Develop a Discipleship System
Wesley Pilgrimage 2024
Immerse yourself in the Christian experiences of John and Charles Wesley
EVENT OVERVIEW
UPDATE: Registration is now closed for the 2024 Wesley Pilgrimage. If you are interested in the 2025 Pilgrimage, click here to learn more and pre-register today:
Learn More & Pre-Register Today!
The 2024 Wesley Pilgrimage will take place July 27-August 6, 2024. Registration is now closed. Those with existing registrations who need to make modifications can use their existing registration links and accounts to make any adjustments.
You are invited to a ten-day spiritual pilgrimage, walking in the footsteps of John and Charles Wesley. This journey is an opportunity to:
- Learn, pray, worship, and explore places where the Wesley brothers encountered the living God
- Form spiritual friendships with fellow pilgrims and Wesley scholars
- Integrate Wesleyan theology, ministry, and missional leadership
- Rekindle your spiritual passion.
The Wesley Pilgrimage is open to all lay and clergy leaders. For ten days, participants will explore Epworth, the Wesley’s birthplace; Oxford, where John and Charles studied and led the Holy Club; Bristol, where the class meeting was developed and Methodism became a movement; and London, where both Wesley brothers experienced assurance of salvation. As British Methodism grew, London became the center of a new missional movement. The primary location for this pilgrimage is Salisbury, England, home to a vital Methodist congregation once served by Francis Asbury.
We are asking all who are considering registering for the 2024 pilgrimage to read the Wesley Pilgrimage FAQ page first.
PILGRIMAGE REGISTRATION
The online registration for U.S. Pilgrims and International Pilgrims is now open. All pilgrims pay the full event fee as explained below.
The pilgrimage registration fee is $2,499, which includes ten nights lodging, most meals, coach travel to pilgrimage sites, all admission fees, and more. The pilgrimage fee does not include round-trip airfare to England or ground transportation from the airport to Salisbury. However, included in this fee is a coach from Salisbury to Heathrow International Airport on the last day of the itinerary. Those planning to use this elective coach service should not book a flight with a departure time before 3:00 p.m. on August 6.
All pilgrims must pay a non-refundable $350 deposit to secure their place for the pilgrimage. Registration is “first-come, first-served.” The maximum number of pilgrims is thirty-six; however, a waiting list will be available.
NOTE: Full payment of pilgrimage balance is due by May 15, 2024.
SCHOLARSHIP REGISTRATION
There are a limited number of scholarships available for those preparing for Christian Service, and the process is different from past years. Those interested should submit their applications as soon as they have completed their registration, as outlined below.
The deadline for scholarship applications is January 15, 2024. Successful applicants will receive a $700 reduction in the cost of the pilgrimage. Special consideration will be given to commissioned provisional elders and deacons, licensed local pastors, certified lay ministers (CLMs), certified lay speakers, and lay servants.
- Step 1: Register to reserve your spot in the pilgrimage. Complete the scholarship application after you’ve paid the deposit for the pilgrimage.*
- Step 2: Complete the scholarship application and submit it by January 15, 2024. Scholarship decisions will be made in January 2024.
No other financial assistance is available from the event sponsors.
If you are selected for a scholarship, your outstanding balance (above the $350 deposit) will be adjusted to reflect the financial assistance. No other financial assistance is available from the event sponsors.
*Registered pilgrims who applied but did not receive a scholarship and determine they are unable to afford the full fee will have a window of opportunity to cancel their registration and receive a refund of their $350 deposit.
This pilgrimage qualifies for three continuing education units and credentialing credit toward a CLM specialization in The Methodist Story and the Ministry of Memory (MSMM).
PILGRIMAGE SPONSORS
The Wesley Pilgrimage in England is sponsored by Discipleship Ministries/The Upper Room and The General Commission on Archives and History.
