Our Purpose
To seek and walk with God in His creation, alongside each other and to help each other grow in faith, mateship, fun and adventure while we grapple with the realities of life.
What we do
At Trail Chapel, we love to get outdoors into Creation. We enjoy any activity that allows it and it’s even better when we it is alongside others who love it too. As this is only a new community, we are exploring and fine-tuning how it will work, but the heart and aspirations for this community is to have regular events, in varying groups of people, where we can enjoy Creation and the outdoors together, grapple with life and seek to draw closer to God.
If you would like to find out how Trail Chapel came about, click the button below to read out introductory blog post.
Our Belief
God (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit) is all powerful and loving. He created everything including us as His prized affection. God gave us choice as the ultimate act of love, rather than expecting obedience by force or mindlessness. Mankind fell into sin through this choice and we all now carry that burden from birth to death. But God the Father loved us so much that he sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from death so that we could be restored to what we should have been before we fell. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus raised to life and defeating death once and for all as the ultimate sacrifice, we have been forgiven and made children of God if we choose to believe. God gave us His Word, written in the pages of the Bible, so that we could get to know Him, learn His heart for us and the way He intended for us to live. We were created to enjoy genuine relationship with God, called to be faithful stewards of this world and are now also called to share this amazing news to all we can in an effort to see everyone find freedom and come to know their Creator, Saviour and friend.
Trail Chapel is not here to push specific theological or denominational perspectives of Christian faith. Rather, it is a place where people can freely explore and grapple with faith, ask questions and seek God for themselves in loving and genuine community. Because we are all deeply loved and valued by our Creator, everyone is welcome and valued at Trail Chapel.
Who is Trail Chapel for?
Trail Chapel is for everyone with a passion for the outdoors and who willing to explore faith.
Everyone is welcome and valued and will be included wherever possible. It is important that anyone participating in Trail Chapel understands what it is about and will respect the belief statment, even if there isn’t complete agreement with it. We understand that we are all on our own journey, and God is walking with us in individual ways. We are there to walk alongside each other, encourage each other and grapple with the realities of life with each other in a respectful and loving way. We will always encourage all those who are able to participate in appropriate activities, groups, events they are able or would like to be a part of.
There may be times/events dedicated for a specific group of this community such as for men, women, families, youth or kids, Dads & Mums etc. This does not mean the others aren’t valued, it just means that God has placed a specific group or a specific event on someone’s heart for that time, place or activity. It is also dependent on the persons abilities as there will be activities that require a certain physical or mental level of fitness due to the nature of the group and the activities and interests within it.
Behaviours and Expectations
Below is a list of behaviours and expectations that we have of everyone who are a part of and participate in Trail Chapel, whether in person or online.
Be real / genuine
No pretenses, no facades, no egos. Be yourself and allow others to be themselves. Being honest with yourself and others is important.
Be open / willing to learn
No one knows everything. Listen. Share. Be open to hearing others point of view and considerately share yours.
Be thoughtful
Others around us may have had similar experiences, others may have had very different experiences. You have the ability to build someone up or tear them down and here we want to build them up.
Be helpful
You may have skills that others haven’t had the opportunity to learn yet. Others might need help in some way. Be willing to lend a hand where appropriate and needed. Be patient and willing to allow someone to give things a go even if they don’t it right.
Prefer others
Respect and value others above yourself. Be thoughtful, considerate and caring.
Have fun
Enjoy each moment and each adventure, the good and the hard, the pleasant and the struggles.
Be above reproach
Always remain aware of and in accordance with our faith, the law and rules and regulations of the areas you are within.
Its a journey
The essence of being on a trail is that it is a journey, not a destination. A journey can vary in length of time, difficulty, direction and requirements. Everyone’s journey is different but just as valuable. The journey is where we learn and grow.