A Preview of Coming Attractions

During January, I have a wonderful opportunity to travel to Great Britain and visit churches and Christian communities there.  Part of the pastoral residency (funded by the Lilly Endowment) is to take a trip overseas to experience the church in a different cultural context. 

I will take my trip to England and Scotland.  I have experienced the church in a number of non-western, developing countries—China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, Mexico, and Nicaragua.  But I have never been to Europe.  So I am going to explore what it looks like to be the church in a global and post-Christian culture.  As I explore, I am sure I will also learn much about the history of the church in Great Britain and how that has affected the United States. 

I am excited to talk to pastors and church leaders about where they see God at work in their communities, and to hear what the challenges they face.  I am excited to hear their stories.  I am excited to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ in many different churches.  I am excited to have a time to “get away” from my daily life and hopefully be able to see things more clearly with a bit of distance.  I am excited to see what I will learn as I explore, and what I can bring back to enrich my ministry.

I will be visiting a number of places, and I am looking forward to each of them.

I will start in Poole, England (on the southern coast).  I am looking forward to seeing a friend who was a teammate of mine in China who has been living in Poole for several years.  I will be there for her wedding to a British man, so I am looking forward to being there for this special event, but also getting to experience this piece of English church life and the opportunities I will have to meet British Christians.

Then I will head north to Scotland where I will first spend a night at a guesthouse owned by a church in Glasgow.  The next day I will continue on to the island of Iona, which has been called a “a thin

place – only a tissue paper separating the material from the spiritual” (George Macleod).  Then I will spend a few days exploring Edinburgh and a bit of Reformation history, such as John Knox’s church.

I will head back to England, with a first stop in the northern city of York.  I will finish the trip in London.  I am looking forward to visiting a number of churches, including All Souls Langham and Wesley Chapel.  Of course, I am also looking forward to some historic and cultural sites.    

I will be blogging along the way, hopefully even a bit more than usual.  I am looking forward to sharing my journey, pictures, and stories with you.

Westminster Abbey photo by jpundt79, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpundt79/3392606563/, 22 December 2012.  Used under a Creative Commons License. 

Iona photo by Duncan McNeil, http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan_mcneil/1636030785/, 22 December, 2012.  Used under a Creative Commons License.