Who are we?
Gerard and Chrissie Kelly founded The Bless Network in 2003. Together they lead Bless Church and teach the Seven Stories School which is a culmination of their learnings and experience from over 30 years of church leadership and teaching in the UK, The Netherlands and France.
Chrissie heads up SOS Chai and you can follow her updates on her instagram @chrissiebless. Gerard is a writer and has published several books on prayer, church and mission. You can buy his latest collection of poems plus ‘The Seven Stories that Shape your Life’ here.
Gerard & Chrissie Kelly
Founders of Bless
The UK team
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Caroline Gwilliam
Caroline has been part of Bless since the very beginning and began by driving minibuses full of students around Europe on missions trips. These days she helps a lot with the events side of Bless, preparing amazing food and creating beautiful and inspiring spaces. When not on the ferry to France Caroline is a Youth and Children's Worker at her church in the UK, and squeezes in some wedding catering in her spare time, with her business ‘Wild Door Weddings’. She is passionate about people discovering their creativity and always manages to get everyone painting on the Seven Stories School!
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Tom Gwilliam
Bio coming soon!
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Martin Young
Martin Young has been leading and planting churches for over 25 years, with ministry emphases on community engagement, global mission, leadership development, and the arts. He speaks, writes and works with churches, organisation and individual leaders. Martin runs projects that engage people with the creativity of the Kingdom of Heaven. He chairs the board of trustees for Bless.
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Jim Saker
Bio coming soon!
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Susie Harrington
Bio coming soon!
The French team
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Jane Rocke
Tim and Jane have been part of Bless Church since the early days and are part of the church vision team. They have been on an extraordinary faith venture in recent years, exploring and realising their dream to run a campsite. They opened L’Orangerie de Beauregard for its first season in 2018 and it has since been included in the Guardian’s top 20 campsites in Europe. The site is ideally placed on the pilgrimage route of St Jacques in the beautiful Loire Valley near Tours and the Rockes host Blesstival there each year as well as regular prayer gatherings in the on-site chapel. They have a heart to bless the local community through the campsite and follow the Ffald-y-Brenin rhythm of prayer.
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Tim Rocke
Tim and Jane have been part of Bless Church since the early days and are part of the church vision team. They have been on an extraordinary faith venture in recent years, exploring and realising their dream to run a campsite. They opened L’Orangerie de Beauregard for its first season in 2018 and it has since been included in the Guardian’s top 20 campsites in Europe. The site is ideally placed on the pilgrimage route of St Jacques in the beautiful Loire Valley near Tours and the Rockes host Blesstival there each year as well as regular prayer gatherings in the on-site chapel. They have a heart to bless the local community through the campsite and follow the Ffald-y-Brenin rhythm of prayer.
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Gary Wright
Bio coming soon!
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Melissa Eudeline
Thierry is Norman and felt God calling him to Livarot in 1998 when he was working nearby in Vimoutiers, whilst Melissa felt God lead her to Béthanie the following year where they met and then married in 2001.
They became involved with Bless church when it started up as they live close by and appreciate the style of International church. Their heart is for Livarot and they head up a group of young Christians, as well as mature ones, who meet together at Béthanie on Thursday evenings for a bible study and prayer. They also meet on the 4th Sunday of the month for a church gathering when a friend from another church leads worship.
Their prayer for Livarot as well as Vimoutiers is that God's will be done on earth as in heaven.
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Thierry Eudeline
Thierry is Norman and felt God calling him to Livarot in 1998 when he was working nearby in Vimoutiers, whilst Melissa felt God lead her to Béthanie the following year where they met and then married in 2001.
They became involved with Bless church when it started up as they live close by and appreciate the style of International church. Their heart is for Livarot and they head up a group of young Christians, as well as mature ones, who meet together at Béthanie on Thursday evenings for a bible study and prayer. They also meet on the 4th Sunday of the month for a church gathering when a friend from another church leads worship.
Their prayer for Livarot as well as Vimoutiers is that God's will be done on earth as in heaven.
The Dutch team
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Rinke van der Kolk
Job is team lead at bol.com, Rinke a journalist. Whether it is their work, their social life or their church; Job and Rinke like to look for the own story of the people they meet and often find the presence of God in it. That's why they feel at home at Bless, where people are invited to express themselves in a creative and intentional way that always inspires. It is their desire to help that culture grow further in the Netherlands. Job and Rinke have two children and live in Amersfoort.
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Job van der Kolk
Job is team lead at bol.com, Rinke a journalist. Whether it is their work, their social life or their church; Job and Rinke like to look for the own story of the people they meet and often find the presence of God in it. That's why they feel at home at Bless, where people are invited to express themselves in a creative and intentional way that always inspires. It is their desire to help that culture grow further in the Netherlands. Job and Rinke have two children and live in Amersfoort.
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Iris van Stuijvenberg
Iris works in education in the field of sports massage and physiotherapy. She is an inspired worship leader, a role she has had the opportunity to develop within Bless. Since 2007, Justin and Iris have been part of the Bless family. They are still amazed at how God is doing His work through this organisation. Justin and Iris live and church with their four children in Huizen.
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Justin van Stuijvenberg
Justin works as an executive in the manufacturing industry. Justin has a special interest in men's roles and identities and organises activities with friends to learn about them. Since 2007, Justin and Iris have been part of the Bless family. They are still amazed at how God is doing His work through this organisation. Justin and Iris live and church with their four children in Huizen.
Other team members
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Chloé Menagér
SOS Chai Operations Coordinator and English/French teacher
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Rachel Brennan
Rachel moved to France in 2018 from the UK and has been volunteering for Bless and SOS Chai since then. After returning from a 3-month internship in Nashville, USA, she started working for Bless as Church Manager in January 2023. You will most likely find her handing out wraps at SOS Chai or enjoying a community meal with the Bless family!
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Nick James
Bio coming soon!
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Dawn James
Bio coming soon!
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Alison Wilson
Church Team + SOS Chai Volunteer
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Mike Wilson
Church Team + SOS Chai Volunteer
The business network
The Business Network is a group of businesses who were started and are run by members of Bless’ community. We keep in touch and support each other however we can!
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Hope Gwilliam & Becky Rawlins are based in Shropshire, UK where together they run eco-friendly screen printing business, Hopefully Made, producing beautiful hand-illustrated and thoughtfully designed products including prints, t-shirts, tote bags, postcards and of course our annual round of Bless merchandise. They have a passion for the environment, people and creativity.
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Mylene and Stephanie Crocquevieille run Keys & Co, a coffee shop in the centre of Caen, bringing good coffee, good food and great company to the city. They bring flavours of their home country, New Zealand, to the town of Caen.
Over the years Keys has been a gathering place for church, a meeting point for SOS Chai volunteers and a wonderful reminder of all that God is doing in the city of Caen - no visit to Bless is complete until you’ve been for brunch.
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Tim and Jane Rocke opened L’Orangerie de Beauregard for its first season in 2018 and it has since been included in the Guardian’s top 20 campsites in Europe. The site is ideally placed on the pilgrimage route of St Jacques in the beautiful Loire Valley near Tours and the Rockes host Blesstival there each year as well as regular prayer gatherings in the on-site chapel.
