ANGELA YOUNGMAN reports on the ‘Mountain Pilgrims’ initiative…
Norwich, UK
While exploring ways of creating an alternative pioneering ministry with colleagues in the Church of England’s Diocese of Cumbria, Paul Rose found inspiration within the mountainous countryside around him.
“I felt a call to do something like a church outdoors, where we can notice God and create space for God, seeing how nature fits in,” said Rose, a ‘pioneer enabler’. “We appreciated the space and silence that freed us from the distractions which often limit how we hear God’s voice. We journeyed, spoke, prayed and shared, shoulder-to-shoulder with a community – and then we called ourselves ‘Mountain Pilgrims‘.”
‘Mountain Pilgrims’ walking near Great Mell Fell in the Lake District, UK. PICTURE: Courtesy of Paul Rose
Six years later, the result is an increasingly popular network of ‘Mountain Pilgrims’ in which participants enjoy regular walks and discussions, as well as links into schools.
Paul Rose. PICTURE: Courtesy of Paul Rose
“We are a walking group that heads for the mountains,” Rose explained. “Jesus referred to lifting up your eyes to see the world, and God’s blessing on creation. We offer more of a mystical perspective on Christianity, away from dogma. Our walks are an opportunity to connect with nature, to experience nature and explore Christian thoughts on nature.”
Each walk aims to provide opportunities to connect with each other and with nature, to reflect and ultimately to act.
“We start with a chat as we walk and reach a point, usually a gate,” Rose said. “We talk about crossing a threshold, creating a connectivity to nature and each other. It is a time to notice what we hear, smell, feel, touch and see. It can be a playful time too especially if children are present. If we are at a river, we can explore the sense of touch, detail and colour. We then walk on together, exploring the bigger picture and taking time to reflect.
“We might tell a Bible story, and look for positives and connections as we walk. By the end of the walk we are thinking about what we feel has been revealed, and how we can take action over the coming week. It might be how to improve connections with others, or to do something environmental like taking more walks or going on a litter pick.”
Rose has led groups through forests and included elements of forest bathing too.
“The simple pleasure of lying on the ground looking at the sky through the trees offers a different perspective on connecting with nature.”
Recently, the initiative has expanded to create a linked facility for schools.
“What we are offering is different to a traditional forest school,” Rose explained. “We add a richness, a spiritual element. We know from experience that if we talk about God, the shutters often go down so we start conversations in a different way. We engage with language carefully, focusing on the cycle of life, through hopes, dreams, struggles and experiences.”
A typical schools event involved three walks over three weeks and involved a visit to a nearby Natural England nature reserve.
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Rose explained what happened next.
“We started with a walk through the woods and playful activities encouraging a deeper connection to nature. This was a way of growing kids confidence at going out into the countryside. Some had never pushed their way through bushes before, or discovered potential hazards like nettles that can sting.
“During the second visit, we explored the idea that nature has the ability to heal and help us. The children had to create potions along the walk, collect items and say why they had chosen them such as a read leaf to add brightness and colour, or a rock to add strength.
“On the third visit, we helped Natural England undertake an environmental project as a way of giving back and helping nature. By cutting down gorse bushes and allowing bees access to create burrows, the children could feel they were making a difference and were part of a bigger picture. They were doing something positive.”
‘Mountain Pilgrims’ walking near Haweswater Reservoir in the Lake District. PICTURE: Courtesy of Paul Rose.
Several Mountain Pilgrim groups now exist across Cumbria and northern England. Walks take place each month and are open to all ages and fitness levels while the length of each walk varies and can last between two hours and five hours.
Later this year there will be a Mountain Pilgrims festival, designed to bring together all the groups and anyone interested in learning more.
“Thousands of people are drawn to the mountain experience but don’t have the language, insight or inclination to allow it permeate into their whole life,” noted Rose. “They are unaware that even simple reflections and practices could shift them to be pilgrims – people transformed, living life more fully, because of what has been revealed to them on their journey.
“We want to be recognised that we are offering something extra to the secular world. Mountain Pilgrims isn’t a church – it is a movement committed to deepening people’s experience of nature through connection, reflection and action in which people will naturally encounter God and be steadily transformed.”
