During the first week in March, some 35 people from across the five South Cheltenham Churches took part in the Journey in Prayer.  Right at the beginning of the Week, when we all gathered together in church around an enormous picture of the “Return of the Prodigal, by Rembrandt, for Sunday evening worship, there was both a sense of apprehension and of excitement around.  At the end of the worship we divided up into small groups, and, for the first time, met the person who was to be our guide for the week.   As those groups met, and talked, and began to share their expectations and fears about the week ahead, the noise levels in church gradually began to rise, and laughter broke out, as people began to feel more comfortable with each other.  As we left church that evening, I was lost in wonder at the sense of awe and yearning that was being expressed.  

During the following week, each day, each participant met with their guide at the same time, at the same place.  As I drove around the parishes that week, I often saw people purposefully making their way to their daily appointment with their Guide; it was heartening to know that, not only did the practicalities work out well, but people were being encouraged, though prayer, to meet with the Lord in ways which were fresh and enlivening for them.  Sometimes I managed to catch up with people and have a brief word with them.  And when I did, I found them aglow.  Strong expressions of approval dropped easily from the lips of people whom I knew to be reserved and circumspect.  Through the gentle companionship and quiet guidance of another, they were discovering a new depth in their prayer; they had been enabled to seek God with a greater directness and openness than ever before.  

The Week came to an end with a simple Eucharist on Saturday morning, when we all had an opportunity to give thanks to God for the blessings of the week, whether we were on the journey as a pray-er or as a Guide, for the Guides have been greatly enriched by the time they spent here too.  

Now that the Week is over, what does the whole experience have to teach us?  There is, undoubtedly, a hunger around for prayer:  in the crowded lives we lead, people need more than ritual observance and a mediated sacramental life.  We need a direct personal encounter with our Creator in the depths of our own being.   If we were to do such a Journey again, some people would need some gentle persuasion to take part.  And there will be some who will not want to be involved at any price.  A Week of Accompanied Prayer is an exciting resource in the church today, but it is not for everyone.  

But those who overcame their hesitations and took the chance experienced a real sense of the stirring work of the Spirit in subtly transforming people’s lives.  Seeds were sown that we will treasure and nurture in God’s own time.  

Finally, let the words of some of those on the Journey speak for themselves:  

“I did not know how to pray or how to begin.  This week has shown me so much and brought the awareness of God closer to me.  Words cannot express how good it feels now”.

“My Guide took everything I shared in gentle hands, she blew away all the chaff and left the whole wheat – wonderful!  It was a ­joy to be truly listened to and interpreted so wisely, in a way that I have never experienced before.”

“It has been a very positive experience and very encouraging”.