Pilgrimage

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.” Psalm 84:5

                       

Every year Jacob’s Well sets aside a weekend in August to pilgrimage as a community in the spirit of the biblical pilgrimages witnessed in scripture. This journey opens up a generous space in time for our church to engage in extended fellowship with God and with one another.

We call our time away “pilgrimage” and not the more common “retreat” intentionally. Throughout history, biblical communities have practiced pilgrimage regularly. A pilgrimage is a sacred journey that is undertaken as an act of devotion and obedience. The Old Testament describes this practice in the life of ancient Israel. Three times the Israelites would gather together and journey to celebrate the story of God and his people. Psalms 120–134 are called “Psalms of Ascent.” These were songs the Israelites would sing as they “ascended” the road to Jerusalem. In the Psalms, the story of Israel is rehearsed and remembered by singing, chanting and praying. Pilgrimages have several features that can stimulate real growth and fruitfulness.

The Jacob’s Well Pilgrimage is a time for play, conversation, food, laughter, songs, sports, art, prayer and rest. We pray that God will change us, allowing us to come together to celebrate as a body of believers. Instead of one big organized program, we emphasize the importance of creating space to encounter our God and each other in fresh ways, so times of silence and solitude will be encouraged. And so will times of raucous fun! Our pilgrimage is held at YouthFront Camp South located 50 miles south of Kansas City. It has 600 acres of trees, hills, lakes, sacred spaces, plus a pool, waterslide, the Blob, game room, canoes, paddleboats and much more.

If you missed registration, you can still make it out on Sunday -- join us for worship at 10 am, pack a brownbag lunch and swimming gear and play the afternoon away for free.

On Sun., Aug. 16th, we hold all of our worship gatherings at 10 am in the chapel at YouthFront South.