England/Scotland Reformation Tour Sponsored by Reformed Theological Seminary Thursday, March 11 Sunday, March 21, 2010

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1 King s College, Cambridge University England/Scotland Reformation Tour Sponsored by Reformed Theological Seminary Thursday, March 11 Sunday, March 21, 2010 Land tour cost: $2451 (with 20 paying) or $2759 (15 persons paying) Scroll down for additional details and Registration Form Reformed Theological Seminary is sponsoring a Church History Tour to Scotland, England and France. Places visited on this tour include (Scotland) Edinburgh, Holyrood Palace, St. Giles Church, home of John Knox, the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Jedburg Abbey; (England) York, YorkMinster, Cambridge (Kings College and Chapel, US Military Cemetery at Cambridge, Bedford, John Bunyan Church and Museum, Elstow, Olney, Oxford, Christ Church, Windsor, Windsor Castle, St. George s Chapel, London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul s Cathedral, Wesley House, Bunhill Fields Cemetery, Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral, the Chunnel to France, Normandy, Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, US Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach, Arromaches, Mont Saint Michael, Paris, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower before completing our tour with a farewell meal. Details of the tour itself as well as cost and payment options are shown as you scroll down. The common thread connecting this tour is to look at the historical sites and learn about many of the people who had an impact on the Christian heritage of the United States. Dr. Don Fortson, Professor of Church History at RTS-Charlotte will accompany us on the tour and provide a series of mini-lectures and commentary throughout the tour. The role of the Kings and Queens of England and Scotland will be studied to learn how their decisions affected both the history and religion of the area. The background resulting in the Reformation (especially the English Reformation) is emphasized. The development of the English Bible and the individuals who were a part of this important work will be highlighted as well as the origins and beliefs of many groups coming out of the 15 th -17 th centuries English Reformation.

2 Previous participants of this tour have told us that they are amazed of how much the tour helped them to have a better understanding of their cultural and religious history as well as being able to identify with newspaper and television coverage of sites and people visited or discussed that are a part of this tour. As you review the entire tour, you will realize that we cover a lot of places. Most evenings are free to relax or enjoy meals in nearby local restaurants. Please read the following material and consider this tour as an excellent, well-planned tour that provides you with opportunity to visit historical sites and learn of those who brought about change during the middle of the last thousand years. If you have questions, you may Luther Bigby at cht@rts.edu or call at (leave a message). Scotland/England/France Reformation Tour March 11 March 21, 2010 Day 1: Thursday, March 11 Leave Charlotte (or some more convenient airport) in the afternoon and fly to Edinburgh, Scotland. Day 2: Friday, March 12 We get our deluxe coach and will spend the day with our local guide in Edinburgh with an orientation tour and a ride to Arthur s Seat, an extinct volcano in the downtown area. We ll continue our tour beginning at the lower end of the Royal Mile with a visit to the Palace of Holyrood House, the Queen s official residence in Edinburgh, and continue up the Royal Mile to St. Giles Cathedral where the Reformer, John Knox, preached powerful sermons. We also tour the nearby John Knox House/Museum, before reaching historic Edinburgh Castle. Parts of the castle date back to the 11 th century, including the apartments of Mary, Queen of Scots and James IV s 16 th century Great Hall. Within the castle grounds is the Stone of Scone, the famous stone recently returned to Scotland, and the Scottish Crown Jewels. The afternoon will provide time for rest, sightseeing or shopping for Scottish woolens and other gift items Day 3: Saturday, March 13 Leaving Edinburgh, we will ride south through the beautiful hilly fields and streams of the south of Scotland, stopping at Jedburg Abbey, literally a shell of its former self, but still providing a great view. We ll cross the England/Scottish border and, if time permits, visit Hadrian s Wall a 73-mile long wall built about 120 A.D. as a protective measure. A stop at beautiful Durham Cathedral (built in 1093) will provide the best look at Norman architecture in England We spend our night at the Viking city of York and view its medieval wall around the old city. In the late afternoon, we visit York Minster, the second most important religious site in England where we vie the large medieval stained glass.