Mobility Alert
This pilgrimage is physically demanding – we will walk quite a bit during the ten days! Our day in London will involve a total walking time of about four hours. If you have mobility limitations, we recommend you consider the Educational Opportunities Wesley Heritage Tour. Click here to learn more about this alternative tour.
For additional information about the 2024 Wesley Pilgrimage in England, please contact Sara Byrd at [email protected].
IMPORTANT DATES
- Scholarship application deadline – January 15, 2024
- Registration deadline/deposit due – April 15, 2024
- Full payment of fees due – May 15, 2024
EVENT DETAILS
- DATE: July 27-August 6, 2024
- LOCATION: England
- FEE: $2,499.00
Pilgrim Leaders
Rev. Steven W. Manskar, D. Min., is an ordained elder of the Minnesota Conference of The United Methodist Church. He served congregations in Maryland, Minnesota, and Michigan. From 1999 until 2018, he worked in Nashville, Tennessee, at Discipleship Ministries as Director of Wesleyan Leadership. In 2003, Steve partnered with friends at Sarum College in Salisbury, England, to begin the annual Wesley Pilgrimage in England. Manskar is the author of several books, including Disciples Making Disciples: A Guide for Covenant Discipleship Groups and Class Leaders, Accountable Discipleship: Living in God's Household, and Lent & Easter with John & Charles Wesley: A Devotional Guide. Steve retired from full-time ministry in 2021. He continues to enjoy directing the annual Wesley Pilgrimage in England sponsored by Discipleship Ministries and the General Commission on Archives and History. Steve lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife, Gina.
Rev. Paul W. Chilcote, now in retirement, served most recently as Director of the Centre for Global Wesleyan Theology at Wesley House, Cambridge, where he remains a Fellow. A Methodist historian and theologian, he was involved in theological education on three continents, having taught at Wesley College, Bristol, and Wesley House Cambridge (England), St. Paul’s United Theological College (Kenya), the Methodist Theological School (Ohio), Duke Divinity School (North Carolina), Ashland Theological Seminary (Ohio), and having helped launch two new institutions – Africa University (Zimbabwe) and Asbury Theological Seminary (Florida). He is an award-winning author and editor of more than thirty books, including Praying in the Wesleyan Spirit, Recapturing the Wesleys’ Vision, A Faith That Sings, The Methodist Defense of Women in Ministry, Making Disciples in a World Parish, Early Methodist Spirituality, Active Faith, Living Hope, Singing the Faith, and Multiplying Love. He is a frequent speaker and workshop leader in applied Wesleyan studies, particularly in the areas of theology, spirituality, and Christian discipleship. He has been a Benedictine oblate of Mt. Angel Abbey for more than twenty-five years. He and his wife, Janet, a retired United Methodist pastor, have five daughters, Sandy, Rebekah, Anna, Mary, and Ruth, and seven grandchildren, Alyssa, Levi, and Theo Brooks, Collin, Oliver, and Elsie Glass, and Isabella Gitonga.
Ken Sloane is the UMC's Director of Stewardship & Generosity housed at Discipleship Ministries (GBOD) in Nashville, Tennessee. He is an elder in the Greater New Jersey Conference, where he served more than twenty years in local church ministry (including a successful new church start) and five years as the Director of Connectional Ministries. In 2006, he was appointed to serve as Director of Communications Ministry at United Methodist Communications. He moved into his stewardship role on October 1, 2011. Ken has earned a Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from the Lilly School of Philanthropy and an Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising (ECRF) from The Lake Institute. He is the author of the 2017-20 Local Church Guidelines for Stewardship (Cokesbury), and a collaborator on the 2017-20 Guidelines for Finance and a Lay Servant Advanced Course, Connectional Living, Connectional Giving. Ken has written the content for three online courses that he hosts on Discipleship Ministries’ eLearning site: “Disciples Living Generously,” “Generous Church Leadership,” “Creating a Narrative Budget,” and now a fourth course, “Financial Ethics for Church Leaders.” Ken lives in Nashville with his wife, Bridget; they have four grown children.
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