Select Saturdays | 8-10am | Locations Vary

Nature Church Twin Cities!
Join Christian mystic and nature enthusiast Rev. Roger Wolsey for spiritual experiences in the great outdoors.

Time: 8-10am | Meet at 8am sharp in the Hennepin Ave UMC parking lot (511 Groveland Ave) to carpool

Date: Select Saturdays |May 23 & 30 | June 6, 13, 20 | July 11 & 18 | August 1 & 8 | September 19 & 26 | October 3, 10, 17

Locations vary: Including (but not limited to), Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden; Normandale Japanese Garden; Crosby Farm Regional Park; Hidden Falls Regional Park; and Ft. Snelling State Park
• May 23 | Eloise Butler
• May 30 | Normandale Japanese Garden
• June 6 | Crosby Farm Regional Park
• June 13 | Ft. Snelling State Park
• June 20 | Eloise Butler
• July 11 | Hidden Falls Regional Park
• July 18 | Eloise Butler
• Additional locations TBD

Nature Church Twin Cities promotes experiencing nature as “church” & lets Creation speak. Guided 20 minute contemplative hikes take place mostly in silence with a 25 minute contemplative sit. Guided rituals optional. We talk about what we experienced and then hike back to our vehicles. Ideally, you’ll be able to walk up to 1 mile in, and 1 mile out, depending on the week. We walk on a variety of uneven surfaces so if you are prone to rolling your ankles, this may not be for you. Children are welcome as long as they can keep up with the group on the hike, join in the silence as we walk to our destination, and be silent during the contemplative sit. We don’t require silence on the hike back.

What to expect:
• Arrive at the parking lot BY *8am* at HAUMC (511 Groveland Ave) and maps to the chosen park/trailhead of the week will be distributed. We depart from the church at 8:05am SHARP.
• We typically arrive at the trailheads by 8:20am. Meet in the parking lot, then ride-sharing/car-pooling an approx. 10–20 min drive to a park/trailhead; followed by a 1 hour experience out in nature (including hike in & out).
• We gather at the trailhead and set our intentions together as a group and head off silently on our group hike.
• If done in a group, folks might consider going out for lunch/coffee afterward to share more about the experience and to make new friends!
• Check the weather – if it’s horrible, we’ll cancel.
• Bring good shoes/boots, a filled water bottle, jacket, brimmed hat, sunscreen, gloves, sunglasses, extra layers of clothing as needed, and perhaps a camera and/or binoculars.

Facilitator: Roger Wolsey, a certified Spiritual Director and recently retired United Methodist pastor and serves on the Board of Directors of ProgressiveChristianity.Org. He is the author of Discovering Fire: Spiritual Practices that Transform Lives and Kissing Fish: Christianity for people who don’t like Christianity. Roger originally started this ministry in Boulder, CO in 2014 and has led it in Iowa, Grand Junction, and Mankato.

As the facilitator: I bring a backpack that included a first aid kit; thin butt pads for sitting on the ground; some dried clay and a bowl to create a mud for people to put on themselves as part of reconnecting to their animal/natural self; communion bread and grape juice; and earth-based readings from various sacred texts around the world.
I offer a few “ritual stations” that are completely optional for people to consider partaking in. Toward the end of each “sit” out in nature, I guide the brief (totally optional) rituals and invite people to share about what they noticed and experienced during their sit.
*LGBTQ+ welcoming and affirming.