Registration is underway for the 2018 Wesley Pilgrimage in England, a powerful leader formation experience which seeks to connect United Methodist lay and clergy leaders to Jesus Christ in a way that is deeply steeped in the Wesleyan tradition.
Applications also are being accepted for 24 scholarships that will be awarded to commissioned provisional elders and deacons, licensed local pastors, lay servants, lay speakers and certified lay ministers, said Steve Manskar, Director of Wesleyan Leadership at Discipleship Ministries, and pilgrimage co-leader.
“People who make this pilgrimage to immerse themselves in the Christ-centered leadership of John and Charles Wesley return with new energy that becomes infectious,” Manskar said. “People see that something is changed in them. They are excited and equipped to share their experience with the people back home.”
The $1,995 registration fee for the July 9-19 event includes 10 nights lodging, most meals, coach travel to pilgrimage sites and more. The fee does not include round-trip airfare to England.
Scholarships of $1,200 will reduce the registration fee to $795. The scholarship application deadline is Jan. 12, and scholarship recipients will be notified before Jan. 31.
The pilgrimage is organized by Discipleship Ministries with support from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry and the General Commission on Archives and History. GBHEM and GCAH provide funds that support the scholarships.
A non-refundable deposit of $350 must accompany completed registration forms, and full payment must be received no later than June 4, Manskar said. Applicants may break the balance into installment payments that fit their budgets. To work out a payment plan, contact Nancy Dunlap at Discipleship Ministries by email at [email protected].
During the 10-day journey, pilgrims will explore Epworth, the Wesley’s birthplace, Oxford, where the Wesleys led the Holy Club, Bristol, the home of the first Methodist meeting house and the class meeting; London, where both Wesley brothers experienced assurance of salvation and John Wesley built the center of British Methodism; and Salisbury, home to a vital Methodist congregation once served by Bishop Francis Asbury, the father of American Methodism.
Pilgrims will also experience teaching sessions at Sarum College led by Manskar and co-leader Dr. Paul Chilcote, Professor of Theology and Director of United Methodist Studies at Asbury Theological Seminar’s Florida Dunnam Campus in Orlando.
Participants will receive three CEUs.
“During the pilgrimage, we strongly encourage the pilgrims to start making a plan for what they will do when they return home,” Manskar said. “The pilgrimage is not just about looking at the past. It’s about learning from the past so that we can move forward today. We give pilgrims the tools found in the Wesleyan tradition of missional leadership that equip the congregations they serve to see all the people and to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Last Updated on December 27, 2022