Join Kevin and Wendy Twit for the Indelible Grace Heritage Hymn Tour of England, a nine-day journey through the sacred landscapes and stories behind some of the church's most beloved hymns.

You will stand in the rooms where John Newton and William Cowper wrote the Olney Hymns, their friendship forged across years of faith and doubt. You will sit in the double-decker pulpit of the New Room in Bristol, the oldest Methodist building in the world, where John Wesley first preached to the poor of the city. You will walk through Bunhill Fields in London, where Isaac Watts and John Bunyan are buried beneath centuries of sky, and into the church above Brixham harbor where Henry Francis Lyte wrote "Abide With Me" in his final weeks, knowing he would not return.

This is a week of singing, walking, eating, and paying attention together. We will gather for hymn sings in London and Devon, worship on a Sunday morning in Oxford, share long dinners in historic pubs and candlelit dining rooms, and trace the Cotswolds and Somerset countryside that shaped the faith and imagination of the writers whose words we still carry in our mouths on Sunday mornings. Kevin will give an evening lecture at Wycliffe Hall on why we still need hymns, and he will lead us through the Museum of Methodism with the knowledge and warmth that has made Indelible Grace a home for so many.

As Kevin often shares, when we sing a hymn like "Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul," we don't just remember the past. We step into a living story of faith that stretches across generations. Come walk where the hymn writers walked, and let the songs you already know by heart find the ground they came from.

Arrival Airport: London (LHR)

Departure Airport: London (LHR)

• Heritage walking tour of London including Bunhill Fields Cemetery, (Isaac Watts resting place), John Newton’s Church and more. 

• Visit the John Wesley House and Methodist Museum in London 

• London book-shopping with Kevin

• Drinks and discussions in one of London’s oldest pubs

• A walking tour through the literary and spiritual landscape of C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and the Oxford Movement

• An evening lecture at Wycliffe Hall on why we still need hymns

• The Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney, where "Amazing Grace" and the Olney Hymns were written in the rooms you'll stand in

• Dinner at the Turf Tavern, hidden down a narrow Oxford alley where presidents and poets have eaten before you

• A slow drive through the Cotswolds with a lunch stop in a honey-stone village

• The New Room in Bristol, the oldest Methodist building in the world, where John Wesley first preached to the poor of the city in 1739

• Charles Wesley's House, the restored Georgian townhouse where he wrote "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"

• A morning walking tour of Bath tracing the hidden networks that spread hymns across Britain

• Cheddar Gorge, where Augustus Toplady sheltered in a rocky cleft and found the image that became "Rock of Ages"

• Wells Cathedral, one of the most beautiful medieval buildings in England

• The village church at Broadhembury, where Toplady served as vicar

• All Saints Church in Brixham, where Henry Francis Lyte wrote "Abide With Me" in his final weeks looking out over the Devon coast

• An unplugged hymn sing at Lyte's church, intimate and acoustic, the last time we'll sing together

• A farewell dinner overlooking the harbor with nothing after it but the sound of the sea

• Free day exploring the Georgian city of Bath and Oxford

• Comfortable and centrally located hotels

• Intimate dinner in fabulous restaurants and country pubs

• A hymn sing in London to open the journey

Rev. Kevin Twit lectures widely on hymnology, faith and arts, and teaches courses at Covenant Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary, a multi-campus institution. He has taught hymnology as an adjunct professor at Belmont University since 2011. A member of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, he has served as a sectional presenter and hymn festival leader at the Society’s annual conferences. Kevin founded Indelible Grace Music in 2000 with some of his students from Belmont RUF and they have produced ten records of hymns set to new music, as well as a documentary film, “Roots And Wings: They Story Of Indelible Grace And The RUF Hymns"

He is an avid rare book collector, focusing on hymnology and Presbyterian history, and collects jazz vinyl records. He currently lives in Nashville with his wife, Wendy and they have three children, Cooper, Isaac, and Mei. 

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“Let Us Love And Sing And Wonder” - John Newton

DAY ONE | THURSDAY, JUNE 3RD | LONDON

Arrive in London by early afternoon and settle in. After checking in, enjoy an optional walking tour of the neighborhood or attend Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the most beautiful choral traditions in the world, and a fitting threshold for the journey ahead. Gather for a welcome dinner in a private room at the hotel or nearby historic pub, where we'll introduce the tour, the hymns we'll trace together, and the stories waiting for us across England.

