Adullam's Cave
A community of hope, in the dark chapters of people’s lives
In the Old Testament, there is a moment when David - later Israel’s greatest king - is at one of his lowest points. He is on the run, misunderstood, exhausted, and hiding in a place called Adullam’s cave. It is not a place of strength or success. It is a place of retreat, survival, and waiting.
What makes Adullam remarkable is not the cave itself, but what happens there.
People begin to gather to David - those who are distressed, indebted, and disillusioned. They are not impressive. They are not powerful. But in that hidden place, something begins to form. A community takes shape. Over time, some of those who first gathered there go on to become leaders, contributors, and agents of change.
This story reminds us that some of the most important work happens away from the spotlight, in places that feel temporary, fragile, or overlooked. For many students, Vineyard English School sits in a similar space in their story.
People often arrive at VES carrying long journeys, uncertainty, and pressure - navigating the asylum system, rebuilding life after loss, learning to function in a new language and culture. VES is rarely the centre of those stories. More often, it is a holding place: somewhere safe to come and form community even while bigger questions remain unresolved.
VES is about welcome, patience, and presence. It is about learning names, practising language, sharing tea, offering consistency, and building confidence one small step at a time. People are not reduced to a case number or a problem to be solved. They are students. Learners. Co-team members. Friends.
Adullam was only a chapter in David’s story - but an important and formative one.
Our goal at VES is not to keep people hidden, but to help them move forward: into work, study, community, contribution, and belonging. At VES we aim to be a place of light and stability in some very dark chapters of people’s lives. A cohort of characters, being formed into community, by One who cares.