MOAC CROSSROADS

CAMINO

PILGRIMAGE

May 10-May 22, 2025

Walk along a pilgrimage path beaten by the feet of pilgrims over 1000 years on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, SpaiN & Discover yoUR vocation.

Through a partnership between Turnaround Collective, the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry, and the Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church’s Crossroads 10-week summer paid internship program, explore your call and vocation through a week-long pilgrimage experience on the Camino. Traveling by foot from village to village in the Spanish hills, this pilgrimage offers an experience where interns will reflect on meaning-making, vocation and purpose, or God’s call, as well as discover ways of engaging your spirit through a variety of spiritual practices and group reflection. Most of all, it is a time for interns to discover how they might follow the way of Jesus and serve God and neighbor with their unique gifts and talents.

Here’s what you’ll experience on this journey:

  • PRE-PILGRIMAGE SESSIONS. Pilgrims will gather for three, hour-long Zoom sessions prior to departure. We’ll get to know our fellow pilgrims, share our motivations for taking this pilgrimage, and take practical steps to prepare for the journey.

  • PRE-CAMINO PHYSICAL PREPARATION. Pilgrims will be encouraged to prepare physically for the Camino. All pilgrims are invited to begin a practice of taking at least a 45-minute daily walk in the month leading up to our pilgrimage. Pilgrims can also try on our recommended pre-pilgrimage workout regimen to prepare your body, mind, and soul for the Camino. Click here to see a sample of the pre-pilgrimage training regimen.

  • INTENTIONAL SPIRITUAL REFLECTION & PRACTICE. Pilgrims will experience ancient spiritual practices and the pilgrimage process along the Way—led by trained facilitators—and create meaning through shared reflections with their fellow pilgrims.

  • SUPPORT OF PILGRIMAGE PARTNERS. Along the way, you’ll have the comfort of knowing accommodations, meals, emergency support, and ground transportation have all been arranged.

  • SEE A SAMPLE ITINERARY HERE.

Not a Trip… a Camino Pilgrimage Experience

How to PARTICIPATe

APPLY FOR MISSOURI ANNUAL CONFERENCE CROSSROADS INTERNSHIP

First, be sure to apply for the Missouri Annual Conference’s Crossroads Internship, a 10-week, paid internship for students of UM-affiliated HBCUs who are considering vocational ministry. Click here to learn more about this internship and apply today by clicking the button below. DEADLINE TO APPLY: JANUARY 15, 2025.

STEP 1

REGISTER FOR TURNAROUND COLLECTIVE’S CROSSROADS CAMINO PILGRIMAGE

Next, register to be a part of the Missouri Conference Crossroads Camino Pilgrimage, facilitated by Turnaround Collective, a partnership supported by the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry of the United Methodist Church’s Ethnics-in-Service Grant. DEADLINE TO REGISTER: JANUARY 15, 2025.

STEP 2

APply for (or dust off) your PASSPORT & BEgin preparing for pilgrimage

Once you’ve been accepted as a MOAC Crossroads internship, the journey begins. Turnaround Collective will help you prepare physically and spiritually for your Camino pilgrimage experience.

STEP 3

What’s included?

  • Roundtrip Airfare

  • Ground transportation to PILGRIMAGE STARTING POINT & from Santiago to the airport

  • Accommodation in hotels and rural houses; Shared rooms with private bathroom 

  • Breakfast & Dinner While on camino 

  • Pilgrimage facilitator / Guide

  • Travel insurance

  • LUGGAGE TRANSFER

  • Camino De Santiago Credential 

  • 24-hour emergency assistance

  • Complete route itinerary

MORE PILGRIMAGE FAQS

  • Pilgrimage is a spiritual journey taken by an individual or group to a sacred place or site. Pilgrimages are a spiritual practice, too, and usually includes some kind of experience of intentional spiritual seeking.

    Common ancient Christian pilgrimages include journeys to Jerusalem, Greece, Turkey, as well as the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

  • All participants must first be approved for the Missouri Annual Conference Crossroads internship. Learn more here.

    The deadline to register is January 15.

  • All travel overseas requires a passport. For US citizens, we recommend a current US passport that is valid at least 6 months after your pilgrimage date. To learn more about requirements for US citizens, go to the US Department of State - Spain Travel page. For more info on how to apply for a US passport, click here.

    US citizens are now required to make an application to the European Travel Information & Authorization System (ETIAS) before traveling to Europe.

  • This pilgrimage is covered by the Missouri Annual Conference. Airfare, accommodations, ground transportation, travel insurance, emergency assistance, pilgrimage credentials, luggage transfer, breakfast/dinner, and pilgrimage facilitation are all included.

    You will need a credit/debit card (highly recommended) or cash for lunches, snacks, and incidentals. Most pilgrims spend around $200-$250 on the Camino stretch from Sarria to Santiago.

    Also, pilgrims are responsible for covering the cost of obtaining your US passport, including the passport application fee, passport photos, & ETIAS application, etc.

  • No, but we do recommend that you begin a regular practice of walking at least 45 minutes a day about a month prior to your pilgrimage to get ready.

  • MOAC Crossroads pilgrims will do all the normal things that come with a Camino pilgrimage: walk, talk with peers, eat in Spanish villages, reflect on God and life, and much more.

    We’ll also go through Turnaround’s Pilgrimage Process, where we do spiritual formation around vocation and meaning-making.

    Plus, you'll make new friends and have an experience you'll share and remember for years to come.

Meet Your Pilgrimage Facilitator

Brady Banks

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

@ TURNAROUND COLLECTIVE

Brady is the founder and director of Turnaround Collective. He’s guided multiple pilgrimages around the world over the years, facilitating spiritual spaces for pilgrims as they discover new spiritual territory. Brady is bi-vocational, also working as a professional fundraiser, coming alongside nonprofits and faith-based organizations to develop resources to achieve their missions.

Prior to Turnaround, Brady served over 15 years as a nonprofit executive management and development professional for multiple nonprofit organizations, as well as serving as an elected official locally in Nashville.

He’s a graduate of Mercer University, Harvard Divinity School, and a current doctoral student at Pacific School of Religion, part of the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley. Brady is an avid backcountry hiker, reader, and music aficionado. He enjoys life with his wife Kristin, their son Thaddeus, and dog Henri.