Takita, Michelle and Riley tackle the day-to-day logistics of church life. They form our Ops team and do a range of tasks from assigning newcomers to life groups to overseeing volunteer teams. For every service and event, they arrange volunteers, venue, food, equipment, and more.
Takita, who leads the trio, oversees both our central events and operations for the Waterloo PM service. Michelle runs our Holborn service on an interim basis, and Riley, the Waterloo AM service. They tell us more about themselves and the role below.
Tell us about yourself.
Riley: I was born in Cape Town, moved to London from ages 2-12, and moved back to Cape Town for my teenage years. I returned to the UK to study music and theology. In my spare time, I absolutely love teaching drums. It's one of my passions; a job and a hobby. It’s so rewarding.
Michelle: What Cape Town and London are for Riley, that's Korea and America for me. I was born in Korea, but moved between there and America growing up and later for studies and work. After working a few years in Korea, I was itching to head overseas again. The opportunity to come to the UK came up seven months ago, so I went for it.
Takita: I grew up in South Africa and initially came to London for work experience, to go outside my little bubble. I wanted to know what living elsewhere would be like, and was planning to move back after a year. Eight years later, here I am still!
Fav Grace London memory?
T: That’s so hard - I've got eight years to choose from! But I think it has to be my first Christmas here. The first Christmas I spent in London was also my first away from my family, and I was so nervous about that. But I got invited to celebrate with a family from Grace alongside others from my life group, and I honestly felt so loved. There was so much love in that room. It felt like family. That Christmas was so much better than I ever imagined.
R: I've loads of great memories, but one stands out. One Sunday in November 2023, someone from the Welcome team introduced me to a newcomer. I was keen to get them plugged into church life, so I said, ‘Are you free next Sunday? Before church, let's meet up for coffee.’ That blossomed into a friendship I could not have imagined. I hadn't had great friendships before coming to Grace, but since then, I haven’t been lacking. God has blessed me with solid friendships like this one and many others.
Takita, Riley & Michelle (left to right)
Michelle, you're not only new to the role but to London altogether. What are you enjoying most about both your role and living here?
I love that London is a walkable city with so many green spaces. Those two are my favourites and make London so different from other cities.
In this role, the team has been a real blessing. It's rare to be in a workplace where you work with people you like and enjoy being around. It’s a blessing in itself! Working here has also opened my eyes to other aspects of church life. It's been great to see and to pray for things I might not have known about.
Riley, you helped to get Holborn off the ground and have now switched to Waterloo AM ops. What keeps you motivated in your role?
It’s a deep love for the church - seeing people coming together, hearing God's word preached, and that leading to worship in our everyday lives.
To paint a picture, when Holborn was starting up, there was a lot to do. Problems came up. We had to sort it out, and it was often hard work. But later, when everyone had headed into the auditorium for the service, I would come in at the back and see everyone worshipping and listening to the sermon. These moments really brought me joy. The hard work pays off. That's the reason I do it.
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?
M: I’m excited to help operations run even better, particularly at Holborn. We hope to have a streamlined system so volunteers aren’t rostered on too much and can focus on worshipping in the service. We do our job so meticulously to help the rest of the congregation freely worship and be undistracted. So, helping to achieve that will be exciting.
T: I'm really enjoying work, and I've never said that before! I'm looking forward to settling into this role and learning along the way. What I’ve learnt so far has not been what I expected, but it's been so good. I’m keen to keep working and growing with this team. And that excites me a lot.