The town of Benidorm doesn’t enjoy a good reputation. Fuelled by stories of out-of-control parties, most people avoid it when choosing a holiday destination. The truth, however, is far more complex – but we will leave that to the travel writers. What concerns us is the gospel.
In the summer of 2021, just after I had finished a year as President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, and with the support of the large church I pastored, my wife Maggie and I moved to Benidorm to serve the Lord in this unique place. Today, I pastor the only English-speaking evangelical church in Benidorm, called The English Church.
The church was formed in the 1980s by Christians from a Baptist church in southern England. Seeing the growth of package holidays and thousands from the UK flocking to Benidorm, they started summer outreach work, but quickly saw the need for a permanent gospel presence to minister all year round to the growing expat community. (At one time almost 1,000 people were emigrating weekly from the UK!)
