London Pilgrimage - The Temple Church to Southwark Cathedral

It was a glorious day as we travelled to London last Thursday, there was a sense of eager anticipation as walked a short distance to The Temple Church.

A pilgrimage is different for everyone, but in essence it asks us all to seek God intentionally, as we take each step on our journey.

We all carry life's experiences with us; a pilgrimage offers us time, opportunity and God's grace in abundance, to let go for a while, and to see the glory of God in all we see around us and in all those that are brought onto the path that we walk.

The Temple Church, is a prayerful and beautiful place of worship, steeped in history. We began with prayer and then Colin our guide spoke to us about the history and people, who over the centuries have left their legacy on the church. If you have never been there, then it's an amazing place to go to......set in the Inner Temple Court, the surroundings transport you to a different time.

We then walked past St. Paul's Cathedral, looking radiant in the midday sun! It felt quite Dickensian as we walked along the banks of the Thames, and suddenly out of no where, Southwark Cathedral was there to greet us........after lunch we met with one of the clergy team, who prayed for us in the Harvard Chapel.

Then we went on a tour, hearing about the mission and ministry of the Cathedral; it has a particular emphasis on welcoming all, and during the terrorist attack at Borough Market played an important role in offering hope to those who were affected by what they saw. There has been a place of worship on this site since the 7th century and now the Diocese of Southwark stretches as far south as Gatwick airport and from Thamesmead in the east to Kingston in the west.

Although we didn't see him, below is Hodge, who was rescued by the Cathedral and now calls it home!

Here's one comment from one of the pilgrims..........'it was a glorious day…a wonderful mix of history and Christian togetherness, professionally and entertainingly presented by the tour guides and so perfectly organised by you, in every detail…even down to the weather!