10 April 2014 a post by Bruce Stanley

Wychwood Forest Church

Wychwood Forest Church are a small group of Christians meeting outside of a 'church' building and actually very happy to be outside, finding God by relating to the natural world. We'd like others, Christians or not, to join us on this journey of exploration.

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Nature has often been described as ‘God’s other book’, able to reveal as much about the Creator as a Book of scripture - this has certainly been the experience of many who have searched for a deeper understanding of God. The true term for a seeker after the divine is ‘mystic’.

When.

We plan to meet monthly to explore the natural world, learning how to read the landscape and appreciate the detail we observe there. While we will naturally relate what we learn from the ‘book of nature’ to our other book, the Bible, the group is open to everyone who shares a desire to explore the ‘mystery’ of the natural world, whatever their understanding of the divine.

Our first outing is to celebrate the dawn of Easter Day – but future meetings will be at more reasonable hours. A list of venues and times will be posted here in due course.

Where

The ancient Wychwood Forest covered the area of West Oxfordshire where we expect to be active and is therefore a good name for something focussed on the natural world. Learn more about the area itself from the unrelated, but very worthwhile, Wychwood Project.

What

Typically a meeting will involve a circular walk from a meeting point with a number of stops marking transitions such as urban to rural, busy to quiet, woodland to open field or special view points. These transition points there will be opportunity for sharing thoughts and observations.

Along the way we will try to interact with the landscape itself, learning how to observe and listen to nature, how to see both the big picture and the tiny detail and pass through the landscape without disturbing other inhabitants.

Some walks will be organised to be along surfaced paths suitable for wheelchairs and buggies.

All are welcome.

These gatherings are open to anyone. Although we are Christians with a common belief in Christ as the way to the Divine, this group is open to anyone searching for someone/something beyond ourselves, evident in the natural world, and with a desire to interact with and appreciate nature as part of that search.

We certainly don’t see ourselves as experts in the natural world and hope that there is plenty we can learn from other people with a different take on both nature and spirituality. We see this as an opportunity to learn together.

Contact – Jean Andrews, 01865 88016 or via .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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Your comments:

Please send me details of when and where you will be meeting this Autumn.

Thanks   Amanda

#1. By Amanda Frost on August 28, 2017

Please send info of next meeting

#2. By Jen Newman-Fox on August 27, 2019











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