Worship Without Walls

Over the weekend of 24-26 June we are holding a weekend event called

Worship Without Walls

here in Kendal, the gateway to the Lake District.

We want to explore what it means to ‘Worship Without Walls’. Apart from being the title of a best-selling CD, this phrase is a metaphor for laying aside personal prejudices, denominational preferences and so on, and worshiping and praying together in a spirit of unity. In my experience, when we do this God seems to like it!

In many ways this could be described as a bridge-building event: the (excellent!) band will be mostly made up of Czech friends, and there will be a number of Czech delegated joining us also. So we will explore building a ‘bridge’ between Cumbria and the Czech Republic. In addition we are joining forces with our friends Colin and Chrissie Greaves from Cumbria Prayer Net: we want to build bridges locally – to foster encouraging relationships.

The programme will begin on Friday evening and go through till Sunday lunchtime, then in the evening I will be leading worship at St Thomas’s Kendal (7.00pm) with the band. Then for those who are feeling fit and adventurous we will also be organising a trip walking in the Lakeland fells on Monday. The conference costs only £60 which is, to be fair, a bargain, considering it includes 3 meals – lunch on Saturday, dinner on Saturday evening, and lunch on Sunday.

Our aim – if I may use the expression – is to be ‘spiritual without being religious’. In other words, to provide a relaxed space where we can not only worship and pray, but where there is plenty of time to talk and make friends. It would be great if you could join us.

There’s a brochure attached to this email, or you can click here for more info.

As it says in the brochure, space is limited, so it would be wise to book fairly soon. In the UK, this means sending me a deposit of £30 – I will then email to confirm you’re booked. If you are reading this in foreign parts, then you may pay on arrival (£60 cash) – but you need to email me to reserve a place. If you need accommodation we’ll do our best to find somewhere. There is limited availability with local families (and in this case we’re asking for a £20 donation to help with costs for the 2 nights), or there’s local hotels and B&B’s: prices start from around £80 for 2 nights. Someone will be in touch with more info when we receive your accommodation request. By the way – we’re only accepting bookings from people who can commit to the whole event – the brochure explains why.

There’s more info about travel options on our website: if you need help, let me know.

So, do give it some thought – it would be great to have a good crowd. (And it’s going to be a gloriously sunny June weekend!)

Best wishes,

John de Jong.