Frequently Asked Questions

IMB connecting and the London Church Planters are focused on impacting "Lostness".  It is our desire to reach those who man never walk into a church.  We have found that the local church is not the best place to start in the evangelical process.  In order to understand the lost we must be with the lost.  Understanding Londoner's and their culture is the first objective of a Borough Strategy Catalysts.  Many partners want to start at the local church but if we are going to reach the lost we must start among the lost.  There are churches focused on reaching the lost and we partner with some churches however, church partnerships are not our objective.  Reaching the lost is our primary concern.

Mobile phones can be purchased for £10-£20 from a local shop.  Sim cards can be purchased and for unlocked phones for a fairly low cost.   All phones purchsed from providers in the U.S. are locked.  Unless you unlock your phone a U.K. sim card will not work.  

Click on the logos below for the mobile companys website and tarrif information.

Oyster is a plastic smartcard you can use instead of paper tickets. You can put pay as you go credit on it, which you use up as you travel
It is valid across all travel zones and automatically calculates the best value fare for all the journeys you make in a single day.
You can use your Visitor Oyster card on London’s buses, trams, Tube, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services.

You can also use your Oyster card to receive discounted fares on TfL River Servicies.

Travelcards are paper tickets that can be purchased for various combinations of dates and zones. They are available for adults and children and do not need any photographic ID to be used for travel.
If the zones you require are not available from this shop, please purchase your Travelcard on arrival in London.
Please note that if you buy a 7 Day Travelcard from a TfL outlet upon arrival in London it will be issued to you on an Oyster Card.

Still confused?  Want to purchase an oyster card before you arrive? Curious? Click on the link for more information on Oyster cards and Travel Cards.

Our recomendation is to go with an oyster card.  At the end our your journey you can hand the card in and receive any unused money back.

Public transportation will be used to get from the airport to the hotel and back again.  We do apologize in advance but London Church Planters will not be able to pick anyone up at the airport.  Public transportation is advanced and easily navigable.  One can travel by tube, bus, taxi, or prebooked van.  

Recommendations:

Use the tube when possible.  See FAQ (Oyster Card or travel card) for most trips.  London is upgrading its tube system and will close various stops on weekends  Please review the Transportation for London website before you leave the U.S.  Plan you journey by using the Journey planner.

Taxi's will be the most expensive form of transportation to and from the airport but they are convenient and relatively cheap for short distances, such as to and from the nearest tube station to the hotel.

Prebooked van:  Easily the most convenient form or transportation and in some cases the cheapest.  Speed is dependent on traffic and having a large group in one van can save money.  Its not recomended for groups smaller than four.

Bus:  The cheapest from of travel is by bus, also the slowest and most confusing.  Search bus routes.

Local currency is GBP or British pound.  Exchange rates change daily please look for yourself.  Simply click on the link for a exchange rate calculator.

We recomend you witdraw small amounts of cash from atm's or as they call them in London a hole in the wall.  As well as pay for things with a credit/debit card where avaliable.  BEWARE! Many establishments will not be able to take a credit/debit card.

IMB connecting and the London Church Planters are focused on impacting "Lostness".  It is our desire to reach those who man never walk into a church.  We have found that the local church is not the best place to start in the evangelical process.  In order to understand the lost we must be with the lost.  Understanding Londoner's and their culture is the first objective of a Borough Strategy Catalysts.  Many partners want to start at the local church but if we are going to reach the lost we must start among the lost.  There are churches focused on reaching the lost and we partner with some churches however, church partnerships are not our objective.  Reaching the lost is our primary concern.

Conference hotels are booked for you.  You must supply us with information on who is coming and how many rooms will be needed and when checkout and departure will be.  A list of tariffs (fees) can be provided upon request.

Note:  Bookings for BSC-202 may be done by the borough strategist in their adopted borough only.

A rough estimate is $100 a day.  This cost is intentionally kept low for the sake of being a good steward of finances.  

We will see many of London's treasures as we move about the city, but excursions for tourism and shopping should happen after the conference is over.