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CCK History
Church of Christ the King was formed in 1978 but with the title Brighton & Hove Christian Fellowship. It began with 38 people gathering in Hove, at the Connaught School, led by Henry Tyler and overseen by Terry Virgo, who moved to the town to join the young church at the beginning of 1979. David Fellingham joined the group and began to serve full-time alongside Terry and Henry early the same year. |
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Terry Virgo takes up the story
BHCF became Clarendon Church when we were invited to move into the Mission Hall in Clarendon Villas, Hove, and the church grew considerably. Several years passed, and by 1984 we’d outgrown the meeting room at Clarendon Villas, so the church met in five locations around the area: one group in Hove, remaining at the Villas, with the others in educational buildings.
This was followed by a season when the church gathered at the Odeon Cinema in Brighton (1988-90). While it was good to be together again, a serious search for a permanent building of our own began.
We experimented with meeting in morning and evening congregations at Clarendon Villas, and in 1991 we began the purchase of a commercial property in New England Street.
It was an exciting adventure of faith as we prayerfully trusted the Lord through Planning Permission issues, a proposed new road layout, several major tax hiccoughs and a number of other potentially disastrous matters. But we knew we had found our home, and all of these hurdles were negotiated.
We established a building fund and eventually transformed the two-storey warehouse into the three-storey worship centre where we meet today. Growth has not been continuous, but we now meet morning and evening, in order to accommodate everyone, and we are enjoying a period of expansion as God brings the increase.
Foundations
Those who join the church today still enjoy the benefits set in place in those early days. In the building of a house, the foundations are crucial, and in just the same way the people were established on solid biblical truths and values.
• Terry taught from the book of Romans, highlighting the grace of God. Those who are secure in Christ don't need to resort to religious postures such as legalism and super-spirituality.
• The church was to be a community of friends. Meals and other informal gatherings allowed relationships to develop and a sense of ‘family’ to grow.
• A Commitment Course was begun for those who wanted to join the church. At its conclusion a genuine expression of commitment was expected.
• Sunday meetings gave room for release of praise and worship; there was freedom for people to be true worshippers, new music and songs to bring a much-needed freshness, and for manifestations of God’s glory to break in.
Keeping ourselves on track
We still need to ensure that these foundations are under our feet and that we continue, as a church, to give room to the apostolic and prophetic ministries that laid them.
Are we a people who stand in the grace of God - free from condemnation and guilt, delivered from slavishly going through the motions of outward obedience to rules and others' expectations?
Has our striving been replaced by the power of God's grace to motivate us to a life of faith and love of righteousness?
Is friendship and the sharing of our lives something we still value and for which we make time?
How is our commitment being worked out in real terms? Does it include being consistent in attendance at gatherings for worship and prayer? Can the others in our small group rely on us?
What about the quality of our giving and serving?
Is there still no substitute for a genuine meeting with God in worship? Are we disappointed if, on occasions, we have no sense of the presence of God in our midst?
Prophetic vision
In the early months, while the number of committed people was still comparatively small, God presented the church with a breathtaking vision of growth and impact. One of a number of prophecies at that time caused hearts to beat faster and faith to rise: ‘My children, you are yet like a young sapling; you will become as a mighty tree whose branches shall spread out over this town. It will grow to such proportions that it will be impossible to be in the town without being aware of your presence.’
A further prophecy indicated that as the team of leaders grew together like pillars and were lined up in right relationship and grew straight with genuine integrity, God would cause young shoots to grow between them that would ultimately be cut and sent as arrows to the ends of the earth.
Since that time the church has not only grown in size and significance, but has also sent out many who have planted and are serving churches in other parts of the UK and overseas. We continue to look to God for further fulfilment of his prophetic word among us, affecting not only the community where we live, but the nation and the nations.
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Above: Building work outside at Clarendon Villas, Hove
Below: Packed into the main hall at the Villas, circa 1988
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Above: The warehouse building in New England Street in 1992
Below: Worshipping in the undeveloped warehouse, 1993
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Above: The new roof is complete! 1996
Below: Celebrating inside the completed auditorium, 1996
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Above: Guest service @ the Clarendon Centre |
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