The wilderness Way

a year long pilgrimage for progressing christians

Alternative faith community for those disenchanted with traditional, institutional Christianity. You’re not alone here in the hinterland, and as we find each other we are patiently relearning how to share authentic faith practice together.

Read the books, have the conversations, take what you need, give what you can, find your rhythm - and belong. If you’re curious, read more below.

The Wilderness Way is a year-long curated learning experience for anyone interested in exploring a more open and progressive Christianity with a community of other learners in Northern Ireland. The program is designed to encourage progression and exploration in three distinct areas: devotional practice, reflective learning and community belonging.

Devotional Practice

Many spiritual seekers find it helpful to follow a daily or weekly pattern of prayer and contemplation. If you’d like to share this rhythm of devotional practice with others, we recommend Richard Rohr’s daily meditations from The Centre for Action and Contemplation, which can be found here.

These are short reflections lasting about 5 minutes per day, or you can use the weekly rhythm which brings together a summary of the previous 7 days. Of course not everyone is inclined towards contemplative practice, but if you’re looking to share a bit of a devotional routine alongside others as you journey - this is where you’ll find us! Just follow the link and then click the “read today’s meditation” button, and you’ll be in sync with the wider community.

There will also be an opportunity to meet informally with fellow participants every 2 weeks on a Tuesday evening to discuss and learn from the previous fortnight’s reflections. (More details of “check-in Tuesdays” will follow below.)

Another opportunity for spiritual practice is our weekly Sunday gathering at Harbour Faith Community in Carrickfergus. At Harbour you will find a community of fellow spiritual seekers who are reflecting on the same themes that underpin The Wilderness Way, so you will feel right at home!

Reflective learning

To encourage theological learning and growth, participants are invited to read and discuss a curated series of books together. Open discussions will be on the first Sunday of each month at 1pm, just after the morning service at Harbour Faith Community in Carrickfergus. The reading material is designed to encourage fresh thinking around themes such as the cross and salvation, how to talk about God, how to understand scripture and how to reconcile faith, sexuality and relationships.

Books for February, March and April are: “Out of Sorts” by Sarah Bessey, “How The Bible Actually Works” by Pete Enns and “Sinners In The Hands of a Loving God” by Brian Zahnd.

Upcoming discussion dates for these books are: 05 March, 02 April and 07 May at Harbour Faith Community in Carrickfergus. Anyone may attend whether or not they have completed the reading material.

(A preview of the books coming up later in the year includes: “Speaking Christian” by Marcus Borg, “Womanist Midrash" by Wilda C. Gafney, “God Can't" by Thomas Oord, “An Altar in The World” by Barbara Brown Taylor and “Shameless: A Sexual Reformation” by Nadia Bolz-Webber.)

Communal belonging

The wilderness way also aims to provide participants with an opportunity to belong and to have shared experiences together in a variety of contexts. Two of these have already been mentioned with Sunday services at Harbour and also with “Check-in Tuesdays” in Belfast.

Check-in Tuesdays currently take place at a cafe or pub in East Belfast from 19:30 to 21:00 on a fortnightly cycle beginning 21 February 2023. We gather informally around a table to get to know each other and to reflect on the previous 2 weeks meditations from The Centre for Action and Contemplation. No booking required, just turn up whether or not you’ve been following the meditations - the group will soon catch you up! (Exact venue will be confirmed upon registration below.)

Scattered throughout the year, participants will also be invited to share in occasional communal practices such as Taizé style meditation evenings, reflective walks or Lectio Divina contemplations. Functioning a bit like field trips, these provide an excellent opportunity for participants to build community whilst sharing in experiences inspired by the monastic traditions. An example of one of these events from last year is the Celtic Advent reflective morning as seen here.

HOW DO I JOIN?

There is no need to formally “join” The Wilderness Way and you are free to engage with as much or as little of the program as fits in with your overall rhythm of life.

However, registering your interest will allow us to keep you informed of upcoming dates, schedule changes and any new material that may become available. You will also be invited to join a private Facebook group where participants can interact with each other, discuss books and follow program updates etc. There are also some wonderful folk who’ve already been on this journey for a long time, and they can be available for online chats, pastoral support or one to one ‘walk and talks’ along the way.

For us, “leadership” of Wilderness Way is not a special role given to an individual. Rather, leadership is a collective function of the community that we all get to share. As John Wimber used to say, “Everyone gets to play.”

There is no charge for the course, although you will be responsible for your own books. Kindle versions are often much cheaper and we will also attempt to source some pre-owned copies for participants where possible. (Audio versions are often free with a subscription through Audible.)

So, when you’re ready, simply register below to begin your pilgrimage. Grace and Peace.

register your interest here

(We will never share your personal information with any third parties.)