WHAT IS PILGRIMS? 

​Pilgrims might be called a house church by some.  It is any small group of people who intentionally gather, often weekly, to nurture the contemplative life together using these resources to assist them in that goal.  Pilgrims is not a structural part of Dayspring.  Dayspring provides this resource for those who wish to use it.
 
Pilgrims:

•  has no paid minister, no ongoing overheads, no rosters and no programs other than meeting for church.
•  can be led at any meeting by any member of the group. 
• seeks to be gender neutral, respecting all members of the group as equal.
•  focuses on the core activities of a church that are listed in Acts 2:24. Pilgrims meets for teaching, fellowship, sharing the Eucharist and prayer. 
• has a contemplative focus, placing an emphasis on activities such as listening to each other, prayer, silence, and meditation on Scripture.
•  has no preached sermon, believing God speaks to each person in the group and therefore opportunity is given to all to share and be listened to. 
• is a small group of under a dozen people, as this allows time for everyone to share in the examen and in the process of the Lectio or Colloquio Divina.
•  share a meal together when they meet for church. 
• offers a range of support to each other in our various social contexts, ministries and callings.
•  runs special events in Advent, Lent and Pentecost to engage with a wider group of family and neighbours. 
• has occasional weekend retreats for shared fellowship, quiet and discernment.

Introduction to the Pilgrims' Eucharist

The word Eucharist means thanksgiving, and reflects Jesus’ giving thanks for the bread and wine in the first celebration of the Eucharist at the Last Supper (Luke 22:7-23). It has also been called Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, or the Blessed Sacrament.
 
Pilgrims acknowledges the long and powerful traditions that surround the offering of the Eucharist. However, similar to the Dayspring Community, the style and content of the Pilgrims’ Eucharist is underpinned with practices Pilgrims see as important. Each Eucharist has been written with suggested prayers so that any Christian at Pilgrims can lead the liturgy, offering the Eucharist to others who are present. This is a core practice of Pilgrims which strongly holds to the equality of all believers, and respects the very same and inviting presence of Christ in all other Christ-ones.
 
At the same time, Pilgrims seeks to respect and acknowledge the differences in the beliefs and practices of different churches and denominations in the worldwide Christian community.
 
Group examen
The group examen is a recapping of the week and sharing with the group where each has been aware of God through the three questions provided. The questions are an adaption of the longer Ignatian Examen and they provide a loose framework to keep those who share on track and within the time constraints of the meeting time.
 
Honouring of sharing
The examen is followed by honouring the sharing that has been offered through silence or prayer. At this point clarification of prayer points, requests for prayer, or an asking for accountability from the group can be sought.
 
Eucharist
The Eucharist begins with a verse and time for quiet self-examination. This is in response to the Scriptural teaching to come to the Eucharist having examined ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:28).
 
The self-examination is followed by a reminder of our humanness and how we each come in different ways and with different emotions to the Eucharist. We need to be sensitive to each other, not judgmental.
 
Readings from the Lectionary
The readings from the Psalms and the Gospels links us to the Sunday readings of the Lectionary, so that, even though we may not meet on Sundays, we have a connection to the broader church that meets around the Eucharist on the traditional Lord’s Day.
 
Christ’s presence
We recognize Christ’s presence in each person who attends the Eucharist. Because Christ is fully present in each, we respect the equality of each person who leads or shares.
 
Six responsive couplets, where the leader reads the light print and the others read the bold print, provide a different focus on Christ’s death and resurrection each week.
 
We affirm that, in the act of sharing the Eucharist, we are connected to the broader church and with them we wait for the coming Christ (1 Corinthians 11:26).
 
The explanation of Jesus’ actions and words at the establishment of the Eucharist are taken from Luke 22:19-20 (NIV).
 
Prayer of thanks for the bread and wine
The prayer is provided as a suggested prayer for any who lack confidence, are too tired, or for those who like familiar prayers.
 
Words to share the Eucharist
These words are also suggestions, and are taken from those traditional spoken when serving one another the bread and wine.
 
Offering
Each week, except the fifth, has two suggestions for an offering.
 
The first week’s offerings, giving a donation of money and a gift of service or hospitality, are both so central to the Pilgrims’ ethos they are both given on the first week, and cover the month rather than just the first week.
 
The offerings of weeks two, three and four provide a choice for those weeks. They can be used in alternate months, or as the group sees fit.
 
The fifth week has one suggestion, as it is an irregular week.
Pilgrims often uses the fifth week to do a fun activity together, and so relax and get to know one another in a more informal environment.
 
Lectio Divina or Colloquio Divina - see Resources
This is the sacred sharing with one another around the Scripture and around issues of faith.
 
A Lectio Divina is used in place of the traditional sermon, as the process of the Lectio Divina allows everyone to share what the Spirit is saying to them from the text.
 
The Scripture for a Lectio Divina is chosen from the Sunday morning readings in the lectionary, again allowing a sense of shared fellowship with the broader church.
 
The word colloquio comes from the practice in the Ignatian Exercises where the person undertaking the exercises discusses an issue that has been raised with the Father, the Son and with Mary or the Holy Spirit. This opens the disciple to a conversation with the Three over the issue at hand, and through speaking and listening can lead to a deeper discernment.
 
Similarly, the pilgrims open themselves to the Three and to each other, to speak and listen in a process of discernment on a particular topic. This is sacred work, and so we call it Colloquio Divina.
 
This process doesn’t mean just a surface sharing, but it is most beneficial when someone in the group does some preparation, and perhaps provides some reading or thoughts to begin the process. It is important that peoples’ sharing is respected and received as a gift.
 
Confidentiality, which allows deep sharing, is always to be maintained.
 
Mutual prayer
Before and after a Colloquio Divina, the appropriate Pilgrims’ mutual prayer is read together - See Resources