ABOUT US
Nestled in a quiet corner of a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) campus in Harpenden, England, overlooking open fields and bordered by an ancient bluebell wood, Kinahan Lodge is a gathering place for people working in the spheres of society*.
Named after the late Peter Kinahan who, with his friend, Lynn Green, shared a desire to create a space dedicated to honour and encourage people in the work place, Kinahan Lodge exists as a space for all people from the spheres to come together and tell their stories. With its nine en suite bedrooms, commercial kitchen and meeting room, it is a home for collaboration, innovation and the discovery of God’s heart for individuals and their places of work
For over three decades people, young and old, from many nations have gathered at YWAM Harpenden** to know God and make Him known, learning to hear His voice and respond with worship, prayer and their lives.
Some have gone into traditional mission contexts in far flung nations or worked with their local church. Some have moved into business or roles within government and education. Some have gone on to work in media or in sports and the arts. Some have invested in families. Each has taken an expression of the presence of God encountered in this place with them.
Historically, in both mission and church contexts, a belief has been cultivated that the workplace exists to serve and fund the church and missions. It has also been believed by many that working in the religious sphere is the highest calling.
Kinahan Lodge was conceived as a counterpoint to this belief. It is a place where those in every sphere of society are equally honoured. It is also a place where those in missions express generous, intentional hospitality towards those in the workplace.
YWAM Harpenden does not have all the answers to the challenges faced by the spheres and those who work in them, but what it does have is a legacy of creating space for God to speak. Kinahan Lodge is a place to hear the stories God has written into places of work and to listen to Him together, on behalf of the different spheres. We hope when our guests leave, they will be refreshed, renewed and re-envisioned to continue in the work of the kingdom that God has called them to in their workplace.
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- Spheres of society, sometimes also referred to as spheres of influence, include the workplaces of family, economics, government, religion, education, media and celebration.
** YWAM Harpenden is part of YWAM International, a global movement of tens of thousands of Christians who share a common purpose to know God and to make Him know. This is expressed through three main areas evangelism, training and mercy ministries (which includes, for example, ship-based medical care, anti-trafficking work and care of orphans).
Registered charity number 1234567. Company registration number 7654321 in England and Wales.