The Coat of Hopes Morning statement :  

We gather today to wear and walk the Coat of Hopes through this land. Carrying the griefs, remembrances, prayers and hopes of which it is made - brought to it by many for the places, creatures and people that they love. We walk for them, for one another, and for all we encounter, because when we act for the other we begin to repair our broken sense of connection.
We walk together as a community – like the patches on the Coat we are each unique. To keep our Coat and community together, we walk in the understanding that we take responsibility for ourselves, even as we hold each other and those we meet in our care. We are not carrying a message in the Coat, but a space in which to be present, at this time of climate, ecological and human emergency. This is a practice of walking with an open heart – it is not easy.  Our commitment is to try to listen before we speak, and to hold each person in love without judgement - because with the Coat, we share the invitation to “wear the promise that we all belong together”. Yet, we can go joyfully on our way because the weight is shared between us, we have each other, and thus the journey unfolds strange and wonderful.

We will be meeting with the local community in Tiptree at URC on the evening of 7th May - Everyone is invited to meet the Coat of Hopes. The Coat will be on display, welcoming people to wear it once we arrive to Tiptree ( the Coat Story is shared through Song) around 5pm. Next morning, we will leave the church around 9am - and start walking towards Maldon. Everyone is welcome to walk with us, even if just a step....