Itinerary

Friday, June 6, 2008 - pictures and reflections by Alex W.

We met at Saint Paul this morning to prepare for our time together. We met our new friends from Saint James United Methodist Church who are traveling with us. We discussed Pilgrimage expecations and gathered for a group photo (see front page).

Then it was off to the Kansas City airport - 20 people, 2 vans, boxed lunches and lots of luggage! We arrived at KCI where we were all able to check in only to be told that our plane would be delayed 1 1/2 hours. We talked, played Catch Phrase, listened to music, read, slept and generally enjoyed each other's company as we waited for take-off.

When we arrived in New York, I was filled with excitement and curiosity! We shuttled to the YMCA in Harlem and then had some major soul food at Manna's, a local restaurant.

After dinner, we walked to the historic Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church and saw their new baptismal pool which I found very interesting. Rev. Malcom Byrd, our host, was full of life and offered great insight about the history of Harlem and Mother Zion. What a first day! I can't wait to see what's next!

Saturday, June 7, 2008 - daily reflections by Alex W. & Hannah

Staying at the YMCA has been a new experience for many of us and a real lesson in sharing space with others. Thank you God!

This morning began with a hearty breakfast at IHOP followed by a hearty helping of knowledge. After breakfast, we walked to Mother Zion where we were met by Mr. Dabney Montgomery. Mr. Montgomery is a member of Mother Zion and one of the few living Tuskegee Airmen - Living History right before our very eyes!

He gave us a detailed history of Mother Zion and the A.M.E. Zion Church. One of the most interesting things we learned from Mr. Dabney was that, unlike most churches who celebrate Communion on 1st Sundays, Mother Zion celebrates communion on 2nd Sunday. This tradition started when the black members of John Street Methodist Church were not allowed to receive Communion on 1st Sunday with their white counterparts. When the black ministers walked out of John Street and began the A.M.E. Zion Church, they continued the tradition of having Communion on 2nd Sundays - a tradition that has existed since 1796.

Following a short break, we took part in a seminar in the Jr. Church Sanctuary in Mother Zion. The seminar focused on peronal and social holiness, taught by Rev. C. Carlton Woodward, a pastor in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church. We explored the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Jeremiah Wright, and James Cone. It was an engaging activity that helped us understand the Church's involvment in the civil rights movement and the fight for justice.

We then journeyed to Brooklyn, NY for lunch at First AMEZ Church. Prior to lunch, we had the privilege of participating in Communion in a very personal, reflective way. It was something new for many of us.

Our trek back to the YMCA was filled with excitement as we anticipated riding the subway and heading to Times Square (pictures forthcoming). We were not in Times Square long, but our experience was engaging (no, we did not spend all of our money) and fun.

The group returned to the YMCA and proceeded to dinner where we had some of the best Carribbean bread ever (says Alex). 

Sunday, June 8, 2008 - daily reflections by Danesha R. & Price M.

We woke up this morning by the grace of God and traveled to IHOP for breakfast. We returned to the YMCA after breakfast to prepare for morning worship at Mother Zion, where the pastor is Rev. Dr. Gregory Robeson Smith. Rev. Smith is a descendent of the great orator, Paul Robeson. After service we met one of the pulpit participants, Chris Lewis, who told us he wants to become a pastor. Lunch was catered by Amy's Ruth, a Harlem "hot-spot" for Sunday dinner.

After lunch we went to Williams Insitutional Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, where Rev. Julius Clay is the pastor. Rev. Clay spoke to us about the formation of the CME church and responded to our questions. It was informative and fun.

We had a short break between our session with Rev. Clay and the Spiritual Role Models session, so we walked a few blocks down and saw the famous Apollo Theater. Since our time was short, we ventured back toward Salem United Methodist Church where we were scheduled to have our Spiritual Role Model session. The session was moved to Mother Zion and we were able to have two great sessions with Rev. Malcom Byrd and Mrs. Doris Rhem.

Mrs. Rhem suggested that we try real New York pizza for dinner and we took her advice - it was really good.

Now we are packing up and getting ready to say good-bye to the city that never sleeps - the Great Big Apple - New York!!

Shout outs to everyone in New York that was hospitable to us, especially Rev. Byrd and Mr. Montgomery. Now...on to Philly...

Monday, June 9, 2008 - daily reflections by Shawn S. & Melissa P.

This morning the group met for its last early morning (7am) IHOP breakfast. After breakfast we returned to the YMCA to gather our belongings and board the bus for Philadelphia. The bus was delayed but we finally got going. The bus ride was about an hour and a half. Most of us slept to try and catch up on our sleep. When we arrived in Philadelphia, we went straight to St. George's United Methodist Church.

While at St. George's we ate lunch and learned the history behind the church and took lots of pictures. The sanctuary was very nice. The chalice pulpit was very interesting to see.

Next, we went to Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) where we learned lots about the start of the AME church.  

After leaving Mother Bethel, we did an historic tour of downtown where we were able to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Prior to leaving downtown, we stopped to get Gelato - which was very tasty!!

We eventually arrived at our hotel, got settled in, and then went to Dave-n-Buster's for dinner.

Although we may not have got to spend a lot of time at each church, we have learned a lot of church history, which was GREAT!!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - daily reflection by Curtis M. & Grace W.

Today we woke up in Philadelphia after a refreshing night of sleep. We drove to Baltimore and most enjoyed sleep on the way. After arriving around noon and grabbing a quick bite to eat, we visited lovely Lane United Methodist Church, the place where American Methodism got its "start".

