Brookside Church

What Brookside Church does

Brookside Church is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (legally "Brookside Community CIO") operating a Christian congregation and community programmes from a single physical site at Brookside Church Building in Earley, Reading. Its core offering consists of Sunday worship services at 10:30am, a calendar of named teaching series (Love Matthew, Jonah, We Believe Summer 2023, Distinctly Brookside / Growing as Brookside, All That Builds Up - 1 Corinthians), and a set of weekday community programmes - Busy Bees toddler group (Tuesdays term-time), SHARE Earley food-share and Brookside Café (Wednesdays), Open Door for over-60s (Wednesdays), LOVE Thursdays youth club, Flourish Café (Fridays), and a monthly Men's Breakfast.

The organisation operates without proprietary technology; its digital surface is limited to a Weebly-hosted website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube sermon recordings, and a ChurchSuite online-giving page. Income derives entirely from voluntary tithes and offerings of the church family and from HMRC Gift Aid tax reclaims, with finances managed by Trustees and the Brookside Leadership Team. No revenue figure, headcount trend, or attendance data is publicly disclosed. It is governed as a CIO with no parent company, no subsidiaries beyond the wholly-owned SHARE Earley food-sharing initiative, and no external institutional investment.

Name

Brookside Church

Legal name

Brookside Community CIO

Website

https://brooksidechurch.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brookside Church is a UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Brookside Community CIO) running Sunday worship, named teaching series, and weekday community programmes (toddler group, youth club, seniors' fellowship, food share) from a single site in Earley, Reading, funded by voluntary tithes and Gift Aid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Community outreach
• Food sharing
• Youth programs
• Christian teaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Tithes and Offerings: All income comes from the generosity of the church family through regular tithes and offerings, with additional tax reclaims from HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs). Finance is managed by trustees and leadership team.
2. Gift Aid: Tax-efficient giving through Gift Aid declarations, allowing the church to collect 25% additional tax relief on donations from UK taxpayers.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Brookside Church delivers Christian worship services, Bible-based teaching series, and a portfolio of community programmes to residents of Earley and the surrounding Wokingham area. Its core offerings include Sunday worship gatherings, structured teaching series on books of the Bible, and community-facing initiatives such as a food-redistribution partnership (SHARE Earley), a seniors fellowship (Open Door), a community café (Flourish Café), a toddler group (Busy Bees), a youth club (LOVE Thursdays), and a men's breakfast — all funded by voluntary donations and Gift Aid.

