The Walk Stage 2. 9th June 2011
I learnt my lesson last time so this time I prepared myself with some sun protection. Our plan for today was to pray at Church this morning then travel by bus to West Bessacarr where we would start on our walk and aim towards Stainforth. Thorne would be our starting point next month on stage 3 of our walk. This time there were just the 3 of us. Rev Alan Murray, My self and of course Dumble. Alan told me that the long walk didn't tire him last month. He still expected (and got) his evening walk - just not by Alan.
We prayed in the vestry. In our Prayer I opened the OS map of the area and placed it on the floor and asked for God to guide our steps as we planed our route. The original route that I had in mind was to travel on the Eastern edge of Doncaster which is fairly open. There have been unconfirmed reports of large cats being seen in this area and what a coup it would be if we could see one and take a picture. But there are fewer Churches to walk past and this was our aim so a route was planned to take in more Churches.
After Celtic Morning Prayer we went to the Interchange and got on the number 58 bus. We made our way to the first prayer stop of the day, St Francis's Church West Bessacarr. We prayed for the Church of St Francis and for their ministry to the community. We gave thanks for their previous leaders and prayed for their new vicar who is expected soon. The Church is right in the centre of West Bessacarr and close to shops and is an obvious contact point for people. I know that from working in this area as a Youth Worker for the local authority that the building is well used by community groups and there was a waiting list for community groups to use the building.
St Francis Church notice board
After we prayed Alan was a little peckish so he left Dumble with me while he went to Cooplands to augment his breakfast. While we went I took the above photograph of the Church notice board. I was seen doing so. A lady came from inside the Church to see what I was up to. She later said that if was interested in the notice board maybe she could get me interested in the Church. So we got talking and I explained what we were doing. When Alan returned she invited us in to have a look around. Alan asked, "What about the dog?". "Well we are St Francis's", she replied. It turned out that she was the Worship Leader and she and her husband were getting the Church ready for Sunday. They were to paint pictures in red on the white inside walls to celebrate Pentecost. The Church was about to be rebuilt and this gave them the opportunity to be creative.
The Church had a cafe which was open and had five elderly people taking refreshments and two people were praying in the Church. It was good to get a feel for this Church. We were invited to stay for a "cuppa" but we declined as we had only just started on our prayer walk.
St Francis Church West Bessacarr
The next Church we came to was Bessacarr Evangelical Church, our second prayer stop. Over the years this Church has grown so much that it could not contain its Sunday morning congregation so they now meet in Hallcross Lower School which is at the other side of West Bessacarr. We prayed that God would continue to bless them. We prayed for individuals that we knew who attended this Church, some of which are former members of St James. I personally thanked God for the members of this Church who helped me when I first became a Christian. A school friend Kevin had talked to me about Jesus and I had shown an interest. As a result he got the youth group from this Church to pray for me and the rest is history as they say. There was also signs of activity at this Church which looked like an active Mum's and Tots group was taking place at the time.
Bessacarr Evangelical Church
On to our third prayer station. St Wilfreds Cantley. We crossed over the A638 which is the Great North Road. This was once the A1 the main road to London. I still remember as a child going into Doncaster on the bus and passing a cafe for truckers which was close to this area. There is now a bus lane on this road which makes it easier to travel by bus but I gather that at least one well known resident of this ward is not so keen on bus lanes. Keep the bus lane I say. In the long run its better for our planet and part of our Christian calling as stewards of the earth.
Dumble left his mark in Cantley but fortunately for Alan he had a plastic bag and a bin was near.
Once at the Church we gave thanks for the witness of the Church over the years. We prayed for the Rev Willett and his ministry at St Wilfreds. We prayed a blessing on this Church and members and for the way in which they engage with the community. We were very much aware of the historical significance of this Church and its dedication to the saint who was the main player in the synod of Austerfield. which is close by, but not in the deanery.
St Wilfred's Cantley
From St Wilfred's we turned left and headed towards New Cantley. We were near Mcauley School, the Roman Catholic secondary school so we prayed for this institution. In particular we prayed for the people we knew who are associated with the school. Our fourth prayer station was St Paul's Roman Catholic Church. There was a Mass being said at the time. We prayed for the Church, its members and how they interacted with the community.
We also knew of a New Frontiers Church that meet in Cantley. They don't have a building of their own as they meet in a community centre. We prayed for them without going to the venue where the Church meets. We gave thanks for the New Frontiers vision and we specifically prayed that God will bless the community through their proclamation of the Gospel.
