Meet the Team

Mike Horsman

Pastor

Hi, I’m Mike Horsman, Pastor of Lakes Christian Centre since 2000.
I have lived in Windermere all my life, and have been involved with this Church, in various roles, since 1984. I became a Christian in 1983 when God broke into my life during an evangelistic mission in Manchester.

My wife, Lynda, and myself have two wonderful, grown-up children. Our eldest, Beth, lives in Cheshire and works for the NHS. She and her husband, Andy, have blessed us with three lively and gorgeous grandchildren, Ezra, Martha and Zachariah who bring great joy into our lives. Our son, Joshua, lives and works in London where he is a customer success leader for an online professional development platform (although we don’t really know what that means!)

Rightly or wrongly, I’m a passionate Liverpool FC supporter!

I am looking forward to increased opportunities for our Church to reach out to the local community in a dynamic and relevant way. My desire is that we will share the love and joy of the Lord Jesus Christ with those who pass through our doors.

Paul Bell

Elder

Hi, my name’s Paul Bell and I have served lakes Christian Centre as an Elder for the past 3 decades and for many years (up until 2022) as Assistant Pastor. I am not a dyed-in-the-wool ‘local’ but a proud Yorkshireman who came to the Lake District after serving in the RAF for 9 years. I came to climb fells and kayak down rivers and was so deeply moved, on my first day, by the beauty of the Lake District that I prayed, “God, I would love to live in this place, if you’ve got a job for me to do here” and the rest, as they say, is history.

I’m married to an amazing lady named Mel and work as a full-time maintenance manager in a large local hotel. God has blessed Mel and myself with two wonderful sons. Our eldest, Peter, is married to Judith and lives in Manchester where he works as an architect. Our youngest son, John, also lives in Manchester and (surprise, surprise) works as an architectural technician!

I see my role at Lakes Christian Centre as being to stand with my fellow elders in caring for and leading God’s people where He has placed us – in the lovely town of Windermere.

Simon Berry

Elder

Hello, I’m Simon Berry and, along with my wife Diana, I joined Lakes Christian Centre back in 1985 where I first served as a Deacon and then became an Elder in the early 1990s – taking on the role of Pastor for two years.

Diana and I became Christians whilst travelling in New Zealand in 1984 when God broke into our lives in a powerful and miraculous way. Our home is in the lovely village of Troutbeck and, in my working life, I am Chairman of English Lakes Hotels which is our family hotel business now headed up by our middle son Ben who lives locally, is married to Katie and has two wonderful young children – Florence and Bertie. Our elder son, Robert, is a local farmer and married to Lisa whilst our youngest, Elliot, lives and works in Kenya with his wife Metrine. They have beautiful twin boys, Kingston and Kingsley, and run a charity known as The Noah Initiative which works with fatherless young boys in the city of Eldoret.

As well as being an Elder, and alongside my Church responsibilities, I serve as Chair of the European Board of the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association and sit on the Charity’s International Board.

Jonathan Bowyer

Elder

Hi, I’m Jonathan Bowyer.  I’ve been a part of Lakes Christian Centre since 1989 and joined the eldership team in 2012. I was brought up in Manchester, where my Dad was a Church of England minister, and came to live in the Lake District in my mid-twenties after three years working in the oil industry in Egypt. I then had a second career in Outdoor Education and, since 2001, I’ve been self-employed as a leadership coach and organisation development facilitator.

I’m married to Kathryn and we have two grown-up sons, as well as a daughter-in-law, and have recently welcomed our first grandson – all of whom ensure we don’t take ourselves too seriously! We have a young, working cocker spaniel who keeps us fit and encourages us to get out and appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. My job often requires me to travel but when I’m home, I enjoy walking and sailing and the occasional fly-fishing evening just to savour some solitude.

As well as being an Elder, I am also privileged to be a member of the worship team at Lakes Christian Centre, I preach on a regular basis and am passionate about exploring the Bible.

Stuart Carter

Elder

Hi, I’m Stuart Carter. I’ve been a part of Lakes Christian Centre since 1998 and joined the eldership team in 2023.

My wife Anna, and I have three kids who are growing up fast. We all love being out in the mountains: rock climbing, wild camping and mountain biking.

I grew up in Derbyshire within a Christian family and, after studying photography, I worked in London for several years assisting in professional studios. Thankfully, I escaped London and the dark lighting studios and headed to the mountains. Along with Anna, I run an outdoor pursuits business which enables me to enjoy the Lakeland fells whilst training and instructing future mountain leaders – amongst other things.

Within Church life, my current role is to head up the wonderful team of musicians and singers who share in leading the congregation in worship. I particularly enjoy leading worship with my family.

Mike Taylor

Operations Manager

Hello, I’m Mike Taylor. My wife Sal and I first started attending Lakes Christian Centre whilst on a weekend break back in 2017. We very quickly realised that this Church and the Lake District was where we felt at home and where we wanted to live and serve.

Our journey, which we feel has been led by the Lord, saw us baptised by Pastor Mike in a cold Lake Windermere in November 2021 and latterly making The Lakes our permanent home.

As a ‘blended’ family we share four kids, one is in Australia, one in South Manchester and two at University in Newcastle.

Having retired early from a career in the Media Industry and Economic Development, I was appointed as Church Operations Manager for Lakes Christian Centre in 2021. In this role, I support and work with our Leadership Teams and Elders. It’s a great and ever-changing mix of managing and serving!

I also have the privilege of serving as Chair of the UK based charity Medcare, which is dedicated to providing health and social care to sick, and desperately poor children in Uganda