What people have said about Ashburnham
Helen
Thank you for doing Ashburnham because I get things from it that aren’t on offer anywhere else.. A massive thank you for this year. Jesus said so much to me … so much has been healed.
Mark
I think this has something for everyone. Difficult to improve upon.
Emily
Wicked! Unexplainably precious place, priceless.
Tom
I enjoyed messing around with my friends.
A young person
I’m gunna work for God rather than sitting around on my bum all day.
Mel
Ashburnham is a wonderful place to be.
Sue
This has been a great week.
Neil
A good mixture of topics for all to dip into.
Madeleine
I enjoyed the quality of the teaching, simple but profound, very challenging in a gentle way.
Howard
An amazing environment.
Kate
I appreciated not cooking or cleaning all week.
Melanie's story
Having walked away from church 7 years ago, I felt very cynical and unsure about coming to Ashburnham. My life as it stands is very far from what God called me to yet I knew a longing for God. Despite fear and running very fast, God has ministered to me deeply and given me new hope.
John's story
I felt very touched – the sense of God’s presence – the tangible sense of peace, the community, the fun, the great conversations, hearing from God, the spirit of the cabaret evening, the range of ages – love having the young and the old all a massive part of what’s going on.
Someone else wrote
I wanted to say that it was (and always is) an exceptional week, a time where I meet with God pretty much more than any other time, a very rich and diverse group of people that it is a priviledge to be part of and having started going as a child it was very special to have my young child experience his first Ashburnham(which he loved). I loved the continuity of people returning time and time again. There is nothing like it . Thank you very much
Matt and Jue
First-timers to Ashburnham in 2005, Matt and Jue wrote:
"Speaker: amazing! Seminar: fascinating, amazing. God has drawn very near to us and met with us in a very powerful and gentle way. We feel more passionate about doing his will where we live and work. We have been inspired by talks, conversations, friendships, prayer, words of encouragement and much much more. A massive thank you to the whole team for the preparation and hard work and for making us feel very welcome.
Kate – 16 years
Ashburnham was absolutely amazing! I loved every minute of it, and it was an experience I will never forget. Spending time with new people, and seeing old friends was so fantastic, we all became a much closer group of people by the end of the week – it seemed as though we had been there for months!
It was obviously a huge spiritual boost for me. Being around other Christian teenagers and being completely open about our faith, and being there to support one another with any difficulties we had was a brilliant feeling. Having our own space, the Youth Tent, to hang out was another big advantage, separate from the younger children and the adults. This allowed lots of loud music and laughs.
Our worship and teaching took place in the Youth Tent and it was amazing. Being led by teenagers meant that we could relate to it far better, and were free to express ourselves as we felt was right without feeling embarrassed or as though we were being watched. Having said that, the night when the adults joined us to share our teaching, was a very spiritual experience for both the adults and us. We were praying for people we had not spoken to before, and this brought everyone even closer together.
I would recommend Ashburnham to anyone who is interested in getting to know new people or catching up with friends in a completely relaxed environment. Trust me, we were all on a spiritual high by the end of the week!
Tom – aged 11
I think the bike riding up and down the hills was really fun, and I also like the evening sessions, like watching videos with everyone. I also enjoyed the daytime ones as well when we went out into the woods and played “capture the flag”. It didn’t take long to make friends and we played snooker and table tennis downstairs which was great fun because it was separate from the adults and was where all the kids would hang out. It was fun walking in the woods and round the lake.
The cabaret was excellent and very funny, especially the older people doing comedies. The food was very nice, especially the cooked breakfasts! The volleyball tournament was exciting. It was funny watching the men being so competitive.
Going to Ashburnham was an excellent experience, and I would recommend it.
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