Welcome
We’re Thomas and Rachel Kirven.
Whether you’ve walked with us for years or we’ve just met, we're glad you’ve come.
We’re missionaries with Novo Mission Inc., sent from the US, and we’ve lived in Oxford with our five children for eight years. Our home is where the work begins, and Grow for Good is how we meet the city.
The work
A student came to us capable on the outside and carrying everything alone. Over months of steady presence, something shifted. He let people in. He found his footing with God and with others. And just before he graduated, he introduced us to a friend he’d been sharing life and faith with. One changed life quietly opening the door to the next.
That’s what becomes possible when a young adult has someone in their corner who knows how to cultivate deep connection and growth. Many are genuinely loved, by family and friends, and still not truly known. This city trains the mind but neglects the heart: young adults are now Britain’s loneliest age group, and most don’t yet know Jesus. Up close, what we see isn’t apathy. They’re hungry to connect, with others and with God. They’ve just never been given the kind of relationship that makes that possible.
So we offer a secure base: a loving presence they can return to when life is heavy, and step out from to grow. Through one-to-one mentoring, small groups, and an approach called Relational Spirituality, we make sense of their story together, walking side by side toward life with God and others. Transformation is relational, and relationships are how the Gospel spreads.
We long to see Oxford’s young adults deeply known, at home with God, and loving others as they’ve been loved: a movement of relational faith, with disciples making disciples. It’s only possible with people like you praying and partnering alongside us.
How we work
Four postures shape everything we do.
Loved into loving. We receive God’s love first and let it overflow, trusting we can only give what we've been given (1 John 4:19). It's why we build safe, steady relationships before anything structured: people meet God's love most deeply where they already feel safe.
Cross-cultural, from the inside. We came to Oxford as outsiders and have been welcomed to make it our home base for ministry in the city, the UK, and Europe. We work with the people whose lives we already share, learning this city's ways rather than importing our own.
Catalysts, not the centre. We start things and hand them on. We invest deeply in a few, helping ordinary people open the Bible, hear God, obey him, and help others do the same, and we send them into their own friendships, workplaces, and communities with what they carry. We also come alongside other catalysts in Oxford and beyond, sharing what we've learned through coaching and friendship.
Open hands. Whether someone lands in an existing church or in a community that forms new, we count it as fruit and send them gladly.
Friends in it with us
When Paul took the gospel across the ancient world, he never went alone. The believers in Philippi partnered with him from the very first day: they opened their homes, sent gifts again and again, and even sent one of their own to care for him when he was in prison. Paul leaned on them, and thanked God for them with real joy.
That's the kind of partnership we're inviting you into. Not supporters standing behind the work, but friends in it with us, each doing our part in one body. Your prayer and giving are as much a part of reaching Oxford's young adults as the discipleship itself.
Our commitments to you
Partnership runs both ways. When you join us, we promise three things:
Stories of impact. You'll hear how lives are changing, real stories told with care.
Helpful resources. We share what's shaping us, wherever you are: books, tools, and ideas to help you and your relationships flourish.
Mutual prayer. We pray for our partners by name. Tell us what's on your heart, and we'll join you in it from here.
Pray with us
Pray for the work. Our newsletter carries prayer points: the young adults we're walking with, the doors opening, and what we're trusting God for. Join us in it.
And let us pray for you. Tell us what you're walking through. Message Thomas on WhatsApp or by email. It would be a privilege to pray with you.
Give
Your giving puts a steady presence in the lives of Oxford's young adults, and keeps us here for the long haul. Gifts go through Novo Mission Inc., our sending organisation in the US, or Stewardship in the UK, depending on where you live, and reach us monthly. UK gifts are eligible for Gift Aid.
Monthly partnership sustains the work, and one-off gifts are received with just as much gratitude. Questions about giving, or want to talk it through first? Email Thomas or message on WhatsApp.
-
Donations from the United States are made to Novo Mission Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Gifts are designated for the ministry of Thomas and Rachel Kirven in Oxford.
ACCESS YOUR ACCOUNT
Login to the Novo Partner Portal
ASSET-BASED GIVING
To learn more about creative ways you can give from your non-cash assets, including gifts of stock, DAF giving, and more—visit our Asset-Based Giving Page. You might be surprised to learn something new about ways you can support the Novo staff and projects you love!
Legacy Giving: If you’ve already included Novo in your estate plans, we’d be deeply honoured to know. Let us know on the Novo Legacy Gift Notification form.
FAQHave questions about giving to Novo?
Get answers on our Frequently Asked Questions page.
CONTACT US
Phone: +1 (714) 779-0370
Email: [email protected]Address:
1240 N Lakeview Ave, #120
Anaheim, CA 92807, USNovo is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in California.
Subject to IRS rules regarding non-profit organizations, contributions are made with the understanding that Novo and its Board of Directors has complete control and administration over all donated funds.
We are a member of the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), which provides accreditation to leading Christian non-profit organizations that demonstrate compliance with established standards.
-
Donations from the United Kingdom are made to Stewardship (registered charity no. 234714), which grants funds to support our ministry. If you're a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid adds 25p to every £1 you give at no cost to you.
Newsletter
Once a month: the stories, the prayer points, and our family updates. We'd love you to join what God is unfolding here.