Meet the YBA Staff Team
Regional Minister Team Leader
Revd Graham Ensor
Graham oversees the work of the Association and is responsible for collaborating with YBA colleagues to identify vision, direction and appropriate strategy that encourages the growth of healthy churches throughout the Association.
Graham's responsibilities also include pastoral support of ministers/churches in Bradford and the Craven area, in the Halifax & Calder Valley and Leeds areas. He oversees safeguarding and Home Mission, as well as representing the Association at national level.
Regional Minister
Revd Dr Alex Harris
Alex has specific responsibilities for pioneering ministry and church planting. Alex's role is to catalyse being healthy churches, working together to see new mission ventures and new churches birthed. Alex works with individuals and churches helping start new churches, as well as working to establish accessible and excellent training and relationships that empower those called to pioneer and plant in Yorkshire.
As an integral part of this Alex is planting a new Baptist church as part of our Association. Alex represents pioneering and planting at a national level including the Firestarter network. He is also Director of Baptist Church Planting with St Hild College. His doctoral studies were in Church Planting in post-Christendom Europe.
Regional Minister
Revd Dr Nike Adebajo
Nike has responsibility for churches in South Yorkshire and Huddersfield. She leads on justice issues in the Association.
Nike most recently served at Network Church Sheffield for 12 years. Prior to her time as a minister, Nike was involved in education; she was an English Lecturer and Tutor, firstly in Nigeria and then later in the UK until she spent time working for local authorities as an Equalities Officer and in housing services.
In addition to her YBA role, Nike is leading the first year of the Baptist Formation programme at the St Hild Centre for Baptist Ministry.
Nike is a co-instigator of Sheffield Leaders in Prayer and is a facilitator for BUGB’s Just Aware justice training resource. She has also served as a YBA trustee.
Trust Officer
Revd Ann Chesworth
Ann supports and assists churches in legal, governance and property matters. Ann's role includes signposting and directing people to appropriate contacts for support, and also being the first point of contact for churches on Trust issues.
Ann facilitates work through the YBA Trust Group. She is also minister at Harrogate Baptist Church.
Young Adult Lead
Naomi Fennell
Naomi is our Young Adults Lead. She works with local churches in developing young leaders and fulfilling our YBA priority of growing missional leaders!
Children, Youth and Families Enabler
Jodie Thorpe
Jodie offers support and training to our churches as they seek to develop work with children, youth and families.
Jodie serves on the National Baptists Together Children, Youth and Families Round Table. Jodie is passionate that people of all ages should have opportunities to explore spirituality. She wants families to be able to worship together and for all children and young people to be valued and feel like they belong in our local churches.
Discipleship Enabler
Revd Peter Dunn
Peter networks churches together who want to experiment with Disciple Making Movement principles.
He connects people together who are passionate to church plant by adopting Biglife Ministries values.
Finance Officer
Hannah Harris
Hannah deals with all administrative finance matters. She works closely with our Treasurer; supports the work of the Finance Group; and administers custodian funds for member churches.
Administration Lead
Debbie Gamble
Debbie provides PA/admin support to the Association; supports and facilitates our Executive and working groups; is first point of contact for Data Protection and Safeguarding matters; and generally keeps the admin wheels turning, working alongside Iris.
Administrator
Iris Cheung
Iris works on several areas of administrative support, including our safeguarding training, minister’s conference and prayer.