Was it the walking? Was it the location? Was it the thin space of Celtic lands, graveyards and abbey ruins? Was it the company?

All of these restored my soul and renewed my hope for navigating each day remembering we are not alone, naming Immanuel, God is with us along with a great cloud of witnesses. Restoration was found for me as an individual, a parent, a Minister of Word and Sacrament and Ministry Relations Officer for the Presbyterian Foundation.

This past spring, I joined five fellow clergy and a seminary professor as pilgrims walking St. Cuthbert’s Way from Melrose Abbey in Scotland across the border into Northumbria, England to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. The morning of the official meetup with our travel companions, I sought out the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert’s below Castle Rock where I explored the cemetery and claimed the thin space. To my surprise, this place of prayer would be a bookend on both sides of this trip as we would return for a formal tour at the end of our journey.

Our crew met at Waverly Station in Edinburgh to embark on our adventure heading by train to Melrose. Each of us carried our own particular reasons, questions and prayers for the journey. Grief was my theme. Not just the loss of my Dad on New Year’s Eve, but grief that I and so many carry as the church we knew decades ago continues to change.

As I navigate this grief, I am grounded in the promises again and again throughout scripture that God will be with us. Exodus 3:12, Isaiah 43:2, John 14:15-20 are a few of the key passages that remind me of these promises.

Sometimes we need a getaway to help us refocus on this. I surely did.

Walking on average 8-10 miles a day, we took in the grand landscape, the fields of yellow rapeseed and green grass among grand hills that took our breathe away figuratively and literally from time to time. We climbed over walls and navigated all sorts of gates while seeing lots of sheep. We explored graveyards and abbeys at Melrose, Dryburgh, Jedburgh and Lindisfarne. Lindisfarne is a tidal island. We made our crossing the pilgrim’s way across the bottom of the North Sea at low tide.

We are reminded that pilgrims are everywhere along the way. From our small crew of seven representing the UCC, UMC and me as the sole Presbyterian on the trip to the motherland, to an impromptu evening prayer service on the Holy Island with a priest named Lee from the Church of England… (I echo Liddy’s words of amazement “to think Cuthbert and Aiden stood on the same beach uttering the same Psalms.”) … to gathering with Robin and Peter, Ministers of Word & Sacrament in the Church of Scotland who shared of their ministries at the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert’s over the years. They articulated a need for vision and mission and a capacity to discern what God is calling us to next.

How do we walk in the ways of Jesus and listen for the Spirit of God? We touch base and rekindle old friendships, as I did with my friend Trevor serving in the United Reformed Church who I hadn’t seen in 20 years. He saw my Facebook post about walking St. Cuthbert’s Way and reached out to coordinate a time he and his wife Sue could drive an hour to meet me in Wooler for an afternoon. We drank tea, enjoyed biscuits, caught up on our families and discussed our ever-changing ministries.

Trevor reminded me that the PC(USA) is where his denomination was 20 years ago freeing me to see that the story is not over. They are more nimble but ever-reforming to engage in the ministry before them.  We learn from one another and recognize that we don’t solve any of this on our own. Whether we grieve death or are merely dealing with dormancy as Parker Palmer describes in his metaphor of seasons in A Hidden Wholeness, when we take time to be in community we are reminded we are not alone.

More than anything, this trip reminded me of the importance of taking time away from the daily tasks of our ministries. If you have the option of continuing education, don’t leave any of it on the table. Claim time for restoration. Connect with other ministers. Explore what is going on in other ministries. See that you are not alone and the Spirit of God is moving through the world.

For those Ministers in Pastors Participation Plan or Minister’s Choice with the Board of Pensions, check out the Clergy Wellness Support Grant that provides up to $5,000 for program and travel fees, once every five years.

If you are serving a new worshipping community check out the 1001 Sabbath/Sabbatical grants.

Wherever you are serving, get to know Laura Bryan in the Office of Financial Aid for Service. Discover the programs that can support you, your staff and staff of the PCUSA-related institutions such as loan assist.

Knowing resources are available can make a huge difference for restoration to keep on walking.