The Keswick Convention has a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to buy a new site in the Cumbrian town and is seeking funds to expand its ministry.
Increasing numbers at the convention have meant that its two current sites are operating close to capacity. However, the town's old Pencil Factory, which made the famous Derwent brand and is next door to the convention's Rawnsley site, has come up for sale and offers the chance to bring the convention together in a single location. The land has been derelict for several years and is more than twice the size of the Rawnsley site.
Founded in 1875, the Keswick Convention attracts around 12,000 people during its three weeks each summer. It is known for its conservative evangelical ethos and its stress on personal discipleship. It does not charge for attendance, relying on voluntary donations to fund its work. Among the significant speakers at the event in past years have been Billy Graham and John Stott.
Keswick aims to raise £5 million during the next three years for its "Derwent Project". Most of this will be spent on acquiring the new site, demolishing derelict buildings, improving access and landscaping the combined sites to make them ready for an enlarged and integrated summer Convention in 2017. It also plans to improve facilities on the site so that it can develop new activities for other times of the year.
The project has won backing from Christian leaders including Prof John Lennox, who said: "I unhesitatingly support this new initiative to extend Keswick Ministries' capacity to be a spiritual oasis on a larger scale and at even more times of the year." The Bishop of Carlisle, Rt Rev James Newcome, said: "I wholeheartedly commend this development of Keswick Ministries, which I believe will extend its blessing still further."
Peter Maiden, the former chair of Keswick Ministries, said: "Ten years ago, we looked at the Pencil Factory site and wondered if we might purchase it for the expansion of the Convention, but it just wasn't the right time. But over the last few years, the ministry of the Convention has continued to grow, and it's become clear that this is God's time to move forward and purchase this fabulous site."
