Sat 19th May : Day 10

Is this really Day 10? If it is, our Journey must be coming to a close?

As we say goodbye to a number of our hosts outside St James Church, Bradford I try my hand at a selfie. I have the idea to use a 10 second timer on my phone (I’ve seen PK doing something similar). Success! A selfie in which we’re all in the picture.

We arrive at Scargill an hour later. Balloons adorn the driveway, and bunting too. It may be in part for the royal wedding, but in our now found humility we decide it’s for us! Community and friends form a human tunnel for us to walk through as we make our way the final few yards into the doors of Scargill House. After the Bradford selfie I’m still feeling confident, and I pass my phone to Jonathan to take a pic of us passing through the human tunnel. Afterwards, I see Jonathan looking perturbed. It seems I left the 10 second timer on. We seem to have left the tunnel by the time the photo is taken…

We do still miss and love our fellow pilgrim PK, for all that he brought to this Journey (and not just because he really did know how to work a camera). Oh, and in case PK was wondering – the jigsaw has now made it to Scargill where it was gratefully received…

So, we’ve now travelled 900 miles, spent 9 nights in 9 different beds, never quite being quite sure where we are or have just come from. We’ve met many people in different situations and have had so many conversations. Some areas have been affluent, others deprived. But we’ve been made so welcome at every location.

We’ve really bonded too, becoming our own little community – loving, laughing and supporting each other through the ups and downs of the journey. We have experienced what it means to BE community in addition to DOING community. And we have felt God’s presence with us throughout.

And so it only remains for us to thank all who have provided support along the way and to those who have followed us on the blog. Over the coming weeks we will compile and publish the whole blog and will invite and include our own reflections plus any we receive from the communities we’ve joined along the way.

To you all,

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, wherever we journey in this world…

Fri 18th May : Day 9

Day 9 dawns bright and sunny in Southport. We have had a lot of sunshine on this journey, and have discovered warmth in every place we’ve been.

Esther gets in the quote of the day before we even set off. After getting into my car she asks, ‘Sorry to be a pain, but can I get into the boot?’. And now we can’t set off because we can’t stop laughing. Is my driving really that bad?…

As ever, we extend our gratitude to our various hosts for opening their homes to us and for their warmth and hospitality.

Paul and Sheila go ahead to St Stephens Church, Bradford and spend time with kids from the St Stephens C of E Primary School. When they arrive, children are playing football and other games in the yard. They find a beautiful chalk design drawn onto the pavement. There is fun and enjoyment all around – a picture of God’s Kingdom: different nationalities, even different faiths all coming together and experiencing God’s love. Wendy (of Scargill descent) is there too. Referring to Samuel choosing David she explains to the children that no matter how clever we might think we are, it’s what’s on the inside that matters to God. Craft activities and a film follow.

Meanwhile, back in Southport, Esther, Jonathan and I are releasing a little of God’s love, in the form of chocolates, to the people we meet on the street. This is fun – we share in some great conversations and find opportunities to talk about the Journey. Esther even strikes up a conversation with a real photographer who takes our photo for us (though it’s important to note that we still miss PK!)

We share a meal at a Bradford Balti restaurant which has been recommended to us by one of our hosts. We are not disappointed. Even Paul feels there’s enough naan to go around!

We finish the day at a social event which has been organised for us at St James Church Hall. It is so fitting that Chris Edmondson and his wife Susan are here too. Chris, formerly Bishop of Bolton is chair of the Scargill Trustees and is a former Warden of Lee Abbey. There are around 20 others from the local area too, many with connections to Scargill which is now only an hour’s drive away. We answer questions about the journey. We’ve had a lovely day and evening, and we are grateful too for those who provided hospitality along the way.

And finally, Scargill – end of our journey, is now in sight…

Thu 17th May : Day 8

As Day 8 dawns here in Manchester, we begin to sense that the end of the Journey is coming into sight. There are mixed feelings. We’re all tired and a little disorientated by now, but we’ve developed such strong bonds together, supporting each and ‘being’ in addition to ‘doing’ Community.

We gather at St George Church, Tyldesley and chat with others from the wider church team over tea before setting out on a short prayer walk in the local area.

There are issues to be addressed in any community, but such potential too. We sense a beating heart just below the surface of this locality, and we pray as we walk for the realisation of new hope. We pray that the churches would become stronger as they work together, reaching out in the strength of God’s love to all corners of Astley, Tyldesley and Mosley Common.

Soon we are on the road again, and on our way to Southport in the Diocese of Liverpool. We don’t know what to expect, but as we arrive we realise that we are at the seaside. It is somehow unexpected. The pent-up child in each of us is unleashed and we spend an hour just being, well a bit ‘silly’. What JOY, what laughter.

