Steering Group

Simon Hoare is the Senior Manager for Acts Trust, a charity founded by Alive Church in 2007. Simon trained as a debt counsellor with Christians Against Poverty, founding the CAP Lincoln debt centre. He has since helped to develop several other Acts Trust projects, including the Restore Furniture project and Lincoln Foodbank, which deliver aid to those in need across the City.

Simon is also a founding member and Chair of the Lincoln Active Faith Network, which coordinates church based projects across the City. In 2016 he was awarded a Mayoral Medal for his commitment to tackling poverty in Lincoln.

Simon lives close to Lincoln Cathedral with his wife and two children, attends Alive Church and has a keen interest in writing, performing and recording music.

Sian has been an Assemblies of God Pastor in Lincoln for 13 years. She has a passion to see the local Church fully engaged with the community where it is based. She loves to pioneer and create new projects, seeking creative ways to impact people’s lives. She believes that Christians should be forging the way in terms of City transformation which is why the Active Faith Network is crucial for Lincoln, seeing Churches relate well together, seeing Christian projects achieve more in partnership, and having a voice at leadership level in the City.

James Prentice is the Lead Pastor of Life Church Lincoln.

In January 2015 he began working for Life Church as a pastor and two years later in March 2017 become Lead Pastor.

James has a desire to see the church grow in influence locally, nationally and even further afield.

He has two children, Isabella and Alfie, and is married to Kelly. In his spare time, James enjoys walking in the countryside, films, music, reading and sampling real ales. James also likes to watch football with Alfie.

Sarah helps to lead Threshold, a church who have a vision to see new people, new communities and new cultures in Lincolnshire. Sarah has a particular emphasis on how the church connects with the community in terms of social action and evangelism.

I'm excited about the impact that GLAFN will have as we work together for God's glory in Greater Lincolnshire. It is wonderful how so many different churches are coming together with one purpose and through GLAFN, to have a united voice and a co-ordinated approach to see some amazing things happen for the good of the communities we live in.

I have been thoroughly engaged in the voluntary sector for the last 30+ years. I am married to ‘D’ ( Denise ) and I have one daughter Faye who is married and lives in London. I'm a Methodist Minister in the North Hykeham and Swallowbeck areas and also a governor at Robert Pattinson Academy. Chair of Lincoln City based charity Green Synergy. Lincolnshire Agricultural Chaplain 1999 to present.

Founder Trustee Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (Charity). Progenitor EPIC “Environment People Innovation and Choice”.

Andrew has lived in Lincoln since 1994 when he was appointed Industrial Chaplain in the City. In that time he worked closely with many of the engineering companies in the City, as well as playing a significant part with many of the regeneration groups that helped change the face of our City.

Currently, Andrew is the Priest in Charge of the Swinderby Group of Churches, although he is still Chaplain to the Siemens Gas Turbine sites in Lincoln. Andrew is also the Chaplain to Lincoln City FC. He is passionate that the churches play both a practical, and prophetic role in building up the Common Good within the Greater Lincoln.

Veronica Podbury is a pastor and writer passionate about including marginalised or forgotten people so they can fulfil their God-given potential. After graduating in science she taught children from various ethnic backgrounds in social priority areas. She trained for church ministry, with a Masters in Theology. After pastoring a church in an area of social deprivation, she and her husband planted a community church to reach people with no church connection. She has been on mission in Africa and has written two novels for teens, Secrets and Watching, aimed at bringing Christian values into mainstream teen fiction.