Pastor’s eNote: Pilgrimage

There is a pilgrimage coming in May of 2025 throughout Scotland and England. I am certain that many of you have heard about it in the newsletter or other places for months. May 4-17, 2025 are the dates we have set for anyone who would like to explore our Celtic and Wesleyan roots and the implications they have for today.

I have now led four pilgrimages to England and Scotland over the years, each with their own memories of powerful moments in these “thin” spaces as they are often called. “Thin” because each place grants the opportunity to encounter God in a new way.

My first pilgrimage to England was in 2004, now twenty years ago, with my dear friend Bishop Dwain Houser. Dwain was a Bishop in the Celtic Catholic Church who I met through a retreat weekend. Dwain had received his PhD from St. Andrew’s in Scotland and was a cantankerous, wondering, and beautiful soul. I often described him as my spiritual “father” of sorts.

There are many memories with Dwain from that pilgrimage, but one experience expressed in the picture captured it best (image to the right).

Dwain already had a respiratory illness at the time we visited the Coventry Cathedral. His body was declining which led to his death a few years after this photo. Pictured here is Dwain taking a rest at the cathedral while the our group explored the wondrous and moving place which is Coventry. The sculpture depicts Satan being bound and under guard by the Archangel Michael.

The moment in this picture (which hangs in my home) is a constant reminder of strength and victory in Christ. When we feel most defeated, we must remind ourselves that God has triumphed over all. A pilgrimage is not just what you experience when on it but also the transformation which lasts for an eternity.

I pray that each of us have these moments of transformation. The moments of “thinness” where heaven and earth are brought close will change us if we allow it to by the grace of God. May you find some “thin” space soon.

Grace to You All,

Pastor Craig Brown

P.S. There is still time to join our 2025 pilgrimage to Scotland and England! Attend our online or in-person informational gatherings in November and December. For more info please visit www.ffmc.org/events.

(11/12/2024)