Weekly Article

I’m excited to announce that next year — March 7-14, 2026 — Derry Church will sponsor a trip south to explore the roots of the Civil Rights Movement. Participants will travel from Atlanta to Memphis, with stops in Montgomery, Birmingham, and Selma, to learn about those who fought for civil rights in that turbulent time.

The tragedies and triumphs that took place during the Movement in the 1950s and 1960s awakened an entire nation to the reality of racial injustice African-Americans faced nationwide. In that era, African-Americans fought to gain equal rights in the United States and were met with resistance, and often violence. We can learn from their struggles, their successes, and their perseverance, but also from the mistakes and abuses perpetrated by the nation, the church, and individual Christians so we do not make similar mistakes in the future.

In order to better understand the Civil Rights Movement, we need to walk through the places where it happened and learn from those who shaped it. So we are partnering with Dr. Todd Allen of Messiah University, who has developed relationships with veterans and scholars of the Civil Rights Movements over the 25 years he’s been leading these tours. Click here to watch a 30-minute documentary about a past trip. 

Dr. Allen says, 

The fight for civil rights in America spanned decades and locations. During this journey participants will visit many of the key Southern sites of the freedom struggle and along the way engage with veterans of the Movement hearing first hand their testimonies of what it means to stand up for freedom, justice, and equality then and now.

Lynn George, daughter of Sue and Jim George, joined Dr. Allen on a 2023 bus tour and had this to say:

Travel always expands your world, but this trip makes history come alive. I thought I knew the history of the civil rights era, but this pilgrimage opened my eyes to the realities of living and fighting for the rights I take for granted every day. Not only do you walk in the footsteps of civil rights leaders, but you visit historical sites and meet with civil rights leaders as they tell their stories. This is not an easy, vacation-style trip: this adventure will rock you to your core and make you realize that everyone has a role to play in fighting against injustice.

My hope is that we will gather a diverse group of Derry travelers that spans the generations. I believe this trip will be an eye-opening, sobering, but ultimately hopeful and life-giving journey that will inspire us to continue to proclaim God’s word, share God’s love, and practice God’s justice.  

If you would like to experience and explore the roots of the Civil Rights Movement, let me know. I will keep a list and share updates, itineraries, cost, and how to sign up for the trip later this year.