Revive Elim's Choice project impacts community

Behind the beautiful Cornish beaches, a local community is being supported by Revive Elim Church’s unique and wide-ranging offer. Church pastor Sammy Millar tells the story

Whether it’s hip-hop sessions, a sunflower-growing competition or a beach trip, Revive Elim’s Choice project offers its enthusiastic members an action-packed programme every week.

Choice, explains pastor Sammy Millar, provides activities for 70 adults with learning difficulties and physical disabilities via its day-care centres in Camborne and Redruth.

“It’s truly unique,” he says. “Everyone is valued and our aim is for everyone to feel accepted and appreciated.” With other activities including arts, crafts, an allotment, woodland walks, games and fun days, the 25-strong Choice team have created a fun and welcoming community.

“Choice is special because it gives the guys a safe environment to have fun, meet people and do what they want to do. We enjoy coming as much as they do!” say team members Kayleigh, Aimee and Karen.

Support workers Tracey and Sheila are quick to agree: “We’re like a family! Every day is really good fun – you don’t know what’s going to happen, you just come in and see and have a great time. It’s very supportive and caring.”

With adult services hard to access for people with disabilities once they leave college, Choice is making a huge difference.

“I like doing all the different activities and seeing my friends. I feel relaxed, excited, happy,” says young adult Liam. Sammy says God prepared him and his wife Yvonne well to support members of the Choice community like Liam. Before coming to Camborne, they had formed a close friendship with a couple in Loughborough called Ron and Jo whose daughter Lima had learning difficulties and Down’s Syndrome and struggled in some areas of life.

“Part of our friendship involved us praying together for each other and it was noticeable the difference this made to Lima and her parents,” says Sammy.

“We came to have a mutual love for her and her parents.

“When we came to Camborne we knew that through us knowing Lima God had prepared us to value every individual for who they are.

“So, when we discovered that 70 Limas were being supported by Choice and being loved by the church we were keen to get involved!”

Choice is a huge project but it is, in fact, just one way that Revive Elim Church dedicates itself to supporting its seaside community.

Sammy explains Choice is one of four elements of church life which connect with the local area each week.

In addition, there’s also the church itself, with its Sunday services and week- day activities.

Then there’s the spacious Revive Café, which welcomes locals and holidaymakers for fresh food, cakes and drinks on weekdays.

There are also the 14 community groups which regularly use rooms in the building and enjoy eating in the café. These include an NHS ‘singing for wellbeing’ choir, a multiple sclerosis support group and gardening, photography and various craft groups. “We get around 300 people through our doors in any month,” Sammy says.

Cornwall may be known for its beautiful beaches and tourist trade, but beyond the postcard scenes there are communities in Camborne and Redruth which need Revive Elim’s support.

“We are surrounded by 15 beaches within ten miles and I love that we can enjoy that, but we’re right in the middle of hardworking and needy communities. Our heart is to build relationships with all people who use this community hub so we can support them and share the good news of the gospel.”

Sammy says his previous roles were good preparation for him to become an evangelistic pastor to the area.

He spent eight years working as a pastor and deputy manager in Teen Challenge, which was good grounding in the situations, procedures and policies he now encounters while leading Choice and the church’s community work.

“At Teen Challenge I went deeper with God than I’d ever gone before and developed a real heart for people in need and bringing the love of God to them. God prepared me well, so when I came to Camborne it fitted me like a glove. The work we do here isn’t all about Sunday, but about sitting with people, listening, understanding, building relationships and introducing them to Jesus.”

Over the past year, Revive Elim Church has prayed for opportunities to share God’s love through all four parts of the church and has seen God answer.

“We’re already starting to see fruit after our first ten months.

“We’ve built relationships with people we’ve met at the café and through Choice and when we ran an Alpha course recently people from the different groups came along.”

Sammy can see several examples like this of how God has been using Revive Elim Church to reach the area.

“The activities we’re doing bring the church and community together and that means we’re growing. We aim to serve all the people we meet. We’re an open, welcoming, loving and caring church which values every person.”

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

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