Story

The Unfolding Story

The church in Cornwall has a history of pioneering. Christianity was brought to shores of Kernow by missionaries from Ireland. These wild Celtic saints travelled on coracles, small vulnerable boats on treacherous seas, propelled by a prayer that the wind of Spirit would take them to the people He wanted them to serve. And so, these ‘sent ones’ landed on the beaches of Cornwall sharing the Good News with a rowdy wildness, using songs, stories and their God given talents gifts to direct people towards their first love, Jesus. With a deep rootedness in prayer they practiced radical hospitality, welcoming all who came.

The Celtic Saints aren’t the only ones to leave their mark on the land. John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism, made more trips to Cornwall than any other place in the UK. Like the Saints before them, they had an expectation of the miraculous and a commitment to following the way of Jesus whatever the cost. Chapels were built all over the county, but the church was never confined to a building. Their influence carried through generations impacting the family of Billy Bray, a tin miner who started following Jesus after years of alcoholism, influenced by the Methodist faith of his grandfather. Known as ‘silly Billy’, for he appeared like a fool to some, he was full of joy as he went up and down the north coast of Cornwall preaching the gospel and starting churches.

As the countless stories from the generations show, Cornwall is a land with a rich history of people encountering the love of God. And it’s the story of one encounter with Jesus in Cornwall where the journey of St Gregory’s began. I, Anna, met Jesus for the first time when I was 18 years old, having moved to Cornwall two years before. As I knelt on my bedroom floor that night and said yes to following him, I had no idea that one day I would be called back to this region to share his love with the people of this place and build his Kingdom amongst this community.

Fast forward 18 years, after a whole lot of dreaming, praying and planning later, St Gregory’s was being launched. It is a new Anglican church serving the area between Padstow and St Agnes, gathering in Newquay, seeking to be a church that recaptures some of Spirit of the Celtic Saints and Wesley’s brothers, by being bold and creative in mission and committed in prayer.

In September 2022, we started to gather as a small group of people who felt called to explore what it means to follow Jesus wholeheartedly and serve him in Cornwall and beyond. And then March 2023, we had our public launch. We’re right at the start of this adventure and yet already God has been calling people to be part of the journey; embracing sacrifice and uncertainty for the sake of serving Jesus in this region.

Captured by the vision of Gregory of Nyssa, a fourth century bishop who saw Jesus as the artist who wipes away the grime that disfigures the human face, our hope is that we might become a community who restores dignity to all we meet and share the love of Jesus in our community.

If you feel God is calling you to join us in this adventure then please do get in touch with us at hello@stgregorys.uk to find out more. Equally, if you want to find out how you can support this journey financially then please do head to our giving page. Lastly, we’d love to invite you to pray for us. As we begin this journey we stand on the foundation of faithful prayers for this area of Cornwall and we’d love to invite you to join as we pray that prayer of Habakkuk, “Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known’.

Anna Mason-Hyde