Pilgrims Share Their Experiences

Methodism, for me, is a practice and discipline of pure Christianity; I can’t imagine belonging to a different denomination. The Wesley Pilgrimage took me to ‘hallowed ground.’ To visit the places at which godly people worshipped and worked to forge a better, healthier, freer, spiritual life and community was a great inspiration to me. Walking where Wesley walked, schooled, preached, worked, and visited helped me to feel even more connected to the Methodist roots that are foundational and formational for me. It was just great!
— Dr. Diana Hynson (2006 Pilgrim)

The Wesley Pilgrimage was more than just intellectual stimulation, there was the unique spiritual stimulation of place. Being in places where the worship of Christ has occurred for over a thousand years gives you a sense of the church that sheds a new light on fluctuations in attendance in a denomination that has only existed for 225. Being where John and Charles lived, grew, and served make their lives more human, and my call more realistic. It is a time I will cherish always. Thank you GBOD for making it possible.
— Rev. Michael C. Johnson (2007 Pilgrim)

While I would not compare the Wesley pilgrimage to my first visit to Israel/Palestine, there is a similarity. The Wesleys have a storybook quality to them. Making the Wesley pilgrimage in my final decade of ministry was wonderful, but it would have been so much more had I made it during my first few years of ministry. Not only do the stories live more brilliantly, but I covet the times of conversation with fellow pilgrims. I seldom remember a place or a Wesley incident without recalling something said by a fellow pilgrim.
— Rev. Jim Perry (2006 Pilgrim)

Walking the footsteps of the Wesley’s was both inspiring and instructive for me. I came away convinced that the passion for scriptural holiness and practical divinity that drove John, Charles and their early Methodist colleagues is precisely the kind of passion we need in our churches today.
— Rev. Bob Kaylor (2006 Pilgrim)

The Wesley Pilgrimage in 2006 was a vitality-giving experience for my work as a United Methodist pastor. It connected me with a heritage that I want to be increasingly formative of my ministry. Being in the places where the Wesleys preached and organized classes, met with opposition and prevailed, was very enriching. The effort invested by the participants in study and sharing and worship added depth to the historical context. I recommend this journey for any who would like to have a 3-D appreciation of their Wesleyan roots.
— Rev. Gary Pope-Sears (2006 Pilgrim)

The Wesley Pilgrimage is a profoundly moving immersion experience for United Methodists. Our only regret is that our entire congregation could not accompany us!
— James & Caroline Neubauer

The Wesley Pilgrimage was a great opportunity to learn and to live the Wesley experience. Each location offers new perspectives to the history and traditions of Methodism. The really great thing is that you share this experience with Methodists from across America and from around the world. Since returning to my congregation, I have become the “Wesley expert”. When you have followed in the Wesleys’ footsteps, you can’t help but be excited about the history, traditions, and spiritual journeys of these remarkable people. My personal favorite memory is our time in Epworth. Susanna Wesley’s kitchen should be a required stop for any Methodist pilgrimage.
— Gordon Johnson (2006 Pilgrim)

As a pilgrim on the 2007 pilgrimage, I must say that it was a life-changing event for me as a lay leader, lay speaker, and adult Sunday School teacher at my church in Corpus Christi, Texas. I learned much about Methodism and the Wesleys but I came away from the pilgrimage with a profound appreciation for Charles Wesley, hymn writer, and especially a deeper love for Wesleyan theology and its focus on compassion and love for humankind. I cannot tell you how many times in my church work or leadership roles that I have referenced the trip to England as one of the highlights of my 62 years on planet Earth! Staying at the Christian conference centers enhanced the trip, and I was especially eager to participate not only in the lectures provided but daily communion. I loved the side trips to Stonehenge and the beautiful cathedrals, especially being in Wells for Evensong, and I especially appreciated being with fellow Methodists who shared their faith stories along the way.
— Mrs. Chris Davis Garcia (2007 Pilgrim)

Although I attended the Charles Wesley Pilgrimage in 2007 as a minister about to retire after 41 years of pastoral ministry, I found that pilgrimage to be a great event in my ministry journey. It was an invaluable spiritual experience to tread in the footsteps of our early Wesleyan forebears in company with other pilgrims. As a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia since union in 1977 it was good to dig again into the rich soil of our Wesleyan-Methodist past and rediscover the contemporary relevance of Wesleyan spirituality. It has been my great privilege since to share much of my insight with fellow members of our Uniting Church. It has also been a joy to help younger members learn something about Charles Wesley as a pioneer who fashioned the template for 'contemporary hymn-writing.' Many of our younger members and ministers lack an awareness of this vital part of our heritage. What a joy it is to rediscover this rich spiritual source.
— Rev. Barry Brown, Croydon (Australia) (2007 Pilgrim)