Rev. Dr. Caleb Nyanni with a ‘God-given calling’ to equip the next generation

Rev. Dr. Caleb, former Dean of Studies at Birmingham Christian College, is paving the way to creating a leading Christian training centre on Surrey’s historic religious site and address the ‘huge challenges’ facing young people of our time.

Waverley Abbey has appointed a new Principal of its Christian College this month – Revd Dr Caleb Nyanni. The former Dean of Studies and Programme Director at Birmingham Christian College is a teacher, pastor, mentor and author – with a PhD in Christian Theology with the University of Birmingham.

The father of two joins at a time of evident growth, with Waverley Abbey College now believed to be the largest provider of Counselling and Chaplaincy for Christians in the UK.

Based on the site of Britain’s earliest Cistercian religious order, the historic ruins of Waverley Abbey sit on the College’s Farham campus, which has offered Counselling and Theology courses since 1987. In recent years, Waverley Abbey College has seen an increase in online training and now enrols roughly 500 students at introductory, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Students are currently accredited by Middlesex University, but Dr Nyanni wishes to grow the College into an independent, world-leading Christian University, enrolling students from all faith backgrounds and none. It is a career move he describes as a ‘God-given calling’, and a chance to engage younger generations who he believes face huge challenges.

Dr Nyanni said, “We need the whole community to come to Waverley Abbey College. Yes, we have a Christian ethos, but I believe people from all faiths, and none can benefit from the training we offer. I want to reach the next generation by offering tangible skills. It’s not about certificates that remain on shelves. It’s about creating new programmes that meet the needs of young people – who are facing huge challenges such as addiction and powerlessness. Too many people have no one to speak to – and we need to change that.”

Dr Nyanni has benefited from therapy in his personal life and believes that counselling is a God-given task. Holding a foundation certificate in counselling himself, the new College Principal is passionate about having open conversations on our mental health.

He said, “I strongly believe that we need to grow in research but also accept that counselling is a God-given assignment. Look at the prophet Elijah – the Bible says he wanted to die, but I’ve never heard a sermon about his mental health, it’s always about his faith and the miracles he performed such as calling fire from heaven. I believe that a person can be deeply spiritual and profoundly depressed: the human soul is capable of holding both light and shadow at once – the Church needs to acknowledge that. We need to learn how to talk and have open conversations about our mental health. Waverley Abbey College will be a place where we equip, empower and engage a new generation to do just that.”

Dr Nyanni officially began his new role in March 2026 and described the move as ‘God-given’. He said, “Waverley Abbey has already offered me such a sense of peace. I believe this College has such an impact, and I really want to bring my whole self and my personal journey into this role. It’s a big job – but I believe it’s a God-given calling. I want to help more people take their talents, skills and compassion and share them with the whole world.”

David Wesson, CEO of Waverley Abbey said: “It's a privilege to be at the heart of the UK's Counselling, Chaplaincy and Leadership training, professionally equipping all our students to practically address some of the pressing social issues of our time. I am delighted to welcome Revd. Dr Caleb Nyanni to our team, to strengthen and develop Waverley Abbey College at a time of increasing need in our nation and increasing demand for our practical, professional training. I look forward to watching Caleb’s leadership, wisdom and experience empower our fabulous team and equip our student body to flourish in their studies, so that they can be released in all their God-given potential to be salt and light in the world.”

Waverley Abbey Asia, previously known as CWR Asia, was established more than 20 years ago. Its mission is to serve, strengthen and support leaders, churches and organisations doing Kingdom work across the continent.

Selwyn Hughes, creator of Every Day with Jesus and CWR, which would later become Waverley Abbey, was passionate about the nations. He travelled extensively around the world. Across Asia, thousands of lives have been touched and transformed by God through Every Day with Jesus.

Dr Asia Williamson is Executive Director at Waverley Abbey Asia. ‘The legacy of Selwyn Hughes is alive and well in this part of the world, and we are honoured to be part of this ongoing story,’ says Asia. 