3 Day 4: Sunday, March 14 After spending the night in York, we will travel Cambridge--a University town since 1209 when a small group of students who were fleeing from riottorn Oxford established a seat of learning there. Entering the university city of Cambridge, we ll tour King s College Chapel, one of England s architectural gems. The Chapel houses Rubens s The Adoration of the Magi. Continuing on our deluxe coach through the beautiful rolling hills of the central English countryside, we ll stop on the outskirts of Cambridge to visit the restful and beautiful American Military Cemetery, the only American cemetery in England where the band leader, Glenn Miller and Joseph Kennedy, the oldest of the Kennedy brothers are honored. We bus to the village of Elstow, the 1628 birthplace of John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim s Progress, the most widely read book in the world after the Bible. After visiting the church where he was baptized and which influenced his allegorical writings, we will go back to Bedford to visit the Bunyan Museum at the John Bunyan Free Church a church that he pastored in the 1600s. Day 5: Monday, March 15 After a great breakfast, we will stop at the church in nearby Olney where John Newton, the slave-trader turned preacher and writer of the hymn, Amazing Grace, was the Rector and is buried. Continuing to Oxford, we see Christ Church College, one of the 39 colleges that are a part of Oxford University. Our local guide will lead us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Cathedral as well as point out Oxford s relation with Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice in Wonderland. We will also visit the site where Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned at the stake for their beliefs. In the afternoon, we ride to Windsor, the site of the 1000 year-old Windsor Castle (pictured, left), the traditional home of the British Monarchy. Here you will explore the state apartments (if open), which house a fabulous collection of treasures including works of art by Van Dyck, Rubens, and Rembrandt. You will also view the exquisite restoration completed recently on the 20% of Windsor Castle destroyed by fire in the 1990s. We also visit Windsor Castle s St. George s Chapel, the burial place of the last ten Sovereigns of the British Empire. Free time to explore the picturesque streets of Windsor is given before busing to nearby Runnymede, the site of the signing of the Magna Carta. We spend the night in the capital of the British Empire London. Day 6: Tuesday, March 16 Our local guide will take us on a panoramic sightseeing tour of London before we tour Westminster Abbey. This famous church was where the Westminster Confession of Faith was written and is the location of many of the graves of many of the world s most famous people including many of the early Kings and Queens of England. We ll continue our time in London with a short picture-stop at Buckingham Palace before touring the magnificently-designed St. Paul s Cathedral, and then heading to Bunhill Fields Cemetery, known as the cemetery of Puritan England. Walking through the cemetery, you will see the graves of John Bunyan

4 Pilgrim s Progress, Isaac Watts--noted hymn writer, Daniel Defoe Robinson Crusoe, Susannah Wesley mother of John and Charles as well as members of the Cromwell family. Across the street, we ll visit the Wesley Church located at the Wesley House and Museum and the location of John Wesley s gravesite. The Chapel has been the Mother Church of Methodism since the 18 th century. We ll cross the Thames River and make our way through the English country side to Canterbury, the ecclesiastical capital of England, made famous by the writer Jeffory Chaucer. We ll tour the historic Canterbury Cathedral (pictured, )where Thomas `a Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by four knights of Henry II in We hope to attend a short Evensong service at Canterbury Cathedral before getting a good night s rest. Day 7: Wednesday, March 17 Leaving Canterbury, we drive to Dover, viewing the famous White Cliffs before making a thirty-minute crossing under the English Channel via the Engineering marvel completed a few years ago the Chunnel to the French port of Calais. We continue on our bus along the Normandy coast to the city of Caen, the capitol of William the Conqueror as we continue to the three-star hotel in the beautiful and quaint Normandy town of Bayeux. If time permits, we have dinner in the English Channel town of Arromanches, where the famous mulberry docks were floated into place shortly after D-Day. We spend our first of two nights in the town of Bayeux, left largely unscathed by the fighting of WWII. Day 8: Thursday, March 18. Our local guide joins us as we begin our tour in Normandy in the village of St. Mere Eglise where paratroopers of the 101 st Airborne jumped early on the morning of June 6, Later this morning, we visit the lesser-known of the two beaches where American troops came ashore at dawn on D-Day--Utah Beach. Next we visit Point du Hoc, where American Army Rangers used ropes and ladders to climb sheer cliffs to attack heavily defended fortifications controlling both Utah and Omaha Beaches. Continuing to Omaha Beach, we see the dunes rising about 75 feet only a few yards from the water s edge. Overlooking the beach, we stop at the United States Cemetery at Omaha Beach which 9357 Americans are buried in perfectly aligned rows. After the American flag is lowered, we return to Bayeux to have dinner in one of the many quaint Bayeux restaurants. We will try to visit the German Cemetery in Bayeux, if time permits. Day 9: Friday, March 19 Leaving Bayeux, we travel through the French countryside to one of the most-photographed in Europe Mount Saint Michael. Probably the most outstanding abbey in France, it had its beginning in the 8 th century as an oratory and soon replaced by a Benedictine abbey in the 10 th century. The abbey, located on a three-acre rock jutting about three hundred feet above the sea, has an unusual mix of hotels, restaurants, gift shops plus the abbey itself. Rising more than 500 feet, the abbey is topped by golden statue of the archangel Michael. After lunch, we have a change of pace as we travel along the French highway system evening stopping at a rest stop to let you experience this aspect of France, before arriving at the capitol of France--Paris

