Dear Friends,

Coracle, as you know, announced The Next Journey towards the end of 2022, and I am excited today to share how God has been working to bring about our desire to more significantly incarnate our focus on Community, Mission, and Spaces! As we have sought His guidance, explored new opportunities, and expected Him to show up, He has more than met us in beautiful, tangible ways.

As we previously wrote, “For us, The Next Journey is a fulfillment of what we’ve been building towards, an actual incarnation of our convictions and values that we’ve spoken much of and are now being invited to live in the company of others. The motivation is the same as it’s been for Coracle for years: ‘Because the world is broken AND JESUS IS REAL!’” 

So many of you have been with us on the journey of “Spiritual formation for Kingdom Action” since Coracle began, and we hope you’ll find new ways to plug into our community as we launch Coracle – Arlington and reimagine Corhaven!

In March 2023, Bill and I wrote to you of Coracle’s Call to South Arlington County in Virginia, a place where so many people from all over the world have come  and so many are in need. Out of last summer’s corporate discernment we began dreaming and praying for a ministry space, confident that the Lord had something ready for us to discover. At the same time, we also were praying for a new home for Bill and his family as they discerned their call to move to Northern Virginia to more deeply participate in The Next Journey for Coracle.

Well, in the space of a couple of weeks this spring, Coracle leased ministry space in South Arlington and the Haleys found a home! Praise God from whom all blessings flow indeed!

First, let me say a bit more about the ministry space.  We have rented the third floor at Greenbrier Baptist Church (GBC). We are calling the ministry space “Coracle – Arlington.” GBC is home to a dear group of faithful followers of Jesus. Located at 5401 7th Rd S, Arlington, VA 22204, we are near South Carlin Springs Road and Columbia Pike, near Four Mile Run and the WO&D bike path. Coracle – Arlington has a large open area for gatherings as well as offices and smaller rooms that we are currently working on cleaning and outfitting.

We welcome your prayers as we get to know the South Arlington community, asking the Lord to show us how we can engage, minister, bless, and point folks to Jesus. We will have an open house at Coracle – Arlington for our Second Wednesday Gathering on June 14th at 7 p.m. Come see the ministry space, hang out with friends, and pray with us as we dedicate the space to the Lord and what he has for it.

Second, a bit about the new home for the Haley family. The Lord led the Haleys to a house that meets their needs for their family, including a first-floor suite for Tara’s mother, as well as space for their personal ministry and hospitality. Their realtor said they were holding the needle from the haystack. You will enjoy hearing the full story, including that Bill did not see the house until closing and he only now saw the new Coracle – Arlington ministry space within the last week. The Haleys plan to move in August, after Bill’s sabbatical concludes.

Out in the Shenandoah Valley, we are making progress along our path of expanding Corhaven from a retreat home to a retreat center. And, we are excited that Ken Wettig, Community Minister for the Shenandoah Valley, is now full-time with Coracle and energized about expanding our offerings in the Valley. We met with a Shenandoah County Zoning official this week to discuss Coracle’s vision and hopes for Corhaven. That meeting was encouraging, and we know the next steps we need to take for Shenandoah County.

I am aware that what I have just written is good news, and it is good news and we are praising God for his goodness. We are thankful that God is providing more spaces and ways for all of us to be His presence in this world, our world. But in reality, these things, these places are just tools with which we minister and use to tell others of Jesus. I am thinking of what Jesus said to the disciples, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt, 9:37-38).

You are invited to be a real part of this harvest. Come to Coracle – Arlington (we have some good coffee) anytime, go to Corhaven this Fall. Help us get to know and care for our neighbors – in Arlington, in Baltimore, in the Shenandoah Valley….  Who knows what more the Lord has in store! Come on the journey. Let’s see together – “Because the world is broken AND JESUS IS REAL!”