A powerful history

Selwyn Hughes was much loved across Asia. Every Day with Jesus has been read by countless Christians in the region. ‘Readers in Asia appreciate its relevance and depth’, says Asia.

‘This opens doors amongst older generations. We are known and valued for Selwyn Hughes’ work, devotionals and ministry. We are known amongst an older generation that grew up on his teaching.’

For a new generation

Waverley Abbey Asia is committed to driving forward, to serve a new generation. We are making powerful inroads to respond to one of the continent's biggest and most pressing current needs: mental health support. 

‘Countries in the south and east of Asia face high levels of unmet need for mental health,’ says The Lancet in one of its Asian regional health journals. ‘More action and local research is needed to respond to such high levels of unmet need.’

Attitudes in parts of Asia towards mental health are often negative, leading to stigma and exacerbating the problem.

• South-East Asia accounts for around 27 per cent of the world’s cases of depression and 23 per cent of all cases of anxiety.
• One study showed that in Singapore alone, 41 per cent of those in employment have or are at high risk of mental health crises. 
• In the East Asia and Pacific region, more than 1 in 10 girls and almost 1 in 7 boys aged 10-19 years have a mental health disorder.

For more, visit WHO and UNICEF.

A targeted response

We are working towards the opening of a Waverley Abbey College Asia campus in Singapore. It will support the church across the continent with training and online resources in Counselling, Chaplaincy, Discipleship and Leadership. All of these streams will help enable the church in Asia to come alongside those who are hurting.

Summer 2025 saw Waverley Abbey Asia run an Introduction to Christian Care and Counselling (ICCC), a course designed for anyone who wants to learn about themselves and how to help others effectively, no matter how much or how little previous knowledge and experience they have.

‘With raising mental health concerns all round the world, the ICCC presents us with an opportunity to equip lay workers across church networks,’ says Asia.  

‘Once we have a good, contextualised model for Asia based out of Singapore, we can roll it out across the region. The ICCC is Bible based, and people really appreciate it for that. We are also training the future trainers and hope to build strong foundations for many years to come in Singapore as well as the wider region.’

‘This is a wonderful milestone for Waverley Abbey Asia, and something that is possible because of the great legacy of Selwyn Hughes, and the committed team of people on the ground who continue to walk in this legacy.’

Learn more about training and education at Waverley Abbey College.

'The heartbeat of an Abbey is prayer, right? It keeps pumping life through the rest of the body.' Jill Weber, from Waverley Abbey’s prayer community, invites everyone to be part of Waverley Abbey’s daily rhythms of prayer. 

'Here at Waverley we’re praying three times a day. We’re doing monastic-light.' Jill jokes as she explains the history – Abbey’s were monasteries that could have up to seven times of corporate daily prayer.

Praying three times a day – morning, noon and night 

Jill leads the Waverley Abbey Community who begin every day by orienting themselves at the very start of it to God. 'He is our chief orienting reality,' says Jill. 

It’s about more than starting the day ‘right’, says Jill, 'it’s creating opportunities to join in with God as He is at work during our days.' And at noon, they stop again to pray, 'We stop and put tools down in the middle of the day and reorient ourselves to God’s presence and do the work of prayer. Prayer is work you know, we’re building things here, birthing things through prayer,' explains Jill. 

And then at the end of the day, they pray again, 'We actually stop. And reflect on our day in the light of God's presence and where we've seen Him at work within us.'

'We like the word prayer rhythms because it speaks to that heartbeat. There's a rhythm. Prayer is pulsing through our day,' reflects Jill.

At Waverley Abbey, Jill and the Waverley Abbey Community are modeling what a prayer filled life can look like. And then, they resource others to be able to pray too. 'We have so many people who come and see and then go and do.' 

The Bible talks about many types of prayer, Waverly Abbey is a place for people to get exposed to ways of prayer that are maybe new for them. 

'We do lots of different ways of praying,' says Jill, 'we do liturgical prayer, we do silent prayer, we do singing prayer, we do Pentecostal prayer. We do all kinds of prayer, and we do that on purpose. So that people can either pray in a way that's comfortable for them or dip their toe in a different prayer stream to try something new.'

