Velmore Church

Andrew Watt

I grew up on a pre-fab concrete council housing estate in Oxfordshire. It must have been very similar to the Velmore estate when it was first built. I had no Christian experience but at the age of 17 I started to go to the estate Methodist Church Youth Club along with a number of school friends to mess about and play games. I listened to my friends speak at the end of the evening about what Jesus meant to them and how He had changed their lives. The Holy Spirit worked in my heart and I gave my life to Jesus.

I completed sixth form and left home to study electrical engineering in Coventry and I grew up in Christ through the Christian Union and a local Evangelical Church fellowship. I have walked with Jesus all the years since, getting married, having two children and working in manufacturing industry. I have served Jesus, leading youth work, being a Deacon and leading building projects.

I came to Velmore some 30 years ago and have served the Church in leadership for more than half of those years. My passion is to share the Good News of Jesus with people as my friends did for me over fifty years ago.

Richard Stannard

I have been attending Velmore Church since 1986, and have been one of the leadership team for many of those years. I was brought up in a Christian home and made a personal commitment to Christ in my teens. I have been happily married to Sue for over 40 years: we have four adult children and nine grandchildren. I am a retired secondary school music teacher and now divide my time between church work, the Pamoja charity in Kenya, Eastleigh Basics Bank, family, playing the piano and other musical interests, walking and bird watching.

Though I have never been to Bible college, I love the Word of God and enjoy the challenge of preaching and teaching at Velmore and in a few other local churches.

I love to encourage people to ‘follow Jesus’, and find it a constant challenge to do this daily…only with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Jonathan Cox

Jonathan joined Velmore Church after moving to Chandler’s Ford for employment in the mid-2000s. Having grown up attending a Baptist chapel along with his parents, and older brother and sisters, it was only having returned to his home town of Tunbridge Wells after four years studying Law and Politics at Cardiff University that he acknowledged his personal need of a Saviour and was baptised in his early twenties.

When not working as a solicitor, he enjoys making music and plays tuba with the Thornden Community Wind Band which meets weekly at Thornden Hall in Chandler’s Ford. He also plays most Sundays with the pianists and other musicians who enrich the musical worship at Velmore Church, but he equally enjoys singing. Other interests include board games and solving crosswords or other puzzles. Jonathan is the church treasurer and, like all the church leaders, regularly leads services and other meetings at the church.