'Built with love and creativity' 

Worcester Park Baptist Church held the official opening of its Community Hub, which it wants to be a place of welcome and belonging for everyone  

The official opening of the new Worcester Park Baptist Church Community Hub in Surrey took place on Saturday 14 January 2023. The celebration was led by the Revd Gavin Carpenter, minister of Worcester Park Baptist Church, with a message from the Revd Phil Barnard, Regional Team Leader of London Baptists.

One civic highlight of the ceremony was the attendance by Mayors from all three local boroughs – Kingston, Sutton, and Epsom & Ewell.

The church’s vision for the Hub was to be beacon of light to the local area - a place where the church could more open and transparent to engage with the community - a place where God’s love could be demonstrated.

Fundraising for The Hub began in 2015 having already received a considerable sum from a legacy. After discussions with local neighbours, planning permission was granted in 2016. Funds to allow the £2.6 million building project to start were raised entirely by generous gifts from within the congregation and by applying for some charitable grants.

The church engaged with and listened to what the Worcester Park community were saying about unmet needs through a survey in 2017 and the results were clear: Worcester Park needed more provision to support those who are socially isolated and those affected by poor mental health.

A key vision of the redeveloped site is for the Hub to be a place of welcome and belonging for everyone. Last autumn a weekly wellbeing space offering “a place where it is OK not to be OK” opened at the Hub. “The Living Room” offers a warm welcome to anyone, providing space to be still, enjoy hobbies, refreshments, company, and conversation in partnership with Renew Wellbeing.

Gavin, pictured with former minister Lucy Wright, said, 'The newly extended and refurbished Worcester Park Baptist Church premises have been built with love and creativity. We are sure you’ll want to return time and again.'

A Hub Café has also opened on the premises, offering a selection of good food and drink at reasonable prices, providing a place to meet, work, socialise and relax. More than this, the intention of the Hub is to provide chances to get alongside friends, new and old, to share God’s love.

Charis Lambert, Children and Families’ Worker at the church commented, 'We are so excited about the potential that this amazing space has, and we can't wait to welcome the community in to use it and engage with us and each other in it.'

In addition to activities which the church itself offers, community groups can hire rooms and the church currently hosts counsellors, carer and baby groups, Pilates classes and Alcoholics Anonymous.

The Hub refurbishment and repurposing of the existing facilities enables the church to serve more adequately the community not just now, but for future generations. More pictures can be accessed here. 


Worcester Park Baptist Church (WPBC) was formed in 1890 in Longfellow Road and moved to its present location on The Avenue in the 1950s.

The church has a longstanding commitment to Christian worship and serving the community. It offers toddler, children’s and young people’s groups and a lunch club as part of its regular programme of events.

There has been regular building work taking place to develop the site adding on halls in the 1970s and 1990s to allow for increased use of the space by the community as well as church worship activities.

While the building work was in progress, the church met on Sundays at Cheam Common Junior Academy as well as streaming services on their YouTube channel.