I will let Helen write the majority of this newsletter as she has done most of the work this month! As many of you know I had knee replacement surgery on the 12th September and I  am now on a  journey of recovery and rehabilitation. 

But before the surgery Helen and I did have a wonderful weekend in Stratford with the Rock Church. It was a time of impartation and encouragement for the women on Saturday and then speaking in the church on Sunday. Helen and I laid hands and prayed for everyone after the service who wanted prayer that day.  It was a precious time to complete my ministry before returning to Oxford for surgery. The drive home was memorable. The car was filled with the fragrance of flowers, especially beautiful lilies that were part of 2 huge bouquets Helen and I were given. The perfume was overwhelming. It felt like an escort of blessing as we drove home.

Since then Helen has worked hard this month while I paused to have this knee surgery. The pain levels are okay. I have to admit I was apprehensive at first but, two weeks in, I am relieved to report that the experience is definitely better than I anticipated. I am having to learn a journey of movement through intentional pain for my next season of freedom. I have to move this knee and it hurts; but it as it moves that it heals and functions better. It is a classic case of “no pain, no gain”, according to my physiotherapist! I am sure there is a good preach and lesson there somewhere! 

I want to share this thought and verse with you that a friend sent in a get well card. Although this promise was given to me, I also feel it is an encouragement for many of us too. In this season, God will place you in secure, defined spaces and reveal to you His great promises as you linger in His presence and take the opportunity of choosing rest. There are “guarded secrets” ready to be shared with those who will wait and receive. As you consider this verse from Jeremiah 33:3 in different translations, let God speak to you: ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish. Cry out to me and I will answer you. I will reveal to you great things, guarded secrets that you never could have known.” Jeremiah 33:3 AMP/TPT 

Helen writes:

This verse from Jeremiah which Rachel was sent was such a confirmation to us as a team as we prepared for our Oxford Legacy Day this last weekend as well. Our theme for the gathering was “Linger, listen, launch”. As we had prepared, we had felt that one of the keys to this season is not to fight the “confinement of grace” in the hands of the Lord. Many are feeling held back, contained and restrained either by personal circumstances or the bigger picture and impact of world events which are affecting job prospects, geographical moves and relocations, finances and so on. All of these can feel like enemy tactics. But as we explored the word “linger” from a biblical perspective, we discovered it can be both positive and negative. Lingering can be the hesitant delay of insecurity which causes us to lose trust in God and question His ways when we don’t understand the season.This can lead to delayed obedience which is ultimately disobedience. Lot and his wife lingered when they should have moved. However, heaven’s invitation to linger is different. It is an orchestration of our situation which results in a “confinement of grace”, a sense of being “hedged in” by God, in order to position us for a new launch into deeper places and greater authority. It is when we recognise that Heaven is wooing us and we choose to stay and wait for the cloud of His presence to lead us. We linger longer than is strictly necessary; we linger beyond what the task at hand requires. We linger for more than answers to prayer or revelation for a specific need. This is a pattern seen throughout church history where God prepares His remnant in the midst of the most seemingly un-conducive circumstances where, like in the Jeremiah scripture, we have to acknowledge that there is so much we do not understand or know. Prayer and fasting, along with a new awareness of the holiness and awe of God, are common hallmarks of these times. 

As we unpacked these prophetic themes at our Legacy day, the tangible presence of Jesus was profound. At one point during the morning, we became so aware of the angelic realm and the cloud of witnesses willing us to surrender to ways that are higher than our ways. We felt held in a sobering and yet deeply replenishing space, drawn back like arrows in His quiver, being set up to hit new targets, mandates and assignments with fresh momentum in His timing. It is hard to describe moments of encounter adequately but we have felt to share the biblical teaching we sent out to delegates in preparation for this day as our Fresh Bread message this month so that those of you who were not with us in Oxford can ponder these keys of lingering, listening and launching further at home  yourselves.

During September the speaking engagements we have undertaken as a team have frequently centred around prayer. Gordon traveled to Bergen, Norway, taking David Vincent with him.  They taught on understanding and praying for land and being stewards of spaces which usher in the presence of Jesus on earth as it is in heaven. The cry of “your Kingdom come here” is resonating in so many in this season and David has just published his book with that title (see more info here https://yourkingdomcomehere.com/). It is a deep and weighty theological study which unpacks the importance of prayerfully engaging with the land so that we connect our places with God’s purposes and open the way for His transforming presence to be experienced here and now.

Many local churches around the UK have started the new school and academic year with intentional times of prayer, from 21 day rhythms to 24/7 weeks of prayer.  I had the joy of being with Liberty Church in Rotherham for their all locations 9 hours of prayer. As we gathered, there was such an emphasis that, without prayer, nothing can be birthed or sustained.  As we concluded the day of intercession, we felt the Lord say that He wanted to clothe people with a fresh mantle of His Holy Spirit.  We had planned to preach a message that evening but in the end it was a service of prophetic impartation and declaration with a significant weighty glory resting on the room.  

It was also such a privilege to serve churches in Gloucester and in Bath. In both places the hunger for Jesus and the desire to be equipped and trained were obvious.  In this season, Jesus is calling His church back to bootcamp to upgrade our skills and become confident to use our Kingdom tools of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I am teaching on the Holy Spirit and the tools of the Kingdom in most places I am invited to speak. As we build the altars of prayer and worship in our communities and cities, this prepares the ground for the harvest which, in turn, means the church needs to be equipped to heal the sick, speak life to the dead and deliver people from the enemy’s torment.  These are exciting times!  This gives me so much hope!  

Having had an incredibly intense September schedule, October is a little less busy at weekends due to us having cancelled a planned trip to USA as Rachel recovers from knee surgery and I prepare for ankle surgery in November. We do have several midweek engagements with leaders and mentoring as well as some strategic planning for 2027.  We are also planning an exciting new initiative of developing a learning community for curious minds and courageous faith where we provide a space to engage with deep theological subjects with the purpose of instilling new confidence to stand securely on our biblical foundations and discover afresh the truth which anchors us in hope and enables us to speak with wisdom and boldness in our generation.  Watch this space for more on this in the coming weeks!

Here is an overview of some of our speaking engagements for October. As usual, we would love to see you at any of the following public meetings if you are nearby:

Ministry Dates October 2026

1-6 Oct Helen missions trip
5 Oct Fresh Bread message – Linger, listen, launch – Heartcry social platforms (Helen)
8-10 Oct Movement Conference, St Helen’s, Liverpool, UK (Rachel, Gordon, Helen)
11 Oct CLC St Helen’s Sunday service, Liverpool, UK (Rachel preach)
12 Oct Helen birthday 🙂
12-13 Oct Ocean Wings Conference, Llandudno, Wales (Helen)
29-31 Oct Altars Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland (Gordon attending)

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. We greatly appreciate it!
With all our love, Rachel & Gordon and Helen