Dear Friends,
Corinth, Athens and Israel in the Fall of 2013 – sound nice?
One of the most profound and moving experiences of my life have been my visits to the Holy Land in 2005 and 2012. Imagine walking the streets of Bethsaida, visiting the home of Peter’s mother-in-law, standing on the steps at Caesarea that Paul walked down as he set sail for Rome, praying in Gethsemane, climbing Temple Mount and visiting the empty tomb. Words could barely describe what I have felt. Now add standing on Mars Hill in Athens (Acts 17) and sitting in the Bema at Corinth (Acts 18)!
I would love for your to join me, and my friend, Wayne Skaff, for this amazing experience of visiting the land of the Bible. We will depart on Monday, September 30th and will return Saturday, October 12th (my 50th Birthday). The trip is limited to 30 people.
As a part of our trip, I will be leading us in a Scripture lesson each day, connecting the Bible stories the sites we will visit. Let me assure you as well of our safety; we will be in the hands of an experienced tour leader as this is Wayne’s 35th trip to Israel (Wayne was the leader of our trips in 2005 and this past spring). Due to Wayne’s travel leadership, his groups have never had problems or concerns about safety. In fact, not one pilgrim on a tour to Israel has ever been injured from a security concern in the last 25 years. We stay at the best hotels and always keep an eye out for our safety. If you wait for a peaceful Middle East, you may never go to this wonderful land.
If you would like to know more, please contact my PA, Nancy Sapakoff (NSapakoff@WeAreStAndrews.com, or, 843.284.4324), who has brochures available. You are free as well to contact Wayne Skaff. Wayne’s contact information is: 763-205-6177, or, wskaff@comcast.net
Next year in Jerusalem!
ITINERARY
MONDAY, September 30th – LEAVE CHARLESTON
Departing from Charleston in the afternoon, we arrive in Athens the next morning.
TUESDAY, October 1st - ATHENS
We enjoy a city bus tour of Athens and walk up Mars Hill where Paul spoke to the Athenian people about the one and only true God, visit the Acropolis, and the Parthenon.
WEDNESDAY, October 2nd - ATHENS, CORINTH
We will travel to Corinth where Paul lived and taught in 51AD. We will sit in the Bema and read from Corinthians. We will have dinner on our way back to Athens and a late night flight to Israel. We will stay overnight in a golf resort hotel in Caesarea.
THURSDAY, October 3rd - CAESAREA
After a leisure morning, we will spend the afternoon walking on the Mediterranean beach and exploring Caesarea by the Sea, the seacoast home of Herod and Pontius Pilate. We will return to our hotel in Caesarea.
FRIDAY, October 4th - MT. CARMEL, MEGIDDO, NAZARETH, CANA
We travel north to Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, the well in Nazareth where the angel Gabriel came to Mary, Cana, and then to our beautiful kibbutz hotel on the Sea of Galilee.
SATURDAY, October 5th - GALILEE
We will travel by boat to Capernaum to see the site of St. Peter’s home and the Synagogue where Jesus taught, and the seashore where he called his disciples to become “fishers of men”. We visit the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount and see a boat that has been recently discovered, that was on the Sea at the time of Jesus. We end our day with a reaffirmation of Baptism at the Jordan River.
SUNDAY October 6th - GOLAN, CAESAREA PHILIPPI, DAN
We head north to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter said to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, with its beautiful nature preserves and national parks. We visit the ancient city of Dan, and see a city gate that is 4000 years old.
MONDAY, October 7th - JORDAN RIVER, BEIT SHEAN, DEAD SEA
We will begin our day visiting a newly discovered Roman city with its theater and impressive columns along the Cardo in Beit Shean. We drive through the Jordan Valley, to Jericho, and to Qumran to view the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We overnight at a spa hotel at the Dead Sea, where you will have a wonderful experience “floating” in the Dead Sea.
TUESDAY, October 8th - MASADA, JERUSALEM
Our day will start with taking a cable car to the top of Masada, where the Jewish people made their last stand against the Romans in 70 AD. We then climb to the top of Mt. of Olives to begin our pilgrimage in Jerusalem, by walking down to the Garden of Gethsemane.
WEDNESDAY, October 9th - JERUSALEM, BETHLEHEM
Our day begins on the Temple Mount and then on to Bethlehem we will visit the Church of the Nativity and Shepherd’s Fields and have time for some shopping at a Christian store.
THURSDAY, October 10th - JERUSALEM
We will have a time of prayer in the dungeon below Caiaphas’s house and walk to the City of David. There will be time to pray at the Western Wall and walk through the tunnels along the Western Wall, the Via Delarosa, Mt. Zion – the place of the Last Supper, and experience the wonderful aromas and vibrancy of the Old City of Jerusalem.
FRIDAY, October 11th - JERUSALEM
We will visit the Israeli Museum, viewing the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will visit Yad Vashem the Jewish Holocaust Center, and then onto the Old City. We will end our pilgrimage to Israel with a very special closing time of communion at the Garden Tomb.
SATURDAY, October 12th - TEL AVIV to CHARLESTON.
A very early morning flight will return us to Charleston about noon.
