Christian tourism is a subcategory of religious tourism. As one of the largest branches of religious tourism, it is estimated that seven percent of the world's Christians—about 150 million people—are "on the move as pilgrims" each year.^[1]

Definition[link]

Christian tourism refers to the entire industry of Christian travel, tourism, and hospitality. In recent years it has grown to include not only Christians embarking individually or in groups on pilgrimages and missionary travel, but also on religion-based cruises, leisure (fellowship) vacations, crusades, rallies, retreats, monastery visits/guest-stays and Christian camps, as well as visiting Christian tourist attractions.

Christian pilgrimage[link]

Each year millions of Christians travel on pilgrimage. The most popular pilgrim destination is the Abrahamic Holy Land, or Jerusalem, Israel. Most Christian pilgrimage destinations are based on the Roman Catholic faith, especially shrines devoted to apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary such as: Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, and Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. There is also interest in pilgrimage to St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican in Rome, the capital of the Holy Catholic Church.

Statistics[link]

Although no definitive study has been completed on Christian tourism, some segments of the industry have been measured:

• According to the Religious Conference Management Association, in 2006 more than 14.7 million people attended religious meetings (RCMA members), an increase of more than 10 million from 1994 with 4.4 million attendees. [1]
• The United Methodist Church experienced an increase of 455% in Volunteers in Mission between 1992 with almost 20,000 volunteers and 2006 with 110,000 volunteers.^{[citation needed]}
• The Christian Camp and Conference Association states that more than eight million people are involved in CCCA member camps and conferences, including more than 120,000 churches. [2]
• Short-term missions draw 1.6 million participants annually. [3]
• Christian attractions including Sight & Sound Theatre attracts 800,000 visitors a year while the Holy Land Experience and Focus on the Family welcome center each receives about 250,000 guests annually. [4] Recently launched Christian attractions include the Creation Museum and Billy Graham Library, both of which are expected to receive about 250,000 visitors each year as well. [5] [6]
• 50,000 churches in the United States possess a travel program or travel ministry

Published articles[link]

• CBS Early Show: Rest, relaxation, & religion [7]
• TIME Magazine: Spirit and adventure [8]
• USA TODAY: On a wing and a prayer [9]
• The New York Times: 21st-century religious travel, Leave the sackcloth at home [10]
• The Los Angeles Times: More agencies are serving the flock - religious travelers [11]
• Companies see increased interest in spiritual tours [12]
• Rocky Mountain News: In the footsteps of the faithful [13]
• Yahoo! Business Traveler: Keeping the Faith [14]
• Washington Post: Seeking answers with field trips in faith [15]
• Nassau Guardian (Bahamas): Religious niche being targeted by Bahamas Ministry [16]

References[link]

1. ^ Washington Post

External links[link]

• World Religious Travel Association (WRTA): http://www.WRTAreligioustravel.com
• Encyclopedia of Religion and Society – Religious Tourism: http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/Pilgrigmage.htm
• Holyland Pilgrimage Tours: http://www.holylandtoday.com
• Christian Travel Planner: http://www.ChristianTravelPlanner.com
• Christian Travel Finder: http://www.christiantravelfinder.com
• Travel with Spirit: http://www.travelwithspirit.com
• The Christian Travel Guy: http://christiantravelguy.com/blog/

Donna Christian-Christensen
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from United States Virgin Islands's At-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Victor O. Frazer
Personal details
Born	(1945-09-19) September 19, 1945 (age 66) Teaneck, New Jersey
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Chris Christensen
Residence	Christiansted, US Virgin Islands
Alma mater	St. Mary's College, George Washington University
Occupation	physician
Religion	Moravian Church

Donna Marie Christian-Christensen, formerly Donna Christian-Green (born September 19, 1945), is the non-voting Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands to the United States House of Representatives (map).

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Donna Christian-Christensen was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, the daughter of a county judge. She attended St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. and earned an M.D.^[1] She interned at San Francisco's Pacific Medical Center and performed her residency at Howard University medical center.

Career[link]

Donna Christian-Christensen worked as a physician, first in the emergency room and later in the maternity ward. She then served as medical director for the St. Croix Hospital in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. She was the Commissioner of Health for the Virgin Islands in 1993 and 1994 and also ran a private medical practice until 1996. Christian was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions for the 1984, 1988, and 1992 elections. She has also previously served on the Status Commission and the Board of Education for the USVI.

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Donna Christian-Christensen ran unsuccessfully for the position of USVI delegate in 1994, losing a three-way race to Victor Frazer of the Independent Citizens Movement. However, she was elected as a Democrat to the House in a 1996 rematch with Frazer and has served from January 3, 1997, to the present.

Donna Christian-Christensen is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She was featured on The Colbert Report's Better Know a Protectorate segment. She is also the first female physician to win a congressional election.

During the 2008 electoral campaign,^[2] she appeared in a TV advertisement endorsing the reelection of neighboring Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, who went to trial after the November 2008 elections for a twenty-four-count federal Grand Jury indictment for corruption.^[3] The jury found him not guilty, though he did lose his bid for re-election.

