Dear friends and fellow-pilgrims,

I’m humbled and excited, sobered and grateful to write you this letter at year’s end!   It’s been a remarkable year for what God has done in and through Coracle.    And in truth, you’ve made it happen through your prayers, participation, and support.   It’s been a year of full wind in our sails and several tall waves, and God has done more than we could have asked, imagined, or expected!   So often this past year has felt like we were simply trying to keep up with God.  It’s clear we’re going to need a lot more help in 2016 to go where we’ve discerned that God is clearly leading us.  And that’s partly why I’m writing, to tell you what’s coming up and ask you to be a part of it.   

The other reason I’m writing is just to share with you about the special year we’ve had!   I have no explanation for it except for God. There’s so much to say that instead of saying it all in this letter, I want to draw your attention to something I wrote recently–a report on 2015 and looking ahead into 2016–found by clicking here. In short, in large part because of the bathroom addition to the Woodshop at Corhaven and more spiritual directors and associates with Coracle, the number of people met by our little ministry has soared, through personal retreats, spiritual direction, group retreats, and events and seminars. Those statistics are in there, but of course, what matters more than any number is the person behind it. See one example below.

Our first year of ministry in Northern Virginia with Wade Ballou and others has gotten off to a great start and seems to go from strength to strength. This past year the Coracle movie was released.  We’ve started or strengthened ministries like Corhaven Kids Club, The Repentance Project, the Corhaven Graveyard project, our partnership with the Telos Group for peace in the Holy Land, and will soon launch “Common Good Things”, a new ‘business as ministry’ effort from Corhaven and beyond. Keep an eye out for more on that next week!

Please do read that report on 2015 and vision for 2016, so you can share in our wonder and praise, and be fully up to speed with what’s happened and where we feel like it’s going. You’ll then see why we’re significantly increasing our staff in 2016, mostly in the metro Washington area and then Baltimore later in the year.   We want to enable more of what happens at Corhaven–meeting God and being met by God–to happen in other places, and be more accessible to many more people.  And all this for the sake of the greater world.  
I’m increasingly convinced that God’s greatest agents in a broken world are those who live more fully into who God has made them to be through Christ–“Spiritual Formation for Kingdom Action.”  It’s what Coracle is most deeply about.  It’s why we do what we do, and we want many to be a part of it.

With all this ministry and staff growth, our budget is significantly increasing as well—by almost 70%.  (Lord have mercy!)  Toward that goal we are seeking to raise $75,000 by the end of this month to send us strongly into the vision that God is giving us.   We’re going to need prayer, and going to need your financial help to meet this goal.

So would you please pray for us, and would you consider how you can give financially to the ministry at this year’s end?   If you’ve been met by the ministry of Corhaven or through Coracle, or just believe in what we’re doing, it would be so helpful if you could make next year happen by giving at the end of this year.   I believe God will do this, and look forward to seeing how He does it!   You can give online by clicking the button below, clicking here or by sending a check made out to “Coracle” and mailing it to 2883 Quicksburg Road, Quicksburg, VA  22847.

Thank you, friends.   It means so much to be on this adventure together, for the sake of many and for the sake of the world.  Please pray for us, and thank you!

On the Journey, 

Executive Director