McAlpin, Brett & Valerie

Brett and Valerie met while students at the University of Southern Mississippi and married following graduation in 2004. They lived for 10 years in Birmingham, Alabama, pursuing careers in business. During that time God used the influence of missions conferences, Bible passages, books, sermons, and short-term mission trips to reveal His call for them. In 2011 Brett left his job to attend Birmingham Theological Seminary to further prepare for full-time ministry. He graduated in May 2014 and the McAlpin family moved to Bulgaria three months later. 

The McAlpins lived in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, for seven years where they served on a church-planting/revitalization team. During their time in Bulgaria, they were able to see a Bulgarian-led church plant started in Plovdiv and developed a heart for international students. Following this new desire in their hearts led them to look for opportunities of expanding church planting and student ministry together. Their search eventually brought them to Christ Church Central, Leeds.

CCCL is a young, Reformed church in the heart of Leeds, a large city in Northern England, which is home to five universities. The church has a heart for training and deploying British church planters as well as evangelizing and discipling students. Brett and Valerie are able to use their experience in business and mission work in assisting the church plant as it grows and showing hospitality to students from all over the world. Less than 1% of the 5.5 million people in Yorkshire County attend church, and international students in Leeds represent some of the most unreached people groups on the planet. The need is great! Please pray for Christ Church Central and the McAlpins as they seek to shine the light of Christ in this post-Christian nation.