Our Story

Zeo’s story starts back in 1981, in the front room of Tony and Linda Summerfield’s house on Bearton Avenue in Hitchin. Tony had felt for some time that God was nudging him to start a new church in his home town. So, after praying, gathering a few friends, and partnering with the Church of God denomination, a small new church family was born.

Back then we were called Hitchin Church of God. The group quickly outgrew the living room and spent the next few years meeting in different community spaces around the town.

In 1998, the church moved into a brand-new purpose-built community building near Hitchin town centre and became Hitchin Christian Centre – or HCC, as most people knew it.

Over the years, the church has always had a big heart for the local community. That’s looked like toddler groups, youth clubs, community fun days, mentoring for students and teachers, helping people find freedom from debt or get back into work, launching the Hitchin Food Bank, running activities for seniors, and creating spaces where people can learn new skills or explore faith at their own pace. Serving the community has always been at the centre of who we are.

After leading the church faithfully for thirty-one years, Tony handed the baton to his son, Matt, in 2012. Matt initially split his time between the church and leading Urban Saints, the national young people’s movement. Then, after a year of prayer and dreaming with the leadership team, he stepped into the Senior Pastor role full-time in 2018. That September, the church relaunched with a new name and a renewed mission: Zeo Church.

Today, Zeo is shaped by a simple but bold vision – to be a growing movement of microchurches, bringing the life and love of Jesus into everyday places and spaces. While Hitchin is our home, our family now stretches beyond the UK, with leaders and missionaries serving in Mexico and Moldova. And in September 2023, Nicola Foster joined the team as Pastor of Zeo Hitchin, helping us step into all that’s ahead.

From a living room in 1981 to where we are today, our heart hasn’t changed – to love God, love people, and bring hope wherever we go. We’re still dreaming, still stepping out in faith, and still believing the best is yet to come.