Educación Plus

Founded in 1994 by Keith and Joy Holder in Costa Rica, Educación Plus is a Christian initiative committed to preventing young people from the shanty towns from becoming street children. The project focuses on education, recognizing it as one of the most powerful tools for breaking the cycle of poverty that often leads to life on the streets.

Although basic schooling is free in Costa Rica, the cost of uniforms and supplies is often out of reach for families struggling to afford even basic necessities. Educación Plus steps in to bridge this gap, enabling around 500 children each year to complete their junior education. When possible, the project continues to support students through secondary school or helps them access professional training opportunities.

Beyond education, Educación Plus addresses the unique spiritual, emotional, and practical challenges of living in shanty towns. The project runs weekly Bible clubs, youth groups, and sports activities, sharing God's love and following Jesus' example by ministering to families in every aspect of their lives.

Click here to visit the Educación Plus website (please note that you may need to translate the site to English), or check out the English Educación Plus Facebook page.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at Crofton Baptist Church (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 10:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space in our car park or nearby streets and to find a seat before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

After the service, we serve tea, coffee, and biscuits. It's a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and connect with our community. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10:30am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church, followed by a short 'all aged' talk that engages the whole church family. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with worship once again, singing 3 or 4 songs. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/carer at all times.
Starters (3-5 years / preschool age)
Followers (6-8 years)
Pilgrims (9-11 years)
Intrepid (12-14 years)
Next Gen (15-18 years)

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome and songs. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Our leaders will bring back the children during the final set of worship songs.

Children

Getting Connected

Life Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our life groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Life Groups page for more information, or speak to Moises who can put you in touch with a life group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, please speak to a member of the Leadership Team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Senior's Ministries
A range of community activities

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Rev. Adrian Judd		Dr Andrew Crowson
Senior Minister		Church Manager

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Adrian Judd
Adrian Judd Signature