As part of our Ministry Experience Scheme, our interns undertake a pilgrimage and study tour. This year they are visiting Cyprus.

Clare Amos, the Diocese in Europe Director of Lay Discipleship, is with currently with them; 

"As we make this physical journey, the biblical passages we have chosen to explore also remind us of the 'journeying' nature of faith, and the questions, that are never far away at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, about challenges offered to our self-understanding as Christians, about the holiness of particular places and lands. We will explore these through the book of Acts."

Also on the tour is Revd Canon William Gulliford, our Diocesan Director of Ordinands.  He has kindly sent us some photographs of the trip so far.  Here are the interns with Clare waiting to depart from the airport;

Walking in the footsteps of Paul and Barnabas, day one of the tour greeted them with a beautiful dawn at Larnaca;

Here are the group with the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf at the cathedral in Nicosia;

Please pray for the group this week and keep an eye out for further updates and articles which we will share about their trip. 

Update (February 23rd)

William Gulliford writes from Cyprus;

'The MES pilgrimage continues and we are in western Cyprus at Paphos, where St Paul and St Barnabas met the Governor Sergius Paulus. There are many associations with Ancient Greek mythology (Aphrodite was born here and met Apollo here) and we saw the waterfall where this is meant to have happened whilst on a tour of the rather wilder west of Cyprus. 

Later we visited the  famous archaeological dig in the city of Paphos itself, which has unearthed the most extensive series of early mosaics. Paul may not have seen these but they underline the grandeur of the court of the governor and the wealth of Cyprus at the time.

Clare continues to inspire the interns and much is being learned. We return on Monday.'