“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God– not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Sowing Seeds for the Next Generation
In 1996 the Lord called Terri and the distinguished theologian Fr Peter Hocken to work together to prepare the Church for the coming of the Lord in glory. In 1997 they gathered with some young adults for a week of prayer on the theme: “Come, Lord Jesus!” They spent the week worshipping the Lord, marveling how God had drawn each one to attend the retreat, and waiting on the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Lord was profoundly felt; many experienced a greater sense of wholeness in their lives through the action of the Holy Spirit that week. They returned home to their various nations and faith communities—strengthened in the blessed hope, with deep bonds of love for one another and a greater appreciation for the diversity in the body of Christ.
Following the initial retreat, Fr Peter and Terri devoted themselves as spiritual father and spiritual mother, providing these young people with teachings and spiritual accompaniment as they walked with the Lord, helping them grow in their faith and discern where God wanted them to serve Him in His body. Many of these young people have remained in contact with each other over the years and have invited their family members and friends to subsequent gatherings where they come together to continue to grow in the vision of the Spirit’s work of preparation for the Lord’s promised return and encourage one another.
In June 2017, Fr Peter was called home to be with the Lord. Terri discerned that it was time to transfer the group’s leadership responsibilities over to her spiritual sons and daughters. Terri continues to offer teachings and spiritually accompany the group, but she does so more as a mature mother who has taken care to equip and then release her children to work where the Master has prepared them to serve.
Terri rejoices that in recent years a new generation of young people has entered into the Maranatha vision, including sons and daughters of members of this international retreat fellowship. Terri has a heart for seeing each generation run farther than their elders, to discover and then faithfully manifest the good works that God has prepared for them to do (Ephesians 2:10) in the Spirit’s preparation of the Church for the coming of the Lord.
Contact Terri
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