UP WILD CHURCH
Behold
& Awaken Wonder
PRAY
TOGETHER
REFLECT
ON OUR LIVES
BE
IN THE WORLD
WELCOME TO U.P. WILD CHURCH
Wild Church creates opportunities to foster a deeper spiritual connection with God outdoors. Deep within the Christian tradition there hides a wealth of wisdom on how to cultivate this relationship. It is time to bring this authenticity forward especially in the wild setting of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Churches are experiencing a mass exodus and wondering why. We understand why. Most of us are in need of healing just as our Earth is; we aim to do this together.
Why We Exist
Our world entices us to consume while our faith teaches us to be mindful. Wild Church is a voice for the voiceless, one that is rising up from an ecumenical choir who see caring for creation as the primary prayer petition at this pivotal time in history. Indeed, it is as if Spirit is stripping us of our man-made divisions by reconnecting us to the soil, the watersheds, the oak tree, the caterpillars, as if there, we will find ourselves again.
Who We Are
Wild Church is for: Everyone. You are welcome whether you are Christian, questioning your faith, in recovery from wounds inflicted by religious trauma, simultaneously receiving nourishment from other faith traditions, or simply on your journey. Some of us have a church and this is our supplement. Some of us are just severely concerned about our world. Most of us feel isolated, alone in our concerns. We long for a supportive community of like-minded people. All of us are seeking to feel the Holy Spirit in our lives whether we name it that or not.
Sharing Our Stories
We all have a story to tell. We have all had a moment of reverance and awe in the natural world. We invite you into conversation in a brave space to share your gifts. Across denominational & societal divides, we find our common vulnerabilities which unify us. We meet monthly for fellowship around a bonfire or next to Lake Superior-we get our hands dirty in the compost. We gather because we all need each other, we need to hear and tell our stories, we need hope, smiles, and to watch our children running through the leaves in curious joy.
Exploring the U.P.
We live amongst a glorious cathedral of trees stretched between the Great Lakes. Millions of acres of holy ground within a unique bioregion and watershed unlike any other on the planet. Our wilderness walks explore new trails in Marquette County but branches are spreading in the four directions. Check out the Branches page to see if a U.P. Wild group is in your area.
Join us for wilderness walks and exploration...
NEXT EVENTS
SCHEDULE OF GATHERINGS & VOLUNTEER SIGN UP
Because caring for creation is a matter of faith. Gathering together we bear witness to the holiness around us & place ourselves as God's stewards within a living breathing eco-system. We challenge the emptiness of our culture of consumption and experience the fullness of living in right relationship with the Earth and our Creator.
THE PRAYER OF THE BEE:
God, let my small span of ardent life melt into our great communal task; to lift up to Your love this temple of sweetness, a citadel of incense, a holy candle, myriad-celled, moulded of Your graces and of my hidden work.
PRAYER OF MECHTILD OF MAGDEBURG:
The day of my spirtual awakening was the day I saw, and knew I saw, all things in God and God in all things.
PRAYER OF THOMAS MERTON:
What a thing it is to sit absolutely alone, in the forest, at night, cherished by this wonderful, unintelligible, perfectly innocent speech, the most comforting speech in the world, the talk that rain makes by itself all over the ridges, and the talk of the watercourses everywhere in the hollows! Nobody started it, nobody is going to stop it. It will talk as long as it wants, this rain. As long as it talks I am going to listen.
PRAYER OF SAINT BASIL:
God teaches us through creation. [The natural world] is the supreme icon
of Christian faith which leads to knowledge of the Supreme Artisan.
PRAYER OF HENRI NOUWEN:
I am afraid that in a few decades the Church will be accused of having failed in its most basic task: to offer people creative ways to communicate with the source of life." (1972)