FOR ten years, a small team from the Leicester community house travelled down every month to support ‘Jesus Army Swansea’. This daughter-church was based on a small team of men living in a rented house called ‘Tan Sanctaidd’ (the Welsh for ‘Holy Fire’). In 2002 we felt God calling us to consolidate the work and increase our commitment to South Wales.

To my surprise, at the age of 64, I was asked to lead the new work. Although it’s been an upheaval to leave Leicester - our home for nearly 20 years - we’ve found ourselves released to fulfil ministries which have remained latent for quite some time.

Time is not on our side and I feel an urgency. The harvest field is wide now, but may not always be so open.

In August, we rented a four-bedroomed house, ten minutes walk from the city centre and extended the original housebased meeting by hiring a public hall. Starting with only four or five people, we now have up to 25 adult regulars in the Sunday morning gathering and a Bible study group on Wednesday nights. I want to lay the foundation by teaching on the Kingdom of God.

We hold our Sunday evening meetings, whatever the weather, out on the streets and we’ve chosen to make our witness through worship, rather than street-preaching. It’s working well. It’s getting us known round and about and different people receive prayer from us - from addicts and teenagers to people of other faiths.

Recently, in prayer, the Lord said simply ‘Swansea. Camarthen. Cwmbran. Newport. Cardiff’ and I said “OK, Lord - give me fifteen leaders!”

I feel my commission is not to build up one large community house or gathering in Swansea, but to train up a strong group of about fifteen leaders who will go out to these new areas and reproduce the church there.