meet the team
We have a number of men and women playing their part in bringing leadership to Hope Church, some of whom are on staff.
Elders/Pastors
Elders (also called pastors) are men who carry the ultimate responsibility for leading, teaching, caring for and protecting the church (1 Tim 3:1-7). We have some elders on staff and some who are not. Click on the images to learn more about them.
Tom Scrivens
Team Leader (On Staff)
Tom is married to Sarah, and they have three children. They moved to Ipswich in 2014. Tom works full-time for Hope Church and leads Sent, an event for students and twenties within Relational Mission.
Main responsibilities:
- Eldership Team Leader
- Preaching
- Staff Oversight
Ian Little
Ian is married to Chris, and they have been part of the church for over 25 years. They have three grown-up children. Ian works as a finance consultant.
Main responsibilities:
- Chairs the Board of Trustees
Maurice Nightingale
Maurice is married to Rachel, and they have four grown-up children. They have lived in Ipswich since 2012. Maurice is part of the core leadership team for our family of churches, Relational Mission.
Main responsibilities:
- Apostolic care of other churches in Relational Mission
Mark Crawley
Mark is married to Rachael, and they have lived in Ipswich for over two decades. They have four grown-up children. Mark is retired from a senior position in the local council.
Main responsibilities:
- Heads up ministries helping those in need
- Oversight of Safeguarding Team
Deacons
Deacons are men and women who serve the church in significant pastoral responsibility in support of the elders (1 Tim 3:8-11). We have some deacons on staff and some who are not.
Esme Virgo
Esme serves as a deacon on our pastoral care core team. She is married to Tim and they moved to Ipswich in 2015 and have five children.
Kirsten Higgins
Kirsten is married to Sam and has two young children. Kirsten serves as a deacon for youth and works part time for Hope Church, heading up our thriving youth work, which has gatherings on Sundays and Fridays
Youth Leader (On Staff)
Sam Higgins
Sam is married to Kirsten and has two young children. He serves as a deacon for young adult and works part time, leading our Young Adults ministry for 18-30s.
Young Adults Leader (On Staff)
Staff
Beyond the elders and deacons who are on staff, we have a number of other men and women serving in both full and part-time roles to support the day to day ministry of the church.
Matt Cornish
Head of Operations
Matt oversees staff, projects, and operations to support church growth and free the Eldership from management duties.
Jenny Greenwood
Operations Manager
Jenny moved to Ipswich in 2019 and plays a key operational role at the church, overseeing facilities, administration, and communications, with particular expertise in HR
Ben Drew
Operations Assistant
Ben supports the day-to-day running of The Hope Centre through hands-on facilities work, administration, and communication to ensure a welcoming and well-organised environment.
Bebs Reynolds
Finance Coordinator
Bebs is married to Jon and they have two older children. She works part time as the Finance Coordinator at Hope Church and is also actively involved in running CAP courses. Click here for more information on how you can give.
Abi Brown
Hope Kids Team Leader
Abi joined the team in 2022 and works full-time leading our thriving Hope Kids ministry, which offers groups for children aged 1 through to Year 6; find out more about groups and events here.
Jon Reynolds
Hope Works Ministry Coordinator
Jon is married to Bebs and they have two older children. He coordinates Hope Works, supporting projects that serve vulnerable people, mentoring volunteers, and leading on grant funding to help ministries grow.
Dan Nightingale
Worship Team Leader
Dan is married to Lydia and they have three young children. He works part time leading the worship team at Hope, developing musicians, planning Sundays, and helping the church encounter God through Spirit-led worship.
Ellie Bean
Youth Worker
Ellie works full time as Youth Worker supporting the Youth team leader, she helps with the running of Sundays, midweek youth groups and Newday.
Trustees
As a growing organisation and as a registered charity, Trustees are men and women who ensure that we’re complying with charity law in areas such as finances and safeguarding.
next steps
visit on sunday
We would love to welcome you to join us on a Sunday at either of our two services
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join a hub
Hubs are a great way to connect, grow, and build community within our church family.
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explore faith
Jesus invites you to experience life in all its fullness through a relationship with God.
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get baptised
If you're already a Christian, and have chosen to follow Jesus, baptism is a meaningful next step.
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start serving
Discover how you can play a part in the church. Joining a serving team is also a great way to meet people.
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practising generosity
We courage geneous giving as part of our worship at Hope Church, recognising that everything we have comes from God.
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