Lost surfers’ growing passion
When two lost surfers wandered past a Cornish church, no one could have anticipated the life God would call them to – or the impact they would have.
Matt and Sally Timms completed an Alpha course at Wave House Church in Newquay 25 years ago. Just back from surfing around the world, they came to faith and Matt began serving on the church youth team. He studied youth work and was given responsibility for a supported housing project for young people that the Wave House Church established. After being accepted as an Elim minister he became the church’s youth pastor.
Crown connections!
Matt first met Roy Crowne when Roy was the National Director of Youth for Christ and Matt was serving as Youth Pastor. They later connected again at a reception in Clarence House, the home of the Prince of Wales. Charles, now King Charles, wanted to meet people who had been making an impact in Cornwall as part of Hope08. Matt had mobilised Cornish churches to get involved in the year-long, UK-wide mission event. He ran a county-wide youth project with beach cleaning, barbecues and bands to build community and make Jesus known.
In 2012, Matt and Sally felt called to plant a missional community in Perranporth to the south of Newquay. He describes it as ‘a church without walls’. They had a double decker bus, a mobile skate ramp and a marquee to take church to the people. To finance the vision and support themselves, they set up a holiday-let business.
Six years later, when the Wave Church’s leader of 26 years decided to move on, Matt was called back to Newquay as the senior leader.
‘Looking back, the Lord has used us in the area of pioneering,’ Matt says.
Drive-in church
Just before Covid closed churches around the country, Wave House Church bid for a £20,000 grant to set up a commercial kitchen in its community hub called The Store House. When Covid closed restaurants and cafes, Matt’s team recruited furloughed chefs to work in The Store House. Volunteers collected supermarket food and, at the height of the pandemic, they were serving 1,000 people a week. That made news headlines alongside another pioneering initiative: drive-in church.
Initially the drive-in church was halted due to health and safety fears. At the time, Matt said, ‘I was stunned and felt like I was being discriminated against. Drive-in cinemas are allowed, why not a drive-in church?’
When the service got the go-ahead, it attracted more than 50 vehicles and their passengers, and featured a Bible reading, prayers, and a screening of surfing film Unstoppable. It was the first UK drive-in church during Covid and inspired other churches from Cumbria to Kent to contact Matt for advice on how to replicate the idea.
Next season
Since Covid, Matt and Sally have had a growing sense of God’s call to ‘release land for the next season’.
‘We thought we’d be releasing the equity in our house, but the Lord was saying “I want you to sell your house and pay off your debt.”’
In 2022 the couple sold up and, with their two teenage children, they began looking for land. The site they found is a five-acre plot near Newquay with a cottage that has needed a lot of renovation. A neighbouring plot includes the Holy Well of St Columba, who, according to legend, was martyred on the site in the 6th century. The well sprang up from the land where her blood was spilt.
In 2024, Matt met a couple of people at a conference who took a keen interest in the well, which came up for auction during the year. As a result, Matt was encouraged to apply for funds to buy the land. The application was granted and they now own the land with the well.
Matt and Sally’s vision is to create an off-grid farm for prayer and worship with a community to work the land and live from its produce. In time they hope to build a barn for worship.
Although the land hadn’t been worked for 15 years, they have already cleared enough to have a veg patch, raised beds, two piggeries, and a poly tunnel.
Uncertainty and risk
‘We have reached the end of our natural resources,’ Matt says. ‘The Lord made it clear that we had lay everything down.’ They even sold their campervan to buy vehicles for the farm.
Matt reconnected with Roy at a Parliamentary prayer breakfast in London and was invited to join Gospel Entrepreneurs.
‘Cornwall has a very entrepreneurial spirit,’ Matt says.
He has already held a three Gospel Entrepreneurs gatherings in their home and is keen to develop a ministry that serves the body of Christ across the county and across the denominations.
He sees ministry, business and discipleship blending together. For example, in January he was surfing and met a young man on the beach. Matt prayed for him, led him to Jesus, and the man was healed. It turns out he is a tree surgeon and Matt has invited him to help clear land on the farm; an excellent discipling opportunity!
Matt’s lessons for entrepreneurs are an echo of Roy’s wise words:
Be happy to live in the river of uncertainty and risk!
Have a critical friend walk alongside you.
Launch and learn…learn as you go.
Relational currency is what you work with.
Embrace diversity.
Create a team, trust and empower it.
Work hard, rest hard. Find rest that works for you.
Love God and do what what He asks.