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October
2004
An excerpt from an October 2004 “Church Executive”
article on church travel and fundraising.
Have church, will travel,
by
Maria Jolly
Fellowship and pilgrimage tours are a great way to
establish stronger relationships with people who share your
faith
Whether your church is taking the congregation on a
Caribbean cruise, a trip to Branson, or on a voyage to the
Biblelands, the experience is sure to enhance your members'
spiritual journey and bolster camaraderie among like-minded
individuals.
Dr. Allen Hughes, administrative pastor at Hebron Baptist
Church in Dacula, GA, has been organizing both domestic and
international travel opportunities for the church's members
for the past six years. In addition to organizing mission
trips to Moldova, for example, Hughes says he sees great
value in organizing leisure cruises because they build
fellowship among the 6,000-plus member congregation.
Moreover, he says, a trip to Greece and Turkey on a Steps of
Paul tour, allows congregants opportunities to see those
areas of early Christianity and to discover firsthand the
names of historic lands that one has only ever read about.
Hughes believes that one of the reasons travel among church
groups has increased is because there are now more operators
who specialize in Christian travel.
Wiley Martin, executive pastor at Hickory Grove Baptist
Church in Charlotte, NC, says his church averages a couple
of trips a year for senior adults to the beaches in the
Carolinas and to New York City. The church also organizes a
couple of choir retreats to the mountains of North Carolina.
Meanwhile, the youth group attends summer camps in either
North or South Carolina or Virginia.
Travel on the high seas
Hughes says before he came to Hebron Baptist Church, it was
never very interested in promoting cruises. Now, he says,
Hebron on the High Seas (a 7-day Caribbean cruise) is one of
their most popular trips with an average of 150 people
signing up when the trip is offered. He says the main goal
of the trip is to build on the values of family and
fellowship and allow for members of the congregation more
chances to get to know one another.
"The devotion every morning focuses on building a fellowship
and building a family. We try not to do anything that is
going to take time away from that because that is the most
important thing we want to accomplish."
Dr. Billy Britt, who oversees Hebron's Institute for Church
Growth, says he has seen how popular cruises have become.
Recently, he started thinking about organizing an alumni
reunion/retreat for the pastors who have gone through the
church's mentoring program. He says he wants to offer the
pastors a relaxed setting in which to get together and share
stories about their church growth practices, and he thinks a
cruise would be one good way to do it.
Rhonda Sand, president of Travel Fundraisers (http://www.travelfundraisers.com
), in Post Falls, ID, also specializes in organizing trips
for church members who want to travel with other believers.
Her company organizes cruises that are Christ-centered, such
as a Biblelands Cruise, which is a privately chartered event
that combines "the life-impacting Biblical sites in Israel,
Greece and Turkey with the comfort and convenience of a
Mediterranean cruise." In this case, because it is a
privately chartered ship, all of the casinos are closed.
Adding to the Christian emphasis are teachers and speakers
who are invited to talk about their latest books. Another
similar tour, also slated for next spring, explores Libya,
Syria and Lebanon. She says the ship used on the trip holds
about 450 people and retains its intimacy so everybody is
afforded time with various teachers.
She says this type of trip is also something that works well
as a fundraiser because churches get a per-passenger
donation. "Some ministries can raise thousands of dollars
using it as a vehicle to minister and develop relationships
with their donor base," says Sands.
Pilgrimage tours
A visit to a holy site allows for a more powerful religious
experience and gives church members the rare opportunity to
explore the regions where Christianity started.
Take advantage of preview tours
One way a pastor or business administrator can decide if he
wants to lead a group from their congregation to a specific
destination is by taking advantage of preview
(familiarization) tours.
"These are very special opportunities where we negotiate
with the airlines and the hotels and all the tour
attractions to get as low a price as possible. The pastor or
leader can then see as much of the destination as possible
in preparation for bringing their own group back."
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