In 2020, at almost the exact same time, we both sensed God whisper the same invitation: it’s time to gather the women.

We were each leading city centre churches and neither of us was actively looking to start something specifically for women. In fact, it was not on our agenda at all. But the call felt unmistakable. It was gentle yet persistent, compelling and clear. We knew we had to respond.

As we began to pray and dream, two words kept rising to the surface: liberation and empowerment.

We found ourselves drawn again and again to Jeremiah 17:7, a picture of a tree that “sends out its roots by the stream,” that “has no worries in a year of drought” and “never fails to bear fruit.” That image shaped everything.

We saw an orchard. A vast company of women, deeply rooted and abundantly fruitful. Women empowered by the Holy Spirit to step boldly and purposefully into every season. Women sustained by the truth of God’s Word, not swayed by the values of the culture around them. Women who are imperfect but completely loved. Women liberated by Jesus from all that keeps them captive, so they can carry freedom wherever they go.

That vision became The Orchard.

Since then, we have seen God move powerfully. Women set free. Women healed and restored. Women raised up and released into leadership, ministry, workplaces, homes and communities. Women courageously saying yes to the call of God on their lives. And we know this is only the beginning.

We would love you to be part of this journey.

Love,
Rachel & Amy Hughes