City Walks for Church Groups
City Walk Part 1: Journey to the Margins: The Call to Discipleship
Our cities are a concentration of the values and ideas embodied and embraced by our society and culture. On our ‘Journey to the Margins’ we explore stories of our city of Melbourne, combining them with stories from the first half of the Gospel of Mark.
The key theme which we explore is the notion of ‘centres’ and ‘margins’. Where are the central spaces? Where are the marginal spaces? And where is God? We encourage participants to think about how they see themselves in our culture, and where God calls us to be. As we walk around the city, we undertake some exercises in discernment, and encourage participants to have new “eyes to see, and ears to hear” what they might not normally see and hear in the city, and to take this challenge back to their own locality.
Recommended Group size: 15 or less
For booking information please click here.
City Walk Part 2: Journey to the Centre: Confronting the Powers
After Jesus took his disciples to the margins and showed them a new way of exploring the world around them, he took them to Jerusalem - the centre of social, economic and political life - to confront the powers.
Again, we read stories from the Gospel of Mark in the context of our city and in the midst of what our city represents. We explore the powers our nation is built upon, and try to understand how Jesus might have confronted the powers which rule our society and values today. The disciples still struggle to understand the Way of Jesus!
The Way of Jesus ends at the cross. As travellers on a discipleship journey today,we end our walk by sharing together the bread and the wine.
Recommended Group size: 15 or less
For booking information please click here.
Laneway Labyrinth
A labyrinth is a winding path (like a maze) that can be found in many old cathedrals. People used to walk the path of the labyrinth as a form of pilgrimage. Many experienced it as a journey toward the divine at the centre of the labyrinth.
The laneways of Melbourne's CBD make an interesting labyrinth - a public labyrinth, travelled by many people every day, from many different walks of life.
If you would like to organise a contemplative evening prayer walk through Melbourne’s Laneway Labyrinth, click here for booking information. Laneway Labyrinth walks usually go for an hour, and are followed by an opportunity to debrief over supper.
Babylon vs New Jerusalem (Bible and photography walk)
The book of Revelation speaks of two opposite cities, Babylon and the New Jerusalem. After reading about these two cities, we go out into our own city, looking for aspects of Babylon and of the New Jerusalem, and taking photos of what we find. Afterwards there is a space for participants to share what they discovered about our city.
Groups participating in the Babylon vs New Jerusalem walk will need to bring digital cameras (not camera phones). One camera between two participants is ideal. This walk usually goes for 2-3 hours.
Click here to book.