Yes, it's a pilgrimage--leaving familiar surroundings to encounter another place, in hopes of returning home with wisdom to share.

In the summer following the year together, youTheology participants will embark on a ten-day National Pan-Methodist Pilgrimage to the East Coast. More than simply a sight-seeing tour, the pilgrimage will provide the opportunity to explore, worship, sing, pray, and serve in historic locations which are fundamental to the roots of American Methodism. The experience will include reflecting on how these places dealt with injustice and the implications of this heritage for Methodism today.

Preparation for the pilgrimage will occur throughout the weekend sessions. Our visits to the historic churches, engagment in ministry, and participation in seminars will help to bring alive what we have been exploring prior to going on the pilgrimage.

We will go to New York, NY first. We will have our first seminar there. As part of the seminar, we will do hands-on ministry with First AMEZ and we will worship at Mother Zion AMEZ. In addition, pastors and lay people will come and share with us on personal and social holiness in the church, the community and our lives. From New York, we will travel to Philadelphia, PA. There we will visit Mother Bethel AME, St. George's UMC, and Zoar UMC. Philadelphia is full of American history. We will move from Philadelphia to Baltimore, MD. In Baltimore, we will visit Old Otterbein and Lovely Lane, UMC. Our final destination on the pilgrimage will be Washington, DC. In DC we will visit Miles CME and participate in their outreach ministry. We will also attend a seminar with the General Board of Church and Society in Washington, DC, opposite the Capitol. In this seminar we will explore and learn how we can best love God and neighbor as we live out of the Wesleyan heritage in the Pan-Methodist way.