“Expect to meet with God” on pilgrimage, says Rev’d Laura Hewitt

“Expect to meet with God!” says Rural Church Missioner, The Rev’d Laura Hewitt

I have been working for a year now as the Rural Church Missioner in the Ross on Wye area. The other half of my post is working as the StowCaple Benefice Rector, caring for seven churches in the area. These churches are in some of the most beautiful natural areas: Sollers Hope, How Caple, Kings Caple, Foy, Sellack, Bridstow and Peterstow. My ministry here is influenced by these beautiful places, and I have been asking myself how we can bring attention to this area as a place of interest. This has led to us forming a pilgrimage trail in the StowCaple Benefice. There is great interest in pilgrimage at the moment, through television programs, blogs, and the increasing number of pilgrimage trails. I suspect that this is because people are needing to connect with God, seeking peace and hope in a world that is full of uncertainty and noise.

Herefordshire and the surrounding counties are hidden gems, and the perfect way to encounter this gem is by journeying through the beautiful scenery that captivates the soul. These counties make pilgrimage come alive because these churches are situated in breathtaking landscapes. In the extraordinary churches that hide amongst the enchanting landscapes, you will find ‘food for your soul’ as you walk, cycle, or drive from church to church. In these ‘thin places’ you will experience a sense of the God of the tradition and the God of today. The God who holds our past, in all its pain and glory and shows us His presence is not only for then but for now. As you journey, you may be asking for revelation; you may want to discover something new in your being. As you take time to think, pray and just be you may experience clarity and new vision. Time out in God’s creation gives God a chance to speak to your heart and head. 

The ‘StowCaple Pilgrimage trail’ will be linking in with the wider ‘Wye Churches Pilgrimage Trail’ that is in development at the moment, launching soon. This will extend the pilgrimage from St Dubricius, Whitchurch right up to the market town church, St Mary’s in Ross. 

So, why go on a pilgrimage trail, what makes this different from a walk? Firstly, this is about your own expectations. What are they? What questions will you ask yourself on your journey? What will you need?  How can you prepare yourself to engage with each of the places you visit?

 

As you walk, expect to meet with God in the natural surroundings, take time to ponder about the creator and how all this is possible. Take time to breathe fresh air and imagine how life could be as you experience the God of the impossible. Give yourself time to lay down the hard things of the past and pick up new hope for the future. Allow space to hear the voice of God in the ancient churches. These are places where prayer has papered the walls and floors for centuries. In these historic buildings engage with the history, the stories of the Saints and the hope of previous pilgrims. Allow yourself to encounter something of the presence God and in this, know the God who embraces us all in our ups and downs. God is in it all and Jesus opened the door for us all to encounter this relationship with Him. 

 

The pattern or worship and prayer, the welcome to the pilgrim as they enter these places of sanctuary should help all to encounter inner peace. There will be prayer areas in the church to help the pilgrim stop and pause for a moment, an hour or more. Time to nurse your inner life, the thoughts and words that you keep hidden from the world. The Churches will be developing stations to help those who enter engage with the life of the Saints, the Celtic links and to lay down burdens and pick up a new peace that may well change their life and direction. The hope is that these pilgrimage trails will excite the soul for something that is bigger than you can ever imagine. It is hoped that you will be helped to encounter that sense of being joined though creation to each other and to the creator God. The hope is that as the pilgrims arrive and leave, they leave a little of themselves in each place and take the peace of God home with them. It is also hoped that those who live locally will start to find a home in the Churches and that they go spiritually deeper and become part of the continuing story of the Christian faith, to be a local pilgrim with feet and heart.

Related activities:

There will be a Selleck Bridge and Wye River Celebration Service on 28th June at 3pm. This will be a chance to not only pray for the farming communities but for us to launch this part of the pilgrimage. We will be releasing our web page and beginning to shift our language to embrace this group of churches as the ‘StowCaple Pilgrimage Trail.’

There will be more coming in the future as the trail grows, linking with the ‘Wye Churches Pilgrimage Trail’. There will be books to help with prayers, information, and even a passport to stamp as you go along on your travels. There will be a website to help you work out your route. There will be a logo to help you know that as you visit these places, they are linked, just as we are all linked by being pilgrims in life. Local places to eat and lay your head will also be flagged up.

The vision is to help people engage with the presence of God, but the reality is you can come on this journey with whatever your agenda is. Maybe it is just a walk for you to refresh yourself from the weary day to day life, a time to pause, to connect. Maybe it is more, or maybe it will become more. In time we hope to offer other things, like themed retreat days, quiet days in some of these hamlets, guided walks that help you connect with the history, services outside by the river or other locations of natural beauty.  We hope to offer times of corporate prayer to add to your private moments. There are so many ways we can develop these Pilgrimage Trails, and we will together go on this journey. 

Hereford Diocese welcomes pilgrims and is a place where you can encounter the love of God through nature, history and a living faith that carpets our land. Being one of the most rural Dioceses in the country means it lends itself to expand the mission of Jesus to help us engage with the creator through creation. We link with the prayers through the centuries in these places of solitude, praise and hope. Come and join us, visit Hereford Diocese the ‘Diocese of Pilgrimage.’ 
 

– ENDS –