Upcoming Trips
Experience the Holy Land and being with the people living there first hand
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.
Stand-Alone Lutheran or InterfaithTrips
The following are stand-alone trips that are not sponsored through a travel agency.
- Living Stones Pilgrimage with New England Synod Nov. 12-26 Led by Pastor Tim Keyl, Bishop Jim and Pastor Lisa Stoen Hazelwood
Join members of the New England synod on a trip with their companion church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, to see and experience the sites, life and faith of peace-seeking Palestinians and Israelis. $3500 all-inclusive from New York. See brochure. Contact Pastor Tim Keyl at pastor@bethesdanewhaven.org.
Group Travel Directors
These tours arranged by Group Travel Directors of Minneapolis and have space available. For details: www.gtd.org, click Find a Tour, enter year, then Middle East. Almost always, other departure cities are available. For direct inquiries: Janet Tollund, 952-885-2133 or 800-747-2255 ext. 133, jtollund@gtd.org to talk about scheduling your own trip.
April 23-May 04, 2013 Walking Holy Ground: Pilgrimage Study Tour Israel and the West Bank - Growing in Spirit, Living as Disciples, Serving God’s World
Join Rev. Dr. Jay Click and Rev. Susan Wilder from Grace Presbyterian Church on this pilgrimage and study tour to Israel and the West Bank. $3859 from Washington/Dulles.
Link to tour brochure
Crossing Borders
These custom-created travel experiences to Israel and Palestine feature visits to Biblical and historical sites along with meetings and dialogue with various local community leaders and members, especially among Christian Palestinians. For further details, contact either the tour leader or CrossingBorders, 800-990-6811, 952-995-9585, info@crossingborders.com. Check the web site www.crossingborders.com as travel programs are added regularly.
- November 11 - 22, 2013 Journey to Israel & Palestine Rev. Hans Dahl of Calvary Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Minnesota travels to Israel and Palestine co-sponsored with Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, St. Paul. Visit biblical sites and meet with Christian community leaders involved in peacemaking and reconciliation. One night stay in kibbutz guest house along Sea of Galilee and two night stay in Bethlehem including worship and fellowship with the community of Christmas Lutheran Church. Contact Rev. Hans Dahl, hans@calvaryalex.org, 320-763-5178.
Bright Stars of Bethlehem Trips
Bright Stars of Bethlehem, associated with the ELCJHL's Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and the DIYAR Consortium headed by the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, sponsors trips to the Holy Land with an emphasis on Bethlehem and the ministries there.
See listing of trips. (Scroll down the page to find the trips).
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
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