And so we try and model, and then we try to resource people to go and pray by themselves: 

• Young adults are learning how to pray at the 24-7 Academy – a residential leadership development programme for 18-30 year olds 

• Members of the public, church groups, leaders and individuals are learning different ways to pray on retreats and during reset days

Creating spaces for prayer 

Jill is super passionate about creating more places for prayer at Waverley Abbey. 

'I think what's really beautiful is that people visit the Remembering Garden (a prayer garden in the grounds of Waverley Abbey House) and then they come back and bring their non Christian friends and family. The garden is a tool that people are using to introduce people to Jesus, which is just so beautiful.'

The 24-7 Academy are developing a new prayer trail in the grounds – an alpha prayer garden. A space where people can ponder life’s big questions. Deliberately designed for those who have maybe never been exposed to faith before. 

Talking with Jill you get the impression that they are only just getting started with prayer spaces, 'Waverley Abbey has 112 acres that we can turn into a massive prayer room and create spaces for seekers to maybe find the one they're seeking.'

Prayer should be accessible, every day and normal 

'Some people love the word ‘intercessor’ or ‘prayer warrior’.' Jill explains how these grand names can intimidate some people. But, that’s not how it should be. 'Prayer is just a conversation with God. I want everyone to know that prayer is for everybody.' 

Jill and her team's invitation is to ‘pray as you can not how you can’t.’ 

So, how do you embrace that can and make prayer open to everyone? 

'That's the beauty of 24-7 Prayer as an organisation,' says Jill.  'We teach people who don't think they can pray how to pray.' With simple frameworks everybody gets a chance to pray and play. 'Pete Greig from 24-7 Prayer says: "Keep it simple. Keep it real. Keep it up.”'  

God is speaking to people and answering prayers at Waverley Abbey 

Jill shares some testimonies from Waverley Abbey visitors… 

'One woman, who was not a churchgoer, walked into the house and said "I feel like I’ve walked into a big hug." That was her experiencing the tangible presence of God.' 

'Another, a senior leader of an organisation, was walking up the stairs in the house and God apprehended him. God just stopped him on the stairs, spoke to him and reoriented his whole next season of ministry.' 

Waverley Abbey College students regularly say that their time at Waverley Abbey is transformational. 'Many of them articulate that it's the culture and the prayer rhythms. The prayerful environment is part of the transformation that they experience as students.' Says Jill.

Jill invites everyone to join in with prayer at Waverley Abbey, 'I think the session that's most readily available to the public is the midday prayer, Monday to Friday. And our refresh days.' 

Join in with prayer online, or visit in person. Come and walk in the garden, sit in the prayer room or even just walk up the stairs and spend some time in prayer at Waverley Abbey. 

Georgina Walker is Head of Chaplaincy at Waverley Abbey. She oversees our chaplaincy training programme, among many other things.

'I was a school chaplain myself for four years,’ says Georgina. ‘I was told every week about the difference a chaplain makes, by students of every faith and none. They recognised that the love and support that comes from a chaplain is for everyone.’ 

‘I don’t see it as I used to be a chaplain. I still am, but this role at Waverley Abbey is the way I’m outworking it now. It all comes down to ‘How would Jesus act? What would He do? And how can we embody that?’ It boils down to showing people love and meeting people where they are.’

A family feel

Georgina joined Waverley Abbey in early 2025 and settled in quickly. ‘It’s been wonderful. I love my job,’ she says. ‘The community we have here is a special thing; when you can come to work and put your faith to action, Kingdom building every day. I’m so excited about making sure all students that come through Waverley Abbey are equipped to bring Jesus into whatever and wherever they go next.’

Waverley Abbey is a leading provider of training and support for chaplains. In the last three years we have trained over 300 chaplains to feel confident and equipped to go out and serve; to listen to and come alongside people in many different settings, from schools to offices, hospitals to football clubs. Many of them remain in touch with us, wherever they are in the world. 

‘Once you have come through the Waverley Abbey doors you become part of the family. We love to create an environment that continues to develop our students on their journey, through all that the college offers,’ says Georgina. 

