​Our pastor and leaders work together to provide direction and oversight to the church, and equip our fellowship to serve Jesus wherever He calls them.  In God's Kingdom leadership is serving, and we seek to be humble and servant hearted leaders and disciples.

We believe strongly everyone has gifts to share, and we want to encourage the growth and use of those gifts among the whole church family. We can only be all we are called to be as a church if we all play our part.

Mike Hudson   Pastor

Mike moved with his family to Devon in 2018 to take up the role of minister in training at the church. Previous to that, he spent 11 years in the Army working as an electronics technician. Mike came to faith in 2013 when he had a powerful encounter with Jesus during a sermon preached at Andover Baptist Church.

​In the summer of 2021, the church called Mike to be our full time pastor. Mike has a passion for the Bible, for community, and making Jesus known. Mike is married to Rachel and they have two children; Joshua and Eleanor. Mike enjoys music, walking, and is a regularly disappointed Yeovil Town Fan. Most of all Mike is passionate about people experiencing transformative relationship with God, and equipping the church to follow Jesus in their everyday lives.

Leadership Team

Claire Speake

Claire joined the church in 2015. She was Ministry Team leader for Global Mission until she became a church leader in March 2022. She has a passion to share God's love and the good news of new life in Jesus in a holistic way, both locally and throughout the world. She is a Tearfund speaker and for her day job she works as a property solicitor.

Anthony Chape

Anthony moved down from North East England in 2003 to follow his career as a Community Pharmacist, joining Kilmington Baptist Church in 2014. He enjoyed a variety of roles within the Church including seasons as a Pastoral Apprentice, Deacon and Ministry Team Leader before accepting the call to Eldership in 2020. 
Anthony is often found hiding behind the piano when the need for a melody line presents and has a terrible habit of finding new instruments to have a go at – just for ‘fun’. Completing a Theological Degree with Spurgeon’s College in 2017, Anthony is currently a Minister in Training with Bristol Baptist College exploring pioneer ministry in Axminster. Anthony and Karen have been married since 2007 and they have one daughter together.

Mik Horswell

​Mik and his wife Sue moved, after retirement from NHS work, to Devon in late 2020 during the Covid lockdown, searching for peace and quiet after life in the hectic South East. Mik first attended church before he was born and has always known Jesus in his life. Having been in leadership roles at his previous church, he has been called as an elder, helps with children and youth work and cooks fry-ups for the men at their breakfasts.

Rae Stacey

​Rae has lived in East Devon for over 20 years, and in Kilmington for 6. She has 4 grown up children and 9 grandchildren, many of whom live locally and can often be found all together at Rae’s house. She was raised in a Christian family, and has been a Christian since her teenage years. Rae works in a local primary school, and having been a long term foster carer for many years, now offers respite care. Rae loves to walk and enjoys the local countryside and the coast path.

Malcolm Eade   Treasurer

Malcolm retired to Devon from Bristol in the summer of 2014. He spent much of his working life in Manufacturing, over 30 years of them with a leading Aero Engine Manufacturer, predominately in Operational Management & Control. His introduction to Faith came through a work colleague who invited him to lunch time services at a City Centre Church and subsequently a few years later a major rally where Malcolm realised his need of Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. He believes passionately in serving God and helping others. Malcolm has been married for 48 years to Hilary and they have 2 children and 4 grandsons.

Richard Andrews   Church Secretary

Richard is married and his family have been living in Devon for over 25 years, and have been at the church for 16 of these.  He has 2 grown up children, one grandchild and two dogs.  He was raised in a Christian environment and has been a Christian since his late teens.  Richard works for Natural England overseeing the England Coast Path project in Exmoor, Devon and Cornwall.  His interests outside church are the outdoors, walking, gardening and dog agility.

Ministry Team Leaders

Gill Bridger   Ministry Team Leader for Administration

​Gill moved to Devon, from Oxfordshire, with her family in 2001 and has lived in Tytherleigh since 2016.  She retired from being an Operations Manager for a Trade Association in 2017 and shortly after that took on the role as Administrator for the church, supporting all aspects of church life.  Brought up in a Christian home she attended a FIEC church in Uxbridge, giving her heart to Jesus at the age of 9. During her late teens, she drifted away from church life but when her two sons were born in the 1980s she was keen they attended Sunday School and settled for a while at Union Baptist in High Wycombe.  Several other Baptist Churches later (due to house moves), Gill first attended the Baptist Church Kilmington in 2017 and feels very much part of the family.  Gill has one grandson and can often be found riding Clydesdale horses over Dartmoor or walking her energetic border collie dog, Jack.

