Cheerio, my friends, as they say across the pond. I am practicing my greetings so I will be ready for my pilgrimage next week and I wanted to tell you a bit about it.
Two years ago, before we were even parents to three children, Ryan and I were asked to apply for the Wesley Study Tour, a pilgrimage in England that takes us around the country to study the sights and traditions of our faith. We applied for this and got choosen last year and we have been looking forward to this adventure ever since. Many years ago, the Florida entrepreneurs and philanthropists, Bernie and LaVonn Simpkins established a trust that would bless 10 people each year with a trip to England to learn more about our Wesleyan roots. The trip was set up for United Methodist pastors and their spouses to go, in fact, LaVonn, at the time, only agreed to using the money in this way if the spouses were included and I am so glad she time. I have learned that over 13 years of ministry and almost 14 years of marriage, that Ryan and I need each other’s support and investment to have a successful and fruitful ministry. And having this experience together will be such a gift!
On Monday, July 29th, Ryan and I will be leaving our three tiny humans in the capable hands of our loving parents and heading to England with four other couples that are all in ministry in the United Methodist Church in Florida. The men are Ryan’s covenant brothers and the wives are awesome partners in their ministry! We will be traveling all over England but focusing our time in London, Oxford, Bristol and Epworth. We will see John and Charles Wesley’s home church, Christ College where John studied and Lincoln College where he held is Holy Club meetings in the 1720’s. Then we will head to Bristol where John’s famous brother Charles lived and sing many of the hymns he wrote along the way. We will finish the day with partaking in Holy Communion in New Room, which is the oldest Methodist building in the world. On Sunday, we will worship in London at the City Road Chapel and then take in the sights of London. The following week we will visit and make connections with other denominational leaders at the Central Methodists Hall and I am particularly excited to hear how Methodists are reaching new people, in new ways in the UK. On our final day, we will worship at St. Paul’s Cathedral and walk the streets of Aldersgate, where John Wesley had his conversion experience. All in all, 8 jammed packed days full of lots of walking, learning, worshipping and discovery.
I have been to England once before when my parents brought us here in High School when we were backpacking across Europe one summer, but I have not been back since being married or becoming a pastor, so I know this will hit me differently this time. I am looking forward to spending time with my husband and our ministry friends, having adult conversations without the constant, but adorable interrupting of little, inquisitive minds and seeing all of the sights I have mentioned above. But mostly, I am looking forward to reconnecting with my Wesleyan roots. I believe that the Wesleyan way of looking at Scripture, faith and holiness is exactly what the world needs right now and I look forward to bringing those lessons, sights and transformative moments back with me.
I know you will pray for me, for Ryan and for our children while we are away and I look forward to being back with you in worship on August 11th. Stay tuned for more, but for now, Cheerio, my friends!