She was reelected in a landslide on November 2, 2010.^[4]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Caucus memberships[link]

• Congressional Black Caucus
• Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues
• Congressional Progressive Caucus
• Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus

Honors and recognitions[link]

On March 23, 2009, Delegate Christensen became the Ship Sponsor of the USCGC Reef Shark during the vessel's commissioning ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Reef Shark is a new 87' cutter, built at an approximate cost of $7.5 million by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana.

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (September 2011)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Donna Christian-Christensen

• Official site
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post

v t e Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands de Lugo • Evans • de Lugo • Frazer • Christian-Christensen

This article's factual accuracy is disputed. Please help to ensure that disputed facts are reliably sourced. See the relevant discussion on the talk page. (January 2009)

Israel Christian
Born	c. 1720 Derry, Ireland
Died	1784 Pulaski County, Virginia, United States
Nationality	United States
Occupation	Businessman and landowner
Known for	Early Kentucky pioneer and landowner; founded Fincastle, Kentucky and Christiansburg, Virginia.
Religion	Presbyterian
Spouse	Elizabeth Starke
Children	6 children
Relatives	William Fleming, son-in-law Caleb Wallace, son-in-law William Bowyer, son-in-law Stephen Trigg, son-in-law

Israel Christian (c. 1720–1784) was an 18th century American pioneer, militia officer, politician and businessman. One of the earliest landowners in Kentucky, he founded the town of Fincastle, Kentucky. Christiansburg, Virginia, the county seat of Montgomery County, was also named in his honor. He was also a representative of Augusta County in the House of Burgesses from 1759 to 1761.

Four of his daughters became married to William Fleming, William Bowyer and Stephen Trigg, all colonels in the Kentucky Militia, as well as Presbyterian minister Caleb Wallace. Three counties in Kentucky were named in honor of his son William Christian, and two of his sons-in-law, Fleming and Trigg.^[1]

Biography[link]

Israel Christian was born in Northern Ireland, most likely in the Presbyterian enclave at Derry. His uncle Gilbert Christian had previously arrived in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1726 and, after living in Lancaster for a time, he and his family were among the first to settle in the Valley of Virginia in 1732. Christian was engaged in the mercantile business in Dublin when he received news of his uncle's success in the American colonies and decided to emigrate there himself in 1740. He became a successful merchant in the Staunton River area before arriving in Augusta County (now present-day Botetourt County) around 1740.^[2] He married Elizabeth Starke, reportedly a woman of "vigorous and cultivated intellect", around 1741 or 1742 and together had six children.^[3]

He later became an officer in the Kentucky Militia with the rank of captain. During the French and Indian War, he served on the 12-man war council after Augusta was attacked by the French and Shawnee in 1756. Held at the Augusta Courthouse on 27 July, the council members included Colonels John Buchanan and David Stewart^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Major John Brown, Captains Joseph Colton, Robert Scott^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Patrick Martin^{[disambiguation needed ]}, Robert Breckenridge, James Lockhart, Samuel Stalnicker, Thomas Armstrong^{[disambiguation needed ]} and his cousin William Christian^{[disambiguation needed ]}. He was named "captain of horse" that same year.^[4]

From 1759 until 1761, he and John Wilson represented Augusta in the House of Burgesses.^[5] In November 1761, he became the first trustee of Staunton with nine others following its official chartering by act of assembly. During the mid-1760s, be began acquiring large tracts of land. He personally surveyed 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land on Buffalo Creek^{[disambiguation needed ]} where he resided during this time. In 1763, he played a major role in defending the county from an Indian raiding party which had advanced as far as Kerr's Creek.^[3] The following year, he was granted two tracts of land on Tinker Creek, 66 and 54 acres (220,000 m²) respectively, on 24 June 1764. A portion of this land was later donated by him to found Fincastle, Kentucky.^[6]

In November 1767, he and John Buchanan caused an official protest by members of the Staunton trustees after the two refused to sign a declaration "to be comfortable to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England". After Buchanan died, he was supported by Major Robert Breckenridge although they were both replaced when the incident came up again in 1769.^[7] In the fall of 1768, he bought 81 acres (330,000 m²) of land on a south branch of Catawba from John Bowman. He later donated this land for the construction of public buildings including the first courthouse in Botetourt County.^[8]

He and Breckenridge served as justices on the first county court held in Augusta on 13 February 1770. Two years later, he donated 40 acres (160,000 m²) of land to the justices for the use of the county and on which Fincastle, Kentucky was established in 1772.^[9] He left the area sometime after and retired to Christiansburg, Virginia where he died at his estate in Dunkard's Bottom, adjoining New River in present-day Pulaski County. His last will and testament was read at Montgomery County, Virginia on 12 July 1784 and witnessed by Robert Currin, Priscilla Christian, James McCorkle and Francis Preston.^[3]

References[link]