Dear family & friends,
Time for a brief summer update from Angel Mountain Ministries.

SCHOOL OF WORSHIP & LEADERSHIP, CZECH REPUBLIC

Amazingly we have now completed the first year of the School. It has been such a privilege to see our students grow in Lord and develop in their maturity and gifting. It is also great to see strong friendships developing.

Stories are emerging of not only changed lives amongst our students, but of churches that are being positively impacted by the work. Many students are reporting how the School is making a positive impact on their lives, particularly giving them security and boldness in their faith - a result of solid foundational teaching and strong relationships. So all in all a great first year. We look forward to the Year 2 programme which begins on the 3rd October.

ALBANIA APPEAL

I would like to thank all of you who contributed so generously to the appeal to help YWAM in Albania with their Discipleship Training School. You will be pleased to know that we were able to send a total of L642.08. The money will be delivered personally by someone from Bracknell Family Church who is going there next week. So thanks one again for responding the this appeal - I believe this money will make a real difference to the work there, and will be well used. I will pass on any news I get back from progress there.

SUMMER WORSHIP RETREAT

In the meantime our 10th (yes 10th!) Summer Worship Retreat begins in a week or so on the 2nd August. Our good friend Kaya Rezabek from Plzen is joining us for the week as well as Dave Markee from Croydon and a couple from his church - Graham & Pat Head. These events have been such a blessing for many in the past, and this year we are hoping that it will exceed expectations (which are high anyway!). This year, as in previous years, a large number of the delegates have booked who are new to Angel Mountain Ministries - around 30% - which is great. The event continues to be pivotal in many people's lives - a significant spiritual watering hole which meets the needs of many thirsty people. It was already fully booked some months ago, and we look forward to an amazing week. If you are coming (or would be able to pray for us) we have set aside this coming Tuesday 29th as a day to pray for this event: if you are able to set aside a few minutes that day to pray for us, please do. In particular we pray that God would feed us with fresh bread - His word - which, as Jesus reminded us, is essential for life. Sharing bread is also an image of intimate fellowship and communion - please pray that both these elements would also be strong themes during the week. We are also being filmed and interviewed by Czech TV for a magazine programme... I must get my hair cut...

RYDAL HALL WEEKEND RETREAT

The weekend we spent together a couple of weeks ago at Rydal Hall here in Cumbria was great. Our Polish friend, Piotr Plecha, was our main guest, but many of the Angel Mountain trustees from both the UK and the Czech Republic also took part. Martyn Cripps and John Nuttall spoke at a couple of the sessions, and it was great to also have a feedback session from Libor Orel and other Czech friends reporting on the impact of AMM in that country. I was certainly encouraged by this. Numbers were lower than expected (we were about 50 people), but is some ways this was positive because it gave the weekend a real family atmosphere. On the negative side the lack of numbers meant that we lost about L1,000 doing it. I don't often do appeals for money, but this was a significant blow to the purse - if you could support us financially at this time it would be appreciated. By the way - I forgot to say that 13 Czechs also came including many of the Czech Trustees of the Angel Mountain Trust, as well as some students of the School of Worship and Leadership, and their ministry to us Brits was a real blessing! Thank you.

UK CONCERTS

Lukas, Libor, Ondrej (sometimes) and I have been talking of late about doing more concerts and worship events etc. in the UK. We plan of rehearsing together for a Czech tour in October/November this year. If you would be interested in having us for a gig or worship event in your area, could you please email me? This would really help us plan for the future and help us gauge the interest out there.

JOHN & YELLY'S HOUSE MOVE

Our two-year 'temporary' stay in this little flat in Kirkby Stephen come to an end this coming week. Our furniture and (now probably moth-eaten and out of date) clothes etc. come out of storage and are being delivered to High Chapel House tomorrow (Monday). It will be nice to be reunited with my piano again, and I'm particularly looking forward to having a few shelves of books again. The back garden looks a bit battle-weary - particularly since of good deal of it was dug up to connect the drains, but the house is now looking good. The builders have just about finished - the last of the exterior works (with the exception of the driveway) are just about complete and the last of the scaffolding should come down while I'm at the Summer Worship Retreat. Thankfully two Czech girls, students from the School, stayed on after the Rydal event to help us for a week - and one of them, Silvie, is still here! They've been a real blessing helping us to prepare for the big move this week. So the next time I write it will be from High Chapel House. Our new address is: High Chapel House, Ravenstonedale, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, CA17 4NQ, and the landline number is 015396 23411. I've probably said in previous emails that we have B&B rooms, but if you fancy a nice stay in Cumbria, check out www.highchapelhouse.com!

This move is a journey into the unknown for us. Yes, the house will be used for Yelly's cookery school and for B&B guests, but we also hope that it will become a ministry centre and a refuge for 'pilgrims'. What that means exactly is unknown at the moment. We would really appreciate your prayers: times of transition are particularly challenging, and as we cross this threshold into a new season, your support is invaluable.

With love,

John