The Anabaptist Tour 2017, June 12-26
Retracing the Sacrificial Steps of our Forefathers
June 12
Overnight, non-stop flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Frankfurt, Germany.
June 13
Arrive in Frankfurt. Travel Day to Zurich, Switzerland.
June 13-15
Zurich, Switzerland.
Key Anabaptist Figures: Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and Michael
Sattler
June 13: Preparing our Hearts for the Journey
On our way to Zurich, we will make a stop at Worms, Germany. This city was made
famous when Luther stood before the authorities and declared the supreme authority
of Scripture with his statement, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.”
Alongside the statue of Luther is a lesser known figure, but nonetheless as important,
Peter Waldo, the forerunner to the modern missionary movement.
Upon arrival in Zurich, our group will enjoy a wonderful dinner and discuss the
beginnings and importance of the Anabaptist movement.
June 14: The Persecuted Brethren: Emmental Valley and Lucerne
In the Emmental Valley, we will be surrounded by the beautiful Swiss countryside and
will experience the moving scenery. While in the valley, we will visit Trachselwald
Castle where many of our Anabaptist predecessors were imprisoned. You will be able
to ascend the narrow stone stairway into the tower of the castle and witness
firsthand the places where those early persecuted believers were held. We will also
visit Frankhaus where those escaping from persecution would flee to hide. You will
see the actual hidden compartment in the floor behind the false wall where they hid.
We will trek through the countryside onto a wooded path and visit a cave where our
early Anabaptist forefathers gathered for worship. Each of these sites will stir your
soul and offer a moving reminder of the cost of discipleship that those Anabaptist
believers were willing to pay.
June 15: The Beginning of Modern Anabaptism: Schleitheim and Zurich
We will visit the canton of Schaffhausen where the Schleitheim Confession was
penned by Michael Sattler and adopted. While there, we will hear his moving story
and visit a museum in an old schoolhouse containing early Anabaptist artifacts.
While in Zurich, we will experience the beauty of the magnificent Swiss city located
on the Limmat River. We will visit the impressive Gross Münster where Ulrich Zwingli
ministered. We will also walk through the city streets to the home of Felix Manz
where the first Anabaptist baptisms took place in 1525, in the imposing shadows of
the twin spires of the Gross Münster. Our tour will also take us to the home of Conrad
Grebel, the recognized early leader of the Swiss Brethren. During our time in the city,
we will stand by the spot on the Limmat River that bears the plaque marking the spot
where Felix Manz became the first Anabaptist martyr in Zurich.
On our way out of Zurich, we will also travel into wooded areas where we will follow
a wooden pathway up to a cave known to be a place where early Anabaptists met in
secret to worship. This personal encounter with the history of the persecuted will
challenge us to a deeper walk with Christ.
June 16
Travel Day to Venice, Italy.
June 16-18
Venice, Italy.
Key Anabaptist Figures: Camillo Renato, Tiziano
June 16: Italian Anabaptism - Padova
Our travel across the Alps will take us through the Grisons, a hotbed of Swiss and
Italian Anabaptist activity which early on played an important role as a refuge for
German-speaking Anabaptists such as George Blaurock, Andrew Castelberger, and
Felix Manz (pre 1525), and Pilgram Marpeck (after 1534). After the establishment of
the Italian inquisition, in 1542, this region became a refuge for many Italians
Anabaptist. Towns like Chiavenna, Troana, Morbegno, and Caspano provided a
temporary haven for our Anabaptist forefathers before the reformers and the Roman
Catholics eventually forced them to flee to places like Moravia.
We will then proceed to Padova while flanking the eastern shore of Lago di Como,
admiring the Alps dropping into this crystal clear lake.
June 17: Italian Anabaptism – Cittadella, Asolo and Venice
Padova (whose university was founded in 1222) will be our pied-à-terre to visit cities
like Cittadella, Asolo, and of course Venice. In Asolo we will rediscover the missionary
importance of even the smallest of towns. In Venice, we will hear about the town’s
central role as a doorway for the Italian reformation, about the Anabaptist Synod of
1550, about the Anabaptist executions at the hand of the Sant'Uffizio, about the
Anabaptist prisoners who escaped Trieste and the slave ships, and about a group of
Italian Hutterites so passionate for the gospel that they returned to Venice only to be
arrested and executed in the venetian lagoon.
June 18: Souvenir Day: Enjoy the Beautiful City of Venice
June 19
Travel Day to Vienna, Austria.
