Wild wheels: Accessing God's Natural Cathedral.

I started Oakwood forest church five years ago in an urban nature reserve to the east of Reading in Berkshire.  I was finding myself praying outside more and more; and talking to lots of people who didn't go to church but found God in the wild.  Searching for whatever was available I discovered the forest church network and decided to have a go at  bringing people together to meet God whilst walking in the woods. The sessions took a lot of the forest school ethos with a focus was on providing all age, active, explorative, off road sessions whatever the weather; and people came.  Sadly the team was struck with illness and disability just two years after we started.  Despite our best efforts to meet in some way, we had to accept that a break was needed and Oakwood forest church had an 18 month hibernation; although we retained our online community.  

Then, at the start of 2018 we received a flurry of requests from different people in the area who wanted to come along to our sessions; it definitely felt like God was on the move with Oakwood again.   I spoke to a few of the previous team and some new people and there were 4 of us keen to create a leadership team.  Due to my disability I felt convicted to make OFC as accessible as possible, allowing anyone to connect to God through nature and experience the joy and peace of being in nature.  We were able to secure a small amount of funding to allow us to rent the rangers teaching centre at the nature reserve for 2 hours each month.  With toilet facilities and a kettle we had a base from which sessions could start and end; spring allowing us to offer a truly accessible form of forest church We've had 6 sessions in our new format and are thrilled that people of all abilities are about to join us and that numbers are increasing again.

The importance of nature connection

The majority of people who choose to join an Oakwood Forest Church session say that they feel at peace and closest to God when they're close to nature.   That shouldn't be a surprise; we believe that God was the spark of creation and he needs us to care for the plants, creatures and environment of the planet.  We know that God is in every living thing and is the sustainer of life; his spirit flows in the rivers and blows on the wind.   What better way to feel close to God than to connect with creation; to touch the leaves, smell the flowers, taste the fruit and hear the birds?

We, as humans, are part of nature; evolved from the wild world and unable to survive without the rest of creation. Just look at the next meal you eat and try and identify all the parts of creation that are sustaining you.  Yet, as we've moved into towns and created safe, man made ways of living, we've become disconnected from nature.  Our children are less able to identify where food comes from; we struggle to tend the plants in our gardens; and although we know we want to save the environment we don't really know what that means.

There is nothing 'wrong' with the way we live in built up towns, cities and urban sprawl; but there is evidence (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903183r) that connection to nature is good for our happiness, well being and health; especially self esteem and mood.

Interestingly, the presence of water generated the best effects on the research; but that won't surprise those of us who love to visit the sea, walk by rivers or sit by lakes.  There's something calming about water, something about baptism and renewal and cleansing.  At Oakwood forest church we are blessed with a large lake which we tend to gravitate towards every time; it is full of the miracle of life and can calm even the most fussy toddler.

Barriers to nature
I didn't realised how inaccessible the natural world can be until I couldn't get into the wild.  It's not just about getting over stiles in a wheelchair, or walking on rough ground with a visual impairment or appreciating bird song with hearing loss or processing all the sensory inputs if you're autistic; it is bigger than that.  It is the lack of disabled parking, toilets and guides for disability access and, perhaps even more importantly, the lack of interest by both disability and outdoor organisations to help disabled get into the wild. 

My experience with social services and disability charities is that their aim is to help me live life to the full, but they are focused on the built environment rather than natural places.  They couldn't understand why I still wanted to get into the woods. Less than 10% of the places I used to visit for a walk in the wild are able to give me information about wheelchair access; most just apologise or even tell me that wheelchairs might damage the environment.  Even garden centres can be a challenge for those of us with disabilities. 

The resulting disconnection from nature, which many disabled people experience, is bad for health and especially impactful on well being and mental health.  But don't take my word for it....

Experience disconnection yourselves
I invite you to try and experience what this disconnection from nature feels like with four simple exercises.  Each time ask yourself:
* how you feel in yourself (eg frustration? anger? disappointment?);
* how you feel about the environment you're in (disconnected or connected?)
* how you could change forest church sessions, worship, socials and events you lead to ensure everyone can take part?

Exercises:
A) mobility constrained
Sit on a chair on a path, you are not allowed to move from this chair.  Find a representation of God's creation.

B) visually impaired
Put on a blind fold of some sort.  Find a representation of God's creational beauty.

C) hearing impaired
Put on ear muffs or headphones.  Find a representation of God's voice.

D) depressed or anxious
There's no way of mimicking this; but perhaps think of a time you have felt depressed or anxious... Find a representation of God's peace.

Benefits of reconnection to nature
Until I became disabled I never fully appreciated the health benefits of getting into nature; how a walk in the wild is calming yet rejuvenating, mood lifting and anxiety reducing.  After a year of barely leaving the house I felt I could breathe deeply again the first time I went to our local nature reserve. 

