A Journey to Israel

The Holy Land has been the destination of countless travelers throughout the centuries. In September 2014, Pastor Mathew led forty-eight of our church members in a ten-day exploration of the land where Jesus spent his life on earth. For most it was their first time visiting the sites of which they have read in the Bible, places where God performed miraculous demonstrations of his power and undeniable love for the human race. Some of these are Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah proved that Jehovah is the one true God of all the earth; Nazareth, where Jesus grew up; and Capernaum, where he taught his disciples and the crowds who followed him. They sailed on the Sea of Galilee, where he made the stormy sea calm. Finally, they arrived in Jerusalem, where Jesus was arrested, sentenced, crucified and buried, and where he was raised from the dead.

We invite you to share in this thrilling experience in a series of blog posts about this fourth group of GVCC members to visit Israel since Pastor Mathew began leading tours of Bible lands in 1995 – tours which have included locations in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, and Rome. This trip will be chronicled by ten different members of the group, each sharing the wealth of knowledge gained in one day’s journey. Their travels were enriched by their highly knowledgeable and very experienced tour guide, Ezra Eini. The trip is also documented in photographs taken by Dr. and Mrs. Steven and Lorraine Smith. Enjoy the tour!