Meet the Team

Rev Ian Hayter

I've always had some kind of faith in God, having been brought up within a family of believers. That faith was tempered and strengthened during my time at university in the '70s and from then on there was a growing sense that I might end up working as a "professional" Christian. I spent some time teaching French and PE in a high school, then went back to college to train for Christian ministry. After a few years as associate minister at a large multi-ethnic Baptist church in North London, I came to Lichfield in 1991, while Wade Street Church was still a United Reformed Church. I'm married to Sally with three teenage children.

There are two aspects of Jesus' teaching that are particularly important for my own life and for my ministry. Firstly, Jesus came to enable us to "live life to the full" (John 10:10), which I take to mean that we should enjoy all that he has provided for us in this magnificent and awesome creation, and that we should especially make use of the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, he calls us to be "salt and light" in our community (Matthew 5:13-16): that idea drives my vision for Wade Street Church to be a collective of people who are utterly devoted to Jesus and desperate to share his love through their involvement in all aspects of the life of the city - "a church at the heart of the city, with Christ at the heart of the church"

Rev Liz Clayton

I grew up in a Christian family and made my own commitment of faith at the age of ten through the ministry of Youth For Christ. In my teenage years I preferred lying in bed to attending church, but experienced a rekindling and revitalising of my faith when I started university. In my early twenties I began to feel that God was calling me to some kind of ministry, but I wasn't quite sure what. I worked for a time supporting primary school children with special educational needs before becoming a full time mum.

When my son was a few months old God called me very clearly into ministry and so I went to train at Northern Baptist College in Manchester. Wade Street Church is my first pastorate (beginning September 2007) although I was previously student minister here for two years. I'm married to Ian and we have two children. We share a love of hill walking, and I feel closest to God when surrounded by mountains.

Anne Badcock - Childrens' worker

Anthony Narain - Youth worker

My name is Anthony Narain and I grew in South America in a little country called Guyana. I moved to England when I was 15yrs old. I was brought up in a Christian family and when I was 14 years old I made a decision to follow Jesus. That didn't last long and then when I was 18 yrs old I decided I needed to start living my life for Jesus and stop being a one day Christian and since then I have been committed to following Jesus. This happened at Soul Survivor. I felt called to England and now I am honouring my calling by doing youth work and sharing the love of Jesus with every young person I meet because I want them all to hear of God's love and grace for them. I also want to help them in their growth with God to develop their faith and their walk with Christ Jesus. I went and did 2 gap years with Youth For Christ to see what God might be calling me into and it was youth work. I joined the team at Wade Street Church in September 2008 as a youth worker, while doing a degree in Youth and Community Work with Applied Theology with the Centre for Youth Ministries.

Rob Dodd - Administrator

Having moved back to Lichfield from near Worthing, W Sussex, I joined the church in 1995, with my wife Gail and two children - at that time - Louise and Jamie and quickly became involved in the life of the church.

I had become a Christian while attending a church in Upper Beeding, so had been looking around Lichfield when we arrived back here for somewhere to worship and where we were able to feel 'at home'. We felt that God was clearly directing us to Wade Street.

Since taking early retirement, I have been priviledged to look after the Administration of the Office and Buildings following on from the re-development of the site, which I helped steer and which started in January 2004, completing in late 2005.