I used to walk past the lake in that nature reserve with a passing glance, not appreciating it's value; but now I can sit in my chair for hours listening to the ducks, feeling the breeze in my hair and touching the plants along the path.  This is when I feel alive and at peace; when the worries of the world are put back on perspective.

I used to take for granted that I could watch butterflies and birds and that the world changed colour through the seasons; I never questioned picking up stones and twigs with my daughter, or playing hide and seek amongst the trees. I didn't think it was a blessing to identify a dozen different birds by their calls or that some people feel scared by the sound of wind through the hills.  But now I count my blessings when an especially bright flower blooms in the garden, or when a pile of autumn leaves glows orange and catches my attention on my normal grey route, or when a fish breaks the water in the lake and I can identify the sound.  These connections remind me that I still have a place in the natural world.

But there's something else; being in nature reminds me that I am an important part of creation.  That might sound strange, but becoming disabled made me feel like a flawed creature, a broken part of the world, less than I should be.  But nature teaches me that there is no flaw or failure, everything has a role to play in the circle of life.  The broken branch becomes a home to thousands of creatures; a caterpillar changes to emerge as a butterfly; and autumn is an essential season without which spring could not bloom.

 

Being in nature reminds me that God made everything and is in everything in nature.  There are no mistakes, all of creation is a representation of God.

Romans 1: 18-20.
"... God is being revealed from heaven .... since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..."

God loves me just as I am, as he loves every plant, tree and creature; and that He knows my value even when I might not know it myself.

Small actions for access
The Bible tells us in Psalm 34:8 to "taste and see that the lord is good.". That is an invitation to everyone. 

My hope is that those of you reading this article take at least one small action to connect with God's creation yourself and help the 20% of the population who live with disability to be able to connect with nature and taste and see God; as you age it is highly likely you will become disabled. 

It isn't as difficult as it might seem; and here are some simple ideas you can try for yourself.
• Plant seeds in small pots.   Invite people to tend the plant as it grows; perhaps a favourite flower or even a tasty vegetable.  See, smell and touch God's creation.
• Tell people how they can connect with nature and God in their garden or park.  By using all five senses, everyone should be able to make a nature connection.
• Plant a community garden.  You can use a small area of your church grounds or even a few pots; plant vegetables and invite the community to tend it through the year and harvest it in the autumn. 
• Organise a walk in the local park or accessible garden. Invite people to join you in an accessible walk or wheel, making it obvious that it will be suitable for everyone no matter what their ability.  Again, use all the senses to find God in His natural cathedral.
• Ask your local nature reserve, garden or wild space about accessibility.  Organisations often don't think disabled people want to access their wild places because no one ever comes along; by asking about access you are raising the issue and hopefully this will lead to improved access.  If you find somewhere accessible then please tell people; tell local disability charities and churches; let's celebrate it.
• Prioritise access over location. There is something magnificent about climbing the Brecon Beacons but it isn't accessible for all.  Instead, meet at an accessible location near a car park and provide alternative, accessible routes for those who need or prefer them.
• Provide access information for every event and location: information is empowering for everyone.

Greenbelt experience
The basis of this article was written as a talk I gave at The Grove at Greenbelt Festival 2018.  The article could end there, but the challenges of access to my talk lead to further discussion and I feel they are useful to include.

My talk was at The Grove; a wilder area, across the lake from the main festival. A great location for forest church sessions but one with access challenges.  Greenbelt access team are amazing and had improved on the access from the previous year, with walk ways laid along the slopes which helped me as a wheelchair user; but it was still a long walk for those with mobility constraints. 

My talk was at 2pm on Sunday; the weather forecast on the Saturday was for heavy rain and strong winds.  Take a long walk on tricky ground and add rain and wind into the mix and even the most determined able bodied festival goer might decide not to go into the wild; it was almost impossible for many of the people who had wanted to hear my talk. 

I was blessed to have eight people make the trek for my talk in the driving cold rain, three of who had mobility challenges; another twenty messaged me to say they just couldn't get to the talk.   If nothing else this told me about the importance of creating access to nature.

As a group we talked about disability, forest church and nature connection; about how accessibility is more important than a stunning location; about how introducing nature connection to someone can be as simple as planting and nurturing seeds on a window ledge; and about how accessible gardens in care homes are invaluable for residents health.

I learned as much from those who came along as they might have learned from me; it was a blessing to have these conversations and the challenged me to write this article in fullness and share it widely.

Over to you
With just a little extra thought and planning, ANYONE can transform forest churches and nature connection events to make them accessible for all - will you take up the challenge?  I hope you will because one day you might find yourself in need of an accessible entry into the wild.