MEET THE TEAM
Jane Guest
Jane was inducted as our full-time Minister on the 31st July 2022. She was formally the Chaplain at Havens Hospice Chaplain for 9 years. Prior to that, Jane was Pastor at Leigh Beck Baptist Church on Canvey Island. Interestingly, Jane was originally ordained into the ministry at Avenue 12 years ago!
She is now looking forward to what God will do and how we can be like Jesus in serving the community altogether.
Jane met husband, Peter, at Birmingham Bible College, and they have been married for 32 years. Jane and Peter have two lovely daughters and two beautiful grandchildren.
Jane enjoys swimming and watching Wimbledon!
Stephen Ekins
Stephen is our Church Secretary and one of his main responsibilities is the overall smooth running of the church.
This involves liaising with church groups and outside bodies such as the Baptist Union, Local Council, Insurers etc. Stephen is married and has two grown up children and is a passionate Southend United supporter who enjoys his allotment and going to the theatre.
Lauren Cenka
Lauren is our Site Co-ordinator, she moved to Westcliff 7 years ago. Married to Andi, they have 2 young boys.
Lauren liaises with all the various groups that make use of the Church premises. She diligently ensures the church is secure, clean and well-maintained.
Lauren enjoys dancing, going on holidays and spending quality time with family and friends.
Litza Smith
Litza has been our child and family worker since May 2023. She has been a member of Avenue for over 20 years, previously serving as a Sunday School leader.
She has taken on the role of supporting our growing number of children and young people, as well as families, attending the various groups and clubs in the church throughout the week and on Sundays. She thoroughly enjoys using her gifts to connect with and bless others.
Litza has two daughters and four grandchildren who enrich her life and keep her busy.
Rebecca Cooper
Rebecca is our current intern. She has four children and decided in June 2025 to give up her corporate role, as she felt a call to do God's work and is currently enrolled in Bible college as she looks towards the path of becoming a Baptist minister.
Rebecca is involved with our teenage Footsteps group on a Sunday, helps in our youth group ,Waves, as as well as the Tuesday Crumbles groups. She also runs our TicTok social media site, bringing our community outreach to a wider audience.
Terry Wheeler
Terry is a retired Police Officer, having served with Essex Police for 42yrs, latterly being involved in Child and Sexual Abuse investigations. He was able to draw on his professional experience in formulating and updating the Safeguarding Policy for Avenue Baptist Church.
Appointed Designated Person for Safeguarding (DPS) in 2014, Terry works alongside others in the Church, including the Minister and Children & Family Worker (CFW), to assess and, where needed, address safeguarding concerns affecting the congregation at Avenue, young or old.
Part of this includes running periodic Safeguarding Awareness sessions, generally together with the CFW to those involved in providing activities to children and adults. Additionally, he is the DBS coordinator, Health & Safety Officer and security advisor for Avenue.