Our fifth prayer stop of the day was Cantley Methodist Church. We thank God that this building was in a strategic position and we asked that God would bless the work they did to reach out into the community.
We also knew of a New Frontiers Church that meet in Cantley. They don't have a building of their own as they meet in a community centre. We prayed for them without going to the venue where the Church meets. We gave thanks for the New Frontiers vision and we specifically prayed that God will bless the community through their proclamation of the Gospel.
Our fifth prayer stop of the day was Cantley Methodist Church. We thank God that this building was in a strategic position and we asked that God would bless the work they did to reach out into the community.
Cantley Methodist
We moved on to our sixth prayer stop, St Hugh New Cantley. We prayed for Rev Stokoe who was the vicar of this Church and also of Holy Trinity Doncaster. We prayed that the two Churches would work together and have a sense of unity. There are a number of bungalows near the Church as we prayed that this Church would have opportunities to minister to their needs as well as to the rest of the local community. Although I have not worshiped in this building I have been inside it. When working for the council on a project for the Salvation Army I had cause to interview the last vicar in our research of the local area. He showed me the Church and I sensed that there was a sense of holiness and peace in that Church.
St Hugh New Cantley
We walked on to Cantley Park to get access to the footpaths to Sandal Beat. This was our route to Armthorpe. We continued to pray and talk about the needs of the deanery. We passed the home of a member of St James' and prayed for them and the rest of the family.
We found the bridleway we were looking for and walked past Cantley Manor. It had signs warning people that it was private property and that it was continuously monitored by CCTV. On the other side of the path was a field of young horses.
Before we turned left to go along to Sandal Beat Wood I saw this lamp post and wondered if it was a sign post to Narnia? It looked nice and out of the way.
Sign post to Narnia?
We walked through the wood which Dumble enjoyed, if only for the dirty puddles to drink from. It was familiar walking territory for him. We walked over a footbridge and took a right to a landscaped area. We were close to the site of the former Armthorpe pit. One of the benefits of not having a rigid route and set times to be any place by is that we could take detours and be guided by the Holy Spirit. The landscaped area was a new high place and we felt that it was an opportunity not to be missed to get as high as we could and pray for the town.
View to the West
View to the East
View to the North East
View to the North
View to the South
I felt it appropriate to pray the following prayer taken from The Celtic Prayer Book Volume 3. Healing The Land by Ray Simpson. (2004 Kevin Mayhew. ISBN 1-84417-109-4)
We have come up to this place to seek a clearer vision.
Here we will envision crops and communities as they are meant to be.
O God you are the very centre from whom all being ripple forth.
Without you the centre does not hold, things fall apart,
the circle is broken, the earth ceases to breathe freely,
the water ceases to sing, the air becomes a menace,
and the beautiful creation becomes cursed.
We raise up the Celtic Cross -
the circle embracing these violations and the death they bring,
the halo of Christ rising from death that will restore the cycle of life.
In the name of the Christ of the Cross and the Circle,
we break the power of greed and domination.
We bless what we see, we forgive, we mend.
We call forth life.
We descended from this high place and walked down into Armthorpe. We walked past some industrial units. One had lots of metal girders and we wondered if they were railway lines. When we got closer we could see that they were girders, and Alan said to me, "Oh it's an Iron Bru factory". - LOL
It was getting close to lunch time. We would pray at Armthorpe parish Church then seek lunch at a local sandwich shop.
As a Reader in the Church of England I have covered for a number of services here over the last few months and have got to know this congregation well. They are like a second Church family to me and I personally found it easier to pray here because of my involvement and sharing worship with them. We prayed that God would bless them in their mission and bring healing and restoration in the Church and in the community.
We also said a short midday office in the grounds before we continued our walk. We soon found a Greggs bakery where we bought a meal deal. All we had to do was find a place to eat it. It was interesting to observe how the village of Armthorpe had developed. The Church is close to where the pit once was and most people would have had to pass it in order to go to work. There was also a sense of optimism. Armthorpe to me seemed different from the negativity that we find in other former mining areas. Surely a tribute to all those who have worked in the community to regenerate the village.
St Leonard and St Mary Armthorpe
We eventiually found a place to eat our lunch. A play area close to a bus terminus. After our short break we continued our walk towards Hatfield. We walked by another industrial area which was close to the Motorway. The area is dominated by the IKEA warehouse. It seemed to us a shame that Doncaster had the IKEA distribution centre, but not an IKEA store.
