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Discover the Gilgal founding story

Our timeline

Headshot of Dr Christine Parkinson - a smiling woman with white hair, wearing a white jacket and a cross necklace.
Dr Christine Parkinson, at Gilgal’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, 2024

Our timeline

Over three decades ago, Gilgal was founded on Christian faith and principles by the joint efforts of an inspirational group of people and two local churches.

We were later joined by our sister organisations Jericho – a place to support people back into employment – and Bethel – a place of healing and wellbeing – to jointly become the Cairns Consortium.

 

A prominent figure in the founding of all three charities was Dr Christine Parkinson, who believed she was called on by God to start the three new ventures to support and uplift her community. 30 years later, they are well-established, independent charities that partner and collaborate together.

Our timeline

A partially constructed or renovated building with a mix of architectural styles, featuring exposed walls and a construction site in the foreground.
The derelict house from the back, as pictured in “The Desert Will Rejoice”

Our timeline

In 1993, Dr Christine and her associates were searching for the perfect property to begin the work for what would become Gilgal.

In her book, “The Desert Will Rejoice”, Christine recalls the moment she saw the property for the first time.

 

“Suddenly, I distinctly heard a voice speaking to me: ‘That’s the place!’ … There was no question in my mind that God was telling me he wanted us to use this building in some way for his purposes.”

Our timeline

A crowd of people, mostly dressed in coats and hats, stand in the street celebrating.

Our timeline

Our money and time was limited, and there was a fear we would not be able to acquire the house.

However, with just an hour left until the deadline, we were able to obtain the money down to the pound, thanks to the generosity of two local churches. After some hard work renovating, we moved into the brand new, eight bedroom property! What can we say – we believe miracles can happen!

Our timeline

A clean and welcoming bedroom featuring a single bed and a set of bunk beds, all with sage green bedding. A white dresser and bedside table are present, along with some toys and personal items. A nature-themed wall art is displayed above the beds.

Our timeline

We stayed in that property for 20 years.

However, we eventually made the decision to move to a bigger location, in order to accommodate more survivors.

 

Our Jasmine refuge was opened in Saltley, with 14 bedrooms allowing us to accommodate 14 women and up to 13 additional children.

Our timeline

A cosy bedroom featuring a single bed with a floral-patterned duvet, a teal pillow, and a desk with a chair. Two windows allow natural light to enter the room.

Our timeline

Sadly, we recently had to say goodbye to our Jasmine refuge, which had been our home for 10 years and which we had renovated into a beautiful, welcoming place of sanctuary.

We now have a brand-new refuge building in a new location, providing en-suite accommodation for eight women and up to two small children.

 

We remain ambitious, and hope to secure another property soon to provide additional family accommodation.

Our timeline

A black-and-white image of the read ofa house with a sloped roof, surrounded by trees and a wooden fence. The house features several windows and is partially shaded.
The rear of the house on completion of the renovation, as pictured in “The Desert Will Rejoice”

Our timeline

You may be wondering what happened to our original location; the building was incredibly special to us as we feel that God put this building in our hearts when we first opened.

With the help of our sister organisation Jericho’s help, we have turned it into five self-contained flats which serve as “move on” properties for when our women are ready to leave the refuge. To be able to give this building a renewed purpose has been a full circle moment for us; it helped us get started, and now we can give our residents that same chance.

The original Gilgal logo - a line drawing of two women building a wall on the shores of a river.
The original Gilgal logo, created by Maggie Hazel

The name “Gilgal” loosely translates from Hebrew as “circle of stones”. In the Bible, it is used as a symbol for sanctuary from oppression and persecution. The original Gilgal logo was created by Maggie Hazel 30 years ago to illustrate the related story in the Bible (Joshua 4:19). 
 


Due to Christine’s calling, church funding, and the origins of our name, the organisation of Gilgal chooses to embody the Christian values of tolerance, equality, and love, and we ask that all residents, employees and trustees embody these values too.  
 


Gilgal is a place of acceptance and safety. We therefore welcome those of all faiths – or none – into the refuge, and hold regular celebrations of religious festivals such as Christmas, Eid and Diwali. These events are designed to bring our staff and residents together as a community, share their own experiences, and learn from one another with no discrimination or judgement. 

What to read next

Welcome from our CEO
Board of Trustees
The Gilgal Approach