Grateful. Expectant. Excited.

These words characterize the atmosphere throughout Coracle as we’ve reached the midway point of 2023. We feel like a team, well led and well prepared by the Lord for what is next. I’m eager to tell you a bit more about that.

Grateful. We are grateful for everything God is doing and for all of you on this journey with us.

As shared in our recent newsletters and announcements, just 7 months after announcing The Next Journey for Coracle, we are experiencing the rich blessing of God opening doors for us – from expansion of programs and relationships in Baltimore and the Shenandoah Valley, to a new ministry space in Arlington. We are exceedingly grateful. Many of you have written to me or Bill personally about what Coracle means to you and about your excitement for The Next Journey. We always love to hear from you – thank you!

Expectant. We are expectant; eagerly wanting to step into what the Lord has for Coracle.

We are expectant that God will work in and through the new ministry space He has given us in South Arlington, connecting all of us in the Coracle community with neighbors and partners so that together we can share in His work of ministering to the tangible and spiritual needs of those around us.

Just one week after moving in, we saw God at work as we – along with Greenbrier Baptist Church and Church of the Incarnation – provided snacks and summer reading materials to school kids as they got off the bus right outside our front doors. We are seeing what the Lord has prepared and wanting more, knowing God who has been faithful in the past will continue to be faithful in the present and in the future.

Excited. We are excited about where God is leading us.

We are excited by the movement in each of our ministry spaces. We are encouraged by each one of you who shows up and walks with us. Your prayers, your financial support, and your journeying with us help us to stay close to Jesus as we seek to develop and offer meaningful spaces for all of us to meet and be met by God. Here’s a snapshot of what that has looked like so far this year.

Our Programs (January 1 – June 30, 2023)

• 626 program registrants
• 40 fellows in our 2023 Coracle Spiritual Formation Fellowship Program (DMV + Online)
• 26 Space for God offerings
• 25 “For the Journey” podcast episodes
• 6 Second Wednesdays in-person gatherings
• 6 The Deeper Journey online gatherings
• 3 Soundings Seminar offerings (The Lord’s Prayer: Liturgy in the Wilderness, Beyond Our Walls: Finding Jesus Amidst the Global Poor, and Hearing God’s Voice Together)
• 2 day-long themed retreats in Baltimore (A Lenten Retreat and On the Journey to Intimacy)
• 2 Repentance Project Book studies (Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman and The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone)

Our Spaces

• In the DMV. Our new ministry space, Coracle-Arlington, in South Arlington provides us with regular gathering space for our in-person events, office space for our staff, and rooms for small meetings and spiritual direction. A new storefront space for Common Good Things and a food pantry are coming soon! “Coming soon” means we are looking for folks to help get such things up and running.
• In the Shenandoah Valley. We are excited about Ken Wettig’s leadership in expanding our Valley offerings, including incorporating SLAQ (Servant Leadership Quest) – a ministry for youth that he initiated and has directed since 2020 – into the Coracle family.  Ken is also taking the lead on transitioning Corhaven into a retreat center (we know many of you eagerly await its reopening!). Save-the-date for a celebratory event on Friday, September 29.
• In Baltimore. Scott Buresh and the team there minister to the 60-strong Baltimore fellowship cohort, offer contemplative retreats, and engage in ministering and partnering with others in serving the city. They will be co-leading, with Kristy Wallace Grant and the Repentance Project, their first pilgrimage exploring the history of enslavement in Maryland this fall.
• Online. Our online offerings, including Space for God, Repentance Project book studies and Noonday Prayer, Soundings Seminars, a Bible study exploring Hosea, and our The Deeper Journey gatherings continue to be well-attended, encourage robust discussion, and provide spaces for people to come together from all over the world!

Saying Yes

If you’ve been around Coracle for a while you know that Coracle is most fundamentally about helping each other say a loud “Yes!” to the invitation to share in the life of Jesus while we’re in this beautiful and broken world.

You have been part of this “Yes!” You have said “Yes!” to walking alongside and serving one another in community and in prayer. You have offered your gifts in leading or joining our programs. You have generously given of your time and resources, and we cannot thank you enough.

As Paul said to the Philippians (1:1-3) we say to you, We thank God every time, which is often, we remember you. In all our prayers for you, we always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

As we all respond to the invitation to share the life of Jesus and invite others into it, we ask for your continued support as we build upon the foundation of where Coracle has been and where Coracle is going.

Coracle’s Mid-Year Fundraising

Here at the middle of 2023, we are seeking to raise at least $90,000 to sustainably keep up with all our current ministries and continue moving strongly through the second half of the year. Our mid-year fundraising campaign begins today and runs for the next four weeks.

I recognize that a fundraising letter such as this is to be inspirational to those who receive it and aspirational for the fundraising goal. I hope that you are encouraged and excited about what God is doing. Still, it seems to me a fundraising letter should ask plainly and honestly, stating what is wanted.

• We want most for you to pray for Coracle as a ministry, because we seek to be the presence of God in the brokenness of the world and we trust God to provide for His call to Coracle. You can join our prayer team to receive monthly updates here.
• We also want you to be an active part of Coracle in every way you can because we are together Christ’s body, a community, moving and acting in the world to love people as Jesus did so they may give glory to God our Father.
• And, honestly and plainly, we want those who can to financially support Coracle because that is one way God provides for what He calls – through His people. And, knowing that we are Coracle together, we trust that we can tell you of our need and ask.

None of this is possible without the work of the Holy Spirit and your support along the journey. Would you lift Coracle before the Lord in prayer? And would you consider making a donation today?

I would love to tell you more about what God is doing here at Coracle, to answer any questions you might have or to just get some time together. If that sounds good to you, please join me on Zoom, either Thursday, July 13th from 12:30 -1:30 PM Eastern or Tuesday, July 25th from 7:30-8:30 PM Eastern. If you are interested, please sign up here so we can send you the meeting link.

Thank you in advance for your prayers and your generosity! I look forward to seeing you soon.

On the journey,
Jeff Lindeman
Senior Director of Strategy & Operations, Coracle

There are 2 simple ways you can give:

1) Click on the link above or visit our giving page to offer a one-time gift
or set up a recurring donation.
2) Send a check (made out to “Coracle”) to Coracle at
5401 7th Road South, Arlington, VA 22204.

Thank you!