Reformation Tours, LLC presents the British Christian Heritage Tour May 9-21, 2019 Hosted by Pastor Jason and Sandra Steele British Christian Heritage Tour Our tour hosts, Rev. Jason and and Big Ben. We will travel up River Thames, giving us excel- Sandra Steele, have served in lent views of the Tower and Tower Bridge. In the afternoon we ministry for over 19 years. San- will visit John Wesley’s Chapel, Wesley’s home and the Muse- dra is an inactive attorney who um of Methodism, followed by a tour of his home. John Wesley has homeschooled their two (1703-1791) has been called the most influential Protestant daughters for the past 12 years. leader of the English-speaking world since the Reformation Pastor Jason is an Evangelical and his brother Charles wrote hundreds of amazing hymns. Presbyterian Church minister We will tour the legendary Bunhill Field’s Cemetery, where we with a congregation in Owosso, can see the burial place of nonconformist Protestants. The rest MI. He often teaches classes to his congregation on church of the day is at leisure to attend a show (tickets can be ar- history and is known to preach first person sermons as vari- ranged) or relax. (B) ous church reformers. The Steeles enjoyed hosting our Reformation Jubilee Tour in May 2017, and they are excited Day 4: Sunday, May 12, 2019: London to host, learn and laugh together with you on this historical We have a free morning to attend the church of our adventure. choice. We will meet up outside the Tower of London. The Tower has a fascinating and also rather grisly history and we IF = In flight meals, B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner will hear about the various inhabitants through the centuries. We'll then transfer to St. Paul's Cathedral to attend Evensong, Day 1: Thursday, May 9, 2019: Departure which is followed by an optional organ recital. The rest of the We will set off today from the USA on our international flights day is at leisure. (B) to London (IF) Day 5, Monday, May 13, 2019: Oxford Day 2: Friday, May 10, 2019: Arrival We will depart London this morning and travel to Oxford is one On arrival in London, we will meet our tour director who will of England’s famous University cities with a rich Reformation escort us to our waiting air-conditioned bus. We will begin our history. The early English reformer, John Wycliffe, was a pro- tour with a leisurely visit to Hampton Court Palace. In 1604, fessor at the university. Other well-known students included James I commissioned the King James Version of the Bible Bible translator William Tyndale and the great revivalist during the Hampton Court Conference and we will discuss preacher George Whitefield. We will have a Reformation- this in the room where it happened. In the Chapel Royal, we themed walking tour including the Wesley rooms in Lincoln will hear how Henry VIII’s decision to allow production of the College. We will attend Evensong in Christ Church then check- Bible was influenced by his last wife, Catherine Parr. After in to our hotel. Our evening meal is in our hotel. (B/D) the tour we will have time to stroll through the beautiful gar- dens and try and find our way to the center of the maze. Our bus will take us on a panoramic sightseeing tour before we arrive at our centrally-located London hotel. The afternoon is free to explore at our leisure before our welcome dinner at the hotel. (IF/D) Day 6: Tuesday, May 14, 2019: Stonehenge, Bristol, Ox- ford Today’s day trip begins at the World Heritage site of Stone- henge, the pre-historic stone circle. We will continue on to Bristol and visit the New Room, the oldest Methodist Chapel in the World. George Whitefield invited John Wesley to come to Bristol in 1729 and he began his ministry with open-air preach- ing. He purchased the land to build the New Room in 1742. Day 3: Saturday, May 11, 2019: London We will also visit the home where John’s younger brother lived Our Blue Badge Guide will take us on a guided tour of West- with his family. Charles Wesley was a prolific hymn writer and minster Abbey this morning. Westminster Abbey has played also preached. We will return to our hotel in Oxford for our an integral part in the history of London and the UK. Kings evening meal (B/D). and Queens have been crowned here since 1066 (William the Conqueror) and it’s been the setting for many special oc- Day 7: Wednesday, May 15, 2019: Oxford, Stratford-upon- casions such as the wedding of the Queen and Prince Phillip. Avon Our guide will also tell us about the Houses of Parliament On our way out of