People

Paul grew up in Hastings and has been part of our church for many years. Paul leads King’s Church as a whole, bringing experience in commerce from his previous career in the building industry. Paul is married to Chloe and they have four sons, though only one of them has followed in Paul’s footsteps by supporting Gillingham FC!

Steve is an elder at King’s Church and leads our Bexhill venue. When he is not busy with church work he enjoys time with his family, cycling and driving his classic car.

Sam is originally from Ghana and moved to Hastings in summer 2016. A former teacher and headmaster, Sam now works for King’s a few days a week as well as with a charity supporting adults with disabilities. Sam is passionate about the local church, loves telling others about Jesus and is still amazed at God’s wonderful grace. Sam and his wife Clare have two sons. Sam joined the eldership team in 2018.

Hannah oversees operations at both King’s Church and the Hastings Centre. She previously worked in a large, Central St Leonards primary school for 20 years – both as a class teacher and a senior leader. Hannah is married to Nic and they have three boys. One of Hannah’s passions is to see people develop their God-given potential... Her other one is hoovering!

Clare overseas all things financial for all of the King’s Church venues. She has been working in finance for over 17 years, during which time she has been involved in and managed the finances for various commercial companies. Clare is mum to two wonderful children and if she ever had any free time she would love to go horse riding.

Paul joined the team in September 2016 as one of the pastors for King’s Hastings. Paul oversees pastoral and mid-week life across King’s Church. He loves taking part in triathlons and travelling. Paul is married with two children.

Caner leads the worship life here at King’s – including Sundays, prayer meetings, musical development and song writing. Caner has grown up in King’s and has played music from a young age. He is married to Joanna and they have 2 young children. Caner’s creativity can also be seen in film making where he runs his own part-time business.

Joanna oversees the youth and students & 20s work here at King’s, with a heart for reaching young people for Jesus. She is actively part of our worship and creative teams. She has a degree in dance from Chichester University and is married with a young family.

Kate is our children’s coordinator for the under 12s in all the King’s Church venues. She also heads up our safeguarding team. Kate has experience as working as a photographer and also as a teaching assistant. Her creative skills shine in all she does. Kate has three grown up daughters, she is a keen landscape photographer and makes amazing ice cream.

Al is our office manager, looking after the day-to-day operations with the admin team. Al and, her husband Jon, both lead our Central St Leonards venue. With a theology degree, Al trained and worked as a teacher in her early career, and she has also worked as a foodbank manager. Al and Jon have three children in their teens and early twenties.

Jon grew up in Central St Leonards. He and his wife Al have lots of experience working in local communities for various churches and charities. Jon is the manager of Hastings Foodbank which operates from Hope at King’s in the Hastings Centre. He is passionate about showing Jesus’ love to people through acts of kindness. Jon and Al head up a team looking to launch a King’s Church meeting venue in Central St Leonards.

Natalie holds the role of Community Engagement Director; she oversees all our social action projects and Hope at King’s – a dedicated area in the Hastings Centre used by social action projects, professional agencies and the wider community. Natalie is passionate about Jesus’ love for people and how He teaches us to care for those who are facing poverty.

As a registered charity, we have a board of trustees overseeing the financial and legal responsibilities of the church. Our current trustees are: Martin Clarke (chair), Ollie Dyer, Paul Rackstraw, Andrea Harwood and Natalie Williams.

The King’s Church leadership team is supported by a team of pastoral deacons. These are men and women who are mature Christians, have been involved in church life here in Hastings for some years and are highly respected among the church community for the way they care for people and their wisdom in helping members through difficult or challenging situations. If you are going through a difficult time and would like pastoral support, please contact us.