Nicole Barnard - Agapé UK

Discover, Grow, Go

Agapé’s vision is that every person will have the opportunity to discover Jesus and live their lives to the full in relationship with him, grow in their faith, and be equipped to be disciples who make disciples. The Central Team (Comms, Operations, Finance, HR and Leadership Development) serves the field ministry across the UK, as well as being challenged in the part we can play in the Great Commission.

The Central Team
The new Central Leadership team, comprised of department heads (though we are still looking to recruit a Central Services Director to raise the profile of our Hub as a thriving missional centre), is doing a fantastic job of leading our expanding team. There is a great atmosphere in the Hub especially on team days (Wednesdays and Thursdays) when we are all in, and I think hybrid working means we appreciate each other all the more when we are together. We have been using Strengths finder to assess our different strengths and see how they complement each other so we can work together more effectively. One of my strengths is empathy, and it’s a privilege to be able to encourage my colleagues and friends, to offer a listening ear, support and prayer.

It was all hands on deck earlier in the year to pack resources for the student ministry’s Discover Jesus campaign which saw more than 160 Christian students trained in the UK to have conversations about Jesus.

More recently we helped with the preparations for the Big Church Festival (BCF) at which we aimed to raise our profile, encourage Christians to share their faith using some of our flagship resources, and connect with church leaders. We have also helped to pack resources for our humanitarian arm GAiN UK at their new resources centre.

Sharing God online
According to the Talking Jesus research of 2022, 35% of UK residents say they would go to Google or YouTube first to learn about the Christian faith. Our Digital Strategies (DS) team are capitalizing on this interest and using online tools to reach further and deeper in evangelism and discipleship, including the Mentor Ministry. Last week a colleague from London came to talk to us about this initiative which offers opportunities to engage with real people from around the world, listen with empathy, pray for them and gently open doors to spiritual conversations and the gospel. If you are interested in becoming a mentor you can find more information here: (https://tmm.io/c/agapeUK).

My role
With the departure of our finance director last year, I have now taken on the official role of Company Secretary, responsible for keeping our records up to date with Companies House and the Charities Commission. I worked with our operations director for the first time this year to complete a huge pile of virtual paperwork- at least now we know what to expect, so next time should be somewhat easier! This complements my role as secretary to the Council of management.

I continue to serve our National Director Lesley Cheesman as her PA, and assist both the National and Central leadership teams, all of which equates to a challenging but stimulating role. It is a real privilege to work with such wonderful people who encourage me in my faith and to know that even though I work ‘behind the scenes’ I play a part in helping others to discover Jesus. Thank you St Johns for your support!

Please pray : for more staff to join the central team (Central Services Director and IT especially) so we can serve the whole ministry more effectively.