Oxford, we will see C.S. Lewis’ home, the Reformation Tours, LLC Hosted by Pastor Jason & Sandra Steele Kilns. An inside visit is subject to availability. We will then Day 11: Sunday, May 19, 2019: Edinburgh drive through the Cotswolds, with visits to Burford and More- St Giles’ Cathedral is often called the Mother Church of ton in Marsh. On the way to Stratford-upon-Avon, we will visit World Presbyterianism. We will attend the 10:00 AM morn- Anne Hathaway's Cottage. In the afternoon, we will tour ing service. John Knox first preached here in 1559. It was Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Trinity Church. This evening reported that “he was so active and vigorous it looked as if we will have the opportunity to see a performance by the he was about to break." After some free time for lunch, we Royal Shakespeare Company (if suitable play is availa- will view John Knox House (closed on Sundays), Greyfriar’s ble). (B) Church, Magdalene Chapel and the Royal Mile. Our tour of Edinburgh Castle will include tiny St. Margaret’s Chapel, Day 8: Thursday, May 16, 2019: Epworth, York which dates back to the 1100s. The rest of the day is at lei- After a leisurely breakfast, we will drive to Epworth and have sure. (B) lunch in the Red Lion pub, where Wesley often stayed. In the afternoon, we will tour their father’s church, St. Andrews, and tour the Old Rectory where John and Charles Wesley grew up with their many siblings. We will see where their mother Susanna Wesley taught her children. We will also see the Market Cross where Wesley preached. We will continue on to York and dine in our hotel. (B/L/D) Day 12: Monday, May 20, 2019: St. Andrews, Stirling Today’s day trip is to St. Andrews, a spiritual center in Scot- land for centuries. During the Reformation, St. Andrews Uni- versity was third in significance after Oxford and Cambridge. In the now ruined castle, we will see the Bottle Dungeon where George Wishart was imprisoned before being burned at the stake, and pause at his martyrdom site, also remem- Day 9: Friday, May 17, 2019: York, Durham bering fellow martyr Patrick Hamilton. St. Andrews Cathedral Our guided walking tour of York will include a walk atop the was once the largest church in Scotland, but fell into ruin ancient city walls and a tour of York Minster Cathedral, the after John Knox’s sermon, which was inspired by Wishart’s biggest medieval church in England. Christianity has an early martyrdom. We’ll see a monument to Robert the Bruce, the heritage in York. By 306, when Constantine the Great was first king to unite the Scottish people and the wide sandy proclaimed Emperor in York, it is believed there was a small beach made famous in the film Chariots of Fire. We will con- Christian community. In 312 he issued a general edict of tol- tinue to Stirling in the afternoon and tour Stirling Castle, and eration for the Christian Church and York became a center of the nearby Church of the Holy Rude. We will return to Edin- Christianity. In the afternoon, we will travel to Durham, voted burgh for our Farewell Meal. (B/D) “Best city in the UK” by Condé Nast’s Traveller magazine readers. Durham Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site and regarded as the finest Norman building in Europe. We will tour the Cathedral in the afternoon, followed by Even- song. We will check into our hotel, which is just outside Durham, then have a group meal. (B/D) Day 10: Saturday, May 18, 2019: Lindisfarne, Edinburgh Lindisfarne, known today as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the Northumbrian coast. St. Aidan was sent here as a mis- sionary from Iona and established a monastery in around 630 AD. Vikings destroyed the original monastery and monks fled from the island. The present Lindisfarne Priory is a dramatic ruin, modeled after Durham Cathedral. This is where the fa- mous Lindisfarne Gospels were produced. Even secular his- torians refer to Lindisfarne as “the most holy place in Eng- Day 13: Tuesday, May 21, 2019: Return land.” After time to view the 16th century castle, we will contin- We will return to the US after a wonderful time learning ue our journey to Edinburgh and dine at our hotel. (B/D) about the Christian heritage of the United Kingdom. (B) P. O. Box 854, Belleville, IL 62222 (800) 303-5534 ● [email protected] Tour RSS19 Price: $3,399*per person Terms and Conditions Based on a minimum of 25 tour participants Your Tour Includes: We reserve the right to cancel this trip due to • Transportation: via private, deluxe air-conditioned motor coach lack of subscription.