The following is an expanded version of a letter sent to the churches in Oct 2025. This contains additional information concerning Leeds, the church here and the renovation project.
Dear overseeing brothers with all the saints in the churches,
In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Lord provided the way to purchase, with no debt, an 8,125 square foot, strategically-located, property in Leeds. Since its purchase, it has functioned as both a meeting place for the church in Leeds and a facility for blending among the churches stretching from Birmingham to Scotland. Leeds is one of the largest cities in the United Kingdom with a population of 812,000 and sits in a city region of 3.1m people, with a total of 7 million people who live within an hour of Leeds. It is home to a high concentration of students with 76,000+ students and five universities.
The property is ideally located next to the newest development of the Leeds city centre and a major motorway that runs through the city. Leeds has excellent transportation links and can be reached from London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Cardiff within 4.5 hours or less. The major regional cities are all driving distance from Leeds, including Birmingham (2 hours), Coventry (2.25 hours), Nottingham (1.5 hours), Leceister (1.5 hours), Liverpool (1.5 hours), Manchester (1.25 hours), Newcastle (2 hours), and Sheffield (50-60 minutes). The property being centrally located in the North of England, it is in a good location for a large hall which can accommodate all the churches in the North Cluster for blending, as well as meeting all the local needs.
Notwithstanding its excellent location and large size, the property was acquired for a very reasonable price. However, to be useful in the long term as both a meeting place for the church in Leeds and a blending facility for northern England, it requires a full renovation. When that is completed, the seating capacity of the hall will be upwards of 400 people. To date, through the giving of the saints, the church in Leeds has contributed over £394,000 towards the purchase and renovation of the hall and the saints in Leeds continue to have the heart to give toward this need.
In recent months, we have received a number of quotes from contractors to have the renovation works carried out. This will be in the region of £900,000. We are opening this to the churches for both their prayer and fellowship in giving unto this need.
We consider this to be a priceless opportunity to participate in the Lord’s move in northern England. This region has produced many precious vessels who have been greatly used by the Lord for His move throughout church history, including John Wycliffe, who first translated the Bible into English, Robert Morrison, whose painstaking labor resulted in the translation of the Bible into Chinese, and Hudson Taylor, whose life and pattern and establishing of the China Inland Mission opened the way for the gospel to spread into the interior of China. We feel that is a great privilege to bear the testimony of the oneness of the Body of Christ in the Lord’s recovery in such a region and together with the other churches in northern England are looking to the Lord for His smile and blessing as we bring this fellowship to you.
We have on the church in Leeds website, https://churchinleeds.org.uk, some more information and a short video showing the renovation design. It is our sincere hope that this hall would be a blessing to all the churches that can blend here and make use of such a facility.
The Lord carry out all things in the churches for the preparing of His bride!
Grace to you all,
The brothers in Leeds,
Together with the brothers in Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool