More than 1,850 people attended HTB’s biggest-ever Home Focus week last month at Pakefield, Suffolk.

There were 150 more people than last year, with 350 campers, 100 bed & breakfast guests and around 50 people taking advantage of the new ‘day-pass’ scheme, in adition to the 1,250 in chalets.

Afternoon seminar streams were based around the Home Focus theme ‘Engage’ and included morning seminars on Engage with Theology with Graham Tomlin and Andy Emerton; Engage with Life with Ken Costa and Miles Toulmin; Engage with Children with Nicky and Sila Lee; and Engage with Society with Paul Cowley and Andy Keighley.

Weather for the week was almost unbroken sunshine, with the beach packed on most days and many people swimming in the sea.

Morning family worship was led by Chris Bentley, of St George’s Holborn and evening worship was led by Tim Hughes, Al Gordon and Beth Coulson.

There were powerful times of ministry, with several HTB members having recently returned from Lakeland, Florida, where there is evidence of a spiritual awakening and many healings are reported.

Several people reported on how they had been physically healed during Home Focus week (see pages 4-5).

On the Sunday morning, there was a family drama based on the story of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus.

Hundreds of people queued up every day to receive listening prayer from a trained team of volunteers. As in previous years, it prooved very popular, with some people queuing for more than an hour before the doors opened.

Children, younger youth, older youth and students enjoyed their daily programmes, taking part in a wide range of activities.

On the last morning, HTB Vicar Nicky Gumbel thanked all the volunteers and spoke of how the atmosphere at Home Focus could be compared to the Kingdom of God.

‘There is no knife crime, the children feel safe... We all need each other,’ he said.

He went on to give a vision for the church’s future centred on church planting.

The final night was marked by a grand finale helium balloon release.

Thousands of balloons were released and were lit up in the night sky by giant spot lights.