Lighting the way

Pilgrims hand over the cross from Richard Budd on Vimeo.

The Sherborne Area Pilgrimage took place on the island of Portland this year during the week 14th to 20th June.  Twenty core pilgrims joined over fifty local pilgrims from all denominations to take part in a week of mission entitled ‘Lighting the way’.

The pilgrimage started with a Salvation Army service and Jazz Vespers on the first Sunday and involved outreach to all aspects of the community. There were many visits to local schools, the prisons and getting involved with coffee mornings, local cubs, youth and café church.

The pilgrims did gardening, car-washing and escorted school children on school trips as well as doing assemblies, sometimes with one of the pilgrims dressed as a clown.

They attended a Roman Catholic Mass at the Verne and visited the Young Offenders Institute to hear from the chaplain about his work there.

The week involved some pub ministry and a local band provided entertainment at a barn dance on the Friday night.

The culmination of the week’s activities was an open air act of worship in Eastern Square on the Saturday afternoon.

One of the most important elements of the week was the ecumenical nature. Salvationist, Methodists, Roman Catholics, and Anglicans all worked together to make it a hugely rewarding week.

Chris Briggs, Methodist minister on Portland said, “We found it a privilege to share with you, work with you, and worship with you.  We have no doubt in our minds that God will have been powerfully at work on Portland as a community and in individual lives as a result of the Pilgrimage.  We may not see all the fruit of that, but in the coming weeks I am sure there will be all sorts of evidence of the Spirit bringing further opportunities and a harvest.

We are aware that many of you had to leave other precious people and work in order to come here and we do not underestimate the sacrifice involved with that”