John Hicklin   Ministry Team Leader for Global Mission

John with his wife Karen moved to Axminster and joined the church at Kilmington in November 2022. Karen is now retired from a medical career and John continues with work on a part-time basis in IT and Telecoms. Prior to the move John had been involved in the leadership of Kings Church in Wokingham where he worked with the team at Kings to develop partner relationships with churches in South and Southeast Asia. He continues to serve these churches while further developing the global mission network that the church has in Kilmington. 

Barry Searle   Ministry Team Leader for Local Mission

​Barry and his family have lived in Axminster all of their lives. Barry would say he had always considered himself a Christian but found his true faith in 2019 when conversations with a friend lead him to the Baptist Church Kilmington. Having taken part in an Alpha course Barry was Baptised in December 2020. He went on to take an active role in the Church including becoming the MTL for Local mission, something he is very passionate about.

Hilary Tinson    Ministry Team Leader for ​Welcome

Living over the border in Somerset, Hilary could be considered an ‘outsider’ to the residents of sunny Devon. Not so! The welcome Hilary and her husband received at the church encouraged her to join the Welcome Team after joining the church in 2019. Hilary’s previous roles in church and career have meant being ‘out front’ as teacher, leader and counsellor so this is a very much ‘quieter’ role but no less important. Hilary became a Christian in her late teens and has marvelled at how God welcomes us all in to His family which is why it is so important that we welcome others into ours i.e. The church.  Hilary is also a member of the church’s Prayer Ministry Team.

Sam White   Ministry Team Leader for Worship & Music

Sam moved to Axminster at the end of 2019 with his young family and quickly became part of the church family. He grew up going to church and has always known Jesus but made a firm commitment and was baptised in 2007. Sam has been playing music since he was 10 and has been involved in worship groups at a variety of churches including Baptist, Vineyard and C of E since his early teens. Worship has become a passion of his and he has a desire to see the church freely worship God, not just come and have a sing, song on a Sunday morning.

Phil Bliss   Ministry Team Leader for Fabric

Phil moved to Devon with his wife, having retired from his work in the Construction Industry, and settled in the church here in Kilmington. Within 12 months of joining the Church the old Chapel burnt down and Phil was able to bring his experience in project managing the planning, design and construction of a new building where we now worship.  He believes that the timing of his arrival in Devon was part of God’s plan for him. Phil became a Christian in his teens and has served the Lord in various capacities in several churches over the years, currently in the role of Ministry Team Leader for Fabric where he is responsible for maintaining the Beacon with the aim of it being a place of welcome to both our church family and the community.

Juletta Obudo   ​Ministry Team Leader for Children, Youth & Families

Juletta and her family returned to Kilmington in 2009 after living in Surrey for a few years.  She grew up in the village, attending the Baptist Church with her parents & grandparents, went through the youth clubs and was baptised in the old chapel on Shute Rd.  While training to be a teacher at the University of Exeter, she felt called to Tanzania, East Africa.  She spent 6 years teaching in Dar-es-Salaam, four of them at Haven of Peace Academy, a school set up for missionary children. Juletta met and married her Kenyan husband, Cris, at Dar-es-Salaam Pentecostal Church where she became the Sunday School Director overseeing the children’s work in both the English and Swahili speaking congregations. Juletta loves how children’s work unites the Church and is thankful for the wonderful team at the Baptist Church Kilmington who tirelessly share God’s love and the Good News of Jesus, from those who prepare coffee & lunches for the under 5’s groups, to those who register children for the annual Summer Holiday Club and those who work face-to-face with children & their families.  Juletta enjoys watching movies and going on bikes rides and walks with her daughters Jemimah, Abigail and son Paul when home from Uni.

Caroline Wallbank   Ministry Team Leader for Catering

​Caroline Wallbank moved to Seaton with her husband Rob in 2021 having previously had a weekend cottage in Shute since 2012, when she first attended the Baptist Church Kilmington (then still meeting in the village hall).  Caroline grew up in a Christian family but came to a personal faith in her early teens and was baptised at the age of 16.  Since then Caroline has served in a variety roles in her previous church in High Wycombe and now seeks to live out her faith and reach out to the community in the Axe Valley in practical ways through the role of catering, as food is important to life but much more so is life in Christ.