A church has announced it is adopting a new name - and says the change is more than cosmetic.

Broadwater Christian Fellowship in the Oasis Centre, Broadwater Road, Worthing, is, as of Sunday, to become the River of Life Church.

Church leaders say the change marks the start of a new chapter for their fellowship, which was formed in 1981 when a breakaway group from the then Durrington Free Church began to meet at the Glyn Owen Centre in South Farm Road.

The present building was bought in 1992, having been out of use for some time, and renamed the Oasis Centre.

In 2002, the church appointed Alabama minister Vickie Blair, who had been involved in social care projects in the former Soviet Union.

She said: "The new name reflects our desire to be a place where people will find life in all its fullness.

"From its earliest days, the idea of a life-giving river flowing out from the church has been an image we identified with and we now invite everyone to come and find that new life which Jesus offers."

There is a real stream flowing underneath the building, which has to be pumped away during heavy rain.

The church has also rejoined the national church grouping Pioneer, whose leader Gerald Coates will speak at the church on Sunday.

River of Life Church meets at 10.30am every Sunday at 19a Broadwater Road. More details will soon be available at www.riveroflifechurch.co.uk