History
To Dream the Impossible Dream…
The extraordinary ability to imagine things, to dream dreams about what "might be" is one of the amazing gifts of human creativity. This fertile extravagant gift of the imagination evokes many dreams in us all kinds of possibilities of what "might be." Some of them are translated into flesh and blood reality in our lives - usually through hard work, commitment and a generous self-giving on the part of those who have "dreamed."
WellSpring is a story of one imagining, one dream which has started to become a concrete reality in our lives.
Jill Manton, the founding Director of WellSpring reflects:
"I
had a dream many years ago when I was a young minister's wife, with three
young children, living in the manse amongst a large and diverse community
of faith. I imagined a place of beauty and spaciousness, set in a lovely garden—a
place of healing and quietness.
"I imagined this place to be a safe place for people to come in whatever state they were in and simply rest in the presence of God. I felt that such opportunities would provide the context in which people might feel restored, healed, forgiven and energised to go back into all the activities of life to live as bearers of God's Spirit—people of mercy, healing and hope."
But this dream and others were shattered by the early death of Jill's husband. The dream of the quiet place seemed doomed—overtaken by other more pressing demands of sustaining her family.
Jill joined the Ashburton ministry team where she found herself with a group of colleagues and in a community of faith that encouraged her to exercise her ministry in the ways in which she felt truly called. Some years later, out of this ministry came the invitation to develop WellSpring.