Product overview

Brookside Church offers a portfolio of Christian teaching series (including Distinctly Brookside, We Believe, Love Matthew, and Jonah series) and community programs (Open Door for seniors, Flourish Café, SHARE Earley food-sharing, Men's Breakfast, Busy Bees Toddler Group, and LOVE Thursdays Youth Club). The church also provides an online giving platform for donations. The core offering consists of teaching content and community engagement programs, with no technology platform or SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunday Worship Services In-person Christian worship gatherings held every Sunday morning at 10:30am at Brookside Church Building in Earley, with tea/coffee from 10:00am, children's and youth activities during the service, and pastoral elements including baptisms and prayer. Open to all in the local community.
• Love Matthew Teaching Series Multi-week Bible teaching series exploring the Gospel of Matthew, examining the reality of the Kingdom of God and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in everyday life; delivered in Sunday services and extended via YouTube recordings.
• Distinctly Brookside (Growing as Brookside) Teaching Series Teaching series exploring Brookside's identity, values, and foundational Christian truths rooted in Scripture, reflecting the "Distinctly Brookside" approach described on the church's vision pages.
• We Believe Teaching Series Summer 2023 Bible teaching series exploring the foundational truths of the Christian faith and how they work out in everyday life, intended to deepen faith and strengthen love for God.
• Jonah Teaching Series Teaching series examining the book of Jonah — his call, imperfections, and relationship with God — with contributions from Sarah Ensor among the teachers.
• All That Builds Up – 1 Corinthians Teaching Series Teaching series on Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, currently being preached through Sunday services with topics such as the wisdom of God, reliance on the Spirit, and kindness around the table.
• Other Recent Teaching Collection of additional recent teaching content and supplementary messages (including the transforming power of the Cross) intended for ongoing congregational learning.
• Open Door Weekly community fellowship group for adults aged over 60, offering tea, coffee, and conversation; designed to address social isolation and provide ongoing community connection for seniors in Earley.
• Flourish Café Weekly community café held on Fridays during term time at Brookside Church, offering tea, coffee, homemade cakes, and a warm welcome to local residents.
• SHARE Earley Food-redistribution programme hosted at Brookside Church every Wednesday, redistributing surplus fresh produce from local supermarkets and food suppliers to anyone in need; the Brookside Café runs alongside with a suggested £1 donation.
• Men's Breakfast Monthly breakfast gathering for men in the church community, providing fellowship and connection.
• Busy Bees Toddler Group Toddler group for children aged 0–3 years and their carers, held on Tuesdays during term time at Brookside Church, providing socialisation, parent community, and an entry point into the broader church family.
• LOVE Thursdays Youth Club Weekly open youth club for young people in Earley, held on Thursdays during term time at Brookside Church, providing social activities, faith engagement, and a safe community space.
• Online Giving Online donation platform enabling regular tithing via standing order and one-time gifts, with Gift Aid processing so the church can reclaim 25% additional tax relief on qualifying donations from UK taxpayers; finance is overseen by Trustees.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SHARE WokinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrookside Church hosts SHARE Earley, a local chapter of SHARE Wokingham food-sharing charity (registered number 1195620). The partnership redistributes food that would otherwise go to waste, providing fresh produce to anyone in need in the community. SHARE Earley operates every Wednesday at Brookside Church, helping over 2,000 people weekly across Wokingham area by redistributing 40 tonnes of food from local supermarkets and suppliers.
• Brookside CafeminorOthersCommunity cafe space at Brookside Church offering fresh food, cakes, and refreshments every Wednesday. Open to all community members with a suggested £1 donation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Woodley Christ Church: Evangelical/charismatic church in neighbouring Woodley (Wokingham borough) running Sunday services, youth work, and community outreach — comparable in size, theology, and programming mix to Brookside.
• Kings Church Reading: Evangelical church in Reading with Sunday services, small groups, children's and youth work, and community-focused programmes — closely comparable to Brookside in theology, structure, and operating model.
• Christ Church Reading: Anglican church in central Reading offering Sunday worship, community groups, and pastoral care — directly comparable as a UK evangelical/charitable congregation serving a similar Reading-area demographic through worship and community outreach.
• Reading Family Church: Charismatic evangelical church in Reading with multi-generational ministry, children's work, and community engagement — directly comparable in denomination, programming, and geographic catchment.
• Holy Trinity Church Earley: Local parish church in Earley offering worship services and community engagement in the immediate catchment that Brookside serves — a directly competing congregation in the same geography.
• St Mary's Church Earley: Anglican parish church in Earley offering Sunday worship alongside community activities — a directly competing congregation serving the same Earley catchment as Brookside Church.

Emerging players

• SHARE Wokingham: Registered charity (1195620) coordinating food redistribution across the Wokingham area; Brookside hosts the SHARE Earley chapter under this umbrella — directly comparable as a UK faith-affiliated food-sharing organisation.

Broad incumbents

• FareShare UK: National UK charity redistributing surplus food from manufacturers and retailers to communities; operates on a significantly larger scale than SHARE but engages in the same surplus-food redistribution space Brookside participates in via SHARE Earley.
• Trussell Trust: UK-wide network of food banks addressing food poverty; comparable to Brookside's SHARE Earley food-sharing programme but operating a voucher-based food bank model at national scale.

Regional players

• Caversham Baptist Church: Baptist church serving the Caversham area north of Reading; comparable as a UK evangelical congregation delivering worship, small groups, and community-facing ministry, though operating in a neighbouring rather than directly overlapping geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brooksidechruch123
• Instagraminstagram.com/brooksidechurch123
• Xx.com/brookiepeople
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brookside-church-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Brookside Church