Wild Church
CREATION CONNECTED
When asked when they feel most connected to God, people often say when they are outdoors in nature, and yet most church programming gathers people indoors. In recent years, more and more people have been leaving traditional indoor church gatherings, and are returning to the outdoors as a spiritual practice.
Once a month Estuary gathers outside for Wild Church – a simple service of singing, storytelling, scripture reading, wandering, sharing, and communion. Wild Church services take place at various locations throughout the Boundary Bay Watershed, helping us get to know, and be known by, our other-than-human neighbours.
Each simple service is designed with all ages in mind. Locations are accessible and participation is flexible!
For centuries Christians have thought of Scripture and Creation as “two books” that shed light on the divine. Each Wild Church service has a Scripture reading followed by a Nature reading where people are invited into a time of quiet wandering and wondering. Solo, in pairs, or as an adult accompanying children, folks are invited on a self-guided contemplative walk, taking note of what in nature draws their attention. After about 25 minutes we gather back to share where we wandered and what we noticed, before closing with communion and a final song.
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes…
– Elizabeth Barrett Browning
