As a church we are supporting Dave Cape as he walks the entire Pilgrims way between Ramsgate, Canterbury, Winchester and London, carrying his Cross and  Bowl.  The Pilgrims Way passes right by our village of Lenham, so it carries a special significance for us.

St Augustine's cross can be found at Cliffsend near Ramsgate, and marks the point which is traditionally thought to be the site of St Augustine's landing on the shores of England in AD 597.  A plaque by the cross read that Augustine "preached his first sermon to our countrymen thus he happily planted the Christian faith which marvellously spread throughout the whole of England".

We started our service with some worship, then Dave Cape shared a few words.  Neil from Jubilee Church Maidstone told us a bit about the history of the site.  We read some bible verses and prayed, before sharing communion together. We also buried a peg with some  bible verses written on it in the ground. It was a special time and felt significant. 

​Here is reflection on the weekend by Karen Brookchild.

​​When we were invited to go to the cluster weekend I was determined not to have any expectations, I just wanted to be open to what God was saying.  However, I was excited at the chance to see some people that we had not seen for a while.

​Over breakfast the next morning we had an opportunity to share this checklist with a lady at a different conference, who was there seeking answers to a disease she had protracted.  She shared much of her life story with us and before she went I felt prompted to ask if she had faith and offer to pray for her. After praying we did not expect to see her again.

​More great teaching and opportunities to socialise followed. Imagine our surprise we we bumped into our new friend again! She thanked us for our prayers and declared they had already been answered as she had spoken to one of the top doctors who had offered her treatment. We prayed again and gave her our phone number, offering to pray any time she asked us too.

I have been considering God's grace a lot as we go through the Grace Course and thinking about what it means to be available. The thing with availability is, you have no control over what you are available for, it's not like going for a job interview where you choose what you available to do. You trust your heavenly Father to send something or someone your way and you do what is required. ​

​During the early May bank holiday, Pathways elders Johnny, Estelle, Dave and Jenny journeyed to Sidmouth to join with other church leaders from the Acts Life Cluster.  Pathways is part of the family called Church of the Nations, and Acts Life is a smaller group of churches that relate as a family within that.  Acts Life is headed up by Dave and Carol Cape, who were with us over the weekend.  There were also leaders from South Africa, London, and other parts of the UK.

​Part of the aim of the weekend was to spend time together and build friendships.  This was achieved over some leisurely meal times with plenty of time to talk, and also with free time in the afternoons where we could enjoy exploring Sidmouth in the sun. Some even went for a swim!

Another objective was to provide helpful input for the church leaders, and this input was based around the theme 'Accelerating the Dream'.

​Hazel shared about how some dreams have to be laid down in order for God to bring something new. Some things need to die, and we let God choose which are resurrected and which are not. Dan talked about 'dreaming kingdom' and what that looked like in the book of Acts in the bible.  He compared 'pipe dreams' which are 'I' based to 'Kingdom dreams' which are God based

​We had a special treat on the Saturday evening when Mike Davies joined us from Okehampton.  He is a church leader, politician and has been the Mayor of Okehampton several times.  He was a delight to listen to, and reminded us what it's all about; walking with Jesus, being ourselves, and going out to be a light in the community.

​On the Sunday Claire shared about engaging people in the dream, Neil shared about Navigating the Changing dream, and Kara reminded us to keep in mind what we are leaving for the next generation.  Dave Cape rounded off our teaching by reminding us that  nothing is impossible with God.

On the final morning Josh spoke about turning passion into purpose.  Blair encouraged us not to give up if our dream seems to unravel, but to look to God. Dan wrapped up the morning with some practical pointers.

​The weekend finished with sharing communion together. 
​Dave Cape spoke some prophetic words. Some people washed each other's feet.  Others prayed together and spoke words of encouragement.  Altogether it was a perfect way to finish an uplifting weelend

The overriding sense throughout it all was that God is doing something new among many of us, both individually and in the churches we lead.  There was one song which seemed to some up the message of the weekend, which is 'New wine' by Hillsong Worship, and I will leave you with that song.

A more comprehensive set of notes can be downloaded here.

By Jenny Needham