About
Daniel and Karyn Sunderland
What is the SCOTTISH PROMISE?
It is the promise of Jesus' healing and refreshing for His people.
It is the promise of an abundant life, not just an adequate or even a manageable life.
It is the promise of intimacy with God through His promise - our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
It is the promise of Sabbath rest and refuge in times of trouble or hardship - a kadesh (place of refreshing) in the wilderness.
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It is a personal promise for you as guests in our home, that you would find a warm welcome and a peaceful place to rest. It is the promise of a safe place to unwind and, if needed, to debrief. It is a promise that you will be loved and cared for while you are under our roof. It is the promise of a beautiful setting in a glorious country to reconnect with God.
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God has placed a desire upon our hearts to minister to Christian leaders. We desire to offer leaders a place of rest and restoration with prayer ministry tailored to each person or couple that stays with us, if desired. We invite you to peruse this website for more information about The Scottish Promise and how you can be a retreat guest, or how to partner with us in this ministry. We welcome any question you might have for us.
Beannachd Dia dhuit (The blessings of God be with you),
Karyn and Daniel Sunderland
The SUNDERLANDS
The VISION
The vision God has given us is to open our home in Scotland to be used as a place of retreat for Christian leaders. Calling the retreat The Scottish Promise, we aim to have our home be a place of peacefulness, refuge and rest, where Christian leaders and ministry workers can retreat to find restoration for body, mind and spirit. Rather than run a ‘facility,’ we have felt it important to have this retreat centre be our home, where we can treat people as our valued guests. A week's retreat will look different from guest to guest, tailored to each individual or couple, depending on their needs and what they enjoy and find restorative. There will also be a great deal of unscheduled time for guests to simply rest and ‘be.’
The REASON
What we hope to address with The Scottish Promise is the phenomenon of Christian leaders whose service is shorter-lived than it was ever meant to be – pastors, evangelists, social services workers, worship leaders, youth pastors, missionaries – anyone working for the Kingdom, whether full- or part-time, paid or voluntary. Too often we see people work very hard to further God’s Kingdom and manifest it in our world, but their ministry is briefer than it was intended to be, because of a lack of personal refreshing, restoration and even healing along the way. We lose too many leaders to burnout, disillusionment, wounds and exhaustion. Just as Aaron and Hur brought Moses a stone upon which to sit and held up his arms when he got tired (Exodus 17), we want to come alongside Christian leaders and metaphorically offer them a seat and hold up their arms, so that their ministry on the front lines of the Kingdom may continue, and may continue in a healthy, powerful way.​
The RETREAT
A Scottish Promise retreat is a week away for you or for you and your spouse to reconnect with God personally. It is a time for rest and restoration. Its focus is on physical rest and spiritual renewal. For some this will mean simply having the time and freedom to do things that are life-giving, like nature walks, reading or even just sleeping in. For others, it will mean a rekindling of the passion that once fuelled your ministry. Whatever the reason you are considering a retreat, our aim is to have our home and ourselves be a safe place for you while you connect with Jesus.
More retreat information can be found HERE.
Do you feel like a Scottish Promise retreat is just what you need? Contact us HERE to arrange a week with us.
If you would like to receive email updates on The Scottish Promise, please CLICK HERE.
When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. (Exodus 17:12)