Greatham Manor, UK

I’m sure Greatham Manor has a long history trailing back into the mists of time, but since the late 1960s it has been the home of the English L’Abri. L’Abri is French for “shelter” and Heather and I sheltered there for six weeks in the winter of 1992. This followed our time teaching in Samoa now captured in my memoir ENCOUNTER - A Journey into Chaos, Culture and Compassion.

Arriving at Gatwick on a flight from the US, we took several trains to the Hampshire village of Liss before catching a taxi to the Manor House. Seeing no one about, we pushed open the Manor door and tentatively stepped into an empty room with a large but cold fireplace. Following the sound of distant voices, we ventured further into the building where we were welcomed by a few people holding steaming cups of tea. They were also standing around a warm, coal fired Aga stove, which was even more welcoming in the cold of the English winter.

From the late 1960’s L’Abri has welcomed thousands of people through those doors – lost people searching for answers to life’s deepest questions, people in distress, people like us wanting to better understand their own experience, or seeking to find meaning behind their life’s trauma. No genuine question is unwelcome at L’Abri, and no one is ever turned away.

In June 2023 I returned to L’Abri for three weeks to share my Encounter draft with young people from all over the world, and to discuss some of the book’s key issues with Marsh Moyle. I stayed in Liss, where I wrote in the Purple Bean Café each morning before walking to the Manor House. There I painted, listened to lectures and engaged people of all ages from around the world interesting and challenging conversations. If you want to explore life’s deepest questions in a sheltered place, then go to a L’Abri near you.

Since the work of L’Abri has had a profound, positive influence on my life, it was a pleasure to paint this in the Manor House using live sketches and elements of different photographs. It hangs framed on the wall of my study.

Contact me if you would like a print.