WALK AND WORD
Walk and Word - A ministry led by Jeanne Lavieri is back! Here is the update from Jeanne:
It has been eighteen months since our last Sunday morning hike. I remember well March 22, 2020. The usually quiet Deukmejian Park was swarming with people who had just been denied access to their gyms and were desperately seeking exercise. We agreed that it was best to take a break and stay safe until we understood the pandemic better. Eventually vaccines became available, stay at home orders lifted, and we said goodbye to Pastor Paul and hello to Rev. Denyse. With that transition well underway, it is time to head for the hills again.
Starting on Sunday, October 10, at 8 AM, we will meet in the parking lot at Deukmajian Wilderness Park, 3429 Markridge Road, Glendale. We will walk for the first hour and then gather to read a selection of scripture. We will spend about a half hour journaling about what we read and then finish up with a conversation sharing our thoughts.
Those who have participated in this hiking ministry have been inspired by the beautiful natural setting and the way it brings the words to life. We have enjoyed hearing each other’s unique insights.
Please bring something to write with, anything you want to eat or drink, and a chair to use for the writing part of the morning. Because we will be outdoors and will be social distancing, masks will be optional.
All are welcome. If the hike is too strenuous, there are level paths at the park. There are ramps from the parking lot to the field where we gather after the hike.
More about Walk and Word:
Nature and the Bible may be more closely related than we first think. The Gospel of John begins:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being.”
John used the Greek Logos for Word. Logos is defined as “the rational principle that develops and governs the universe.” People have many words for that principle source of our origins. I call it God, and I believe that Jesus the Christ is the presence of God, the God with us, Emmanuel, in the universe with us.
The words of the Bible were spoken poetry for centuries before they were written down. They have conveyed relevance to many throughout the ages, and continue to hold insights for those who approach them with open hearts and minds. When I am out walking in nature, I experience a heightened awareness and awe of my surroundings. The crunchy support of the gravel beneath my boots, the scent of the chaparral, sightings of lizards, birds, rabbits, and deer all cause my heart and mind to expand and words to flow. So a walk is a great warm up for writing, and writing is good way to wind down after a hike and to set some impressions and experiences into words. Walk and Word.
Walk and Word will be meeting on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th (and sometimes 5th) Sundays. We will not meet on the first Sundays of the month. If you have questions, please contact Jeanne by phone or email. Here’s a link to the Meet Up listing: https://www.meetup.com/La-Crescenta-Walking-Meetup/events/253422799/
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace…” Isaiah 52:7
About Jeanne Lavieri:
As a child in Connecticut, I attended a Methodist church with my family. During my teens I turned my spiritual search away from church and found meaning elsewhere - in the lyrics of my favorite songwriters, in art, in clay, in family, and outdoors. Later in life I felt a need for more substance and depth to move me on my spiritual journey. I read and journaled. My searching was rewarded with a close and warm experience of the divine, and I have been expressing my faith in spiritual communities ever since. After a few years in some Unitarian Universalist congregations, I found my way to Crescenta Valley UMC, back to the denomination where I began. In my 24 years here, I have continued to learn and grow and serve. I’ve been the Lay Leader at CVUMC for several years and recently was approved to be a Certified Lay Minister. Right now, I’m hearing a call to be outside on Sundays, to be out in nature and to meet others who feed their souls there. God is so much bigger than a building and Creation is calling us to be in relationship.