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HISTORY OF MICHIGAN PILGRIMAGE
Pilgrimage was introduced to Michigan by George and Gayle Davidson in 2004. They invited a small group of friends to accompany them as guests for a North Carolina Presbyterian Pilgrimage (NCPP) weekend. The Michigan guests of NCPP #56 returned with a great desire to join George and Gayle in establishing Michigan Presbyterian Pilgrimage (MPP). They were joined by a number of people in the Grand Rapids area from other communities including DeColores, Virginia Presbyterian Pilgrimage and Walk to Emmaus. Together they organized the first weekend held in the spring of 2005 at Camp Henry in Newaygo; a mission that was facilitated through the generous gifts of time, experience and money from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Texas Presbyterian Pilgrimage friends. Close to 40 people traveled to Michigan to serve on the first weekend.
More than 50 weekends have been provided by Michigan Presbyterian Pilgrimage with more than 450 guests in attendance – God certainly had a plan for Pilgrimage in Michigan. His plan was for this ministry to be ecumenical as the 450 guests representing denominations and 174 churches!
As the community grew and the ecumenical mission thrived bring Christians of various denominations together, the Leadership Council updated the name to Michigan Pilgrimage – Lake Michigan.
This year the spring experience will be hosted at The Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Michigan. The fall weekend will also be hosted at The Amigo Centre, Sturgis, Michigan.
In 2009, a second community, Michigan Presbyterian-Detroit, was fostered to provide the weekend experience of Pilgrimage for those living in southeast Michigan. In 2020 they became known as Great Lakes Pilgrimage to better reflect their diversity and broadening of their outreach beyond the metro Detroit area.
Just as the North Carolina Pilgrimage community came to Michigan to serve in establishing MPP, several from the Michigan community traveled to Omaha, NE to establish Great Plains Pilgrimage. Michigan Pilgrimage is a member of the National Council of Presbyterian Fourth Day Movements.
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