Our Story
A Story of Faith, Perseverance & Community
A Heritage of Grace & Renewal.
Leading to one, United Church
Life Church (Bedworth) — A Story of Faith, Perseverance & Community
Life Church began in 1975, when 30 people from Greens Road Pentecostal Church in Coventry planted what was first called Bedworth Pentecostal Church. Early services took place in a school hall before the congregation secured a former school building on Hobb Lane — their first home, complete with paraffin lamps and a coal stove.
Under its first pastor, John Partington, the church grew quickly. Outreach projects like food hampers, community events, a nursery, and a government-funded Community Manpower initiative blessed many in Bedworth. By the early 1980s, services overflowed, and the church soon purchased land on Bulkington Road. With remarkable generosity, the congregation raised £120,000, matched by a donor, to build a new church.
In 1989, the new building opened — debt-free within seven years. Over the decades, through various names (Bedworth Pentecostal Church, The Christian Centre, King’s Community Church, Life Church International), the heart has remained the same: a thriving community committed to faith, growth, and serving others.
Connection Church (North Solihull) — A Heritage of Grace & Renewal
The story of Connection Church begins even earlier, in 1961, when a small group of families, under Edwin & Dorothy Orton’s leadership, started meeting in Kingshurst. In 1969, plans for a permanent church site were made, and Kingshurst Evangelical Church (KEC) was established at Cooks Lane.
In 1976, the church building was officially opened by the Mayor of Solihull. Over time, pastoral leadership passed hands, each leading the church into fresh new seasons. In 2015, God called Emil, Nathalie, Emily & Noa from Belgium to lead in Solihull, and the church entered a new season.
During its life, the church expanded not only in membership but also in vision. In 2002, MP Caroline Spelman officially opened “The Care Centre” — a new building phase. In 2020, the church embraced a fresh identity and the name was changed to Connection Church Centre, heralding a renewed vision for mission and community engagement in North Solihull.
Toward a New Chapter: United in Vision & Mission
As we step into our future together, we choose to stand United. One church, in two locations. Life Church becoming United Church, Bedworth, and Connection Church, United Church, North Solihull.
This is more than a renaming — it is a union of vision, resources, prayer, mission, and community.
While Life Church and Connection Church each carry rich legacies of faith, growth, hardship, and community impact, we believe their stories are not meant to run parallel forever. Rather, they converge — bound by shared conviction, desire to serve, and a calling to expand the Kingdom together as…
What This Means
Shared identity & purpose
Though we maintain local presence and context, we unify under the banner "United Church", bringing consistency of mission, stronger collaboration, and greater impact together.
Stronger together
By pooling leadership, resources, teaching, and creativity, we can reach further into our respective communities (Bedworth, North Solihull) and guarantee sustainability, support, and fresh momentum.
Honouring legacy, embracing future
We carry forward all that has been built — the people, the relationships, the ministries — while inviting new expressions, fresh vision, and a renewed commitment to gospel transformation in our area.
Local presence, unified heart
United Church Bedworth and United Church North Solihull will each keep their local roots and identities, while being part of a united family — one church in many places, one mission across multiple communities.