Pilgrim Country: Where It All Began

We made the drive from Broadway to Retford in a bit more than the scheduled time... with an unplanned detour right smack through downtown Birmingham. I aged at least ten years .
We made it and were directed to lovely Bolham Manor (more about that on another post) where we were one of several guests last night, hosted graciously by Pam and Butch (www.bolham-manor.com).
This morning was memorable: Pick-up by Russell Hocking (owner of Pilgrim Tours Ltd.; this was not part of the tour but was a personal gift) and on to the morning Communion service at All Saints' Church in Babworth (pictured), where Richard Clyfton was preaching in the late 16th Century. He attracted (among others) a very young William Bradford and William Brewster as he developed the theological foundation of what would later be called Separatism. For this, at length, he was removed from the Church of England (and his living).
The early Pilgrims often walked for miles, the last bit of which was over this very path, to attend Clyfton's services. Why through the woods? The roads were watched carefully, and Separatism had already cost some lives!
Following the service, the Hockings (Shelly and Ethan joined us) provided lunch at the Pilgrim Fathers Restaurant. Then there was a run to Epworth so I could get a good grounding in the origins of Methodism (I know, I know) at the Old Parsonage there.
To worship in the place where the Pilgrims first felt the call to a simple, New Testament-style faith; to walk on the very path they walked; to meet Russell, with whom I have been communicating by e-mail for a year and spend some time with his family; this all made for a memorable day.
If you would like to know more about what we will be up to tomorrow, check out www.pilgrimtours.co.uk.