The team at Kings are all united by a deep desire to see God’s Kingdom come: to introduce people to Jesus and see them grow in faith.

We aim to build church the way they did in the New Testament. In this our elders (also called ‘overseers’ or ‘pastors’) take overall responsibility for leading, teaching, caring for and protecting the church. Behind them is a whole team of staff and volunteers, men and women all working together to make church happen — not just on Sundays but all through the week.

We also have a Board of Trustees who are responsible for the legal, financial and governance of the church and Frontiers Charitable Trust.

church elders

Oli & Wendy Stevens

Oli & Wendy Stevens

Oli leads the team that leads the church here at Kings. Oli moved to Eastbourne in 2003 as a student and has been and elder at Kings since 2012, and is also an avid Crystal Palace supporter. Together Oli and Wendy live in Roselands with their son Finley and daughter Pippa. Wendy teaches maths in a local secondary school and loves to bake.


Andy & Lynn Thorpe

Andy & Lynn Thorpe

Andy with his wife Lynn have been a part of Kings since 2000. Andy became an elder in 2013 after serving for four years overseeing the worship, music, ‘Strand Creative’ and communication department. Andy also overseas Alpha and will sometimes be found leading worship on a Sunday morning.


Martin & Rebecca Cooper

Martin & Rebecca Cooper

Martin has been a Christian since 1991 and was brought into eldership at Kings in January 2022. He works as a lecturer and musician, and leads the creative team at Kings. Martin is married to Rebecca, who is a physiotherapist, and together they have three children, Amy, Edward and Lucy.


Ben & Cristy Holbrook

Ben & Cristy Holbrook

Ben has lived in Eastbourne since 2009 and is married to the amazing Cristy and they have three children, Charlie, Maisy and Ella. Both Ben and Cristy work as secondary school teachers and enjoy serving on kids work and life groups at Kings. Ben loves getting outside running on the downs and paddle boarding at the beach. Ben was also brought into eldership at Kings in January 2022.


Clive & Gillian Cernik

Clive & Gillian Cernik

Clive has been part of the Kings family since 2002. He moved to the Middle East in 2005, for several years, to establish an international church, giving him a unique perspective on how the gospel of Jesus is relevant to every culture across the world through the multiracial church. As well as being on the eldership at Kings, he helps several churches within the Newfrontiers network. He is married to Gillian, who has worked extensively with local Sussex and Ugandan charities. She has much experience as a Primary School governor, and loves using drama to communicate biblical stories in school assemblies.