Walk the Way

19 June to 4 September 2021

Walk the Way has now completed but you can read all about it here and using
the available links to other content.

 


So what's it all about? 
Here Tim Hall, TFM's CEO, explains a bit more about the project:

Go into all the world… said Jesus and people have obeyed. In this country, St Augustine arrived in Kent, he was followed by innumerable others – some we have heard of like Cuthbert, Columba, Wesley or J John - and many we will never know.
 

tim 4 crop

For 30 years Through Faith Missions has been training men and women to work on missions throughout the UK. At the invitation of churches of every denomination we work with them for a week, getting involved in all the church groups, in clubs and schools and gatherings of every kind and in door to door survey work.


Each team is made up of up to 10 people (numbers do vary, but because we always work in pairs, the teams have an even number of people!). The team has an experienced Leader  and a second in command.

Every team member is asked to pay attention to their own spiritual life (holiness) – following a straightforward rule. And we follow some simple rules which are based on the instructions of Jesus when He sent out the 12 and the 72 (Matt 10; Mark 6, and Luke 9). These are:-
 

  • Preach the Good News of Jesus – that is why we are there, that will be our focus.
  • Live Simply – or ‘what gets between us and God?’ So we ask team members to leave their credit and debit cards at home; to leave their phones at home (or at least switched off the majority of the time); we often work in social settings, so we ask team members to have no more than one alcoholic drink a day; team members often have to travel to a mission by car and so we ask them to park their car at the start of the mission and not use it until they go home; we recognise that often team members are talking with someone and want to buy them a coffee – so we suggest you bring just a few pounds cash to spend on others and not yourself.
  • Overall we have found that living simply, wholly reliant on God, allows God to work in some truly incredible ways.
  • Accept hospitality –in mission you are offered accommodation and food. Perhaps you look at that accommodation and think ‘its not very comfortable’, or that food and think, ‘its not what I like’….. But STOP.  We go and we accept gratefully everything God provides.
  • Seek healing. All team members are encouraged to use every opportunity to pray with people for healing – healing of mind, body or spirit. Wherever possible, missions include a ‘service with prayers for healing’
 


              wtw map image 800px

 (You can navigate in the map below and to open a larger version in Google Maps, click on the [ ] symbol in the top right corner).

Map Key

Purple pins - The west route week start points (approximate)
Blue Pins - The east route week start points (approximate)
The green line denotes the actual Via Beata Path
The blue circles on that line are the locations of the Via Beata Way Stations.
The Gold pin denotes the central meeting point on Sat 4 Sept.

Click on any of the pins/points to read location details.

            


Walk the Way will be different in that we are not specifically asking churches to prepare a programme or food or beds for us. This is because faith in the countryside is in crises. Far too many buildings in need of work, far too few people to do the jobs that need doing, far too little money. To ask churches to organise something is too much. But we serve the God of mission, the God of hope, the God of resurrection.  

 

We want to stand with our rural brothers and sisters in faith, we want to bring them new hope and we want work with them in continuing to speak the Good News of Jesus in our  villages, our hamlets and the countryside.

We believe that as we step out in faith, God will open hearts for the Gospel, and doors for provision. We trust that He will find places for us to stay, and food for us to eat. And we recognise that some of the places He calls us to stay may be rustic, so we will carry sleeping bags and bivvy bags. And we recognise that we often eat far too much – and that God may provide what we actually need – so yes, there may be times of ‘fasting’.

As we walk in the footsteps of all the saints, we believe and pray that we will see like them, a new awakening to Jesus and revival in our countryside.
 

It's time to walk the way.  Will you join us? 
Please read on for details of how to be part of this.


boot and mountain 1
 

This is going to be tough, stretching and completely out of your comfort zone. Leave technology behind.

Expect to finish the walk a transformed person.

 

So here is some of the practical detail.


Walkers will be asked to walk a certain distance - about 20 miles per week with a maximum of 6 miles any one day. It's not far, because we want team members to have time to pray and to speak the good news of Jesus – don’t forget team members need to carry their pack, and there could well be hills!

Each week begins and ends on Saturday – 12 noon – you will be given the location. Arriving team members can bring a packed lunch with them – share it with the finishing team as they hold a short service of celebration and commissioning.

The first Saturday will be June 19th 2021; we finish on Saturday 4th September.

If you want to sign up as a Team Member you need to fill in an application form click here and attend a training day:  click here to book that.  Everyone is welcome to the celebration service on 4 Sept 2021 which will be at Red Hill Christian Centre, Snitterfield, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 0PQ as part of our Annual Conference. 

Prayer Warriors will commit to a week – and during that week will pray each day (we suggest an hour a day ..) – you will be given the names of the team members out that week, and the area where they are working.  You can read more here.

If you want to sign up as a Prayer Warrior you need to fill in a Prayer Warrior application form click here  – you will be sent information about prayer, and nearer the time the information you need about the week. We will ask you to fill in a declaration:   ‘I am a  follower of Jesus in good standing with my church, I commit to pray for Walk The Way during the preparation for the walk and at chosen times during the walk.'
 

Perhaps you just want to support WtW?


Everyone is welcome to attend a briefing day on March 20th 2021; the celebration service on Sept 4th 2021; or if you want to drop off a team member and join with the beginning of week/ending of week worship – you would be very welcome, too.

Through Faith Missions always needs prayer partners and financial contributors, too – for details on all these things – email the office.