The Cambridge-based charitable company, which grew out of a Diocese of East Anglia project, has run pilgrimages and tours, mainly to the Holy Land but also to other pilgrimage destinations, since 2006. As a charity, all of the surplus money it generates is given to development projects which support the Christian communities in the Holy Land and in the last decade over £600,000 had been donated.
Now the company wants to expand its work to include more Anglican and other denominational groups.
The Anglican Bishop of Norwich the Rt Rev Graham James, has recently become a trustee of the charity and is planning to lead a group of his curates on a pilgrimage in 2018.
Trustees and staff from Pilgrimage People recently visited the Holy Land and met with the Bishop of Jerusalem's Chaplain, Rev David Longe. They discussed how future pilgrimages with Anglican groups might establish links and raise funds for social action projects from the Anglican Diocese which covers Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Israel.
Rev Longe said: "The beauty of ecumenical partnerships is that we stand united to sustain the precious and precarious Christian presence in the Holy Land. Developing links for visiting pilgrimage groups to parishes in the Holy Land are ones of reciprocity at a deep spiritual level ' both sides learning from each other ' if they are just about cash they will fail."
Founder and Trustee of Pilgrimage People, Fr Paul Maddison, from March, said: "We were very grateful for the opportunity to meet David as we look to bring more Anglican groups to the Holy Land while supporting humanitarian projects in the Jerusalem diocese.
Chelmsford Anglican priest, Rev Stephen Need, former Dean of St George's College in Jerusalem, was also in the visiting group. He said: "I am keen to help Pilgrimage People bring more Anglican groups to experience the unique atmosphere of the Holy Land while also supporting the important work of the Jerusalem diocese."
Pictured above, Fr Paul Maddison and Bishop of Jerusalem's Chaplain, Rev David Longe, meet in Jerusalem.