Highlights

• Arrival and check-in

• Optional: neighborhood walking tour or St. Paul's Cathedral Evensong

• Welcome Dinner

“When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” - Isaac Watts

DAY TWO | FRIDAY, JUNE 4TH | LONDON

We begin where English hymnody took root. Explore Bunhill Fields, the great Dissenters' burial ground where Isaac Watts, John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, and others rest beneath centuries of London sky. Visit St Mary Woolnoth, where John Newton served as Rector for 27 years: the pulpit where his story of personal redemption, God's grace, and the beginnings of the abolitionist movement were drawn together. Our walking tour ends at the Museum of Methodism, where Kevin leads a talk through the history of the movement from the Wesleys to the present day. Those who want more can stay on to visit John Wesley's House next door, one of the finest surviving small Georgian townhouses in London, Wesley's home for over a decade. Free time in the afternoon and dinner on your own. This evening, voices unite in a hymn sing to launch the tour: the first time we'll lift these songs together.

Highlights

• Bunhill Fields Cemetery (Watts, Bunyan, Defoe, Stennett, Owen and more)

• St. Mary Woolnoth (John Newton's church)

• Walking tour ending at the Museum of Methodism (tour led by Kevin)

• Optional: John Wesley's House

• Free time: afternoon and dinner on your own

• Evening Hymn Sing (venue TBD)

“Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul” - Anne Steele

DAY THREE | SATURDAY, JUNE 5TH | LONDON TO OLNEY TO OXFORD

Depart London by private coach and journey north to Olney, the quiet market town where John Newton served as curate and formed one of the most consequential friendships in the history of sacred song, with the poet William Cowper. Visit the Cowper & Newton Museum, housed in their former home, where "Amazing Grace" and the Olney Hymns were born. Explore the rooms where these two friends wrestled with faith, doubt, and hope, producing some of the most beloved hymns in history. After free time in Olney, wander the high street, visit the churchyard, sit by the river and then continue west to Oxford. Check into hotel and enjoy late afternoon bookshop run to Blackstones, the Mecca of bookstores. Gather for dinner together at the historic Turf Tavern, tucked away down a narrow alley in the heart of Oxford.

Highlights

• Private coach to Olney

• Cowper & Newton Museum

• Free time in Olney

• Transfer to Oxford

• Blackstone’s Bookshop

• Dinner at Turf Tavern

“Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul” - Anne Steele

DAY FOUR | SUNDAY, JUNE 6TH | OXFORD

Begin the morning at worship. Oxford offers extraordinary options for this group: Christ Church Cathedral, St Aldates, or another congregation that Kevin will confirm. After the service, gather for lunch together before an afternoon walking tour exploring the literary and spiritual landscape of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Oxford Movement. We'll also remember Anne Steele, the 18th-century Baptist hymn writer whose quiet faithfulness produced enduring songs of trust. Walk the cobbled lanes, stand in the quads, and see the pubs and chapels where these writers worshipped, argued, and imagined. In the evening, gather at Wycliffe Hall, where Kevin gives a lecture on why we still need hymns and why these songs still matter in an age that has largely forgotten how to sing together. Dinner on your own.

Highlights

• Morning worship in Oxford

• Afternoon walking tour: C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Oxford Movement, Anne Steele

• Evening lecture at Wycliffe Hall: "Why We Still Need Hymns" (Kevin Twit)

• Dinner on your own

“Arise My Soul Arise” -Charles Wesley

DAY FIVE | MONDAY, JUNE 7TH | OXFORD TO BRISTOL TO BATH

A scenic drive through the rolling Cotswolds brings us south, with a lunch stop in a Cotswold village: Castle Combe or Lacock, where honey-colored stone and narrow lanes slow you down whether you intend them to or not. Continue to Bristol, visit the New Room, the oldest Methodist building in the world, founded by John Wesley in 1739. Stand in the double-decker pulpit where John and Charles Wesley preached, explore the preachers' rooms upstairs where early Methodists gathered for Bible study and prayer, and learn how this small chapel in the heart of a busy city became the cradle of a worldwide movement. Then walk to Charles Wesley's House at 4 Charles Street: the beautifully restored Georgian townhouse where Charles lived with his wife Sarah Gwynne and their children, and where he wrote thousands of hymns, including "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." Six rooms have been restored to how they might have looked in Charles's time: the parlor, the music room, the study, the kitchen, and two bedrooms. Continue to Bath where you’ll check into your hotel and gather for a group dinner.

