Explore Church History & Ethics with spring trip to Central London - May 2023!
UPDATED AIR TICKET INFO: Please send first payment of $1000 ASAP to book your plane ticket. Make checks out to Anna-Lisa Hunter and mail to Suamico UMC, PO Box 323 Suamico WI 54173.
UPDATED HOTEL INFO: Hotel will be a Travelodge with recently renovated rooms. We have rooms reserved with one double bed as well as rooms with two twin beds. Sharing a room will cut hotel part of cost in half - $600 per person if double occupancy instead of $1200 for single occupancy. Some other room configurations are available with king beds and pull-out beds. Contact Pastor Anna-Lisa if you need more info or a different arrangement. Hotel is part of trip cost.
Itching to travel and worship in historic churches? May 24 is John Wesley Day for Methodists around the world. We will join British Methodists as they gather at St. Pauls’ Cathedral for a Methodist worship service, and take a pilgrimage walk from the cathedral, past the site where Wesley had a conversion experience, and visit his grave at Wesley’s Chapel. In addition, we will tour and worship at St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey for evensong worship, and go to the British Museum to discuss the ethics of the current debate over returning artifacts to home countries.
Cost will be around $2500, including airfare from Chicago O’Hare, hotel room, and some entrance fees to some locations. Participants will pay for their own transportation to and from O’Hare, meals, local transportation, and other entrance fees. This trip will include substantial walking. Hotel will be about one block from Wesley’s Chapel, and a 15 minute walk to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We will use public buses and subways to move around Central London, but expect at least 8,000 – 15,000 step days, depending on personal choices for additional activities. Final cost will be available in February.
Reserve your place with $1000 deposit ($200 is refundable) ASAP with final payment due March 15. Make checks payable to Anna-Lisa Hunter. Trip will be led by Pastor Anna-Lisa Hunter of Suamico UMC. Erick Hunter, who grew up in the Wisconsin Conference, is currently serving at Wesley’s Chapel as a Global Mission Fellow with the General Board of Global Ministries, and he will share some of his experiences with the group as well.
UPDATED AIR TICKET INFO: Please send first payment of $1000 ASAP to book your plane ticket. Make checks out to Anna-Lisa Hunter and mail to Suamico UMC, PO Box 323 Suamico WI 54173.
UPDATED HOTEL INFO: Hotel will be a Travelodge with recently renovated rooms. We have rooms reserved with one double bed as well as rooms with two twin beds. Sharing a room will cut hotel part of cost in half - $600 per person if double occupancy instead of $1200 for single occupancy. Some other room configurations are available with king beds and pull-out beds. Contact Pastor Anna-Lisa if you need more info or a different arrangement. Hotel is part of trip cost.
Itching to travel and worship in historic churches? May 24 is John Wesley Day for Methodists around the world. We will join British Methodists as they gather at St. Pauls’ Cathedral for a Methodist worship service, and take a pilgrimage walk from the cathedral, past the site where Wesley had a conversion experience, and visit his grave at Wesley’s Chapel. In addition, we will tour and worship at St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey for evensong worship, and go to the British Museum to discuss the ethics of the current debate over returning artifacts to home countries.
Cost will be around $2500, including airfare from Chicago O’Hare, hotel room, and some entrance fees to some locations. Participants will pay for their own transportation to and from O’Hare, meals, local transportation, and other entrance fees. This trip will include substantial walking. Hotel will be about one block from Wesley’s Chapel, and a 15 minute walk to St. Paul’s Cathedral. We will use public buses and subways to move around Central London, but expect at least 8,000 – 15,000 step days, depending on personal choices for additional activities. Final cost will be available in February.
Reserve your place with $1000 deposit ($200 is refundable) ASAP with final payment due March 15. Make checks payable to Anna-Lisa Hunter. Trip will be led by Pastor Anna-Lisa Hunter of Suamico UMC. Erick Hunter, who grew up in the Wisconsin Conference, is currently serving at Wesley’s Chapel as a Global Mission Fellow with the General Board of Global Ministries, and he will share some of his experiences with the group as well.
TOUR SCHEDULE - Group Activities in bold.
May 17 - Wednesday - Travel Day: Self travel to Chicago O'Hare airport, depart on evening flight as a group.
May 18 - Thursday - London Tour Day: Arrive at Heathrow Airport and take train/tube into Central London. Deposit luggage and use Big Bus for double-decker and boat tour of Central London. Great way to acclimate to London time zone after long flight! Hop-on and Hop-off style so participants can stop at places they want to look around. Click on link for map of bus routes for all day transport around London with headphone tour information. Bus fee included in tour price.
May 19 - Friday - Westminster Abbey Day: Group Tour in afternoon (time TBA), Evensong at 5 pm. Other sights in area: Walk around St. James Park and see Buckingham Palace; Methodist Central Hall; Houses of Parliament and Parliament Square; London Eye; Fish & Chips restaurant at County Hall by London Eye. Westminster Abbey tour fee included in tour price.
