A History of our Church - By Revd David Middleton OSL
Diz and I lived in Lincoln but I was often invited by Pastor Ken Shelton to speak at his ‘New Song’ Church and a trust developed between us over the years. He introduced me to Pastor Dave Priest, who asked if I would speak at the Pentecostal Church as well.
We arranged a weekend - A Saturday evening at ‘New Song’, and then Sunday morning at the ‘Pentecostal Church’. On the way home, after the Saturday evening service, I couldn’t get the image of two sticks coming together out of my imagination. I knew the passage well from Ezekiel 37 and intuitively recognised it’s meaning for the two Churches. God was looking to join the two Churches together.
My mind was flooded with every reason why it shouldn't happen and so I determined to keep this to myself. To my surprise both congregations were there on Sunday morning. A prophetic word had been given the previous week that, “When Dave Middleton comes he will prophesy the will of God for the Churches.”
I had no knowledge of this word, but, O my! As soon as I entered the building the two sticks message pressed in hard on me. So, tentatively I mentioned that I believed the two Churches should be working in a much closer relationship. When the congregation began to applaud I felt this was confirmation that I could be clear with the message about the churches joining and it was decided that ‘New Day Christian Centre’ would come into existence led by Pastor Dave Priest, in the Lincoln Road, Pentecostal building.
I continued to visit regularly and come alongside Dave as the Church moved forward until in 2009 I was asked if I would be willing to take over the leadership of the Church? I knew God was calling Diz and I to Skegness but we were very reluctant! We were comfortable in Lincoln. Our whole family was there and I enjoyed my role in the Lincoln Church. We knew it was going to be difficult emotionally, and in fact, I said, “no” several times. However, we followed the impulse of the Holy Spirit and I became the Pastor of ‘New Day’. We moved to Skegness in 2010, full of excitement and vision.
—firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community liveable again.” The Message.
From the outset the challenge wasn't really about finding a vision - that was easy. The challenge was to create a culture in which the vision could flourish. That’s always a leader’s job. So, you could say, Loving God, Loving people and Making a Difference was our destination but culture would get us there. By culture I mean, our God ideas, our God attitudes, and the way we do things, coming in line with Jesus’s love for society.
We have based our culture on Isaiah 58:9-12:
“If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins. If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out. Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places
As our culture grew so did the size of the church and the Pentecostal building we had been meeting in became too small. Finding a building that could facilitate all that we wanted to do seemed almost impossible. One day peering through the dirty windows of a very large run-down building at the end of North Parade, I was moved by the Holy Spirit. I shared my discovery with the leadership team and we decided to investigate.
This was the beginning of negotiations and a working relationship with the owner. When asked “What do you want it for” I said “I want it for a Church”. “I knew it!” he continued, “God told me I’ve got to sell it to you.” He was not a Christian but had somehow picked up the impulse of the Holy Spirit.
God had a plan. The Lincoln road property was sold, releasing £200,000 and we were able to lease the property for 2 years with permission to work on the building and bring it to a place where we could create business and generate an income so that we could apply for a mortgage.
Yet armed with a trust in God I offered him £550,000. “O no lad, I need more than that!” came the reply.
I was able to draw on my background in the building trade and the work was done by some professionals who offered their skills at a reduced rate and many enthusiastic volunteers from our congregation. We met in a local Anglican church hall until we were able to create an auditorium for our gatherings and a cafe.
In 2012 we were successful in a mortgage bid, and purchased the building for £300,000. And so, ‘The Storehouse’ was born. We continued to build stage after stage using money miraculously raised through offerings and donations.
This was how the front of the building looked when we first got the keys.
Work started straight away to clear the space.
This is "the back" completed. Now known as Auditorium 2, it can seat in the region of 500 people. Behind the back wall seen in this photo, the building continues for a considerable length. This space is currently under construction and due completion in early 2023. It will host the new Skegness Foodbank as well as space for youth, children's church, offices and a music room.
This was how the front of the building looked when we first got the keys.
Initially we hoped to lease the building, but in conversation with the owner it became clear that he wanted to sell it for a million pounds! I asked if I could meet him and make him an offer. I had no idea what I was doing, nor how we could raise the amount of money needed to purchase the property.
We are so thankful for God’s amazing provision and for all the people who have given to the project over the years, far too many to name! So, here we are - still journeying with the same vision and the same challenge of shaping our culture and the society of Skegness.
In 2023 we opened the new Restore Centre for helping the homeless in Skegness. This facility provides the opportunity for people to gain access to hot food, showers, free clothing and the ability to wash their clothes and sleeping bags. The Restore Centre also hosts wellbeing groups for the homeless community as well as providing drop-ins with various organisations and groups to help people improve their situation. This space is also the home for the Skegness Food Bank which provides food for around 400 people per month.
Like the great heroes of faith mentioned in the letter to the Hebrews, we have kept our eyes on the invisible one and through faith we have seen what seemed impossible become a reality. We can testify that with God all things are possible. We are still relying on God and remembering Peter who could walk on water when he kept his eyes on Jesus!
Pray for us, ‘The Storehouse Church’ as we continue to press on to ‘Love God, Love People’ & ‘Make a difference’.
Every blessing be yours,
Revd. David Middleton OSL.
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