The Reverend Aaron Fulp-Eickstaedt and his wife, the Reverend Judith Fulp-Eickstaedt. Courtesy photo
The Fulp-Eickstaedt family of Falls Church readily concedes that walking 500 miles across Spain may not be everyone’s idea of a restful summer vacation. They started their 50-day journey May 25 on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail.
The Reverend Aaron Fulp-Eickstaedt and his wife, the Reverend Judith Fulp-Eickstaedt, both pastor area congregations. Immanuel Presbyterian Church in McLean and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Arlington are two of only 140 congregations in the United States to receive Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs grants for pastoral sabbaticals this year.
Both pastors have engaged their congregations in their training for this summer’s journey. Reverend Judith and members of her Trinity congregation have been walking together weekday mornings, what she calls “time for exercise and great opportunities for pastoral connection.” On Mondays, Reverend Aaron and members of the Immanuel congregation join for a nine-mile hike along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to Georgetown and back to McLean. Members of both congregations attended a Spanish-themed send off dinner for their pastors on May 3. Reverend Aaron has built several weeks of “Signs on the Way” sermons around the Camino journey, and says that “when you’re walking, life slows down, you feel more grounded, more present to your surroundings.”
Reverend Aaron looks forward to “spending time to think and reflect…to disconnect…to unplug…and be really intentional about meeting people along the way, to learn from our fellow walkers.” Reverend Judith also relishes the thought of time to disengage, to slow down, and has an additional goal: better physical health to help contend with her diabetes.
The Fulp-Eickstaedts’ two daughters, Rebecca and Martha, are excited at the prospect of new adventure and spending quality time with their parents. Rebecca just graduated from the College of William and Mary with Phi Beta Kappa distinction, and has just been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Malaysia next year. Martha is a University of Virginia sophomore with a double major: psychology and English, with emphasis on fiction. Reverend Judith says Martha is passionately interested in church architecture, so should especially enjoy visiting the many cathedrals and churches as the family walks along the Camino this summer.
You can follow Aaron and Judith’s progress and experiences at https://thispilgrimway.wordpress.com/ over the course of the next 500 miles.