J+ Core Team: Ben Parish
Ben grew up in Alton, Hampshire and became a Christian at the age of eight before getting baptised as a teenager, by which time his Christian faith had taken root and grown strong.
A Frontier Year Project year led him to Lowestoft where he volunteered as part of a team doing schools and youth outreach with Lowestoft Community Church.
After training in Nottingham as a Physiotherapist, he and Mel married and settled back in Lowestoft where they have raised three children, (now 12, 16 and 18). Ben remains a keen Portsmouth FC supporter (for this we will forgive him!) and enjoys Park Run on a Saturday morning, as well as cycling along the Suffolk coast.
Over the past 25 years Ben has worked in the local NHS and on staff in church leadership, and enjoys currently working part-time in both.
He says:
"I’ve always been interested in social transformation and politics, and about ten years ago I realised that God had put that interest in me to outwork through the church. I’ve been particularly inspired by Pastor Matthew Barnett at the Los Angeles Dream Center, and their incredible story of loving their local community. In 2019 I was fortunate enough to take a team from Lowestoft to volunteer there for a week, which was amazing. In recent years I have been involved in building partnerships that aim to help tackle poverty in Lowestoft."
Ben had been a regular delegate at Jubilee + conferences over the years, and during lockdowns found joining the weekly zooms provided timely help and encouragement.
Before joining the Core Team in December 2021, Ben was a seminar speaker at our Churches that Change Communities conference, where he shared practical advice on how to bless and influence the towns and cities God has placed us in (you can find the recording here).
We're glad to welcome Ben, and value all the wisdom and experience he is already bringing to the team!
