Introducing Dave & Jenny Gilpin
Dave and Jenny Gilpin began Hope City Church in Sheffield in the spring of 1991. Dave was born in Birkenhead but lived most of his life in Australia. After seeing the amazing growth of church life in Australia, in particular with the Assemblies of God group of Churches. They felt compelled to move to England to share this new Aussie enthusiasm for Jesus Christ.
After being incredibly moved by the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster, where so many lost their lives, Dave and Jen headed for the North of England and placed an ad in a Sheffield newspaper, ‘Aussie Church Starting’. From humble beginnings, the church has grown in influence and stature and now has congregations in Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds as well as at the centre of operations at the Megacentre in Sheffield.
The bit about Dave
Dave was born in 1960 in Clatter Bridge Hospital Bebington. At the age of five, the family moved to Brisbane, then to Melbourne, ending up in Canberra, Australia. Dave left home to complete a Civil Engineering degree at Sydney University. It was in his third year at university that he became a Christian, through a large evangelistic push called, ‘Know Christ, Know Life; No Christ, No Life’. He realised that the emptiness within him was in the shape of God and could only be filled by Him alone.
After two years working for a concrete company as a Plant Manager, Dave attended Renewal Ministry Training College in Brisbane in order to strengthen his walk with God and explore God’s plan for his life. After college, Dave became the Youth Pastor at Southside Christian Renewal Centre and was sent out to fulfil his vision for the UK.
Dave has written a number of books with titles such as ‘SQ: Boost Your Spiritual IQ’, ‘The Top 10 of Everything about Christian Leadership’ and his latest book ‘Jesus Save me from Your Followers’. He also oversees the Megacentres in Sheffield, Liverpool and Leeds which are conferencing and community centres used to serve the cities practically, as well as the operations centre for the church in Sheffield. Dave and Jenny have one son called Ryan who was born in the same year that Hope City Church began. He has recently discovered the joy of painting, but too embarrassed to put his own name on the canvas, Dave paints under the name of Dagarté – can you believe it?!
The bit about Jen
Jenny was born in 1966 in Brisbane, Australia. Adopted at birth she was brought up in a Christian home and gave her heart to Jesus at the age of six. At age eleven, Jenny was baptised both in water and in the Holy Spirit and throughout her teenage years had a profound sense of the call of God on her life. At age eighteen, not long after her father passed away, Jenny attended Bible College and completed a Diploma of Ministry. On the last night of college, while doing some street evangelism, Jenny met Dave – ahhh! Together they became Youth Pastors for about six years until God called them to Sheffield in the UK.
Jenny's has just released her second book ‘Heaven Sent' the perfect accompanyment to her first book 'Classic Lines'. They are both packed full of wisdom straight from her devotion journals. Together with Dave, she leads Hope City Church and preaches both nationally and internationally. Jenny has pioneered a ministry called 'City Hearts' for women in the UK and Europe and has a heart to see broken women restored. In June 2005 she opened Hope City Church’s first home for young women in Sheffield.
Jenny loves interior design, fitness and shopping, but mostly her teenage son Ryan.
Meet the rest of our Congregational Pastors HERE!
Hear more from Dave on his Leadership site davegilpin.com
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