Looking back to Moving Mountains

Thursby Methodist Church

About to start the walk

Salt Dough Figures - Feeding of 5000

It was great to be part of 'Moving Mountains', the Cumbria Mission 2018, about three weeks ago, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (8-11 March) - when 33 teams (Church of England, Methodist, Salvation Army, United Reformed Church) were allocated to different mission partnership around Cumbria. We started off with a big launch event at Penrith's Cattle Market, an interesting venue for a service of worship, and then dispersed to different communities around Cumbria.

Together with four others from the Synod, and a retired bishop, I spent four days in a very rural 'patch' close to Carlisle, meeting and supporting the local churches, as they sought to engage with their communities in all sorts of ways. 

St John's Newton Arlosh

One of our points of focus was on the 'feeding of the five thousand' - and so many salt dough figures were made as those who encountered the story were encouraged to consider what it might mean for them.

The team - Mark, Paul, Robert, +David,
Nicola, Machrina

Activities for us included morning prayer, a games night, a quiz night, a community lunch, with a couple of dramatic sketches with a meaning, a film evening, a (six and a half mile!) walk and - for me - preaching at St. John's, Newton Arlosh. It was indeed good to join 33 other senior church leaders, including Archbishop John Sentamu, and their teams, convinced that God can indeed move mountains!