We’ve been told to go to Westminster Café for lunch. Sheila is in charge of our limited funds and orders her lunch… Wow!

Esther seems to be living out the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25 : 14-30), and we learn that investing in ‘two-penny shove machines’ isn’t a wise growth strategy. We console Esther and move on.

The biggest news is that we ALL get to enjoy ice-cream at the end of the pier, and we even manage a half decent selfie there (though we still miss PK!).

The evening turns out to be amazing. We join members of various church denominations for a meal out, and then are treated to a sensational ecumenical evening service at St John Stones Roman Catholic Church. The various churches meet together for prayer on a Tuesday, but this joint service has been inspired by our Journey. So many people have come, and the Salvation Army band and singers are here too. The service is filled with a heady mix of praise, worship, joy and fun. And of course, a demonstration of churches united and working together for one God. Amen to that…

The service is followed by cake and tea in the hall, and a chance for us to talk more about the Journey. Each day takes us by surprise, and this is no exception…

Wed 16th May : Day 7

Day 7 opens in Great Longstone. A much cooler and breezier day today. But before we step out together into the cold morning, I need to share a revelation : I have never seen a ‘Lazy Susan’ before. Why doesn’t everyone have one of these on their breakfast table? I watch as Jonathan misses the point, reaches for the butter and nearly sends a glass of orange juice flying, hey ho. Esther is looking pleased today – she has named a local hill after herself. What a humble group of travellers we are!

We finish breakfast and make our way to the Methodist Church for prayer, stopping off at St Giles Church. Here, we admire the creativity of local people in the shape of their annual flower display on the theme of Nursery Rhymes.

We pray again for this village and locality in the Methodist church and prepare to move on to our next location… Thank you Pat and the people of Great Longstone for your warm welcome and hospitality.

The journey continues, and we arrive at a Community Café in Tyldesley, Manchester and meet members of the three churches of Astley, Tyldesley and Moseley Common over lunch. The café takes food close to its sell by date, provides free meals and acts as a family drop in centre, particularly for young families.

Paul and I head off to different primary schools to take part in assemblies – once again we talk to the children about the Journey, being friends together and friends pointing others towards Jesus. We re-enact the story of the man lowered through the roof – deftness and cardboard-prop gymnastics are back in play(ish). It is such a privilege to be here and able to share Jesus in this way.

We split into three groups and spend time within the three different parishes, at the churches of St George, St John and St Stephen, reflecting, praying / prayer walks. It is clear to us how much the church and local people care about this community, but as ever there are some real obstacles and challenges to be prayed into.

After finding our hosts and dropping off bags we make our way back to St Stephen’s School and church. The church communities have prepared a veritable feast. We enjoy conversation, learning more about the area and sharing about the Journey. A talent evening follows the meal. Whilst we are outgunned by the local talent we are still able to contribute to the evening with stories, poems and testimonies… We thank you all for a wonderful afternoon and evening.

Tue 15th May : Day 6

This morning some of us had morning prayer with the Aston Community, whilst the remainder set off to Aston Parish church to take part in morning prayers there. As ever, we are also so grateful to our various hosts for opening their homes to us, and for showing us such generous hospitality.

This morning we say goodbye to one of our pilgrims, PK, as he remains in Aston preparing to travel to London and then Hungary on Wednesday. It is with heavy hearts that we bid him farewell and re-pack the car. Our load is lighter without PK, but at least we have a giant jigsaw to remember him by, safely packed away and destined for Scargill. Enough said about the jigsaw. We are also reflective – PK was by far the best photographer in the group, and we wonder how we will survive without him.

We reach our new destination within the Derbyshire Dales, and Esther has bravely stepped up to the plate and volunteered to take the group photo…

We miss PK…

Pat is the host, and has bravely invited all five of us to stay in her wonderful house in Great Longstone within the Derbyshire National Park. The group heads up to nearby Longstone Edge to take in the beauty of the local landscape. Whilst there, Paul decides he will try his hand at photography, and he lines up another group selfie.

We miss PK…

Pat has invited quite a few friends of Lee Abbey and Scargill to her home, and we enjoy tea, cake and good conversation in the garden, with a backdrop of beautiful Derbyshire countryside.

Afterwards, we all make our way through the village, stopping to pray at key locations. The village is very vibrant – alive, very much a working village. But there are still some significant areas in which God’s breakthrough and protection are particularly needed.

{Photo 4 – Group prayer walk} Sorry this picture is missing at the moment. Maybe PK has it? – ed.

