For many years now, I have found myself returning again and again to a book called Chasing Francis by a local author, Ian Cron. This book uses the fictional journey of a pastor in the midst of a faith crisis to experience the life and teachings of Saint Francis, the famous saint from the 13th century who these days is a statue in many gardens.
Francis came to faith in the gap between two historical periods – the Middle Ages and the pre-Renaissance, a time of transition not unlike what we live in today. As Cron writes, “People in Francis’s time felt the same anxiety that comes from living in a rapidly changing society that we do today . . . In Francis’s day, the church hemorrhaging credibility. It was seen as hypocritical, untrustworthy, and irrelevant. Some people even wondered if it would survive.”
Pastor Jay is inviting all who are interested to join him on a pilgrimage using this book to think about our own life of faith and what Francis might say to our church today. The notion of a Pilgrimage comes from a Latin word, peregrinus, which means a person walking the earth in exile, someone in search of a spiritual homeland. Our pilgrimage will be an intellectual and spiritual journey to think center our own understanding of our relationship with God and where God is calling our church.
If you are interested in joining Pastor Jay on this journey, email him at pastor@cityroadchapel.org. We are still working out the scheduling and need to know your preference for an in-person or online gathering or a hybrid format that includes both.
Participants will be responsible for purchasing their own copy of the book in whatever format you prefer (paperback, Kindle, or Audible). The easiest way is for you to search for “Chasing Francis – A Pilgrim’s Tale” by Ian Morgan Cron on Amazon. If you would prefer for us to order the book for you, the cost will be $12.