New Jan Hus DVD from the Christian History Institute

Next month marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of Christian History Institute. Their very first project was preparation of a mimeographed study guide to accompany a film release on 15th century Reformer Jan Hus.
Now they revisit the Hus story and the amazing new appreciation of his life and a public apology by the pope for the wrongful death of Hus.
This new one-hour documentary is titled Truth Prevails: The Undying Faith of Jan Hus.
Jan Hus lived almost 600 years ago and was a forerunner of Luther and the Reformation. A man of deep conviction, he took a dangerous stand against corruption in the church. He stood for the Truth of God’s Word and was put to death for it – burned at the stake.
Learn more about the story in Truth Prevails: The Undying Faith of Jan Hus offered at this special price – Order online at Vision Video for only $15.99 – a savings of 20% off the retail price of $19.99!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer House in Berlin

Frank (on left) was recently at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer House in Berlin, at the end of the Reformation Trails Tour. This house was built in 1935 as the retirement home of Bonhoeffer's parents. Sadly on April 5, 1943, he was arrested in the building.

The house on Marienburger Allee is now a museum about the life and work of Bonhoeffer and his study on the upper floor is restored to how it would have been in 1943.

We include a visit here on many of our tours to Berlin and if you would like to arrange a tour, just let us know. The address is Marienburger Allee 43, 14055 Berlin. (+49) 30 301 9161.

View from the train

view from train to Grindlewald from Interlaken
Originally uploaded by Reformation Tours, LLC.

Frank is currently in Switzerland leading our "Reformation Trails" tour, which journeys from Geneva to Berlin. He just called me from the train on his way up the Alps from Grindelwald. He took this photo on the tour last year of the view from the train window. Switzerland is gorgeous! The group is having a wonderful time and enjoying fellowship along the way. I'll post some highlights when he gets back and we've uploaded the photos from this year's trip.

Farewell to Ruth Graham

Mrs. Ruth Bell Graham, beloved wife of world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, died at 5:05 p.m. on June 14, 2007, at her home at Little Piney Cove in Montreat, N.C., surrounded by her husband and all five children. She was 87.

She was born in China, on June 10, 1920. Her parents were medical missionaries and as a young girl Ruth first sensed the great calling to abandon all for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the fall of 1937, she enrolled at Wheaton College and three years later was introduced to “Preacher,” the nickname other students gave the strapping Billy Graham from Charlotte, North Carolina.


In late April 1941 after much struggling in prayer, Ruth realized her life’s mission was to be bound up in Billy’s passion for evangelism. Shortly after their graduation from Wheaton, the two were married in Montreat on August 13, 1943.

Ruth treasured her role as the strong woman behind “America’s Pastor” and was Billy’s closest confidant, most trusted advisor, and dearest friend. She loved to move behind the scenes, away from the spotlight, and helped him craft and research sermons and even books.


To read more about this remarkable woman, click here

Congratulations to the Reformation Museum in Geneva

Congratulations to the Reformation Museum in Geneva for winning the prestigious 2007 Council of Europe Museum Prize! When I visited the Museum last month I was able to see the

statue and hear more about this award.

Housed on the spot where the people of Geneva voted to adopt Reformation in 1536, the museum features displays on the Bible, the work of Calvin, religious controversy with other Christian traditions, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Protestant resistance to fascism, missionary work and the role of women in the ministry.

It is now planning a special exhibition in 2009 to mark the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth, a commemoration also to be celebrated by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, a grouping of 216 churches with roots in Calvin's Reformation. The alliance has brought together 50 representatives of Reformed churches for a 15-19 April meeting in Geneva to plan for the Calvin Jubilee worldwide.

"People might expect such a museum to be deadly serious, demanding and dogmatic," noted one judge, Mikhail Gnedovsky from Russia. "But this is far from being the case. In fact, the atmosphere of the museum is very relaxed and free," he said, noting touches such as cartoons of Calvinists and a picture of Calvin on a vending machine in the Geneva museum café.

If you are interested in visiting the museum, contact us about joining one of our scheduled tours or let us design a custom tour for you.

Calvin's College in Geneva

Calvin's Academy in Geneva
Originally uploaded by Reformation Tours, LLC.

Calvin College was founded in 1559 by John Calvin. Boys as young as seven were able to learn Latin, Greek, logic, rhetoric and Calvin's catechism. With the huge influx of French Huguenots after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Calvin's College played a vital role in their training as pastors, as well as many other young men who flocked to Geneva to receive tutelage there. At the time of the Calvin's death it boasted fifteen hundred students. It's still used for education today.

Zurich's Police Station

Zurich's Police Station
Originally uploaded by Reformation Tours, LLC.

You don't really expect to see flowers decorating a Police Station! While I was on a guided city tour of Zurich a week or two ago, we were able to see some of the colorful murals painted by local artists. Personally I preferred the medieval colors of the side chapel in St. Peter's Cathedral in Geneva and it's lovely to see some restoration work going on. We've still got some room on our Reformation Trails tour leaving in June and in September, so if you'd like to see Geneva and Zurich yourself, let us know!

Lausanne Free Church

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Originally uploaded by Reformation Tours, LLC.

Last Sunday I was delighted to visit Lausanne Free Church, which is a delightful congregation serving the English-speaking population in the Lausanne area. Pastor Derrick and his wife Ann invited me to a fabulous home-cooked lunch with the family, along with two other British couples. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and I look forward to my next visit there. If you are in Lausanne, the fellowship meets on Sunday morning and also has a coffee morning on Wednesdays. The web address is www.lausanne-english-church.com.

The Queen visits Jamestown and Williamsburg

As a Brit living in the States, I'm excited about the Queen of England being on a visit to Virginia to help celebrate the 400 year anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

"My visits to Jamestown and Williamsburg, separated by 50 years, symbolize for me the warmth and welcome Prince Philip and I have always received during our many visits to the United States over the years," the queen said during a private luncheon Friday in Colonial Williamsburg, the restored 18th-century capital of Virginia.

If you've not been to the Jamestown/Williamsburg/Yorktown area in awhile, it's definitely the year to visit! We'll be hosting a clergy retreat there in August called "Reclaiming the Joy of Ministry" and would love to welcome you there. If you'd like to do a family or group tour, just let us know and we'll be happy to arrange it.

New D-Day Center at the Normandy American Cemetery in France

Sixty-three years after Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to turn the tide of World War II in Europe, a new visitor center at the Normandy American Cemetery in France will open on June 6 to tell the story of the 9,387 Americans buried there and put the D-Day landings and follow-on battle in Europe in perspective. The $30 million visitor center will be dedicated and opened to the public on June 6, 2007, during the annual D-Day commemorations. The center is sited in a wooded area of the cemetery approximately 100 yards east of the Garden of the Missing. Normandy is the American Battle Monuments Commission's most visited cemetery, receiving approximately one million visitors each year. By relating the global significance and meaning of Operation OVERLORD, the center will pay tribute to the values and sacrifices of the World War II generation. Visit http://www.abmc.gov/ or http://www.franceguide.com/.