raising up generations of authentic Jesus followers
Mark Bird
Core Leader
Mark was born in Wigan and moved to New Mills at the age of 13, where he grew up as a ‘pastors kid’.
During this time, he met his wife, Gemma and they moved to Hyde after marriage in 2007.
Since then, they have been involved in two previous Hyde Church plants and are now happily involved with the Life Church family along with their 3 wonderful children.
Mark works internationally as a rug sales person (careful how you pronounce that) and along with his family, two of his greatest loves are Man Utd and Coffee.
Debs Peyton
Core Leader
Debs is a born and bred Hydonian, married to Ollie with one beautiful daughter Calla.
Debs is passionate about releasing potential in local churches to respond to the loneliness crisis. She set up Silver Cord in 2017 as an inter-church befriending service.
Debs enjoys all things vintage, including film, music, furniture and people (!) and has a special heart to see biblical honour restored to older people, both in the church and in society.
Our Team
Here in Life Church Hyde, we believe that "everybody gets to play" because God has given every follower of Jesus a unique "shape" and special and diverse abilities from the Holy Spirit. These are to be used to build up the church, encourage each other and spread God's amazing love and grace to others in the wider community. Because of this, everybody in Life Church Hyde is a vital and valued member of the team.
From within the team, several have been set apart to carry particular responsibilities so that the whole church family grows in healthy relationship with God and each other, and so that we carry out our mission safely and effectively.
Emma Peyton
Safeguarding Lead
Awaiting Emma's updated personal bio and picture.
emma@lifechurchhyde.co.uk
Liz Thomas
Treasurer
Awaiting Liz's updated personal bio and picture.
treasurer@lifechurchhyde.co.uk
Chris Fidler
Core Leader
Chris was born, brought up and came to faith in Hyde, and so is delighted to be part of Life Church Hyde.
She is a busy mum and grandma, and has combined this, for a lot of her life, with part-time work in the charitable sector and some short spells of teaching.
Chris enjoys swimming, singing, reading and retreats, as well as going out for coffee with friends!
Susan Cooling
Core Leader
Susan trained as a teacher and has a real heart for people. She has been married to Martyn for 40 years and together they have four amazing kids and three lovely grandkids.
Susan has been following Jesus for over 50 years and has found life with him a great adventure! She has helped start a church in Rhyl, served in ministry with Martyn for years, and is now excited to play her part in Life Church Hyde.
Susan is also involved in The Living Room which has been a great way to connect with people, share God’s love and build authentic community with others in Hyde.
Martyn Cooling
Pastor
Martyn was born to missionary parents in Thailand and went to school in the Malaysian jungle before coming to the UK. He and Susan met at Manchester University and got married in 1985.
After a career in international business, Martyn was called by God in 2008 to devote himself to local church ministry. So, he and Susan trained together at Regents Theological College and Martyn has been involved in full-time church leadership since 2012.