Camino Pilgrimage

Trip: May 4-15, 2025

A wonderful group from River Road has been preparing to head to Spain to walk on one portion of a long-traveled road, which part of a sacred journey to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. This is where the bones of Saint James are said to buried. Pilgrim pathways make their way to this sacred space from many countries and have been walked on for centuries. Many people walk for spiritual reasons, carrying a concern from their life in prayer as they walk, or to create openness within themselves to seek closeness with God. Others walk to learn and grow or to work out some issues within themselves. The motivations and purposes can vary widely depending on the individual.

Our group first met in March of 2024 as an interest group. Out of this meeting a group of twelve individuals committed to undertaking this journey. They have been walking, praying, reading, and planning in order to be ready for this adventure, which will begin on May 4th.

As our church family, we humbly ask for your prayerful support as we make our way there and as we walk several days towards Santiago. We will be grateful if you join us in prayer for:

• the release of anything that holds us back or can keep us from being fully present before God, one another, or the experience.
• relationships and connections within our group
• exchanges we will have with those we will meet along the way
• safe travels and walking
• strength for each days’ journey and wisdom to know our limits
• our openness to receive from the Lord, whatever we need
• the learning, growth, blessings, and challenges that will meet us

Even as we hope to be in your hearts while we are there, we will carry you in ours. Along the way, many pilgrims will carry with them, prayers of others who would like to have someone or some circumstance remembered by their friend who is walking. These concerns will be carried as we walk and we will plant them along the way of leave them at an altar there, holding with you the needs. If you wish to simply put your name on a slip of paper without an explanation, we will remember your unmentioned concern and carry you on our hearts and in our prayers. We will carry your shared concerns and be eager to tell you about our pilgrimage after we return. To submit a prayer concern, you can do one of the following before we leave:

• email a concern to annapmiller@rrcb.org which will be given to someone within the group to carry
• write a note and offer it to one of our pilgrims who are going

Pilgrim Participants

Laura Lee Chandler
Mike Clingenpeel
Vivian Clingenpeel
Brad Ethington
Pam Ethington
Bev Geissler
Norma Hays
Steve Larson
Anna Miller
Dean Miller
Greg Smith
Sue Smith

Blessing in the Courtyard on Sunday, May 4, 2025 at 9:30 a.m.