Congregation members from Mirfield Team Parish, and Christ The King in Battyeford, enjoyed exploring with a pilgrimage & prayer walk recently.
The route included stops at places of worship past and present for pilgrims to pray for the churches and communities.
The day started with a light breakfast and prayers at St John’s Upper Hopton, and the route in the autumnal sunshine took the travellers, some on foot, some by car, to St Paul’s in Mirfield.
St. Paul’s recently held its final ever service, and there was chance to admire the exhibition which celebrated 143 years of the worshipping community, and to pray for the continuation of God’s work in this area.
The next stop was St Mary’s Mirfield, via a picturesque canal walk.
A soup lunch was enjoyed at the Friendship Café, and creative prayer stations allowed time for reflection.
The pilgrims then headed onwards to the site of St Peter’s at the Knowle, which is no longer standing, with a modern block of flats in its place.
A brief history of the church was shared, with prayers for the community before the final walk to Battyeford.
Everyone was met with a warm welcome of tea, coffee and homemade cake at Christ the King, and the day concluded with a Eucharist service.
One pilgrim said “Praying along the route for our community was really powerful, but the conversations as we walked were also really important.
“We all share a love for God’s work in our parishes, and there were a lot of really positive discussions about how we might work together in outreach and mission.”
The Revd Dr Erik Peeters, incumbent at Christ the King said: “It was lovely to see people from the three churches getting together to pray for the communities we all serve, and to share with one another our hopes and ideas for the future.
“We look forward to going on pilgrimage again next year, and to see what God does amongst us.”