Our walk eventually leads us to the Crispin Pub, where we tuck in to some wonderful food. After the meal, a pub quiz has been organised. Paul seems to have prophetic tendencies – his table adopts the name ‘Winners’ and beyond anyone’s expectation it actually comes to pass. He’s as humble as ever. We are pleased for him!

The evening finishes back at Pat’s house with evening prayer.

Mon 14th May : Day 5

Some of us forgetting what day it is, or what date, or even both. But we’re pretty sure that this is Day 5, which must make it the halfway point for the Journey.

So, Day 5 begins with a prayer meeting in St Peter’s Church, Kineton. We are so impressed at the creativity of the local community in constructing a prayer tent within the church.

Once again, we are treated to an unexpected but lavish breakfast. We thank our generous hosts once again for their wonderful hospitality which help us so much on the Journey.

A short time later we’re back on the road. We do a car swap as we pass my home near Warwick. It’s also an opportunity to lose some luggage – the hand drill is deposited here, but PK’s unreasonably large jigsaw journeys on. Perhaps it will help us see the bigger picture?

We arrive at the house of the Lee Abbey Aston Community and are made to feel welcome by two of the Community – James and Will. A couple of us go to see the work of the local Foodbank and to chat with the volunteers and clients.

Paul and I spend a few hours at the Salvation Army Youth & Community Centre, where Jo and Paul (also members of the Aston Lee Abbey Community) are leaders. They show us around, and we spend time with some of the local kids as they enjoy some time out and games together.

On our way back to the Community house Paul and I receive a photo of our colleagues enjoying chocolate ice-creams. This is perfect… Or is it?! When we catch up with them, their excuses are contradictory and flimsy – ‘last ones in the shop’ and ‘they’d have melted’. Only an hour earlier we’d acknowledged that nothing is impossible for God, and yet… We will decide later whether to forgive!

After a meal, the Aston Community has arranged a prayer meeting / prayer walk at the local church. We pray for their work here, and for the local area. This is a predominantly Muslim area, and our prayers extend to the Muslim community as they prepare for the start of Ramadan.

Sun 13th May : Day 4

Day four dawned bright and sunny in Oxford. As ever, we are hugely grateful to our hosts for their warm welcome and generous hospitality. Today will be a long day. But, before it begins, we’re treated to a wonderful cooked breakfast in the church hall. Now we’re ready for the day!Between us we’re able to cover four different church services at St James and St Francis Churches in the parish of Cowley, including a Punjabi service (providing a very different cultural and interesting experience for those attending).

During the services, we’re each asked questions about the Lee Abbey and Scargill Communities, the purpose of the Journey and its links to the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ initiative. It’s a great opportunity to share what we’re doing.

And then it’s time to hit the road again. Miracolusly, even PK’s jigsaw manages to find a place in the cars (did we leave something behind?!). Then, we’re on our way, but where?!

We arrive at St Peters Church in Wellsbourne (near Stratford-on-Avon) in time for coffee, cake and an early evening service presided over by Kate Mier. Kate, who’s currently coming to the end of a year in Scargill’s Community served in this church from 2004. Those who came along were clearly delighted to steal her back for the evening. During the service, she takes the opportunity to put us on the spot with some questions. I am prepared as I can be, having memorised key information about last night’s Eurovision Song Contest. But instead, Kate is interested in our experiences of Community, Hospitality and the Journey (probably just as well). One thing we all agree on – the Journey is helping us to see clear links between these three things – and we see God’s heart at the centre of them.

Following the service, we travel to nearby Kineton where we are treated to the most lavish and sumptuous bring and share meal I can remember (the equivalent of slaughtering the fattened calf?!). Not for the first time, we are humbled by such generous hospitality.

It has been a long day, with many different and fruitful encounters, and late in the evening we finally make our way to the homes of our various hosts… Tomorrow is another day…

Sat 12th May : Day 3

The third day of the Journey began where it left off last night – at Lee Abbey London… We awoke refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

We reflect on the difficult work undertaken by the Community here. The students who stay in this accommodation are young. Many are international, and faith isn’t generally so high on their agenda. When we join the Community for morning prayers we pray for the Spirit of God to fall anew on this place, supporting the Community in their valuable Kingdom work. As ever, we are hugely grateful for the hospitality we’ve been shown.

We reach Oxford, and join a church plant sale at St James’ Church, Cowley. We’re made to feel very welcome, and enjoy conversations about the Journey with many who are there. Paul’s former barrow-boy skills are soon in evidence, and we’re impressed by how easily he had the punters eating out of his hands – queuing up for chili plants, rhubarb and other garden delights.

