25 June 2025
In the cold waters of the North-East coast, Ian Stimpson has found a unique form of ministry that blends his passion for sea swimming with spiritual contemplation. Sea Soul, his pioneering project with the Methodist Church, represents a fresh approach to connecting with both nature and the divine.
"I'm one of the many who took up sea swimming during COVID," explains Ian, who began in June 2020. "I've always enjoyed the sea and swimming, but I was a bit scared about swimming in the cold sea. Through a friend, I got started and I was hooked."
What began as a personal hobby has evolved into something more profound. As an evangelism enabler who splits his time between Grace Place coffee shop in South Shields and the Sea Soul project on the North Tyneside coast, Ian was approached by the Mother House – a Methodist network supporting pioneers in the Newcastle upon Tyne Methodist District – with an unusual proposition.
“They were looking for pioneers but, instead of starting with a project and asking somebody to staff it, they did it the other way around. They started with the person and said, 'What do you want to do?'" recalls Ian.
After prayer and reflection, Ian kept receiving the same image: the sea. "Three or four times, the Lord gave me a picture of the sea. I kept mentioning to Elaine Lindridge, Minister for the Mother House, but I didn't know what it meant."
A breakthrough came when he attended a surfing competition that included yoga and breath work sessions. "What I came away with was that I wasn't just to put on an activity. I had to ‘become’ Sea Soul."
Mentoring from Anglican minister Revd Susan Blagdon of Coastal Expression Pioneers' helped Ian develop a practice of beach contemplation, discerning how God speaks through creation. His routine now includes visiting the beach twice weekly, often in darkness.
"I usually go early morning. I like to go just while it's still dark, pitch black. I have a rock and I sit on it and watch as the sky turns into pre-dawn, half-light, first light, sunrise. It's magical."
These moments have yielded profound spiritual experiences. Ian describes watching a ship departing at dawn: "This massive ship was going out and it was ablaze with light, like the biggest Christmas tree you've ever seen. On the funnel, it had an X that looked like a cross."
Later, as the ferry from Amsterdam approached, "the sun was coming up behind it and the sea in front was flat calm with a gentle ripple, but the water behind the ship was like glass. It looked like it was towing peace."
His recent eureka moment came when he noticed others engaging in similar contemplative practices on the beach. "I feel my calling is to start something around this beach contemplation."
As Sea Soul continues to evolve, Ian remains excited about its potential: "I'm on a really important transition. I think God just puts the right stuff in place at the right time."
Follow Ian on his journey here