The Warden Family
Why St. Chad’s as a Family?
It may seem like a significant shift from the work we have undertaken for the Lord over the past 20 years as a couple and a family. How does running a retreat centre—caring for people, offering hospitality, and creating space for rest—connect with our passion for the arts, evangelism, working with young people and adults, and creativity?
That’s a great question—and a very valid one.
Our journey, which led to the founding of Manna Family, was birthed out of deep personal struggle and a steadfast stand of faith as a family. It is a journey that continues to this day. Over 32 years, we have faced the challenges of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, and multiple diagnoses. Through this, our lives have been shaped by both suffering and grace.
If you would like to read more about our story, you can do so here:
https://www.mannafamily.co.uk/_files/ugd/fb61c2_3bb77659f0144584b964c5b5b6c08e84.pdf
Or listen to our story here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjAmP-NJQNM
This journey has taught us the immense value of love and care. We remember the hugs, the respite, the prayers, and the people who simply sat with us—listening, supporting, and standing with us in hospital rooms. We are deeply grateful for those who brought meals and served us when we were too unwell to function.
But we have also experienced the other side—times when support was absent, when we felt deeply alone, when tears flowed, and we struggled to feel seen or held.
Because of this, we understand the true value of hospitality—the importance of having a place to rest, to breathe, and to be restored.
We have faced financial hardship, loss of home, homelessness, isolation, and the strain that long seasons of struggle can place on a marriage. We know what it is to hurt—and we also know what it is to encounter the goodness of God in the midst of it all.
We have been carried in prayer by faithful pastors, leaders, and friends. And when we were given the opportunity to express our heart for this vision, we knew God was inviting us to give to others what we ourselves had longed for.
Our prayer is that, through our journey—and our continued stand in faith for wholeness—we can relate to others, care for them, and provide a place of refuge. A retreat where those who are sick in body or heart, those who feel lonely or discouraged, and families in need of encouragement can come and know: we understand—we’ve been there too.
This is why we are honoured to share Jesus through creativity and compassion.
And it is why we are so honoured to be here too.
