Following the Path Above Base Camp
Ancient Paths, Modern Pilgrims
We believe there is further to travel on the lifelong journey of faith than perhaps you might realise and that discovering the full story really matters. Sign up below to explore what it means to follow Jesus on the narrow path ‘Above Base Camp’ all the way to the summit!
“Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.”
An invitation
What is Above Base Camp?
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”
As Christians, we have accepted the invitation to follow Jesus and have set off on our faith journey. But do we even know what that journey is meant to look like? To help describe how we see the life of faith, we compare it to climbing Mount Everest. Now, there are many reasons why people might struggle to make it all the way to the summit. Often, it is because they get stuck or settled at Base Camp and mistake that for the real summit, when in fact, we believe there is a whole other mountain still to climb if we want to make it all the way to the top. To get there, we need to Follow the Path of Jesus and continue our climb “Above Base Camp” (ABC).
Our ABC Framework offers a big picture for the journey that we hope will enable modern pilgrims to follow Jesus on the good way of the ancient paths. You can explore what this ABC Framework is all about through the Activities available on this website and on Substack, and through the Beliefs that underpin it.
Our FIRE-break retreats are up and running, but the publication of our written resources has just started – we plan to publish new material regularly over the coming years. To discover the full story and kickstart your climb for the summit you can sign up to our mailing list and we will keep you up to date on any new releases. Or to find out more about who we are and the story behind ABC, visit Discover Chapter II.
Three core concepts
The ABC Framework for the Christian life of faith.
Concept A
Aspiring to Become Christlike
The ‘ASPIRE’ concept describes our Christian life through six different lenses. Our aim here is to grow to maturity across each of these six areas, as we Aspire to Become Christlike in our Actions, Behaviours and Character.
Concept B
Balancing Life in 'The 3 Spheres'
This concept is about how to maintain balance across each of the 3 Spheres of our life of faith; as an Individual, in the Church, and in the World, where our focus is on Maturity, Ministry & Mission respectively.
Concept C
Climbing 'The Mountain Path'
Taking wisdom from across church history, ‘The Mountain Path’ uses the metaphor of climbing Mount Everest to describe the different camps and challenges we might encounter on our climb as we mature through the life of faith.
An intention
Why engage with ABC?
“For at least several decades the churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian”
The Great Commission has two parts to it: the first we usually call evangelism and the second, discipleship. Both are lifelong calls over our lives. But sometimes it can feel like evangelism bears the excitement and drama of the Prodigal Son, whereas discipleship can feel a bit more like the Older Brother, a bit dull and boring. A bit invisible even. Especially discipleship as an adult. Yet both are important. Both brothers are loved by the Father. So why does discipleship merit so little attention in our lives today? How many of us have actively thought about what being a disciple at our age means? Or why it matters? Is there even a point to discipleship? Why do some of us think it is optional or that we’ve simply outgrown it? At ABC, we believe that true discipleship is much more exciting. We see following Jesus on the journey of faith as an adventure – it’s like climbing Everest!
In our experience, though, it seems like so few Christians these days understand what that lifelong journey looks like, and that our culture does everything it can to make sure things stay that way. So, at ABC our aim is to explore and retrieve the wisdom of how church history sees that journey in such a way that modern pilgrims can put it into practice, intentionally, today. Only as we discover how to Follow the narrow Path that lies Above Base Camp do we believe that we can continue our climb all the way to the summit.
Activities
Resources for the climb.
Articles, Books, Courses, Discovery Guides, Equipping and FIRE-breaks — six ways we offer practical support on the journey of faith.
01
Articles
Bitesize blogs on the ABC Framework available on Substack that combine ancient wisdom and modern wordplay.
02
Books
Approachable explorations of the 7 seasons of the journey of faith as we Climb The Mountain Path.
03
Courses
Practical training to help us walk with Jesus on the Good Way of the Ancient Paths.
04
Discovery Guides
Answers to seven questions that will help you Follow The Path Above Base Camp.
05
Equipping
Spiritual mentoring to help you find your next step on the climb.
06
FIRE-break Retreats
Retreats to help you take a break and to rekindle your spiritual FIRE.
Beliefs
What we hold to.
Our ABC Aspiration is to walk the Good Way of the Ancient Paths, as we climb the Mountain of God towards the Father, following Jesus, in step with the Holy Spirit.
Read our beliefs- 01Abide with Jesus
- 02Become like Jesus
- 03Carry on the work Jesus started
- 04All for the Good of Others
- 05By the Grace of God and for the Glory of God, and in
- 06Companionship Together
Calendar
Upcoming FIRE-break Retreats.
A few of the next dates on the calendar. Our FIRE-break retreats are based in Little Chalfont, Bucks, HP8.
- 0111 SeptemberRenewal DaysPilot - By invitation only
- 0218 SeptemberInsight DaysPilot - By invitation only
- 0326 SeptemberExploration MorningsOverview of 'The 3 Spheres'
- 049 OctoberRenewal DaysPilot - By invitation only
Following The Path Above Base Camp
Explore how to walk with Jesus on the Good Way.
Kickstart your climb! Sign-up to our mailing list to make sure you don’t miss out on the latest events and publications:
Discover the full story! Subscribe to our Substack Page to read our bitesize previews on what it means to Follow the Path Above Base Camp.