lord provided the facilities now known as the King’s Church Centre. On August 15 2008, Timothy received the keys to an extremely run down and vandalised site. Miraculous provision enabled the Church to refurbish and improve the site and facilities to its present condition. All glory to God!
Expansion …
On March 21 2010, Edward Demi-Ejegi, and Ahmed Ifabua, were ordained Elders in King’s Church. Edward is married to Ebby and Ahmed to Elizabeth. Both Ebby and Elizabeth are actively involved in leadership. The ever expanding leadership base now includes 63 men and women.
From September 2010, Pearl reduced her work as an Advanced Skills Teacher for Science to two days a week at a local secondary school, devoting the rest of her week to unpaid voluntary work for the Church. She retired as a Science teacher in 2012 to take up part-time paid work for the Church. A large, dedicated team of volunteers do the work of ministry in various capacities.
Acknowledgement …
Over the years many men, women and children have contributed to the life and progress of King’s Church and have moved on. There are others that are not members of this particular local Church but have also contributed in different ways, and some are still doing so. Our prayer is that God would bless and reward them all.
Ongoing fulfilment of prophecy …
King’s Church is now a thriving and growing community of men, women and children from over 20 nations, who are diligently playing their parts in obedience to the call of God, through the grace of our Lord Jesus and under the direction of His Holy Spirit. There is a growing ministry of providing support for other Churches around the UK and abroad. Support is also given to other charities that are committed to caring for the poor, both in UK and abroad. Indeed the prophetic words over us are being fulfilled. The journey goes on …