A big vision takes big cooperation

One of our goals is to see a chaplain in every UK secondary school in the next ten years, by the end of 2035.

To help push this forwards to fruition, we’ve been running a series of roundtable events; bringing together experts, organisations and frontline workers to share learning, resources and connections. Around 50 different organisations are represented at these meetings.

‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptised by one Spirit so as to form one body… Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.’ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)

‘Just as Jesus’ 12 disciples came together, these roundtable meetings are the coming together of His disciples and leaders, all with different God given skills, to be combined,’ Georgina explains.

‘Kingdom building is not a solo project, it must be done together,’ says Georgina. ‘We’ve also formed a steering committee, including various partners such as youth workers, chaplains, community groups, street pastors and so on – lots of different people… If we come together, we can use all this to reach as many schools as possible.’

The need among children and young people is significant:

• In 2023, about one in five children and young people aged 8 to 25 years had a probable mental disorder.
• Just over half (54.8%) of young people aged 17 to 25 years reported being worried about the impact of climate change.
• In 2023, eating disorders were identified in 12.5% of 17 to 19 year olds.

All statistics: NHS England

Bringing Jesus into the gap

We are big believers in the power and potential of chaplains, here at Waverley Abbey, because we’ve seen them bring hope and healing again and again.

‘Chaplains are there to walk with people where they’re at,’ says Georgina. ‘To provide a listening ear and spiritual support if wanted, or just to sit with people where they are.'

‘In schools for example, chaplains are a huge help for students when it can be hard to go to a counsellor or teacher. We provide a confidential space to offload. You’re supporting the whole school community too – students, staff and families. Since we’ve seen a decline in spiritual support [in society], people are searching for something. There’s a gap, and chaplains can provide by bringing Jesus into those gaps.'

A call to action

‘One of the things I’m loving about Waverley Abbey’s chaplaincy vision and these recent roundtable meetings, is that we've listened to what God is doing in this moment,’ says Georgina.

‘Everyone’s talking about revival, and there has clearly been a call from God for His people to come together and show who Jesus is. A mandate to step away from whatever's bogging us down, and walk into the calling and purpose that God has for us – to be available to step into that position.’ 

‘In the words of our CEO, Dave Wesson, ‘This is a call to action’. God is creating something, and we need to be in position. That’s what God has resourced us to do, and we’re doing that with chaplains right now; we’re getting them into the right position, into the best shape to be equipped to answer God’s call.’

What you can do

• Do you want to make a difference in your local community? Become a Waverley Abbey trained Chaplain and make a greater impact for the gospel.
• If you’re interested in joining our next chaplaincy roundtable meeting, email us on hello@waverleyabbeycollege.ac.uk
• Pray for us. Pray for our schools, pray for the wellbeing of our children and communities. Scroll down for a prayer written by Georgina, to get you started.

Rosie shares her story of how Jesus turned her life upside down. Her story starts with reading Every Day with Jesus and moves on to studying Contemporary Chaplaincy with Waverley Abbey College. We hope you feel encouraged as you read how she went from flying around Europe with her corporate career, to wandering around the Waverley Abbey ruins.

A journey of transformation begins

‘It started with feeling heartbroken for older people looking scared in the supermarkets before lockdown’, explains Rosie. ‘We were shopping for an elderly neighbour and I remember thinking that helping him was so much more valuable than what I was doing – corporate stuff that nobody can articulate what difference it makes.’ 

Rosie asked herself the question, ‘when the pandemic ends, how do I continue looking after the vulnerable in some way?’ 

Around the same time, Rosie started attending an Alpha course and began reading the Bible. 

How reading the Bible changed Rosie’s life 

‘At Alpha they said you should read your Bible. I didn’t read mine. I had a wedding Bible, but it was covered in dust in a drawer. I don’t know why I chose Every Day With Jesus Bible reading notes. But, I knew I needed something to help.’

Rosie remembers starting reading an edition of Every Day with Jesus, ‘It was weird, because I was reading about some of the stuff that was in the Alpha course. It was unbelievable.’ 

