Who we Are
Sara Barron
Sara is an accredited Baptist minister currently working as an Anglican pioneer in an area of deprivation. Sara is also development worker for CURBS, which resources, trains and supports children’s workers in urban and estate areas. Sara is married to Barney, also a Baptist minister, and they have four children.
Barney Barron
Barney is a Baptist pioneer minister, church planter and youth worker. He also works a day a week as South West Coordinator for Urban Expression. He lived and served on a large council estate near Portsmouth for 16 years, where he was involved in church planting and running a youth and community charity. He now lives in Looe, Cornwall where he has started a small community of spiritual sojourners and is setting up a youth work charity. He also takes time to enjoy kayaking, snorkelling and walking.
Simon Hall
Simon is a compulsive starter-upper. He has started churches, social action projects, an art centre and even an HE college. Just don't ask him to start your car... He lives in Leeds where he and his family are part of Chapel A Baptist Church and revive, a network of small groups.
Oeds Blok
Oeds is a church planting coach and coordinator in the Netherlands for the Baptist Union and Urban Expression. He is also a coach and trainer on Undefended Leadership programme and teaches church planting. He loves meeting people and is most happy when gets to work alongside others. He decided to stop his paid work as a Baptist minister in 2012 to start pioneering a neighbourhood church in Soesterkwartier Amersfoort in his spare time. A new journey of learning and enjoyment started, together with fellow travellers. Oeds is married to Natasja and they have three children. He likes football and is a co-trainer of the football team of his youngest son. He is inspired by…meeting UK friends!
Carmel Murphy Elliott
Carmel is a Community Organiser, Baptist Minister and one of the Core Team Members of Urban Life; a small charity which provides practical, local and accessible training to Christian groups, intentional communities and churches in urban areas and marginalised neighbourhoods. For a number of years she's been part of Urban Expression, initially co-leading a team in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent and supporting other teams in the north of England. More recently Carmel has moved to Manchester where she’s getting to know her neighbours and rekindling her love of gardening, baking and bike riding.