June 19-20
Vienna, Austria.
Key Anabaptist Figures: Balthasar Hubmaier, Leonard Schiemer, and Hans Hut
June 20: “Truth is Immortal” Hubmaier, The Theologian of the Anabaptists
While in Vienna, we will visit St. Stephen's Cathedral, the impressive Romanesque and
Gothic structure that stands as the center of the Catholic archdiocese of Vienna. The
amazing structure has had a long history dating from the fourteenth century (the
original structure that was on the site dated from the twelfth century). It stood in
Hubmaier's day as a symbol of Roman Catholic authority. In March of 1528
Balthasar Hubmaier was martyred in Vienna at the behest of the Catholic
authorities. We will see the plaque which marks the event at the old city gate. While
there, we will visit the Hubmaier museum.
We will also hear the incredible story of Leonhard Schiemer, a former parish priest in
Vienna, who followed Hans Hut and his Anabaptist followers from Mikulov
(Nikolsburg) to Vienna to receive believer’s baptism in May/June 1527. Schiemer
travelled through twenty-eight towns and villages in the region, baptizing hundreds
of Anabaptist converts. After six months as an Anabaptist, Schiemer was arrested in
November 1527 and martyred on 14 January 1528, in Rattenburg, Austria.
June 21
Mikulov, Czech Republic.
Key Anabaptist Figures: Hubmaier, Schiemer, and Hut
June 21: Hubmaier’s House; Mikulov Castle.
Mikulov (Nikolsburg in Hubmaier's day) became the primary center for Hubmaier's
reforming activity after his torture and expulsion from Zurich. He wrote his most
influential works while living in this city. While there, we will visit Hubmaier's house
and get to know the man who is undoubtedly the most important early Anabaptist
theologian. We will also visit the historic Mikulov Castle, which houses the regional
museum. We will see the castle tower from which Hut escaped after losing support of
the Lichtenstein Lords in his dispute with Hubmaier. Schiemer witnessed the dispute
in Mikulov and left to follow Hut in Vienna. Schiemer became one of Hut’s closest
companions. Hubmaier remained in Mikulov and led the city to become what he
called, “The Lighthouse of the Reformation,” where he baptized more than 6000
believers in a little more than a year.
June 22
Travel Day to Prague, Czech Republic.
June 22-23
Prague, Czech Republic
Key Figures: Peter Chelcicky (c.1390-c1460) and Jan Hus
June 22: Forerunners to the Anabaptist Movement: Peter Chelcicky & Jan Hus
On our way to the magnificent city of Prague, we will visit the town of Chelcice,
named after Free Church advocate Peter Chelcicky. Peter predated other Reformers
in calling for complete religious liberty. He believed the only way to convert a soul
was through the law of love, based in religious liberty and free will. We will also visit
Lednice, home of one of the most beautiful castles in Europe.
The beautiful city of Prague will leave an indelible impression on you. While walking
across the historic Charles Bridge admiring the many statues, you will undoubtedly
stop for the breathtaking view of the Vltava River. Our tour will start at the imposing
medieval gothic St. Vitus cathedral. On our tour, we will visit the famous Bethlehem
Chapel where the fourteenth century Czech pre-reformer Jan Hus occupied the pulpit.
We will end at the Old Towne Square where you can stand and watch "The walk of
the Apostles" as the figures of the apostles file by on the medieval astronomical clock
or the Prague Orloj. This early fifteenth century astronomical clock is the third oldest
in the world. You will also admire the Jan Hus statue in the town square. A number of
shops surround the town square, and when we complete our tour, Prague will
certainly be one of your favorite cities in the world.
June 23: Souvenir Day: Enjoy the Historic City of Prague
June 24
Travel Day to Bonn, Germany.
June 24-25
Bonn, Germany.
June 24: Preparing for Sunday Worship: Dinner, Discussion, and Debriefing
June 25: Worshipping with Anabaptists: A New Movement of the Lord
When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, freedom came to millions across Europe and Asia.
One group of persecuted believers, German Anabaptists, who were caught behind the
Iron Curtain and suffered severe persecution at the hands of Communists, were able
to come home by the millions. Today, there are more than 500 new churches with
more than 200,000 believers. God is raising up a new generation of Bible-believing
Anabaptists with a heart of missions and evangelism.
June 26
Non-stop flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Atlanta, Georgia.