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 Unbounded Love

God's love doesn't stay in the lines

Charles Wesley's famous hymn - Love Divine, All Loves Excelling - talks about Jesus as ‘unbounded love’ – a kind of love that cannot be contained, that works in our lives and in our world to free us and heal us. Unbounded Love is the theme of the Lent campaign of the Methodist Church in 2024 – holding together our commitments to be a justice-seeking church, and a people who experience and proclaim the good news of God’s uncontainable love.  

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          Welcome to the Central Sussex United Area of The                  Methodist Church and The United Reformed Church            


The Central Sussex United Area is comprised of 21 churches in villages and towns by the sea, in and around the Ashdown Forest and the South Downs.  It is bounded by the towns of Haywards Heath (NW), Crowborough (NE), Newhaven (SW) and Eastbourne (SE), and symbolises the unity between denominations as we seek together to share God’s love through our mission and ministry in a variety of communities.



Rev'd Barbara Evans-Routley - Co-Leader Methodist

Rev Barbara Evans-Routley

It is delightful to be returning to the South East, having spent part of my childhood in Folkestone, where my parents still live. I felt called to become a minister when I was 16 and so my Local Preachers training began in Kent. Since then, in following that sense of call, I have worked and studied, first as a Lay Worker and then as a Minister around the country, including in Warwickshire, Cambridgeshire, East Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, the West Midlands and now in East Sussex.

Autumn 2020 sees me beginning my 16th year of ordained ministry and my 3rd appointment in the Superintendent’s role. It is always a privilege to meet, worship with and love the congregations and communities I have lived with over the years and I look forward to doing that here too.

I am married to Catherine, who is a former eye nurse and now works as the Operations Manager for a Methodist Circuit in Warwickshire. We share our lives with a cat who demands our time and attention.


John Lane - Co-Leader URC

 John LaneI became the URC (lay) Co-Leader of the CSUA in 2018 having previously been a Lloyd’s broker and financial adviser before retiring in 2017. Married for 48 years, my wife and I have been blessed with 4 sons and 7 grandchildren who keep us busy.  We live in Broad Oak near Heathfield and enjoy our beautiful countryside.  I am an Elder at 2 URCs and am now also a Trustee of Cornerstone a SCLEP in Uckfield as well as Chair of Trustees at Brighthelm, Brighton.  In my spare time(!) I am a local organiser for Christian Aid.


© Central Sussex United Area 2009