When God Changed History
The Faith Experience
From Darkness to Light
Frankfurt / Weimar / Eisenach / Stotternheim / Erfurt / WittenburgWHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“I’ve been on a bunch of trips in my life. This is up there high-high-high. If you’re looking for something that is different, profound, and will push you spiritually, this is the trip for you.”
—Brian Tome, Founder & Lead Pastor, Crossroads Church
“If someone has the opportunity to go on this trip, they should absolutely jump on it—the immersive experience with other people is absolutely terrific.”
—Craig Gyergo, Senior Pastor, Christ Church at Grove Farm
“Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back tomorrow.”
In his book “Martin Luther,” Eric Metaxas writes about a young Afro-American pastor from Georgia who traveled to Berlin, in 1934, for an international conference of Baptist pastors. While in Germany, he became so impressed with the reformer Martin Luther, that when he returned home, he legally changed his name from Michael King to Martin Luther King. Remarkably, he then changed his five-year-old son’s name to Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is the kind of power a visit to the life of Martin Luther can have on an individual, and on your life and mine.
For over two decades, The Rev. Stu Boehmig has been taking people on one of a kind of life changing trips. Travel with us as we trace our faith from New Testament times, through the Crusades and the Middle Ages, to the transformation of the church through the life of Martin Luther. From Luther we move to the church under Nazi Germany, and the communism of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Our journey of faith is the story of God’s faithfulness as he moves history from darkness to light. On our travels we experience the historic highs and lows of the Christian faith, and everything in between. Join us as we experience God’s faithfulness in our lives.
Along the way, we will develop deep personal relationships, broaden our understanding of church history, grow in our love of the Holy Scriptures, understand the power of a life fully devoted to God, and crash through quitting points that hold us back, by saying “yes” to God in every area of our lives. We will gain a new sense of the urgency of the Christian message to our modern day world.
The Faith Experience takes us to Stotternheim, where a lightning bolt knocked Martin Luther to the ground, in 1505, Erfurt and the Black Cloister where Luther lived as a monk. We step into the great Cathedral where he was ordained. We will travel to Wittenberg, where Luther lived, taught, was married, had six children, adopted four others, had his Tower Experience, and posted the 95 theses on the Castle Church doors. We stay at the Wartburg Castle where he translated the New Testament into German. We will walk in the footsteps of Luther as he plowed his way through a Reformation that would change the world and give us western civilization.
We spend a day at Buchenwald Concentration Camp understanding what happened and why. We also visit with the pastor and worship at the historic Herder Church where Luther preached. We will learn about the state of the Lutheran church in Germany.
We stay at the Kempinski Gravenbruch, Frankfurt, the historic Hotel Elephant, Weimar and the Hotel Romantik at the Wartburg Castle.
Itinerary
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Day 1: Travel Day
Day one is a full travel day, including an overnight flight. Get some rest, you’re going to need it!
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Day 7: Buchenwald
Today we meet the horrors of humanity. Wee visit Buchenwald, one of the first and largest of the concentration camps. Some 280,000 prisoners lived here. Many didn’t survive. This is a hard day for us, as we honor their lives and memory. We ask, “Where was the church?” We spend time talking about what happened and why. We wonder what we would do under the same conditions. It is a day that brings our faith alive. We leave knowing how important what we believe and what we do really is, especially when we return home.
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Day 2: Frankfurt
Our journey begins at the wonderful Kempinski Hotel Gravenbruch, where we gather for a Welcome Dinner at 6:00 pm. The Kempinski is located 15 minutes from the Frankfurt Airport. Kick back from your flight and enjoy a luxury hotel at its finest. Meet Stu and hear about what’s ahead.
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Day 8: The Wartburg Castle
We leave Weimar and travel to the Wartburg Castle where Luther hid out and translated the New Testament from Latin to German. We see the Luther room where he actually worked on his translation. This translation spread like wildfire throughout Europe. We have an unforgettable overnight at the Hotel Romantik at the Wartburg Castle.
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Day 3: Eisenach & Weimar
Our adventure begins as we cross over into what was once East Germany (GDR) and visit Eisenach, where Luther and Bach first attended school. Then it’s on to Weimar, in our 56-passenger coach with toilet and Wi-Fi. Weimar was once the cultural and political capital of Germany. Goethe, Schiller, Wagner, Bach, Liszt and Nietzsche all live in this wonderful Renaissance architecture walking town. Luther often stayed and reached here. Settle into the historic Elephant Hotel, which opened for business in 1649. We have dinner and stay at our hotel.
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Day 9: Nuremberg
Today we leave the Romantik Hotel at the Wartburg Castle and head to an overnight in Nuremberg. We stay in the old town inside the walled city. We visit the Nuremberg War Trial Courtroom and Hitler’s Nazi Parade Ground. We have time to explore this historic city. We end with a wonderful dinner together.
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Day 4: Weimar
Join us as we attend the historic Herder Church, originally built in 1245. Before worship, we view the historic Cranach Altarpiece and meet the pastor. We worship in German and afterward, talk with the pastor about the church in East Germany. In the afternoon, we have a walking tour of Weimar, home of the Weimar Republic and once capital of all Germany. We end our day at one of the oldest restaurants in Europe, Der Weissen Schwann (The White Swan).
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Day 9: Munich
We leave Nuremberg and head to Munich for a night in the old town. We have a farewill dinner and time of sharing. After dinner, those who wold like, head to the Hofbrauhaus for a time of sining and German Pilsner beer.
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Day 5: Stotternheim & Erfurt
We visit Stotternheim where Luther was knocked off his horse by a lightning bolt and decided to become a monk. We travel to Erfurt to see the Augustinian Black Cloister where Luther was a monk. We travel across the Kramerbruche-Merchants Bridge, the oldest bridge in Europe as we walk to St. Mary’s Cathedral (c 700) to see where Luther was ordained. Stay at the Hotel Elephant.
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Day 10: Travel Day
This morning we have breakfast at our hotel and then leave for various destinations. Remember, you can tell the hotel you would like to stay in Munich for an extra day or two. Bavaria is a wonderful place to chill out after our time together.
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Day 6: Wittenberg
Today we visit one of the most important sites in church history, the Castle Church in Wittenberg, where Luther nailed the 95 Thesis to the church doors. Wittenberg is here taught in the monastery, married Katarina, raised six children. and adopted four others. We see the Table Talk room where Luther dined with students. Stay at the Hotel Elephant.
The Wartburg Castle
The historic Hotel Elephant, Weimar
Kramerbruche Bridge, Erfurt
The Luther House, Wittenberg
St. Mary’s Cathedral, Erfurt
Munch
Nuremberg
Wittenberg
Table Talk Room
The cost is $4,499* per person (double occupancy) and $699.00 for a single supplement. Trip includes four to five-star hotels, transportation, all breakfasts & dinners, most lunches, lectures, and event admissions. You’re on your own for airfare and trip insurance.
A non-refundable registration fee of $749 per person is due, January 15, 2024. A 50% balance is due March 15, and final payment is due May 15, 2024. *Final payment may change if the Euro changes significantly.
Tour Leader, The Rev. Stu Boehmig
Stu has been an Area Director in Young Life, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where he was awarded a Byington Fellowship in Systematic Theology, the Executive Director of Ligonier Ministries under Dr. RC Sproul, the founding pastor of Orchard Hill Church, Pittsburgh, and Rector of The Abbey, Pawleys Island, SC. He is an ordained minister in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, and Executive Director of Our Faith Travels.