Nominations for Leadership
January 2024

For information about the nomination process, please [click here].

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Below are biographies for the three nominations submitted.

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Nominee: Peter Grant

Role: Leader with responsibility for Mission and Discipleship

I grew up in Birmingham and came to know the Lord when I was aged 18. My wife Stella and I have been married for 39 years and we have two grown up children. We have lived in Streatham for over 25 years and we have been members at Lewin for over 10 years. My work has been mainly on International Development with the UK government, Tearfund and more recently as a consultant. I lived for two years in Malawi, where I met Stella, and three years in Bangladesh, when our children were young.

 

I travel a lot with my work and also visiting family, including my mother in the Midlands. In 2010, I co-founded Restored, a Christian charity working to end violence against women. I have filled a range of senior management roles and have experience as a trustee with Turkic Belt Ministries and as a Council member for the Evangelical Alliance. I was a church leader in Bonneville Baptist Church (Clapham Park) and Bedford Hill Baptist Church for a total of more than fifteen years.

 

I have a heart to see the church reaching out to our communities in Streatham and to see people growing as disciples in a systematic way. I am therefore excited by the mission and discipleship role on the leadership team. I am also keen to see Lewin grow in prayer, in our vision for the world and in our encouragement of younger people to take a more active role in the life and leadership of the church.

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Nominee: Diane Moore

Role: Leader with responsibility for Safeguarding

Hello, for those that don’t know me, here are a few bullet points about my Christian walk and past experience.

• I was Christened and Confirmed in the Church of England and then Baptized as an adult at my old church in Balham.

• I served in that church for over 20 years. Over that time, I had a wide variety of roles and was on all sorts of teams. You name it- I probably did it! 

• Significantly, I was the deputy safeguarding officer working with my pastor to keep the congregation and visitors safe. I often ran refresher training sessions in safeguarding for the kids work team.

• I have served on a board of governors (special needs college) and a board of trustees (at my daughter Hester’s day centre).

• I now work at the day centre and my role involves completing DBS checks as well as monitoring health and safety and accidents and incidents. I work closely with the safeguarding lead.

 

When I first heard the call for a new safeguarding lead in the church- the Lord prompted me to speak to Jackie Ritter.

She explained that it would be as a trustee, (which I was also comfortable with and felt that the Lord was giving me the thumbs up about). She then went on to complete the role description and when I found that it meant being part of the leadership team, I must admit I was a little bit taken aback!

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After much praying and speaking with my husband James, and others in the church that know me, I am trusting God, that He knows what He is doing- it almost feels like he got me to put my toe in the water by prompting me about the safeguarding role and the role of trustee, and now I may be in rather deeper than I expected….but if you feel that it is right, I will do all that I can to fulfil the role of leadership/safeguarding trustee with the help of the team and the Lord!

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Nominee: Jess Ogunbiyi (Bell)

Role: Leader with responsibility for Human Resources

I'm excited to have this opportunity to introduce myself to those who I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. I'm Jessica Bell, and I've had the joy of calling Streatham my home since my earliest memories - back in the days when a bus journey for kids cost just 20p and 70p for adults. Ah, ‘The times they are a-chang[ed]’!

 

My journey to faith has been transformative and deeply personal. Raised in a Christian home, I found myself drifting away from God for several years. However, after facing a significant trial, I experienced profound peace that can only be found in Christ. This was not just an intellectual understanding, but a heartfelt revelation that reshaped my entire approach to life and faith. This revelation reignited my faith in a way that was more profound and mature than before. It led me back to a path of spiritual growth, marked by a deeper connection with God and a renewed understanding of His presence in my life. This journey back to faith has been a journey of rediscovery, learning to trust in God's plan and finding comfort in His unchanging promises, grace, and love. I was baptised at Streatham Baptist Church in 2021, marking a significant milestone in my spiritual journey and commitment to following Christ.

 

In my professional life, I work as a People Partner (also known as a HR Partner or HR Business Partner). My career in HR, complemented by a master’s degree in the field, has provided me with a comprehensive understanding and passion for human resources. My work experience has equipped me with skills in understanding people, fostering positive relationships, and cultivating environments where everyone can thrive and feel valued.

 

I feel called to leadership at Streatham Baptist Church. I am a firm believer that God has a purpose for each of us based on the gifts entrusted to us by the Holy Spirit, and for me, it involves using my professional experience and skills as well as my gifts (administration/ knowledge sharing)  to serve our church community via HR. 

 

Beyond my profession, I am dedicated to deepening my relationship with God, approaching Him “with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings”. One of my personal goals is to read the entire Bible in a year from Genesis to Revelation and spend more time studying His word. 

 

My interests also include reading a wide range of literature, from fantasy and dystopian fiction to essays. I am currently reading the Circle Series by Ted Dekker, an amazing work of Christian fiction. I'm always on the lookout for book recommendations, so if you've read something that inspired or moved you, I'd love to hear about it! (#Let’s Start an SBC Book Club!)