bless.

Bethanie – the journey so far…

When we first agreed to take on Bethanie, the price agreed was €450,000, based on a valuation of €500k to €550k. Bill and Jan, the current owners, wanted to help our fund-raising efforts and immediately ‘gave back’ the first €50,000.

We then raised from Bless supporters the €40,000 needed for the deposit, which was paid in September 2009. Since then a further €27,000 has come in through gifts and sponsored activities. This makes a total raised so far of €117,000, with an outstanding need for €359,000. We have been offered the opportunity for part of this figure to be converted to a loan to be repaid after completion of the purchase, but even for this to happen we need to raise a minimum of a further €200,000 by July.

These are tough figures – but we have always believed that this is a faith-journey, and that even if the answer comes at the eleventh hour, it will come in time. We are as convinced as ever that God is calling us to this work. In the months that we have been able to ‘test-drive’ Bethanie, we have seen incredible fruit. We are astounded by the impact that this place has on the young people (and others!) who come here. We really do sense that God’s words to Solomon, spoken over the Jerusalem Temple, are true of this small corner of Norman soil:

“I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy – this place you have built where my name will be honoured forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.” (I Kings 9:3)

Our dream is as strong as ever to see Bethanie established as a missional community offering opportunities in formation, training and mobilisation to a new generation of young leaders. We are asking people to pray very specifically in the coming two weeks for the release of this finance. Will you stand with us in prayer for this ‘great deliverance’?