Having become slightly obsessed by the amount of baggage we have, my plea for us not to fall for anything in the sale is quickly forgotten in the excitement. Firstly by PK as he succumbs to an unreasonably large jigsaw, and then by me as I find myself in possession of an old fashioned hand drill – all within the first five minutes of the sale. More luggage!

As the day winds down, we enjoy prayer time in the vicarage, and plan our involvement in Sunday’s church services. Despite the impending rain clouds, some go out in search of the largest ice cream they can find – and find it…

We are hugely grateful to our various hosts for their hospitality this evening… Before close of day we reflect on what we have each learned so far on the Journey. Highlights are:

·         Community is not a place – it’s a people. We are reminded of the vastness and variety of God’s people. Members of both Scargill and Lee Abbey can work together in a ministry of reconciliation between God and fallen humanity.

·         The importance of simply being with people where they are – sitting alongside and listening.

·         The importance of being in the present moment, which is where God will always be found.

·         The power to bless. The people that we visit are changed by us coming and being with them and blessing them. We can make a difference to people and their situations just by being God’s people and presence there.

·         That we should set aside our own agendas and trust that the Lord has gone ahead of us on this Journey and then fall into step with the way He has planned for us.

Tomorrow we will spend time talking about our Journey at a number of different churches, culminating at our new destination in the locality of Wellsbourne and Kineton.

Fri 11th May : Day 2

Day 2 began at the Knowle West Community with morning prayers, reflecting on the previous day’s activities, the mission of their Community, and the day and journey to come. And, following a photo call by the front door, we readied ourselves for the journey to ou

We split into two groups – one striding out with Esther for South Ealing Tube Station, to continue their journey to London by rail. The other, (Tim and Paul) had been invited to do two morning assemblies at a local school – the School of Christ the King Primary School.

The school assemblies were a real joy – the kids were attentive and well behaved. Paul had created a fantastic prop (aka four card strips, hinged) which was used to help tell the story of the man lowered through the roof of a house by his friends, to be healed by Jesus. Through a series of amazing cardboard contortions, the strip became a bed, morphed into a pair of legs, then a window, a door, a figure ‘4’, a pitched roof, flat roof and a rope. The kids seemed to really enjoy it, learning in the process about the Scargill/Lee Abbey journey, the importance and value of friendship, and how friends can work together to help point people towards Jesus.

We eventually all gathered at the next destination – Lee Abbey London. Another warm welcome awaited us, and wonderful hospitality.

The Lee Abbey London Christian Community provides accommodation for students of all faiths or none. The evening was spent mingling with students, following which Christian Comedian and Magician, Tom Elliott, provided the evening’s entertainment. Jonathan was clearly keen to be involved – why else would anyone sit on the front row?! And involved he was, much to our great delight. A wonderful evening had by all, good conversations and good fun.

Lee Abbey Devon to Lee Abbey Knowle West Community in Bristol

Thu 10th May : Day 1

After meeting last night to discuss the itinerary, (and an insight by Esther about wine bottle tops), the intrepid group (Paul, Sheila and Tim from Scargill and Esther and Jonathan from Lee Abbey) prepared for the off.

The cars were loaded high. Should we have brought a trailer and some roadies? We’ve agreed not to talk too much about the sizes of our individual bags in case we lose our sense of shared harmony (a diplomatic way of avoiding reference to the size of Paul’s suitcase). This must be how it was for the disciples – only I thought they agreed not to carry bags?

The send off from Lee Abbey was amazing. We, and another mission team destined for South Wales left at the same time, with the Lee Abbey community praying for us as we prepared to leave. Amidst a fanfare, party poppers and bunting we finally left.

The sun shone brightly and the coastline was amazing. 15 minutes later the decision was taken to stop for lunch at a coastal beauty spot – the sun beaming. And 3 minutes after that it rained. Paul’s shorts?

The Lee Abbey Knowle West Community in Bristol was our first proper ‘journey destination’. ‘PK’ (who has previously served at both Lee Abbey and Scargill) joined us here. Having flown in from Budapest this morning, he will now travel with us to Derby.

We received a warm welcome and met with some of the people closely associated with this Community, which represents a beacon of light within the locality, working hard to bring new hope to the area. We gained a greater understanding of the locality and work of the Community through guided prayer walks, and were able to offer our own prayers of blessing and hope.

We’re so thankful for the wonderful hospitality – food, conversation, insight and learning at Lee Abbey Knowle West, and for being made so welcome.

And tomorrow, after helping out at two school assemblies, we travel onward to the next leg of the journey : Lee Abbey London…