As a Church, we are all one team and family together seeking to serve God in and around the Marsh Ward area, serving alongside one another. However, we wanted to just introduce you to our leaders so that you could get to know some of us a bit.
If you’d like to find out more, we’d love to hear from you and get to know you. Email us at hello@willowlanechurch.co.uk if you’d like to get in touch with us, and one of our leaders will get back in contact with you.
Church Leaders
Matt Parker
Pastoral Worker
Matt is married to Amy, and has 2 daughters, Isabella and Evie, and a lively cocker-spaniel, Harvey. He was previously a Primary School teacher, but now works part time for Willow Lane Church, and part time as the manager of a local community-based service called Bay Volunteers.
Matt leads Willow Lane Church with oversight for the teaching and spiritual direction of the church, amongst other things, and also takes overall responsibility for Safeguarding as our Designated Safeguarding Officer.
He is passionate about seeing God’s transformative work in people’s lives, and has a real heart for the Marsh Ward area. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his family, go on dog walks, watch and play sport, play his instruments, and listen to music.
Derek Simpson
Discipleship & Evangelism (including Men’s Ministry Coordinator)
Derek and his wife Chris have returned to Lancaster where their three children went to school. This proud grandfather is now retired from a career spent primarily as a travelling evangelist and later as pastor of a church in Herefordshire. Before retirement, he visited many countries leading training courses in evangelism for church leaders. Derek is one of the Church Leaders, supporting Matt with the spirirtual leadership and teaching of Willow Lane Church with specific oversight for discipleship and evangelism, including being our Men’s Ministry Coordinator. He wants everybody to hear about Jesus and to follow Him. When he can find the time, Derek loves walking in the mountains.
Francis Dawson
Prayer & Sung Worship (including Sung Worship Team Coordinator)
Francis is a husband and dad. He and Sarah and their two daughters have lived in the Marsh Ward area for about twenty years. God has called them to serve and love the people of this area and to lift up the name of Jesus. Francis is one of the Church Leaders, supporting Matt with the spiritual leadership and teaching of Willow Lane Church, with specific oversight for prayer and sung worship, including being our Sung Worship Team Coordinator. He works for a local Christian mental health charity, Adullum, and after working for a national Children’s charity for around 18 years, and he formerly worked as a community connector. He loves a good curry and watching Antiques Road Trip!
Ministry Coordinators
Sarah Dawson
Children’s Ministry Coordinator and Women’s Ministry Coordinator
Sarah is married to Francis and they have two grown-up(ish!) daughters and a sometimes-well-behaved Jack Russell. Sarah always felt a calling to work with young people so she trained as an English teacher. Since then, she has worked or volunteered in both secondary and primary schools as well as supporting or leading youth clubs and junior church groups. A post-grad in creative writing for children and Godly Play training in children’s spirituality has inspired her further in helping children immerse themselves imaginatively in God’s wonderful story for themselves, their friends and family, our church, and our world.
Sarah coordinates all things children and young people at Willow Lane Church, using her wonderfully creative ideas to help us share Jesus with them! Another one of her roles is to coordinate our Women’s Ministry.
She also supports Matt with Safeguarding as our Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer.
Sarah works part time for Lancaster Priory as the outreach worker at the Marsh Community Centre working within the Marsh estate. If you can’t find her, she’s probably on her allotment or walking the dog.
Ade Adefala
Tech Ministry Coordinator
Ade is married to Mercy, and has 2 daughters, Faith and Tehillah. Ade and his family are originally from Nigeria but in 2022 they were led by the Holy Spirit to come to the UK to work in the healthcare sector.
He is a trained accountant but is currently working as a carer at a local Residential Care Home.
Ade is responsible for coordinating all our tech at Willow Lane Church, helping us to use it well to grow and strengthen Christ’s Church through our use of it.
He loves sung worship, and as well as being part of our Sung Worship Team, he is part of a Gospel Worship Ministry called Sounds Of Peace who put on different evangelistic outreach events in local town centres including Lancaster, Morecambe, Preston, and Blackpool! He is very community minded and is incredibly passionate about sharing Jesus with others, helping people to hear the Good News!
In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his family, listen to music, and play his keyboard and sing.
