Ingleby Barwick

Nik Stevenson

nikthevic@icloud.com

Nik Stevenson is the Multiply leader at St Francis of Assisi, Ingleby Barwick. He moved to Ingleby back in June 2019 with his wife, Shelly and since then they’ve been meeting and getting to know the local community, especially when walking the dog or at the local running group, of which they’re both part.

Listen to his conversation with Ben Walker to find out more about his plan for Ingleby Barwick and why we should all ‘be more idiot’.

Nik’s latest update (October 2023)

Much of what I get up to has had Digital Saints at the heart of it. We pray the Night Prayer 3 times per week live on Facebook and over 100 people join us each time. 

This is the place where all of our contacts can connect with us. Some people interact, others ask for prayer and many we don’t know are watching but often something we have said will come up in a conversation later.

One of the most exciting developments recently has been our pilgrimages on the North York Moors.  We take a small group of folk on a walking meditation, sometimes sharing bread and wine around one of the ancient standing stones or crosses.  We take time to talk about our lives, think about our challenges and support each other in our difficulties. We are growing a lovely community of people who enjoy exploring their spirituality outdoors and best of all they are not not keeping it to themselves but are inviting their friends.

You can read more about the Pilgrimage Walks here.

I am embedded in the local running club and trail running community where the interest from people I encounter always surprises me. Whether it is on a night run with a small group or halfway around an ultra-marathon the conversations I end up having about faith never cease to amaze me.  I am becoming well known among the Hardmoors community, a series of races on the North York Moors coastal paths and Yorkshire Wolds. I am currently studying for my MA through CMS and am writing my dissertation on the spirituality of ultra running and I hope to tap into the wisdom of this amazing group of runners.

I am a chaplain at the local gym in Ingleby Barwick where I am available for any users to come and have a chat on Monday mornings or Thursday afternoons. These sessions are a great way for people to seek a listening ear and are on neutral ground which can feel less intimidating.

The final area of work we are developing is in the local woodland. I have qualified as a Forest School instructor and we have held some sessions in our local forest and hope to take this into schools to develop this further. We have found that lots of people deepened their connection with the outdoors during the lockdown and we are trying to help them discover and nurture their spirituality through this.