Visiting the churches and the people of
Palestine and Israel is a primary component of the ELCA’s
campaign, Peace Not Walls - Stand for Justice in the Holy Land.
Group Travel Directors: The following are arranged by Group Travel Directors, Bloomington, MN. (Other departure cities available, at differing
prices.) Details: www.gtd.org, click Find a Tour, enter year, then Middle East. Or call: 952-881-7811 or 800-747-2255 to
talk about scheduling your own trip.
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Apr. 1-15, 2008, ...on Holy Ground Led by Pr. Paul and Phyllis Gilbertson of Denver; includes 4 days in Egypt.
$3575, Denver.
- Apr. 17-28, 2008, Holy Land: Then and Now Led by Dr. Arland Jacobson of Charis
Ecumenical Center, Moorhead, MN (optional Egypt extension). $3022, Minneapolis/St. Paul.
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June 9-18, 2008, Listening in Love and Seeking Peace A blessing of faith and challenge awaits those who make
this pilgrimage. We will go to the sites associated with the Jesus' life and ministry and meet the leaders of
today's Lutheran ministries in Palestine. We will see the Separation Barrier and its effects on daily life. We will
taste and experience the cultures of Israel and Palestine and explore the old city of Jerusalem. We will meet with
people who are passionately involved in the effort toward peace with justice and worship with the Lutheran
congregation in Bethlehem. We plan to meet with Sabeel, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition, leaders of
the Deheishe refugee community, volunteers with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel,
leadership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and the Lutheran World Federation
ministries (Augusta Victoria Hospital), the Parents' Circle, and the Christiana Peacemakers Team in Hebron. This
pilgrimage will engage us in faith as we witness ancient sites and modern struggles. Cost from Dallas/Ft Worth $3455
includes taxes. Detailed brochure at http://www.gtd.org/post/pdfbrochure/080618.pdf
Trip leaders Ann Hafften and Pastor Franz Schemmel; more information at annhafften@mindspring.com
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September 6-19, 2008, Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Denver Lutheran Pastor Arnie Voight and St. Paul Parish
Associate Jan Miller are leading a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, traveling to far away places to learn about our
world and ourselves, perhaps becoming transformed in the process. Visit the holy sites, stay at
the guesthouse at the Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, travel to Galilee, the Golan Heights, Caesarea
Maritima on the Mediterranean, Masada, the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem, as well as visit the ancient ruins of Petra in
Jordan. Worship with members of the Lutheran Christmas Church and hear stories of life in this conflicted area;
enjoy evening reflection time and Bible readings connected with the sites visited. Cost: $2950 from Denver. Contact
Jan Miller at jan@stpauldenver.org for a brochure and more information.
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November 4-16, 2008, Faces, Spaces, and Places of the Holy Land Endorsed by the Middle East Working Group of
the Metro DC Synod, this trip features visits to Amman, Jordan; Petra; areas in Galilee; four nights in Bethlehem at
International Center of Bethlehem; the Dead Sea and Masada; and three nights in the Old City of Jerusalem. The cost
is $3395 per person, travel from Washington R. R. National Airport (DCA) to New York (JFK) to Amman. Contact Pastor
Lowell Knauff at 703-978-8999 or umpyk@aol.com. Registration deadline is July 30.
The HCEF Living Stones Pilgrimage Program: This program brings Christians to the Holy Land to live out an extraordinary experience.
These journeys are full of spiritual enrichment, grace, and excitement - they are experiences that truly change the way
people see the world. The pilgrims get to know the Holy Land Christians (the Living Stones) by sharing their daily lives,
culture, obstacles, and faith. Meeting and connecting with the Living Stones of the Holy Land can educate pastors and the
faithful about their Mother Church in a personal way. All pilgrimages are coordinated with the local churches. As
pilgrims, American Christians form a new relationship with the Holy Land Christian community and also follow the steps of
our Lord - a spiritual experience that brings the Bible alive. Living Stones Pilgrimages are opportunities to see and
experience the places of Jesus' birth, ministry, death and resurrection.
Contact: Gail Freeman, Pilgrimage Coordinator, 1-866-871-4234, gfreeman@hcef.org
- May 25 – June 8, 2008, Pilgrimage/Fact Finding Mission: This trip is organized by Fr. Alex Kratz, O.F.M in
Detroit, Michigan. This trip will include visiting the holy sites in Jordan, Israel, & Palestine (including daily
Mass), meeting Christian leaders, fellowship and Sunday worship with local Christians, and overnight stays with
Christian families.
Registration
- October 20 – November 3, 2008, Pilgrimage/Fact Finding Mission: This trip is organized by Fr. Alex Kratz,
O.F.M in Detroit, Michigan. This trip will include visiting the holy sites in Jordan, Israel, & Palestine
(including daily Mass), meeting Christian leaders, fellowship and Sunday worship with local Christians, and
overnight stays with Christian families.
Individual and Institutional Trips: The following are stand-alone trips that are not sponsored through a travel agency.
- July 1-12, 2008 - Middle East Children's Alliance Delegation to Palestine/Israel: For nineteen years,
MECA has taken small groups to visit Palestine/Israel. On
MECA's twelve-day delegation you will be taken on a geographic, political, historical and cultural tour of
Palestine/Israel by two MECA staff people, and Yacoub Odeh, refugee, former political prisoner, and human rights
worker. We will travel by van to witness the impact of the Israeli occupation and visit organizations working for
justice and equality. You will learn about refugees, land confiscation, political prisoners, women's initiatives,
mental and physical health issues, civil rights in Israel, and the lives of children. The group of eight to twelve
people will stay at the guesthouse of MECA's long-time partner Ibdaa Cultural Center in Dheisheh Refugee Camp, near
Bethlehem. Ibdaa is a lively place in the heart of the community with great food and comfortable accommodations.
More Information
Cost: $1,800
- January 7-25, 2009 - The People of the Holy Land:
Then and Now
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary offers a
cross-cultural immersion in
Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. In addition to the biblical
sites all the way
from Mount Hermon in the north to the Red Sea in the south,
we shall meet
with Dr. Mitri Raheb of the Lutheran church in Bethlehem,
staff of Augusta
Victoria Hospital, the pastors of Redeemer Lutheran Church
in Jerusalem,
Archbishop Elias Chacour (author of Blood Brothers) in the
Galilee, as well
as Druze villagers in the Golan Heights, Jewish settlers,
and kibbutzniks.
Three hours academic credit are possible at the M.A.R.,
M.Div., S.T.M., and
D.Min. levels. Contact Dr. Monte Luker for details, LLuker@mac.com
or (803)
787-0864. Pastors and lay professionals are encouraged to
join us for
continuing education credit, and lay persons from all walks
of life always
enrich the dialog that takes place on these study tours. A
Jordan pre-tour
is optional leaving three days earlier. Please note that
this course is
physically rigorous and intellectually demanding.
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