Pastor Peter Nembhard is the founder and senior pastor of ARC in Newham, London. He provides oversight and strategic vision for the growth of the ARC. He is married with four children.
We first met Peter at the ROC Ambassadors Conference in May 2011, although Chief Inspector Paul Wilson, ROC regional coordinator for London, had already had some discussions with Peter prior to the conference.
Peter’s church runs a project for young people called Stop Da Violence, which is one of the fantastic projects offered by churches in Newham, many of whom are part of Transform Newham, a network of churches.
Peter and the Transform Newham team have recently joined forces with ROC to host a
ROC Conversations event on May 18th which was attended by 250 people including many police, fire officers and MPs. Peter has become a ROC Ambassador and hopes to spread the word about ROC in his community and particularly influence the youth in our nation.
See below for the ROC Ambassadors Conference video where Peter shares his vision for being a ROC Ambassador.
From a BBC article about Stop da Violence:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/07/03/church_newham.shtml "The churches in Newham are a core part of the community, where about 49% of people are Christian. There are approximately 400 churches in the borough.
Churches are doing more than preach the gospel – they are providing services and engaging with almost all sections of the diverse community to tackle issues that challenge residents.
On Sunday in Forest Gate, teenagers like Jason Allen, 16 are heading towards the Arc church in Sebert Road, for the Stop Da Violence concert. They’ve been told to get there early because as soon as the doors open, the place gets really packed, and it’s hard to get a seat.
Indeed within less than an hour, the church is packed with hundreds of teenagers from Hackney, Walthamstow, Newham and elsewhere that have come to listen to music, watch performances and hear more about the battle against gun and knife violence in East London.
Community officers from Newham Police, teachers, parents and members of the community are also present. This night, the campaign is remembering two Newham teenagers, the late Charlotte Polius and Adam Regis, both 15, who were knifed to death.
Jason was a part of a 30-member gang that operates mainly in Croydon and Brixton, and the Arc’s campaign has had an impact on his way of life. ‘I heard about Stop Da Violence from a friend who comes to the Arc church. So I came along last year to the concert. I was armed with two knifes for protection – because of the type of trouble I was in,’ Jason says, ‘but when the pastor started preaching, I realised the seriousness of the message of carrying weapons.
"He encouraged us youth to pick a better path, and after the service I said – “that’s the end!”’ Jason eventually left his gang and is looking forward to going to college to study graphic design. His friend, Irvin Mukwenda, 18, from Stratford, has joined the Arc’s campaign.
‘So far this year I’ve lost four friends to violence here in East London, recently one girl got stabbed and bricked to death,’ he says, ‘what broke me down is when I asked them why they do it, they said because violence is a way of life. Through Stop Da Violence I’m able to express my message that young people need to stop the violence.’"
For more information on how YOU can become a ROC Ambassador, click here.