We crossed over a main road and took a country lane that would eventually take us to Hatfield. On our right was the M18 and to our left the village of Dunsville. What was noticable was as we walked through farmland was the lack of wildlife. What was the reason for this? Later that evening when I watched Springwatch I had my answer. We have lost 90% of our wildlife. I can't remember over what time period this is, but it is shocking all the same. A change in farming procedures is being encouraged in order to encourage more wildlife. Baring in mind that we had started the day at St Francis's Church, it is right for us to be concerned about our environment. In my mind it is part of the Gospel, to be concerned for the whole of creation not just humanity.
We walked into Hatfield. In my opinion it had a similar "feel"to it as Tickhill did. We got to the Church at the same time a Children's service was finishing. As we prayed in the porch we could hear people inside tidying up. We talked to one of the helpers and gave him one of the cards we were leaving at each prayer stop. We prayed for the way in which this Church engaged with the community, for the young people of this Church (past and present) and the involvement of Lay people especially the Readers and Wardens.
We noticed the circular archway which Alan informed me was Saxon. We were clearly in a place of heritage. We prayed for the spiritual dynamics of the area. The battle of Hatfield in 633 is recorded as being the bloodiest battles ever fought on English soil. Surely it has had a spiritual effect on the area, but we could not go and pray on the battle field itself because it has not been identified. We prayed for wisdom and understanding on considering this issue to bring about healing for Doncaster.
We also know that the Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria had a palace in the Doncaster area which the King spent his summers. It is believed to have been in Hatfield hence the reason why the battle was fought here when the Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Merica (Pagan) in an alliance with the Welsh (Christian) attacked Northumbria (Christian).
After our prayers we back tracked a little to a small cafe on the main road and enjoyed a cup of tea.
St Lawerence Hatfield
We walked West towards our next planned stop which was to be Stainforth. However, along the way we made an unplanned detour. We saw a sign pointing towards St Edwin's Church, Dunscroft. When we got to the Church we discovered that it was a Church building with unusual architecture. The inside of the Church could be clearly seen from the outside. The community would clearly be able to see the worship and I could not help but feel that it was an amazing opportuity to witness to the community. This informed our praying as we prayed for the community and the interaction that the Church had with it.
St Edwin Dunscroft
As we walked through Dunscroft we could almost feel the hardness of the area. We saw a couple of Union flags on display and wondered if the extreme political right had an influence in this area. Eventually we found ourselves of The Broadway, a very long, wide and Straight road. I remembered from my student days a comment that one of the lecturers made that they had discovered that long straight lines in architecture made people depressed, and this was the reason why Park Hill Flats in Sheffield were eventually demolished. Perhaps this is what we were discerning as we walked along The Broadway. So what kind of effect does the street have on the psychology of the people living here?
We came into Stainforth and we again noticed the abundance of take-aways. The first Church we came to was the Methodist Church. We noted the connection between this Church and the one in Thorne. We prayed for the congregation and for the Citizen's Advice which used the premises at the back of the Church.
Stainforth Methodist Church
We then proceeded to the parish Church which was to be our last stop on this stage. I know this Church and have taken some services at St Mary's. It meant that I could at least pray in a more informed way, as I did also at Armthorpe. However, it does not mean to say that prayers for the Churches we know are more valid. Praying at Churches we don't know means that we have to listen to the Holy Spirit in order that our prays are instep with what God is doing in and through that Church. This is our intention in praying at every Church we pray at.
We prayed for the Church and people. We thanked God for this Church and the community centre that had been built as an extension to the Church building. We prayed for the Vicar, Andrew Allington and his ministry in Stainforth and his forthcoming marriage.
St Mary Stainforth
We stoped here for a while and said Evening Prayer which included the words:
Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day: and though I am poor, today I believe.
Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day: and though I am weak, today I believe.
Lord, You have always given peace for the coming day: and though of anxious heart, today I believe.
Lord, You have always marked the road for the coming day: and though it may be hidden, today I believe.
Lord, You have always lightened this darkness of mine: and though the night is here, today I believe.
Lord, You have always spoken when time was ripe: and though you be silent now, today I believe.
We then got on a bus that took us back to Doncaster. We went through the part of Stainforth we didn't walk which meant we went past the Roman Catholic Church. There was a bus stop which gave us a brief opportunity to pray silently for this Church.
We reached Doncaster Town Centre just after 6:00 pm. We had walked aproximately 13 miles.
We reached Doncaster Town Centre just after 6:00 pm. We had walked aproximately 13 miles.
