Dear Friends

As I write this introduction to our newsletter we find ourselves carrying something of that paradox evident throughout Scripture where men and women were called out to walk by faith and not by sight. We have known something of this journey over many years, yet once again find ourselves being challenged to walk this way with God more deeply and more widely.

Many of you know that for over six years we have waited on God and followed His lead in regard to the property of West Watch, believing that somehow He had drawn us there as a context for ministry. As often as we have surrendered and given it back to Him, God has continued to hold us there with vision for this place, set aside by Doris Skinner for the very purpose of all that we are about.

Recently we heard that the Trust has decided to sell West Watch. We have no means to purchase it and yet somehow in our times of prayer there is still a sense for all of us on the team that the final story has not bee written.  In the midst of mystery and uncertainty, we are surrounded by so many encouragements of God’s hand upon us – some of which you will read about on the next pages.

Faced with all that is unknown in this situation, I am reminded that faith is confidence not in a certain outcome, nor in any individual but in God Himself. There lies an  invitation to continue to get to know the character of the One we love, through the encouragements and through the uncertainties.  It seems more than ever in this present climate we all are reminded that we are invited to journey together in a walk of faith, not by sight but confident of the ‘One who is!’

Thank you for being our friends and spiritual companions on the journey.

2/20 Encounter

In our last newsletter, we promised an update on this year’s Encounter and we do indeed have quite a story to tell!

Imagine us less than 48 hours away from our first meeting, and nowhere to hold it!  For various reasons, and with a sense of God’s directing, we decided last October not to book the facility that we used the previous two years.  However despite pursuing many options, we still did not have a suitable venue.  Participants were due to arrive from around the world, and in our hearts was a strong conviction that God was gathering them for a purpose, and so must have somewhere for us to meet, but where?

It is at these times that the line between faith and madness is frighteningly blurred!  Had we made a big mistake? At 8pm on the Friday before our Sunday evening start , some very dear neighbours of Val introduced us to  Laurence and Rebekah Hardy, who own one of the most beautiful gardens imaginable - Latchetts [Part of the National Garden Scheme www.ngs.org.uk] just a few miles away. To our astonishment and wonder, they very generously made one of their outbuildings available to us, along with the freedom to enjoy the garden whenever we wanted.  So for 4 weeks we enjoyed their wonderful hospitality in the most idyllic setting.

It truly was the most remarkable provision from the Father- above and beyond what we could have asked or imagined.  We journey on into the future hugely encouraged to continue to trust in God’s ability to open up His way for us.

So what about The Encounter itself?  Well, these four weeks, as we say on our website, are not for the faint-hearted.  For they are an invitation to explore the foundations of our lives, and examine how we have built -  and that’s not always an easy process.

Yet there is no question that the quality/nature of a foundation   determines the size and security of the building on top of it, and so in leadership there can be no issue more important.

It was, then with anticipation and excitement and perhaps just a little trepidation, that we watched to see who God would draw together for our third Encounter. 

In total we formed a band of twelve, hailing from Germany, Chile, South Africa, Romania and England. Once again we were thrilled to have in our midst both those from the local church and the mission field, with a wealth of experience. At the heart of our vision is a desire to provide an  environment where such dear individuals can experience the freedom  of exchanging old foundations, built in self-protection and insecurity for the foundation of knowing that ‘I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live but he lives in me’ – in order that they may then return to their different spheres of influence to accomplish all that God has called them to.

The weeks were marked with tears and laughter, wonder and worship and we are profoundly grateful for all that God did. It seems right that the final word goes to one of our participants who wrote this:

“Sussex is and will always be the place for me where God has surprisingly brought me, met me at the exact place where I was, where He has stripped me, showed me myself, tugged at my heart strings, caught and counted my tears, was OK with me fighting, started to mould me with his fingers, called me out of the familiar but dry place, wooed me into something deeper-totally-other, given me a new hope and a little flame, showed me Himself.......and countlessly indescribably more.”

Introducing Charlotte Cass

One of the wonderful developments of the past few months is that Charlotte Cass has returned to England after almost three years in Atlanta representing our interests and   networking with our international relationships. In reality she needs no introduction, as Transformational Leadership Centre owes much of its inception to her pioneering work in leadership development, spanning 3 continents and over 30 years in missionary service. 

Together she and Val brought TLC into being in 2002, and Charlotte served as our team leader until 2005 when she left for the States.   However it is now a joy for us to welcome her back, and see her settling into a  wonderful, God-given home in Sussex, England. Whilst still one of the directors of TLC, it is her desire to be among us in an off-line capacity, offering her wisdom, and experience as a resource, both to us and no doubt many others who will wend their way to her door. Charlotte  carries a heart and a calling to see leaders realize their potential and find God’s destiny for their lives, and to communicate effectively the message of the totality of the Cross and Life of Christ.  We are thrilled at the gift of her return - not just in the expertise that she brings, but also for her friendship and support. And we suspect it won’t be too long before she starts pioneering a few new projects of her own.   Welcome back Charlotte!

Coming up…. Advent Retreat

We’d love you to join us for our Advent Retreat, held over the weekend of 29 to 30 November.  It’s a great opportunity to set some time aside before the inevitable busyness of Christmas, quieten our hearts and   enter more intentionally into the ‘hush’ of Advent, to hear what God might have to say to us.  More details on the website!

In the meantime, if you have any questions or thoughts on the situation regarding West Watch feel free to contact us.