Anna’s Story

Growing up in Dublin, my first experience of leading worship was in a Catholic context. My parents are Catholic, Spirit-filled Christians and raised us in the same light - attending Mass every Sunday and whichever local youth group (of any denomination) where the Spirit was moving. I had an incredible youth leader and a strong group of Christian friends. It was a rich time of life.

Moving to London to pursue a career in dance and Musical Theatre at the age of 18, I ended up going along to do Alpha at Holy Trinity Brompton. I’d visited HTB before with my Dad one summer. I needed to figure out my faith again. A friend of a friend had recently committed suicide and it left me questioning so much. I also found leaving home behind and moving culture really hard and lonely. So, I needed to know if this was all real or not. I didn’t want to waste any more time if it wasn’t. 

I met Luke in my first Alpha group. He was being trained up as a worship leader and also helping in the Students group. His job was to sit quietly and pray whilst the group was going on (which I didn’t know) so I thought he was just arrogant and a know-it-all! Although I found him really compelling. They nicknamed me the ‘feisty Irish’. As far as I was concerned, I had nothing to lose and I didn’t know these people so the gloves were off. I had to figure out this faith thing. 

After Alpha finished, I joined the Students group where Luke was really involved. We had the most incredible Student pastors who steered through what I can only describe as a deeply formative and precious season. Holding us close and letting us go simultaneously, stunning leadership.

A while later I signed up to join the worship team as a BV. Tim Hughes and Al Gordon were worship pastors at the time.

Fast forward the dating story (!) fresh out of college and university Luke and I got married. I had finished training and started working in the Musical Theatre industry. Alongside work, I got involved singing BVs with Worship Central. We did some UK tours and training events and recorded songs. It was a golden time of watching, learning and cultivating an understanding for what God was doing in the Church around the UK and the world. 

Age 23, I felt the pull to lead worship so I learned guitar, in order to be able to get more experience through leading in loads of contexts, and gave it a shot! It was awkward for me as Luke was already going for it and I did not want to be that token wife. After my first time co-leading with another female leader at a prayer event I cried and vowed I would NEVER do that again - it was awful.

The next step after that was leading every week at our small group that we ran. I still think this is the best worship leader training ground. There’s nowhere to hide! I remember another worship leader telling me, if you can lead a room of 10 people well, then the rest is easy. I agree with her! 

Soon enough Luke and I began to co-lead on Sundays. By this point, I felt like I was on a fast track for worship leading. Every week, twice a week, Luke would give me detailed feedback. He’s the king of feedback. I was really used to getting feedback from the MT industry so it was brilliant for me and it meant I grew so quickly. Being at HTB who are second to none at developing leaders and church planting, I was in a greenhouse for leadership development. 

At the end of 2012/early 2013 (exactly 10 years ago!) my Musical Theatre career ended, painfully. Another story for another time perhaps. 

At that point, I was so heart broken. I had poured so much into it, left home in pursuit of it and it was done. Just like that. I reached out everywhere I could, looking for wisdom and direction. Among other things, a trusted friend gave me a prophetic word that God was trying to put something in my hands and it was necessary for me to fully let go of what was already in them to receive it. Amidst the pain of my dashed dreams, I heard it and pondered it, not yet knowing quite what it all meant. 

Luke & I continued to lead together and Tim opened up some opportunities for me to join in with some bits of teaching and training with Worship Central. He was always so encouraging. After a few months, he invited me to join the staff at HTB as a worship leader. He knew there was something more in us leading together and I’ve always been grateful for the way he makes bold, prophetic faith steps towards what he senses God doing. He also took real care in creating space for both of us, separately and as a couple. Luke had recently written Spirit Break Out which was taking off around the world and it could have been easy for me to feel side-lined but Tim held a space for us where I always felt seen and valued. 

We travelled and connected with loads of different people across the UK and the world. We heard all the good, the bad and the ugly! We spent time with other worship leaders, encouraging one another, imparting to one another and cheering each other on. I’m still bowled over by how the Lord moved powerfully in that space. Some of our deepest connections happened in that time. What I realise now is that all this time, God was building a clearer picture and a passion for the worship life of the broader Church deep within us. 

Fast forward to 2014, Luke and I were invited to spend 7 months in Malaysia helping with the church plant of HTBB, Kuala Lumpur. The vision was for it to be a training hub for Alpha and Worship Central as well as starting the church from scratch. Whilst there, we travelled around SE Asia running training events and gathering worship leaders as well as raising up our own team alongside Stewart and Abi McIlrath (phenomenal leaders now at HTB). It was during this time that we were discerning what was next and felt God speak clearly about moving to Birmingham to be worship pastors at a new church plant, Gas St under Tim & Rachel Hughes.

In August 2015, we moved to Birmingham! Starting from scratch at Gas St, with me as worship pastor and Luke running Worship Central with Tim. We knew it was a crucial moment. It was prophesied that we would be a church that was “woven in worship”. So we dug deep. Using all the fuel of the conversations and miraculous God encounters we’d been part of, the training and experiences we’d had, reading book after book on building culture, team building and pouring it all into the pot.

I spent 4 years pouring my heart and soul into building something that I knew would far outrun me. Loving every minute. It wasn’t without its challenges but I learned along the way, that that’s part of the deal and how we navigate challenges is formative.

In 2019 we started a family. After 9 months after the arrival of our baby I felt a strong conviction, after some journeying, to focus my time & energy on those crucial years of our children and our home life. I also knew that after 4 years, our team and our church was ready for a new level. Someone once had a picture of Luke and I running a race together and in different seasons, one of us would take the lead - I knew it was one of those changeover moments. I continued leading worship and overseeing the worship life of our church but with Luke in the driver’s seat. It honestly brings me so much joy to watch him steer. 

Coming through (actually, still in) the intensive season of leading small children, which is hands down THE best leadership training program I’ve ever been in (sorry HTB), I feel like I’m a version 2.0 of myself. I feel like I’m uncovering hidden depths and experiencing the glory in the dirt on a whole new level. I’m, more than ever, ready to step in and crack open the conversation around real life worship. So many of our friends are key worship leaders and incredible thinkers in this area and we’re always talking about it. Yet we realise that’s not the case for everyone. It seems like a no brainer to open up this conversation. It’s so easy to feel discouraged and isolated in this position and we can’t let that happen on our watch.