April 2026
For generations of children, young people, families, leaders and volunteers, Ovoca Manor has been far more than a place on a map. It has been a place of welcome, laughter, friendship, prayer, Scripture, camp games, worship, late-night conversations, and moments where young people have met with Jesus in ways they may never forget.
One part of that story has been the sports hall.
It may not be the most glamorous room at Ovoca, but anyone who has spent time there knows how much life has happened inside those walls. It has held rainy-day games, team challenges, extremely serious five-a-side World Cup finals, questionable Michael Jordan dunk attempts, tired leaders, nervous first-time campers, local community groups, and young people slowly finding their place. In many ways, it has served quietly in the background, helping create the kind of space where friendships form, confidence grows, and conversations about faith can begin naturally.
This month, we are thankful to share that a major renewal of the sports hall is now fully underway.
What began as work on the floor has become a wider project to help prepare the building for a whole new season of ministry. The work includes practical upgrades that will make the space safer, warmer, more accessible, and better equipped to serve camps, retreats, school groups, local community use, and the wider ministry of Scripture Union for years to come.
Psalm 78:4 says, “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”
That has always been at the heart of Scripture Union’s work. Not simply running programmes or maintaining buildings, but creating spaces where one generation can help the next hear about the goodness of God, open Scripture, ask honest questions, and encounter Jesus for themselves.
And often, that happens in ordinary and unexpected places. In a quiet room after a session. During a walk back to the Manor. In the middle of a messy game. Around a dinner table. Sitting on the edge of a sports hall floor. In the small moments where a young person feels safe enough to be honest, known enough to be listened to, and loved enough to begin trusting that Jesus is near.
That is our prayer for this next chapter at Ovoca Manor. Not simply that an old space would be improved, but that it would continue to serve the deeper work of God’s kingdom. We are praying that children and young people would come through those doors and encounter the goodness, presence and reality of Jesus, their Saviour. That they would hear the gospel clearly. That they would be known by name, prayed for with care, and invited to respond to the love of God for themselves.
As this work begins, we are deeply grateful for the legacy of Ovoca Manor and for all those who have prayed, served, given, cleaned, cooked, led, taught, welcomed and cared for young people there over many years.
