The Church Army project that refused to die

6 Feb 2007 

The work of Church Army evangelist Phil Clark and the team on the Page Moss estate in Liverpool has been featured in a new book about churches that refused to die. Phil Clark featured alongside some ten other stories in the publication Back from the Brink published recently by Christian Research.

Written by Heather Wraight and Pat Wraight, Back from the Brink tells the stories of churches that nearly closed but that got a new lease of life thanks to quick thinking, creative ideas and divine intervention. One such church is the Trinity Church (an Anglican / Methodist ecumenical project) in Page Moss where Phil Clark heads up the children’s club Kidz Klub.

When  Phil Clark and his family first moved to outer city estate Page Moss in Liverpool, he was faced with a huge challenge; Page Moss was an Urban Priority Area of high unemployment, poverty and crime and the local church had been dubbed the ‘most vandalized Methodist church in Western Europe’.

Wanting to meet the needs of locals in a way relevant to them, he set up Kidz Klub, a fresh and exciting club for the children on Page Moss. Based at Trinity Church, over 350 children are registered on the books and the club is making a major difference to the lives of hundreds of families in inner-city Liverpool.

One 11-year-old told the Back from the Brink authors that what he liked the most about Kidz Klub was, "the games and competitions, because you win stuff, you don’t have to nick it".

Kidz Klub has come a long way and Page Moss may always be a challenging place to minister. However  Phil Clark's dream is that the community will be different for generations to come. "We are thrilled to be able to share our story,’ says Phil Clark, "We hope it will be an inspiration and encouragement to many people in similar situations. Trinity Church was written off years ago, yet now is a vibrant testimony to the miracles God can bring about through a faithful, committed group of people. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we made up our minds to take risks and to keep our focus on reaching out with the love of God to the community around us. We pray that all those who read the Trinity story will be inspired to press on in faith."

Back from the brink (ISBN 978-1-85321-1751-1) is priced £9.95 and available from Christian bookshops including Christian Research Bookshop, telephone 020 8294 1989 email admin@christian-research.org.uk, or on the web at: www.christian-research.org.uk