Lee Abbey Devon

Is God calling you to join a vibrant Christian Community? Are you passionate to serve? Do you desire intentional space to discern God's calling on your life? Consider joining the Lee Abbey Fellowship Community for a season!

Situated on the spectacular North Devon coast of Exmoor National Park in England, Lee Abbey Devon is home to a Christian Community. Lee Abbey Devon welcomes people and serves churches with the vision of people encountering Jesus Christ so that lives, relationships, communities and environment are transformed. It is run by a Christian community from many nations.

Do you want to be part of a community of Christians from many nations around the world, who encourage each other to put Christ at the centre and to live out the gospel in down-to-earth ways? Being on Community is about living, working, serving and worshipping closely together, being open to being known for who we are. It's challenging but great fun too, and if you let it, it can be life-changing.

Since we are an international community that is constantly changing, we accept applications on a rolling basis, year-round. We currently have openings in operations, personnel administration, advancement and engagement coordination, youth activity leadership, ecological coordination, and chef, estate and house teams.

While each role has specific qualifications, we are looking for enthusiastic individuals with a desire to serve God.

Community members are "volunteers" because they receive full board, accommodation and an allowance - not a traditional salary.

Volunteers make their own travel arrangements, but we can pick them up at the nearby bus station in Barnstaple.

For an application, please visit: https://leeabbeydevon.org.uk/community/enquire-now/

If your application to Lee Abbey Devon is accepted, you will then apply for a charity visa with the UK government. Lee Abbey will act as the sponsor for your visa.

Our vision is people encountering Jesus Christ so that lives, relationships, communities and our environment are transformed by the life of God. 

Our mission is to facilitate this by welcoming people to stay in the house, activity centre and camps on the rural estate served by a Christian community.

These are the four values that shape all that we do:

1. Encounter - We are here to facilitate life-altering encounters with Jesus Christ, hearing his Call and living it out as part of his Church.
2. Community - We encourage relationships that are generous, humble and honest, enabling all to grow and follow God's call through shared living.
3. Hospitality - we share what we have, welcome with generosity, and make space for the "other".
4. Simplicity - We keep the main thing the main thing and ensure sustainability (of people and planet) in pursuing it.

As one of the first "New Monastic Communities" we live together under the Lee Abbey Rule of Life. A Rule of Life is a guideline to help us, not a set of rules to restrict us, underpinned by our vision and values.

Our Lee Abbey story begins with Roger De Pemberton, who would soon become one of the co-founders of Lee Abbey. With God, he laid out the foundations for Lee Abbey to flourish. In 1930 he began a magazine known as 'the pathfinder', to encourage younger readers to explore faith. Due to the increase in readers over the next five years, they began leading holiday house parties to bring people of all ages and from all walks of life together. Each retreat ended with a service and many would give their lives to God. That's when De Pemberton realised the impact of a Christian led holiday.

The war had not been kind to the Lee Abbey house. In 1924 two companies tried to run Lee Abbey as a luxury golfing hotel which subsequently became bankrupt in 1939. The house then became home to an evacuated Boy's School.

For Roger, the war halted both the magazine and the house parties, and he began serving in a church, where he met Leslie Sutton. Together they began exploring the possibilities of finding a centre for their house parties. They were reminded of the Lee Abbey building and, with the support of the Headmaster, hired out the building during the August holidays. The headmaster became fond of these men of God and helped them to purchase Lee Abbey after the war. Through many acts of God, including a legacy of £6,000 which provided the mortgage down payment, De Pemberton and Sutton purchased Lee Abbey and it became a part of the Pathfinder Trust.

1945 was filled with renovations and hard work in an effort to get Lee Abbey ready to welcome guests. During this period, many people came to help and consequently a community was created. By 1946 they had a community of 60 adults. Even from the beginning, those from all nations and walks of life came to this community. This international community helped to heal many wounds made by the war; countries who were fighting only a year ago were now living and working together.

For a list of our programmes for the next year, visit: https://leeabbeydevon.org.uk/visit/programme/

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