Hi PFA Parents and Staff!  Sorry for the long message…but please read on!

Have you ever dreamed of taking your kids to the East Coast to visit sites like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Colonial Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Amish Country, Boston, Plymouth, or New York City?  Here is your chance!  If enough of our PFA families express interest, I would like to organize another PFA/Home Church tour to Washington, D.C., and our historic East Coast, likely in mid-May, early June, or October of 2027.

God has providentially created and sustained this incredible Nation and has set in place the biblical foundations of our governmental system and laws.  This touring experience would be an amazing, life-changing opportunity for you and your student to explore our Nation’s Christian heritage firsthand at the sites where the history took place!  But this adventure will only be viable if there is enough interest expressed by you, our PFA families ...more on that below

This would be a “Multigenerational Tour”, and not exclusively a “Student Tour”, so your whole family would be eligible to participate!  If finances are limited, your mature student in 6^th grade and above may travel without you under the care of a trusted PFA chaperone.  Or you might consider joining your student on tour for an awesome parent/child bonding experience!  And the grandparents are welcome to come along…and perhaps help finance the adventure!

Those outside of PFA are encouraged to join us as well!  So, feel free to invite your friends, cousins, PSP members, sports teammates, whoever! It’s always more fun for kids to experience something like this with their buddies. We will also be promoting the trip to the Home Church congregation and our Troop 337 Trail Life and American Heritage Girls groups.

Q&A

·         Q – Do you have any experience leading something like this?

A – YES!  In addition to being a Home Church pastor and PFA History teacher, I’m a professionally licensed tour guide in Washington, D.C. I’ve led over 60 student and family groups from across the nation on East Coast tours since 1999.  You will be in good hands.  And (full disclosure), I’m also an Educational Program Leader with American Christian Tours (ACTS), the tour company we would be using.  ACTS is the premier tour provider for a safe, professional, Christian educational tour experience. 

·         Q - Why the rush? And why are you promoting this now when the trip won’t be till late Spring, early summer, or perhaps October?

A – Participants will need to submit all funds for the trip to ACTS no later than 90 days prior to departure, which would be around mid-February if we travel in May.  We will need to know who is going long before that, and there are interim payments before the February deadline.  With the holidays coming up, our promotional window is actually quite short, and we don’t yet have an itinerary or prices.  We're actually behind schedule and need to make some decisions right away!

·         Q – How long would the trip last?

A – Usually 6 or 7 days, depending on the itinerary.  We try to arrange the dates so that working adults will only be absent from work a maximum of one M-F work week.

·         Q – Where would we go?

A – Washington, D.C. and Mount Vernon are for sure.  All other sites are negotiable, depending on the group's preferences.  See below.

·         Q – How many participants are needed in order to make the trip viable?

A – A minimum of 25 paid participants.  We would like to try for 35+ participants if possible.  The motorcoach has a 52-passenger capacity.

·         Q – How much would it cost?

A – That depends on the itinerary chosen, the number of tour days, and the number of people who register (our minimum guarantee).  But you can count on approx. $2800 to $3200 per person, plus spending money for lunches and souvenirs.

·         Q – What is included in the above cost?

A – The trip is all-inclusive…mostly.  It includes airfare, hotels, all ground transportation, breakfasts and dinners while on tour, all tickets and entry fees, taxes, tips, etc.  The only additional costs would be lunches (~$20 per day), snacks, and souvenirs.  Also, any optional travel insurance that you might choose to buy.

·         Q – Can’t I travel on my own for less money?

A – Yes, you can.  But group travel has some important advantages.  Someone else handles all of your air arrangements, hotel arrangements, bus transportation, restaurant reservations and payments, site reservations and ticketing, etc., so you don’t have to do it… Someone who knows it all and can make the best choices for you.  If any issues come up, somebody else handles them for you.  Traveling by motorcoach means you don’t waste valuable touring time parking your car, taking public transportation, getting gas, waiting in the rental car line, etc..  Also, with itinerary specialists and an experienced guide, you will easily see twice as much in the same amount of time on a group tour as you would on your own.  And, with a trained Christian guide, you will appreciate the true Christian history and interpretation of each site, making the experience richer and more meaningful than merely reading the secular informational signs.  Plus, it's more fun for the kids to experience travel with their friends…and you will likely make some new friends on tour, too!

·         Q – Will there be fundraisers for this trip?

