We’re giving our community some food for thought...

From an evangelistic food bank to plans for a £3m building project, God is blessing people in and through Elim Croydon, says pastor Cornelius Osei-Fosu

If you volunteer for Elim Croydon’s food bank team, you’ll be asked not only about practical tasks you could help with but if you know how to lead someone to Christ too.

That’s because this monthly ministry has become an evangelistic tool for the church and a place where local people are asking questions about faith. It launched after a chance conversation in December 2009, explains pastor Cornelius Osei-Fosu.

“I was giving someone a lift home from cell group, and it came out that she was going to struggle to put a turkey on the table at Christmas,” he says. “I thought, why should anyone in our congregation not have a proper Christmas meal, so I announced to the church that we were starting a food bank.”

Since then, this ministry has morphed into a “food bank plus”, Cornelius explains.

It now provides food to between 85 and 110 families each month, then clothing, books and everything you can find at an average grocery store too.

It’s fully funded by the church, Cornelius adds, thanks to the generosity of members who donate cash, food, dry goods and non-perishable items.

Baptising believers

As numbers have grown, so too have relationships and opportunities to evangelise.

“Most people come from Muslim or other backgrounds and some ask questions about faith,” says Cornelius.

This is why new volunteers are asked about sharing the Gospel. “When someone wants to join us they have an interview with me where I ask if they are born again and if they know how to lead someone to Christ.

“We want people coming to the food bank to be blessed with the nourishment and physical goods they need, but when the Lord opens an opportunity for us to connect and share the Gospel the team have been trained to do that too.”

Friendly conversations have led to invites to Sunday services, which some have accepted. From this, Cornelius was delighted to baptise eight Iranians last year. And when asylum seekers are transferred to other parts of the country, Elim Croydon has helped them find new churches too.

“That’s what a blessing the food bank has become,” he says.

“God has been good and this is one way we feel we can be a blessing to our community in Croydon and beyond.”

Working together

Cornelius says God is moving elsewhere in the church too, especially among the young people.

“God is doing something among them that’s incredible and they’re really coming together,” he says.

He has seen young adults uniting in prayer; joining the church’s prayer line on Saturday afternoons, even if they are away at universities around the country.

Many have joined church volunteer teams too.

“A lot of our praise and worship team comprises young people now and they’re part of our technical and media teams too.

“Some have come from difficult family backgrounds but as they come together, pray and go out for meals, I see the quiet revival among them.

“God has really blessed us and that’s not something to take for granted.

“We’ve seen difficult times when there have been changes, but now there’s a sense of unity in the church and that is really reflected through our young people.”

Building bigger

This unity and growth are important as Cornelius asks the church to gather in prayer about a new building project he is sensing God calling them to.

Back in 2009, the church invested in a £1.5m rebuild to replace their former property (put up by Elim founder George Jeffreys in 1928) with larger, more modern facilities.

Now Cornelius is considering a project double this size, a £3m rebuild of an office block opposite the church to cater for its ever-expanding ministries.

“It’s where our admin office, Sunday school and food bank are at the moment, and a powerful prayer house attended by our senior citizens, but early last year God put it on my heart to pull the block down and put up an ultra-modern office facility with extra halls and parking,” he says.

“It will cost at least £3m so we’re trusting God for the finances that will allow us to build something that will serve our vision for the future and help us cater for our young people especially.

“We trusted Him for our project in 2009 and I know He can do it again. This is something that’s really exciting our church at the moment!”

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