Think about surfing and your thoughts probably turn to the wide, sandy beaches of Cornwall, awash with lithe folk in wetsuits with boards under their arms. You may be surprised to learn, however, as I was, that considerably further north, there is a healthy Scottish surfing scene. No one knows this better than Jon Timms, founder of Discovery Church Dunbar, Rural Ministries Lead for the Northeast and Borders hubs and member of Christian Surfers.
Eight years ago, Jon and his wife left Cornwall and relocated to Dunbar, a small coastal town in southeast Scotland around thirty miles east of Edinburgh. Its two beaches are a haven for surfers, particularly as the town is one of the driest and sunniest in Scotland. He works part-time for RM, encouraging and supporting hubs with pioneering ministries.
"We felt the nudge to move, prayed it through then visited some friends in Dunbar and fell in love with it. We wanted to work on retreat-style mission in wild spaces. Scotland has a vibrant outdoor community with surfers, skiers, snowboards, climbers and mountain bikers and we felt that setting up a creative collective focus with the emphasis on the outdoors was the right thing to do. We’re part of the communities network with 24-7 Prayer and their six missional qualities of prayer, creativity, hospitality, mission, justice and learning underpin everything we do.”
Discovery doesn’t have a building, church merch or regular services. It is composed of a handful of households which live out their faith together. When they first got together, they knew that they didn’t want to do church in the tried and tested way. “We knew how to pray and eat and walk on the beach, so we started there and waited for God to show us what He wanted,” explains Jon. “People who came to us were often burned out from being on the leadership in busy churches. That’s not us. There was already a foodbank in Dunbar, so we volunteer there. We help grow veg in the community gardens, assist at the youth project and sit on the boards of charities. We believe in going out, being kind and living out our faith in front of our neighbours and friends.”
Dunbar is a community in transition. Historically a thriving harbour town, now it’s popular with commuters who can be in Edinburgh in 22 minutes on the train. Young families are everywhere and house prices have risen exponentially, driving out many locals. There are some pockets of poverty and disaffection, but Dunbar has a strong ecoculture and many independent shops, cafes and co-operatives. The ecumenical youth project does amazing work and the Wave Project, a national surf therapy organisation, helps people with learning difficulties, disabilities or who are socially excluded spend time on the beach.
The members of Discovery Church live out their faith in a missional way every day, going where people go and working with their community in a natural way. Jon was planning out a motivational talk for the Sunday gathering when he saw a Facebook post from a friend who was running a swimathon charity event.
“She was asking for volunteers to bake cakes and help serve on Sunday morning on the beach, and I thought, ‘I can’t sit here writing a talk about missional service when there’s someone in our community in need.’ I told everyone we were cancelling our formal gathering and to get their bake on and join me in helping! We all pitched in and our actions spoke so much to the lady who organised the swimathon. She couldn’t believe we’d cancelled our plans to help her out. That’s how we like to show our faith in action.”
Discovery Church members spend a lot of time on the beach. On a Saturday afternoon, the car parks are full of families with their boots open, barbecues lit and coffee on the go and that is a huge part of the local community. As Jon says, why wouldn’t the local Christians hang out there? They’re involved with the local, newly set up chapter of Christian Surfers and spend a significant amount of their time listening and being Jesus to hurt, wounded and unsure people in Dunbar.
“We try to be a gentle community, a church without walls. We’ve met a couple of people who were ready to walk away from church, even from their faith, because of church trauma. Here at Discovery, we spend a lot of our time gathered around firepits or on the beach, just chatting and listening. Six months or a year in with us, we’re hearing people tell us, ‘I’m ready to lead again,’ or “I feel that I’m being healed.’ We inhabit the middle space, between the folks at the front who are excited by change and challenge and the ones at the back who love routine and comfort. We’ve got a heart for both groups, but we know that it’s Jesus who builds the church. We’re laying down our own agendas and seeking Him wherever He might be. Which is very often a shared space on the beach, in the forest or the garden, I’m happy to say.”
First published in MOSAIC Issue 15, January - April 2025
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