We enjoyed the incredible and historic architecture of the church, as well as, learning about the "Christmas Conference" where Thomas Asbury went from being a lay leader to a Bishop in just 3 days.

Following our visit at Lovely Lane, we visited Otterbein United Methodist Church, the founding church of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. This quaint church was the original building from over 200 years ago and is still an active congregation.

The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to sightseeing followed by dinner at Big Kahunas Cantina! The food was gooood!

After dinner, we took a short drive to Washington, D.C., the final leg of our pilgrimage. The drive was full of energy, although Curtis managed to enjoy a nice powernap. We arrived at William Penn House (www.williampennhouse.org) around 8:00, unloaded our bags, got an orientation of our lodging facilities and then met in small groups to reflect upon all the happenings of the day.

Tomorrow we begin our seminar with the General Board for Church & Society. Stay tuned....

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - daily reflection by Kevin W. & Jamil H. 

We arose from a restful nights sleep at the William Penn House and began our day with a much deserved bowl of oatmeal (or cereal). Following breakfast, we walked to the United Methodist Building to have a day of discussions on immigration in the U.S. In contrast to the historical tours and lectures we have experienced, we were able to take part in an interactive seminar on immigration. The leaders engaged us in discussion about mercy, justice and using Scripture to examine immigration today.

We ate lunch on the bus (with the drivers driving like they were in New York City - smile) and headed to Emory United Methodist Church. At Emory, Pastor Joe Daniels enlightened us on immigration's primary issue - the economics of the world. We were blessed to hear stories from members of the church who have had success and failures with trying to get loved ones into the country legally. We also heard stories about and discussed the issue of illegal immigration.

After these mind blowing (or as some called it - information overload) seminars, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was extravagant and the service magnificent!

Well, we close tonight with the words of Deuteronomy 10:19 - Love the sojourner therefore; for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

May God bless you and strengthen you in your life journey - GOOD NIGHT!

Thursday, June 11, 2008 - daily reflection Shannon S. & Teel S.

Chris Crutchfield was our first speaker for the day. He told us about how he was an immigrant in a different country because he entered the Peace Corps. Through this, he related his experience to that of one in the bible - Leviticus 19:33,34. He also stated that "love that accepts, not rejects, is God's love." He used this to explain his call to ministry. He was a wonderful speaker and very informative.

The director of the NAACP - Washington Bureau, Hilary Shelton, spoke with us about his agency's stance on immigration. Hilary was very well-spoken and knowledgable about the topic. Though he gave a good presentation, he was at a bit of a disadvantage in that many of us had just been informed of the dangerous storms back home. This caused us to be somewhat worried and restless. We have been in prayer for our friends and family throughout the day.

We were also fortunate enough to speak with Eric B. Sigmon who is the Director for Legislative Affairs of LIRS (Lutheran Immigration Refugee Services). He spoke about the connectional nature of this ministry which allows them to reach out to thousands of people all across the country. Their agency helps set up living situations for families once they opt into the United States. It was also very interesting to hear Eric's personal call to this ministry. As more of a business-man-type, I think he was taken aback by our questions about his personal reasons for involvement, so he had the chance to reflect on his own passion for his career.

At 2:45 p.m. we took the subway to the Shaw-Howard metro station and went to New Community Church to talk to Rev. Jim Melson. He told us about the church and the history of the neighborhood. The church is located in the Shaw neighborhood named after Robert Shaw, General of the 1st African-American Regiment in the Civil War. Also known as the 54th Regiment that was awesomely captured in the film Glory. After the history lesson, Rev. Melson had us act out Acts 10 (the story of Peter and the Centurion). It gave us a scriptural reference for how God can change one's heart and cause one to accept and not reject.

Rev. Melson gave an excellent historical tour of the Shaw-Howard University neighborhood before we headed over to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. If you're ever in Washington, D.C., you absolutley must eat at Ben's!!

Friday, June 13, 2008 - daily reflection by Rachel D. & Miriah A.

As our pilgrimage comes to a close, all of the youTheologians are trying to wrap our minds around the issue of immigration. We had a chance to chance to talk to Glen from KU, who is presently an intern for Dennis Moore. Speaking with him made us realize that letters written to Congress are in fact read and faith does exists in such a powerful position.

After talking with Glen, we began preparing for our conversations with representatives from the offices of Senator Claire McCaskill & Senator Sam Brownback. Once we felt secure in our stance and questions we headed toward McCaskill's office for our first interview. We were disappointed with how our questions were answered from both offices but during debriefing we determined that we would follow up with feedback and our position on immigration issues post-interview.

After lunch, we spoke to an immigrant from El Salvador who portrays his anger about discrimination through his writings. He was very passionate about his writings and encouraging us to express ourselves through writing and other artistic mediums. It was an extremely powerful lecture which ended with each youTheologian becoming a renowned poet. Here is an example by Curtis:

Freedom isn't free - though it is free to me

What about those fleeing form their native countries

Misuse of justice, trust us, it's something we must

or else terror and violence will be amongst us.

Senatorial bills keeping the people for work

Janitorial skills, belief in the dollar is first

Inform the eyes and the ears that they are spies to raise fears

Normalcy escapes all cuz it never was here

To close the day, we traveled to the Boys & Girls Club - Clubhouse #11 to enjoy pizza and a time of leisure. We played basketball, cards, PS2 and games on the computers.

And as the pilgrimage comes to an end, everyone is eager to return home and let others know what we can do to make the world a better place for all God's children.