Three in-person travel experiences are being offered by Good Faith Media in 2023.

“This coming year we have expanded our offerings both far and near,” said Bruce Gourley, coordinator of Good Faith Experiences.

Here are the three experiences from which to choose — with dates far enough apart to participate in all three:

• Civil Rights Experience: Birmingham-Montgomery, Alabama: April 25-26
• Iceland Experience: July 17-24
• Amish Experience: Lancaster, Pennsylvania: October 11-14

“For those seeking a far-flung adventure, our eight-day Iceland Experience will be a journey to one of the most enchanting places on the planet,” Gourley added.

Points of exploration will include national parks, UNESCO World Heritage sites, awe-inspiring glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, coastlands, flowing lava fields and seeing the famed Icelandic horses. Those wishing to do so can even swim in geothermal waters.

While this experience accommodates more people than the typical small-group experiences in the western U.S., reservations are coming in quickly. So, those wishing to attend should register soon.

“Closer to home, you are invited to join us for what will be a remarkable Civil Rights Experience in Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, Alabama,” said Gourley, who is assisting Good Faith Media colleague Starlette Thomas, director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, in planning the experience.

“The civil rights movement in America is the result of nurtured faith, evidence of what it takes to enact change that ‘turns the world upside down,’” Thomas said. “The Birmingham-Montgomery Civil Rights Good Faith Experience will center the history of social activism and resistance in the African-American religious experience.”

Gourley, a historian, added: “From the 16th Street Baptist Church to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and civil rights museums, for two days we will tread upon sacred soil and immerse ourselves in the stories of courageous people who sacrificed their lives to make America a more just and compassionate nation.”

Another up-close, learning-through-living opportunity comes from spending time in the homes and businesses of Old Order Amish families.

“This experience goes far beyond driving through beautiful Pennsylvania farmland while gawking at people wearing plain clothes and driving horses,” said GFM’s Tony Cartledge, who along with his wife Susan will again host the Pennsylvania experience.

“We spend hours sharing time, meals and conversation with a variety of Amish families who have grown to be friends,” he added. “From dairy farmers to barn builders, schoolteachers, homemakers and ministers, we discover that we share many of the same aspirations and obstacles that make life both interesting and challenging.”

These in-person experiences provide unique opportunities for participants who often build close relationships with each other and return for shared experiences to other destinations.

“This is the 10th year since Nurturing Faith Journal introduced these now-deemed Good Faith Experiences to our readers who seek such customized and immersive group experiences in remarkable places that foster meaningful conversations and connections,” said Gourley.

Hundreds of people, he noted, have journeyed together to Hawaii’s Big Island, western national parks and historic destinations in the eastern U.S., as well as to Israel and the West Bank. The three experiences set for this year will bring even more people together in more places.

Click here for more information and registration.