Highlights

• Scenic drive through the Cotswolds

• Lunch stop in a Cotswold village (Castle Combe or Corsham)

• The New Room, Bristol (oldest Methodist building in the world)

• Charles Wesley's House, 4 Charles Street, Bristol

• Group dinner in Bath

"Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" - Thomas Ken

DAY SIX | TUESDAY, JUNE 8TH | BATH

Bath reveals the hidden networks that spread hymns across Britain. On a morning walking tour, discover Thomas Ken who was the Bishop of Bath and Wells, author of the Doxology, a man whose integrity cost him his position but whose morning and evening hymns have outlived every controversy. Meet Martin Madan, William Cowper's cousin, who used hymns to minister to those with mental health challenges. Learn about Thomas Haweis, who helped found the London Missionary Society and wrote hymns that carried the faith across oceans. And encounter the Countess of Huntingdon, whose patronage and fierce determination helped bankroll the Great Awakening by building chapels for preachers like George Whitefield. Visit the Museum of Bath Architecture (once the Countess's home) and Bath Abbey to see memorials to Haweis and Madan. The afternoon is free for visiting the Roman Baths, museums, or shopping. Dinner on your own.

Highlights

• Morning walking tour: Thomas Ken, Martin Madan, Thomas Haweis, Countess of Huntingdon

• Museum of Bath Architecture

• Bath Abbey

• Free afternoon (baths, museums, shopping)

• Dinner on your own

“Rock of Ages” - Augustus Toplady

DAY SEVEN | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9TH | BATH TO SOMERSET TO DEVON

Depart Bath for Cheddar Gorge, where legend holds that Augustus Toplady sheltered from a storm in a rocky cleft. This is an experience that inspired one of the most enduring images in all of hymnody: Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee. Stand among the limestone cliffs and feel the scale of the landscape that shaped the metaphor. Continue to Wells with a visit Wells Cathedral with its stunning medieval architecture, and time for lunch and a quick wander. Continue south to the village of Broadhembury, where Toplady served as vicar in the church that still bears his memory. We will enjoy an acoustic hymn sing in the church. Finally drive and arrive in the coastal town of Brixham for a group dinner overlooking the harbor.

Highlights

• Cheddar Gorge (site tied to "Rock of Ages")

• Wells Cathedral

• Lunch in Wells

• Broadhembury (Augustus Toplady's church)

• Group dinner in Brixham

"Abide With Me" - Henry Francis Lyte

DAY EIGHT | THURSDAY, JUNE 10TH | BRIXHAM

Visit All Saints Church, perched above the harbor, where Henry Francis Lyte served as vicar and wrote "Abide With Me" in his final weeks before departing for Italy in hopes of restoring his failing health. Stand where he stood, looking out over the same Devon coast, and reflect on his prayer for God's presence in life's fading light. Gather in the church for an unplugged hymn sing: an intimate, acoustic farewell to the musical thread that has carried us from London to the sea. The afternoon is yours to take a coastal walk along the South West Coast Path, enjoy Devon cream tea, or simply rest by the water. In the evening, gather for a final farewell dinner together. No lecture, no program… just a table, a meal, and the company of people who have walked and sung their way across England.

Highlights

• All Saints Church (Henry Francis Lyte's church)

• Unplugged Hymn Sing at All Saints

• Free time for coastal walk or Devon cream tea

• Final Farewell Dinner together

DAY NINE | FRIDAY, JUNE 11TH | RETURN TO LONDON — DEPARTURE

Transfer to Exeter St. David's Station for the morning train to London, arriving by midday. Depart for home or continue with an optional extended tour to Scotland.

Highlights

• Train to London Paddington (approx. 2 hours)

• Flights home or optional extended stay