‘I was getting very curious reading Every Day With Jesus and listening to the 24-7 Prayer app, Lectio 365.' 

‘Jesus was revealed to me through Lectio 365. It was talking about Lazarus’s death. And about how Jesus wasn’t crying because his friend was dead – He knew He was going to raise him from the dead – Jesus was crying for Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, and sharing in their grief. 

While I meditated on that, I just knew that Jesus was there with me. He was crying with me for all the wounds I’ve harboured for years when I’ve asked, ‘where are you God?’’

‘I suddenly thought God had gone through it all with Jesus. He has cried with me, He has seen everything. His heart has been broken when my heart's been broken. That moment completely changed my life.’ 

Rosie reflects, ‘God went from a deity in the sky that sits in the clouds like an old man with a big beard to being Jesus. This empathetic man who really lives alongside us and feels that pain.’  

We’ve written another blog on how people have different ways that they connect with God that offers some ideas and inspiration on how to get to know Jesus better. 

Life-changing decisions 

At the same time as finding her faith, Rosie was making big decisions in her work life too. She decided to turn down a secure contract not knowing what was coming next. Literally four hours after deciding to stop working, she got an email… 

‘The email was from Waverley Abbey. It said that admissions for the next Contemporary Chaplaincy course were closing in two days,’ says Rosie. 

Again, while trying to decide what to do, she listened to Lectio 365. It was around Easter time and the content was about the Garden of Gethsemane. It asked the question: what’s the death that you’re resisting? 

Rosie thought, ‘this is about my corporate career, as it was a big identity thing for me.’ She knew that if she did give it up, she wouldn’t be going back to it. She felt God say, ‘the death you're resisting is that corporate working persona.’ 

And that was it, she decided to study Contemporary Chaplaincy with Waverley Abbey College. 

Rosie visits Waverley Abbey for the first time 

Walking round the Abbey ruins, Rosie was reminded of the passage in Ezekiel 37 about the valley of dry bones… 

‘The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2) 

Rosie reflected, ‘I feel there's lots of people later in their lives, like myself, who just feel like you are sort of dry bones. I was walking round the ruins thinking, this is just like Ezekiel, God led him back and forth through the valley of bones. Ezekiel had to sit with his feelings and – if you like – notice the death.’ 

This was very significant for Rosie, as her area of chaplaincy is for those who are grieving.  

Rosie walked away from the ruins thinking, ‘you’ve got new bones, Rosie, and these bones are nurtured here at Waverley Abbey House.’ 

‘I think that sums up the whole mission and ministry at Waverley Abbey, whether that’s 24-7 Prayer, or the course I’m studying; it’s all about bringing Jesus into broken lives,’ reflects Rosie. 

What’s next in Rosie’s Waverley Abbey journey? 

‘I want to grow my mission to people who are grieving. And my Vicar wants me to get started on chaplaincy in the local CofE school. I’m going to see what God wants me to do… the course has helped me to think about what I would be interested in. It’s got me thinking about things like prisons and police chaplaincy.’ 

Start your own Waverley Abbey journey 

Studying with Waverley Abbey College is a big part of Rosie’s life, but her journey with God started much earlier when she chose to start reading the Bible with Every Day with Jesus. 

Start your own journey of transformation today by downloading the free Every Day with Jesus Bible reading app.

Find out more about Chaplaincy and Counselling courses at Waverley Abbey College. 

‘Pastor Agu is more than a pastor’– Dave Wesson welcomes Pastor Agu, senior pastor of Jesus House For All Nations, London, to Waverley Abbey.

We need to level up the prayer

On the surface, this interview between Pastor Agu and CEO of Waverley Abbey, Dave Wesson, looks like two friends sitting down for a chat. But, keep reading and you'll find a conversation filled with prompts to listen to the Holy Spirit and lay down our own plans.  

Praying for revival 

‘Pastor Agu is more than a pastor,’ says Dave Wesson as he welcomes Pastor Agu to Waverley Abbey. ‘He is an intercessor. A radical mentor of a rising generation of leaders.’

