Church History Tour of England, July 12-20th 2024, featuring Pastor Barry Chesney

Tour members make their own flights to London. After dinner is served, it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the on-board entertainment to prepare for this exciting adventure of a lifetime.

Today we arrive at London Airport, where we meet our guide and driver and have one group transfer to our hotel and check in. This afternoon, we visit the Churchill War Rooms which were an underground bunker that protected the British leadership from the German bombing raids during World War II. Today you can navigate the winding corridors of the bunker and discover how life was for Winston Churchill and his staff who lived and worked around the clock under the streets of London. Explore fascinating spaces like the Map Room, which has been left untouched since 1945, and the Cabinet Room. To learn more about the man himself, The Churchill Museum charts the life of three-time British leader through artefacts, his famous wartime speeches and Churchill's Lifeline, a
15-meter-long interactive table which pulls together all of Churchill's activities in the context of world events.

Pastor Presents: Leadership: The Need of the Hour (Winston Churchill on Leadership)

This evening we enjoy a welcome dinner at a local pub/ restaurant. Overnight is at our hotel in the London area.

After breakfast, we visit Buckingham Palace (subject to availability). Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the center of state occasions and royal hospitality. Next, we visit Bunhill Fields Burial Ground where some of the significant figures from the 17th to 19th centuries, including William Blake, Daniel Defoe, John Bunyan, and Susannah Wesley are buried.

Pastor Presents: How do we have courage for Christ in a secular age? Look at the lives of prominent Nonconformists like John Bunyan, Isaac Watts and John Owen who are buried here.

Then we make a short stop at John Wesley's House.
In the afternoon, we attend Sunday Worship at Enfield Town Community Church, before taking part in evening outreach on Turkey Street. Overnight is at our hotel in the London area.

Following breakfast at our hotel, we enjoy a guided tour of the Tower of London. On the banks of the River Thames in the heart of London stands the Tower of London and nearly 1000 years of history and intrigue. The Tower of London has been used at various times as a palace, barracks, military stronghold, zoo and most famously as a prison incarcerating famous names like Sir Walter Raleigh, Anne Boleyn, and Guy Fawkes. Then we enjoy a Thames River Cruise from Tower Pier to Westminster Pier. In the afternoon, we have a guided tour of Westminster Abbey.
In modern times the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, coronation of Queen Elizabeth Il and funerals of the Queen Mother and Princess Diana have etched the Abbey into the common memory of billions around the globe.

• Pastor Presents: Sacrificing for the Purpose of Change
(Examining the life of British Member of Parliament
William Wilberforce)

This evening we attend an Evensong at Westminster Abbey (subject to availability). Overnight is at our hotel in the London area.

This morning we visit the Metropolitan Tabernacle (subject to availability). A large independent Reformed Baptist church in the Elephant and Castle neighborhood, the Metropolitan Tabernacle was once the largest nonconformist church of its day in 1861.

• Pastor Presents: Prioritizing serving the Poor
(Examining the life of Charles Spurgeon)

Next, we visit the British Museum. With around 80,000 objects on display, the British Museum really is one of the great museums of the world. Artifacts from the world's great cultures from pre-history through the Aztecs, Romans, Greek and Egyptian periods include highlights such as the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, and Parthenon sculptures. Afterwards, we enjoy lunch in a local pub/restaurant (included). This afternoon, we enjoy some free time for shopping around Covent Garden. Overnight is at our hotel in the London area.

Today we enjoy a full day excursion to Bath. First, we visit Stonehenge. This Neolithic stone circle of Stonehenge is one of the most famous wonders of the world. Dating back to approximately 3000 BC, the circle of huge upright and horizontal rectangular stones continues to fascinate academics, spiritualists, and visitors. Next, we enjoy a guided tour of the Roman Baths, some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world. Built in AD70 over hot springs the Great Bath still receives over one million litres of hot water daily from the 12,000-year-old Kings Spring below. Afterwards, we return to London and enjoy dinner at a local pub/restaurant. Overnight is at our hotel in the London area.

This morning we enjoy a guided tour of St. Paul's
Cathedral, the most recognizable feature of the London skyline. The marble floors, expansive dome murals and Victorian mosaics have provided the backdrop in recent times for the state funerals of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher as well as Jubilee celebrations. We climb into the iconic dome for stunning views across London, try out the acoustics of the Whispering Gallery and head down to the crypt to see the tombs of heavyweight historical figures like Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington.
• Pastor Presents: What does a God-sized movement look like and how can we participate in one? Discussing the life of John Wesley.

Next, we continue to Windsor and enjoy lunch at a local pub/restaurant (included). Then we enjoy a private tour of Windsor Castle, which was the late Queen Elizabeth Il's favourite weekend home. Here we can witness the colorful and very 'British' spectacle of the guards marching through the streets of Windsor for the Changing the Guard ceremony within Windsor Castle's walls. Afterwards, we continue to our hotel in Oxford and check in. The rest of the day is spent at leisure. Overnight is at our hotel in the Oxford area.

This morning, we make a stop at the Martyrs Memorial, before making our way to Christ Church College (subject to availability. It is indelibly linked to some of the great historical figures in the spheres of religion, philosophy and politics including John Wesley, Robert Peel, William Gladstone and no less than 13 British Prime Ministers. Then we visit the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin.

• Pastor Presents: Leading with Conviction (Examining the life of Thomas Cranmer and the Oxford Martyrs)
Next, we visit Magdalen College (subject to availability).

• Pastor Presents: Maximizing our giftedness for God's glory (Examining the life of C.S. Lewis)

After lunch, we journey to the Cotswolds town of Woodstock and enjoy a tour of Blenheim Palace. Home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site boasting a long and diverse history. Then we return to Oxford and enjoy a farewell dinner at a local pub/restaurant. Overnight at our hotel in the Oxford area.

This morning we depart Oxford and have one group transfer to London Heathrow Airport for our journey home.
Travelers make their own flights.