GREATHAM NEWSLETTER, January 2005

Dear Friends of L’Abri,

Our last newsletter saw you through the end of the Summer Term 2004, the L’Abri community lounging on the grass watching a final film together. Far away and a long time ago seem those warmer, longer evenings of summer as I sit down to write five months later, rain and darkness drawing in at 4pm. Our Autumn Term has come and gone and we are in the first few heady days and weeks of a new term, the Spring Term of 2005. Yet, as we workers began praying for those whom God has brought into our homes and lives this term, we could not help but continue to pray for those who became a rich and integral part of our autumn. Many who called the Manor House home during the Autumn Term 2004 said they knew not the Lord Jesus and with them brought rawness, honesty, and intensity as their gift. It was through tears of longing that I said my goodbyes to some of these truly dear folk. Do pray that as the Lord continues to walk beside those who sought Him whilst here, whispering of His love for them, beckoning them to hope, to trust, that they would turn and incline themselves toward Him.

For many of us, L’Abri becomes a shelter within which we experiment with trust and loving. Encouraging this tentative and beautiful step were the lower student numbers and a longer-than-usual session so that a deep sense of camaraderie grew amongst the Autumn Term students. I wish I could name every one of you who joined us this past term as who-you-are was built into that which we experienced together. Along with our weekly rhythm of prayer, work, study, lectures, discussion and leisure, this term was marked by the making of music, travel with tales told upon return, stories read aloud, and photos taken and shared in a moving end of term slide show. We enjoyed English fare and a remarkable bon fire for the 5th of November, fueled by many beyond-repair items extracted from the dark corners of our Stables storeroom. We hosted the annual L’Abri Trustees meeting with six of the Trustees representing five of the L’Abri branches gathering in our Manor living room from early morning to late at night for business, discussion and prayer. We set aside a day of fun (a muddy walk, ultimate frisbee, and an evening concert) and feasting (brunch, coffee & cake, and a full turkey dinner) on American Thanksgiving. We welcomed into our community for two weeks Denis and Margie Haack of Ransom Fellowship, Rochester, Minnesota, USA, their time culminating in an amazing film festival weekend. Nine films (one made by the two oldest Manor House boys and their friends), five with discussion following, one lecture about film and our times, two formal discussion lunches, several informal meals, and any number of conversations later, nearly all 90 of us from both the Manor House community and the film festival guests collapsed, weary and enriched. It was a full term.

During these autumn to winter months, we had the pleasure of being served by five willing and able Helpers:  Alison from Scotland, Jim and Merran from London, Mandy from Australia and Patrick from America. Being a helper is hard work and each of these five were a true gift to us in their own way.  It was hard to say goodbye to Mandy and to Patrick and as of yet we have no need to say goodbye to Alison as she has returned to help us again, cooking four meals a week out of our main Manor House kitchen.

To our great delight and aid, Jim and Merran Paul will also need no goodbyes as they have moved into the Pump House with their boys Jack (4) and Sam (1) to join us as Workers. The Pauls arrived in Greatham a year ago to prayerfully consider the direction for their lives. In the years leading up to their arrival in January 2004, the Pauls had been moved to reconsider their roles individually as professionals (Merran as a clinical psychologist and Jim as a doctor of palliative medicine) and as a family as they felt a growing hunger to live their lives foremost as a demonstration to the existence of God. Through a long history with Greatham L’Abri dating back over a decade, the Pauls saw the Manor House as both a shelter within which to search their hearts and seek the Lord and as a place and work they increasingly began to desire to call home and theirs. Just over two weeks into this Spring Term 2005, their first term as Workers, the Paul’s persons are a gift and their presence seems as natural as if they have always been here. We look forward to participating in how their home, histories, ideas, and dealings with the Lord will encourage and challenge those of us who live and work alongside them. The Pauls are a most welcome addition to our team of Workers, making us 10 strong as we kneel before the Lord together with you in this impossible, wild and wonderful work.

Joining Alison on our capable and committed crew of Helpers for Spring Term 2005 are Clive from England beautifully tending to our grounds and gardens, Martin from Slovakia bringing his hard work and creativity to our laundry room, and Thorsten and Vera Marbach (and three young children) from South Africa who are carrying out a much needed face-lift to our cassette tape duplicating room and laboring with Alison in the essential work of meal making, respectively. Pray for these five folk as they bear a great deal of the burden in the practical and relational running of our lives together. For returning students Donna, Katie and Mark who bring us joy in who they are and with the history we share, pray that the Lord Jesus would meet them where they are. The Lord has brought together this new group of students, fourteen of whom have arrived to remain the full nine and a half weeks of term, and a new group personality is being forged. We are expectant in these opening days, wondering how the Lord will weave our lives together in a way that will reveal His character, work, and presence.

With the end of our Greatham Spring Term will come the beginning of the L’Abri Jubilee Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. For the weekend of the11th-13th March 2005, over 1,000 expected conference guests, many Workers from the international branches of L’Abri, and various speakers with rich L’Abri histories will be descending upon The America’s Center in St. Louis to celebrate the Lord’s work in and through 50 years of L’Abri (see www.labrijubilee.org for more information). Thanks to so many of you who have joined us in prayer during this jubilee year of reflection and thanksgiving. Please continue. L’Abri has been a precious gift and a tool in the hands of the Lord for many of us. Again, we wait expectantly to see how the Lord will continue to reveal His character, work and presence in and through the work of L’Abri in its 51st year.

Warmly Yours,