5 Day 10: Saturday, March 20 Our local guide joins us as we visit the most famous symbol of France- -the Eiffel Tower. Rising over a thousand feet, the platforms provide outstanding views of the city. Continuing to visit the spectacular architecture and historical sites of Paris, we visit Notre-Dame Cathedral located on an island in the Seine River. On the last afternoon, we give you time to walk and shop on the famed Champs Elysees near the Arc of Triumph before going to a wonderful seated meal for our farewell dinner Day 11: Sunday, March 21 After a nourishing breakfast, we check out of our hotel and go to Charles degaulle Airport for our flight back to the USA. Tour Information: Tour Lecturer: Dr. Don Fortson, Professor of Church History at RTS will provide a series of mini-lectures and commentary dealing with the historical church history, and the people places and beliefs throughout the tour. Tour Coordinator: Luther Bigby, retired Vice President for Administration at RTS will coordinate the tour and provide current information concerning the places visited. Land tour Costs: $2451 with 20 paying. (or $2759 with 15 paying) Payment Schedule: Payable with Registration $1200 Second Payment $1251 payable by December 10 Final Payment: If less than 20 paying, $308 payable by January 15, 2010 Should the British Pound increase in value against the US Dollar there many be an adjustment in the cost to recover the cost of the tour. We will make every effort not initiate this. Land cost for child is $1200 when accompanied by two paying adults. Single supplement is $400 General Information: The land tour price quoted tour includes all hotels, breakfasts, entry fees, payment of guides, gratuities, a deluxe coach and a farewell meal The price does not include airfare International airfares are in a state of change. Prices go up because of fuel and security surcharges and tax increases and prices come down when tickets are on sale. We have found that some participants desire to use Frequent Flyer miles and others desire to use a local travel agent who may be more familiar with local pricing. With the length of time between now and departure time, we believe that airfare rates will increase and decrease during the period. Certainly, we can assist you in securing tickets if you desire, but you may find a sale going on that would reduce the price to make the risk worthwhile. Participants will receive continuing information concerning the logistics of the tour as well as a notebook containing background on the people and places that we will study and visit. Travel Insurance: The participant is responsible for making the decision about travel insurance. Usually the travel insurance must be purchased within a few days of making of the initial payment if you want pre-existing conditions covered. There are several sources of trip insurance which is

6 usually based on the age of the insured and the price of the tour. A website about travel insurance that you may want to review is Again, the participant s the decision to purchase or not purchase trip insurance is left up to the tour participant. The only reason for getting a refund from RTS would be that the tour would be cancelled. In that case, all funds paid to RTS will be refunded. To register for the tour: 1. Each person going should fill out a Registration form making sure to show the name the same that is or will be on your passport (same as your birth certificate). 2. Decide which payment option you will choose. 3. Mail Registration form and check to: RTS Church History Tour Luther Bigby 2101 Carmel Road Charlotte, NC Questions: Contact Luther Bigby via at cht@rts.edu or call him at (leave a message and he will return the call) _ Registration Form Scotland/England/France Reformation Tour March 11-21, 2010 Name (You must register in the exact same name as your passport reads) Address City, State, ZIP Home Phone # address Name of person to be notified in case of emergency: Address of person to be notified: City, State, ZIP of person to be notified: Phone # of person to be notified: Amount enclosed: See amounts due in the above paragraph. AMOUNTS ARE REFUNDABLE ONLY IF TOU IS CANCELLED Mail Registration form and check to: Luther Bigby RTS England/Scotland Reformation Tour 2101 Carmel Road Charlotte, NC 28226