Dave describes Pastor Agu’s heart and approach to following Jesus as ‘pushing the boundaries and culture for Jesus.’ He says, ‘You have been standing up in society for Jesus, and you have been praying for revival.’  

What is God doing in the rising generation? 

Reflecting on recent reports from the Bible Society, which share inspiring news of Gen Z (people aged between 13 and 28) turning to faith, Dave seeks Pastor Agu’s thoughts…

‘I’d love to explore with you what we are seeing in Gen Z. We’re seeing it in our churches, we’re seeing it in the newspapers, we’re seeing it in the data.'

'Gen Z are four times more likely to be in church now than they were six years ago. What is God doing? What’s happening here?’ 

Pastor Agu replies, ‘I think we first need to encourage all the intercessors out there. This is the answer to prayer. This is a beautiful testimony of a God who answers prayers.’

Pastor Agu prompts us all to remember Elijah on his knees praying and being told there's no rain. 

In the story, from 1 Kings 18, ‘Elijah sends his servant to look for rain… There's no rain, there's no sign of it. But the seventh time the servant is sent by Elijah to check, the servant comes back and says, unbelievable, there's a cloud on the horizon, the size of a man's hand. So this is it. This [interest from Gen Z] is like that cloud.’

‘But, what do we do with that cloud?’ Dave asks, ‘What do we do with this movement of younger people seeking faith?’ 

‘Firstly, we up the level of prayer,’ says Pastor Agu. ‘We don’t take our foot off the gas pedal. On the contrary, we press harder. This is the time to birth it in prayer. To bathe it in prayer. We pray.’

‘Then, we must try not to shape it ourselves. Which is going to be hard! We must step back and allow the Holy Spirit to do what He wants to do.’

‘Stepping back doesn't mean that we just fold our arms. There’s a lot that we can do to serve what God is doing. We need to create the spaces for it to happen.’

‘My wife Shala uses a phrase to describe who we would traditionally say are the older folk. She calls them the ‘seasoned people.’ And that’s a very powerful picture. Because they are seasoned. We are seasoned. They have experience, they have wisdom.’ 

‘There’s a lot that we could do, but first we have to create the spaces and then step back and see what God will do with it for this new generation.’ 

Dave responds, ‘I love that word seasoned, it’s biblical, it’s creation – there is a season for everything.’

We aren’t expected to be perfect  

As the excitement about revival grows in UK churches, and as we at Waverley Abbey share our vision of equipping a new generation to be transformed and transform the world for God’s glory, we could over think the ‘next steps’ and risk missing out on God’s plan. 

Pastor Agu gently reminds us that perfection can get in the way of God’s work. ‘There are a lot of leaders who just don’t want to get it wrong – in any way.’ There’s a tendency to want to find perfection. 

‘But, you’ve got to have in the back of your mind that if you want the child to walk, they are going to fall a few times before they can walk. A few mistakes is not the end of the world.’ Pastor Agu reminds us, ‘there will be mistakes and we will probably make a few more as this move [towards revival] gets stronger and stronger.’ 

Dave replies, ‘It’s in making mistakes that we learn. It’s the Refiner’s fire. And we need grace to hold each other when we do fall.’ 

‘God will bring the increase. I am excited about the future.’

Pastor Agu shared encouraging words as he reflected on his visit to Waverley Abbey: ‘I think this place will play a part in what God is doing in the younger generation. I can see them coming here – those who don’t yet know Jesus – and meeting Him, 

And, even if they don’t, some serious seeds will be sowed into their hearts that somebody else will water and an increase will come.’ 

By the grace of God, we at Waverley – Dave and all the team – are continuing to build the vision, facilities and services that Waverley Abbey can give to the next generation of Christians. All the time covering every step, every idea and every plan in prayer. 

As Pastor Agu reflected, this increase in Gen Z attending church, in seeking out God, is an answer to years and years of people interceding in prayer.

So, we encourage you to do the same. Keep praying. Keep listening to the Holy Spirit. And, if you want to pray with us, have a look at our rhythms of daily in person prayer at Waverley Abbey House, or online prayer twice a week – open to anyone. Join us.