Mount Nebo
4) Sing, sing, sing. Song has been an expression of faith since the dawn of faith itself, and singing together can build a bond among group travelers. Whether your group enjoys classic hymns or modern praise and worship choruses, incorporating even a few songs into your travel day will help group members to focus on faith and enjoy an uplifting experience.
Don’t be alarmed if you’re uncomfortable leading a group in song; there will probably be several people on the trip who love to sing and would be happy to handle song-leading duties. If you have a musician who would like to bring a guitar along, even better. But what matters more than the beauty of your collective sound is the joy behind the noise.
5) Visit other churches. The universal church has outposts in every city, state and country, and visiting churches as you travel makes a great way to get to know the greater body of Christ. With a little advance planning, you can arrange for other church groups to join you on your tour. You can also meet with churches in the places you visit.
Sunday-morning or Wednesday-evening services are logical times to join churches in your destination, but don’t limit yourself to regular services. Look for opportunities to join local churches for a meal or a special event, and don’t be afraid to cross the artificial divides between races, denominations and church traditions.
6) Make time to serve. There’s no greater expression of faith than serving others, and group leaders around the country have found that integrating service projects into their tours has created lasting memories for their travelers. This can range from planning full-fledged mission trips to simply taking a half-day out of a leisure itinerary to give back to the community you’re visiting.
Some of your group members may be puzzled by these service stops at first, but they’ll quickly come to understand the great feelings of purpose and fulfillment that come from stopping to help others as part of a group trip.
7) Make special visits. If your people aren’t in a position to do labor-oriented service projects, they can still make a difference in the communities you travel to by paying friendly visits to special organizations. Groups can schedule a time to visit an orphanage, a school, a retirement home or a ministry organization during a tour. These visits build community and tend to brighten the day for everyone involved.
If your group is touched by one of these special visits, you may also help them express their faith by providing opportunities to make financial contributions to the organizations.
8) Bring outsiders in. Group travel creates community. For churches, that means a trip can help make travelers feel like they belong. You can use your church’s group trips to reach out to people on the fringes of your faith community.
Invite new members or church visitors to join your tours, and make a point to befriend them along the way. You can also encourage your frequent travelers to bring along friends or family members who don’t have a church home. You may find out later that one of your tours was instrumental in helping these people begin their own faith journeys.
