CPCC History
It was in the early 1990s that things radically changed. The first Cliff Park church plant was established by Lowestoft Community Church, a member of New Frontiers. Realising they were attracting a number of people from the Gorleston area they began holding services as King’s Church at the Cliff Park High School, led by Bryan Daplyn. This was successful but they soon wanted their own premises which they found in the town centre where a former Wesleyan chapel off the High Street had become vacant.
Tony Ward had moved to St. Andrew’s from Norwich to become Vicar of Gorleston; a man with a passion for outreach and churches working together. It was no surprise that he formed a strong bond with Richard Hughes, by then GBC minister, and Bryan from Kings. Early in his ministry Tony Ward organised a weekend of prayer for Gorleston at the Ditchingham conference centre near Bungay attended by people mainly from St. Andrew’s and GBC. There was no specific agenda, just a real desire to hear from God. Some feel this led ultimately to the Cliff Park plant although this was to emerge sometime later.
With Richard Hughes’ encouragement a GBC group concentrated on outreach to the immediate area around the church although this seemed to produce very little response. Looking for another opportunity the idea of reaching further afield to Cliff Park resurfaced. Bryan Daplyn was a guest preacher at GBC at around the same time as King’s Church was moving from the High School to its new Palmer Road home. As he finished his talk he spoke prophetically and said he was handing over the baton of Cliff Park to GBC! Although perhaps not immediately obvious, he was right.