May 20 - Saturday - St. Paul's & St. Bride's Day: Group Tour in afternoon at St. Paul's (time TBA), visit to St. Bride's a short walk from St. Paul's, return at 5 pm for Choral Evensong at St. Paul's. St. Paul's is the major cathedral in London for the Church of England. St. Bride's is a church also designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire in 1666, and St. Bride's serves the Fleet Street Journalism industry, with memorials and vigils for journalists and media workers. Excellent basement exhibit with ancient Roman road and foundations of older religious buildings on the site. Other sights in area: Old Bell pub that was built so the masons working on St. Bridge's had a place for lunch; gift shop in crypt/basement of St. Paul's. St. Paul's tour included in price.
May 21 - Sunday - Aldersgate Day at Wesley's Chapel: Worship at 11 am at Chapel, afternoon individual choice.
May 22 - Monday - British Museum & Ethics Day 1: Take tube to British Museum for the day. Meet together before tour to discuss ethics of museum management of artifacts taken from other cultures in the past. Wesley's Chapel meeting room included in tour price.
May 23 - Tuesday - British Museum & Ethics Day 2: Tube to British Museum for the day. Meet together in morning before tour to discuss the difference of looking at the museum collection in light of requests for the return of items to home countries. Wesley's Chapel meeting room included in tour price.
May 24 - Wednesday - John Wesley Day: Special Methodist Worship at St. Paul's Cathedral, pilgrimage walk past Aldersgate conversion site to John Wesley Tomb at Wesley's Chapel. Tour of John Wesley House and Methodist Museum visit. Here is information on John Wesley Day from 2020 (during the pandemic) to give you a map of the pilgrimage walk and some information about the event. Event fees included in tour price.
May 25 - Thursday - Travel Day: Take train/tube to Heathrow Airport and depart for Chicago O'Hare. Land in Chicago and self-transport back to homes.
May 17 - Wednesday - Travel Day: Self travel to Chicago O'Hare airport, depart on evening flight as a group.
May 18 - Thursday - London Tour Day: Arrive at Heathrow Airport and take train/tube into Central London. Deposit luggage and use Big Bus for double-decker and boat tour of Central London. Great way to acclimate to London time zone after long flight! Hop-on and Hop-off style so participants can stop at places they want to look around. Click on link for map of bus routes for all day transport around London with headphone tour information. Bus fee included in tour price.
May 19 - Friday - Westminster Abbey Day: Group Tour in afternoon (time TBA), Evensong at 5 pm. Other sights in area: Walk around St. James Park and see Buckingham Palace; Methodist Central Hall; Houses of Parliament and Parliament Square; London Eye; Fish & Chips restaurant at County Hall by London Eye. Westminster Abbey tour fee included in tour price.
May 20 - Saturday - St. Paul's & St. Bride's Day: Group Tour in afternoon at St. Paul's (time TBA), visit to St. Bride's a short walk from St. Paul's, return at 5 pm for Choral Evensong at St. Paul's. St. Paul's is the major cathedral in London for the Church of England. St. Bride's is a church also designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire in 1666, and St. Bride's serves the Fleet Street Journalism industry, with memorials and vigils for journalists and media workers. Excellent basement exhibit with ancient Roman road and foundations of older religious buildings on the site. Other sights in area: Old Bell pub that was built so the masons working on St. Bridge's had a place for lunch; gift shop in crypt/basement of St. Paul's. St. Paul's tour included in price.
May 21 - Sunday - Aldersgate Day at Wesley's Chapel: Worship at 11 am at Chapel, afternoon individual choice.
May 22 - Monday - British Museum & Ethics Day 1: Take tube to British Museum for the day. Meet together before tour to discuss ethics of museum management of artifacts taken from other cultures in the past. Wesley's Chapel meeting room included in tour price.
May 23 - Tuesday - British Museum & Ethics Day 2: Tube to British Museum for the day. Meet together in morning before tour to discuss the difference of looking at the museum collection in light of requests for the return of items to home countries. Wesley's Chapel meeting room included in tour price.
May 24 - Wednesday - John Wesley Day: Special Methodist Worship at St. Paul's Cathedral, pilgrimage walk past Aldersgate conversion site to John Wesley Tomb at Wesley's Chapel. Tour of John Wesley House and Methodist Museum visit. Here is information on John Wesley Day from 2020 (during the pandemic) to give you a map of the pilgrimage walk and some information about the event. Event fees included in tour price.
May 25 - Thursday - Travel Day: Take train/tube to Heathrow Airport and depart for Chicago O'Hare. Land in Chicago and self-transport back to homes.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Not a fully-guided tour.
- Time available for individual exploration.
- No private transportation provided - we will be walking and using public buses and subways/tubes and trains.
- Recommend downloading CityMapper app for smart phones for directions for walking and public transportation.
- Basic fitness level needed.
- Fair amount of walking - 8,000-15,000 steps per day.
- Long walk from airplane through passport control to train station at Heathrow.
- Museums and Cathedrals include significant amounts of walking and standing.
- Buses, underground subway, taxis and ubers are available in many places. Participants can choose to take transportation to reduce walking.
- Prepare with a chip-enabled credit card for easy access to public transportation and payments.
- Chip-cards or phone wallets are used to pay for public bus and subway/tube rides.
- Quick and easy currency conversion through credit cards.
- Churches accept chip-card donations for worship services.
