Photo: Rector Richard Jones practises on the boxing bag.
Deeply committed to its people, Christ Church and St Paul’s Anerley is known locally as a true community church, a place where faith is lived out in practical, honest, and meaningful ways.
“Our journey is very real and very raw.' says the Rector Richard Jones, 'As a church, we trust in Jesus Christ, and we connect with our community by sharing the truth openly and faithfully.”
With members representing over 25 nationalities, he says the church reflects the rich diversity of South London, "We understands ourselves not simply as a building, but as a people shaped by relationships, shared faith, and a desire to serve."
That vision quietly threads through everything it offers, from children’s and youth gatherings at the end of the week, to midweek spaces where people pause over coffee, conversation, and reflection, to opportunities for deeper exploration through Alpha, discipleship pathways, and Bible study.
Church members are also increasingly stepping into active roles within the community helping care for a local park in partnership with a volunteer trust and contributing to the transformation of previously neglected land into a developing community garden.
Among the most striking expression of this outward-looking mission is the Anerley Boxing Club.
Watch a film about the boxing club below.
Running twice a week, it is closely connected with the church’s Friday and Saturday youth groups, creating a natural bridge between sport, mentorship, and community.
The club provides young people with access to fully equipped, professional-standard facilities, but its deeper impact lies elsewhere.
Here, young people find a safe and structured environment where discipline, respect, and self-control are cultivated.
Alongside physical training, they are introduced to essential life skills such as fitness, nutrition, and personal wellbeing areas that are often overlooked or out of reach.
Photo: A young person receives boxing tuition.
Just as importantly, the relationships formed within the club create space for trust, guidance, and honest conversation.
For some in Anerley, the absence of consistent role models has been a significant challenge, as is the threat of knife crime. The boxing club seeks to meet that need not through programmes alone, but through presence.
Trainers and volunteers offer consistency, encouragement, and an example of lives shaped by responsibility and hope.
At the heart of this work is Darrell McLeash, a trainer who grew up locally and understands many of the pressures young people face.
Photo: Darrell demonstrates some boxing moves
Having come to faith through his own journey, Darrell felt called to help establish the club as a place where discipline and faith could meet naturally.
“I came to know Jesus through it all,” Darrell shares, “and I wanted to help set up this boxing club to teach discipline and create discussion groups where young people could explore the truth of God’s Word.”
Through conversation, encouragement, and quiet consistency, he and the wider team demonstrate God’s love in action.
The results are tangible, with several young people having progressed to become carded boxers - boxers who compete at an amateur level - reflecting not only athletic development but personal growth.
The initiative was initially supported through Strategic Development Funding the Diocese of Rochester received from the National Church.
From this foundation, Darrell has gone on to develop the Christian Boxing Alliance, a vision to use boxing as a means of connection, discipline, and long-term transformation.
Photo: The boxing initiative is prayed for during a Sunday service
Looking ahead, there are plans to deepen this holistic approach through termly programmes that combine structured sport with opportunities to explore faith more intentionally.
The hope is that these will create safe, open environments where young people can ask questions, build relationships, and encounter Jesus for themselves.
At Christ Church and St Paul’s Anerley, with a vision to see God’s Kingdom grow locally across South London, and beyond, the church continues to live out its calling: to be disciples of Jesus and to make disciples of Jesus, serving the people of Anerley in the power of the Holy Spirit.