A – Not likely this time.  Mr. Langdon will be taking a small group of high schoolers on a missions trip next year to assist our Home Church missionaries at “Pioneer School” in Rwanda.  That trip will be cost-prohibitive for them.  So, on-campus fundraising during the 2026-2027 school year will be primarily for that trip.  Also, I don’t intend to personally organize any fundraising activities.  However, if any parents would like to organize off-campus fundraising that doesn't conflict with the Rwanda fundraising effort, I’m totally open to it.

·         Q – Since you work for both PFA and ACTS, is there a conflict of interest?

A – Yes…sort of… but I’m very transparent about that.  Rest assured that I’m not a salesperson for ACTS, and I don’t receive any financial benefit from promoting ACTS to PFA.  ACTS is extremely good at what they do, and I’m honored to be affiliated with them.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking a group with any other tour company, even if I didn’t work for ACTS.

·         Q – Are there any PFA families that have been on this ACTS tour before that I might talk to, to see what it is like?

A – Yes!  Here are some PFA families who would likely be happy to share feedback…Mrs. Fyfe, Eileen & Joseph Brown, Grace/Mary/Elijah Jolly, Kristen & Addi Koppel, Hayden Pare, Mrs. Rumpler & Journey,

·         Q – If it’s not convenient for our family to travel in 2027, will you do a tour in 2028?  How often do you do these tours?

A – The last PFA tour was in May of 2025.  Prior to that, it was 2018 (pre-Covid).  There is no regularity or certainty regarding future tours, and I can’t guarantee a tour in 2028…or ever.  If you would like to participate in such a tour “someday,” I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity now, while it is available.

Okay…do you have some level of interest?  If so, I need your immediate feedback! If not, there is no need to respond.  Thanks for your consideration and for reading this far!

If you do have some level of interest, please answer the questions below. 

**Note…If you have an important question that you think the whole group might benefit from, go ahead and do a “reply all” to this message.  Otherwise, to protect privacy and avoid unwanted Konstella messages, please reply to me privately via a direct Konstella message or email to georgek@thehomechurch.org. 

Question #1: Interest – At this time, my level of interest is…

1. ·         Low interest…I would like to stay informed, but my participation isn’t likely
2. ·         Decent interest…keep me informed as plans solidify, and I will seriously consider it
3. ·         Very interested…I would like to participate if the finances, dates, itinerary, etc. line up
4. ·         Going!...We are all in, regardless of the dates, itinerary, and cost

Question #2: Participation – At this time, if we can go on this tour, I anticipate the following people participating.  (indicate all that apply)…

1. ·         6^th grade and above student(s)
2. ·         Additional siblings (younger than 6^th grade)
3. ·         Parent(s)
4. ·         Grandparents, aunts, uncles, extended family members
5. ·         Non-PFA friend(s)

Question #3: Itinerary – Which of the following itinerary options would you be interested in for a 6 or 7-day tour (not in any order of preference)

• ·         Option #1 – Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Washington D.C., Gettysburg
• ·         Option #2 – Washington D.C., Gettysburg, Amish Country, Philadelphia
• ·         Option #3 – Boston, Lexington & Concord, Plymouth, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. (*Note: this option would likely cost a little more and might require an additional tour day)
• ·         Option #4 - *Tell me what you would like to see!

Question #4: Possible Tour Weeks – Which of these time periods would your family member(s) be available to participate (indicate all that apply)

Before PFA graduation…

• ·         April 26^th thru May 2nd (Home Church Family Campout is 4/23 – 25)
• ·         May 1^st thru May 9^th (Mother’s Day is 5/9)
• ·         May 8^th thru May 16^th

  After PFA graduation…

  ·         May 29^th thru June 6^th (Memorial Day is 5/31)

  ·         June 5^th thru June 13^th

  ·         June 12^th thru June 20^th (AHG Summer Camp is 6/14 – 18)

  ·         June 19^th thru June 27^th

  October…

  ·         Oct. 2^nd – 10^th

  ·         Oct. 9^th – 17^th

  ·         Oct. 16^th – 24^th

  Question #5: Price – What is the maximum per-person amount that you would be willing to invest for each participant from your family? (Obviously, we all want to pay as little as possible. Keep in mind that the balance for a May trip would be due sometime in February, and a deposit and interim payments would be due before then.)

  ·         $2900

  ·         $3100

  ·         $3300

  Sorry again for the lengthy message!  Thanks in advance for your thoughtful and speedy response!

  Mr. Kistler