Salem First Church of the Nazarene Tour to Israel

February 20 – March 2, 2007 • Hosted by Pastor Dave & Gerri McGarrah

Includes airfare, great hotels, transfers & more!

Join Pastor Dave & Gerri McGarrah on a journey to the Land of the Bible, to see, touch, feel and really experience the land of Jesus, as it was in His time, and as it is today! Our itinerary is exciting and comprehensive, featuring the most important Biblical sites plus some special places not usually visited by Christian tour groups. If you have dreamed of understanding and experiencing more about the origins of our faith and want to visit the land where Jesus walked and ministered, we invite you to join us on this journey of Biblical discovery and spiritual renewal in Israel, Land of the Bible.

Detailed Itinerary

Tuesday, February 20: USA/Israel. Departure on the first leg of our overnight trip to Israel. Aloft, we will have dinner, a little sleep time, breakfast, and the opportunity to praise the Lord for His great creation from the vantage point of 35,000 feet!

Wednesday, February 21: Jerusalem. We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport where we are met by our guide. We'll pass through customs and then board our touring coach and head south to Jerusalem. Check in at our hotel, enjoy our first dinner in Israel and settle in for a well-deserved night's sleep after our long journey. Grand Court Hotel, Jerusalem Dinner provided.

Thursday, February 22: Jerusalem. After breakfast we'll begin our exploration of Jerusalem at the Mt. of Olives which has always been an important feature in Jerusalem's landscape. From before the time of Jesus until today, it has served as one of the main burial grounds for the city, and it is on its eastern slope, near Bethany, where Scripture indicates Jesus ascended to heaven.

We'll walk down into the Kidron Valley past Dominus Flevit (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem) where we enjoy a beautiful view of the city through its distinct chapel window, to the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane, whose ancient olive trees have been estimated by some scholars to be two thousand years old. Then we continue to the Old City inside the walls, to St. Anne's, and the Pool of Bethesda. The pools at one time appeared to have been almost 30 feet deep and are sites of healing described by John in the New Testament.

St. Anne's is the best preserved Crusader built church in all of Israel, with perfect acoustics, making it a favorite stop for singing a hymn before setting off on the Via Dolorosa, the "Sorrowful Road" which traces Christ's path through the streets of Jerusalem to the basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the Rock of Golgotha, or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified.

Stroll through the colorful bazaars of the Old City, where sunlight is often obscured by a vast array of clothing, food, spices and other tempting treasures. Our first day in Jerusalem ends at the Garden Tomb, where we'll celebrate our presence in the Land with a private Communion service. Breakfast & dinner provided.

Friday, February 23: Shrine of the Book, Old City Model & Herodium. After breakfast we'll drive to the New City of Jerusalem where we'll visit the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum. Here, the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and exhibited in a special museum built to represent the clay jars in which the scrolls were discovered. On to the Holy Land Hotel to view an amazing model (scale 1:50) of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, before its destruction by the Romans in 70 CE.

Continue to Herodium, the fortress Herod constructed as a luxurious close haven of safety that he could reach quickly from Jerusalem. Herod chose to be buried here although his tomb has not been found in the recent excavations. End the day at the Western Wall, where the faithful gather to welcome the Sabbath. Breakfast & dinner provided.

Saturday, February 24: Shiloh, Mt. Gerizim, Mt. Ebal & Shechem. This morning we'll drive north to Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed after Joshua conquered the Land of Israel. Located in the area settled by the tribes of Benjamin and Ephraim, Shiloh became known as the "place of the Lord's Tabernacle " and where the Tabernacle stayed for 369 years. It was to Shiloh that the Israelites brought their sacrifices. It was at Shiloh that the priest Eli promised that Hannah would bear a son. That son, Samuel, became a prophet who dedicated himself to the Lord and served the Tabernacle in Shiloh.

Later we'll visit Shechem, located between Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal. Shechem is preeminent in the biblical record, beginning with God's promise of the land to Abraham. Later Jacob would return here with his family and settle shortly. During the Conquest, the twelve tribes gathered on these hills to recite God's Law and the blessings and curses that accompanied obedience and disobedience. Breakfast & dinner provided.

Sunday, February 25: Jerusalem. Today our sightseeing in the Old City of Jerusalem continues, as we explore further our Christian heritage and its Jewish roots. Begin at the Western (Wailing) Wall, the most sacred spot in Jewish religious and national life. We'll explore the area around the Wall including the Western Wall Tunnels and the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque.

We'll also explore the Southern Wall excavations including the western flight of stairs leading to the main entrances of the Temple Mount. Excavators uncovered the easternmost part of this staircase with its alternating long and short steps. Some suggest that the fifteen long steps may have been one of the locations where pilgrims sang the fifteen Psalms of Ascent (120-34) as they went up to worship.

Walk through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City which occupies about 15 acres and has been inhabited by Jews for centuries. We'll visit the Temple Institute and tour its facility, and stop at Shorashim, everyone's favorite Old City shop, to greet Moshe & Dov and enjoy a special time of learning and dialogue. Continue to the Davidson Center to enjoy a rare opportunity to explore and study the most significant archaeological site in Israel by means of exhibitions and illustrations describing Jerusalem's main episodes. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. Breakfast & dinner provided.

Monday, February 26: Jerusalem, Qumran & Dead Sea. After breakfast, we say goodbye to Jerusalem as we drive south to Qumran, the famous caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. After a tour of the site, including remains of the palace, the lavish bathhouse and synagogue, we'll continue our drive to our hotel at the Dead Sea. Arrive in time for a float in the mineral-filled water before dinner or take advantage of the first-class spa facilities at our Dead Sea hotel. Novotel, Dead Sea Breakfast & dinner provided.

Tuesday, February 27: Masada, Ein Gedi Overlook, Beit She'an & Tiberias. This morning we'll ascend Masada via cable car and view the place where the Zealots made their last stand against Rome. Continue to Ein Gedi for a view of the beautiful oasis and David's Waterfall.

Then drive north to Beit She'an, where we'll discover some of Israel's most spectacular archaeological finds. The site features a large amphitheater (with a capacity of about 7,000), a Byzantine era colonnaded street, ritual baths, a pottery workshop, a basilica, a Roman temple and much more. It was on the walls of Beit She'an that the Philistines hanged the bodies of King Saul and his sons after the crushing defeat on Mt. Gilboa. Continue to Tiberias and our Kibbutz guest house on the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight. Nof Ginossar Guest House Breakfast & dinner provided.

Wednesday, February 28: Mt. of Beatitudes, Capernaum & Yardenit Baptism. After breakfast we'll drive to the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee, to the place where the land rises from 700 feet below sea level to more than 200 feet above sea level in a conical shape that forms a natural amphitheater. This place, known as the Mt. of Beatitudes, has traditionally been identified as the hillside where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount and it's here where we'll spend time to pray and reflect.

Later, we'll walk down to Capernaum, one of the three cities cursed by Jesus for its lack of faith. Though Jesus grew up in Nazareth, he chose to move His teaching and healing ministry to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, primarily in the village of Capernaum on the shores of the Sea. In this village, Jesus attended synagogue and performed many miracles such as the cure of the man possessed by an evil spirit (Mark 1:23-26); the cure of Peter's mother in law, (Mark 1:29-31); and taking the money for taxes from the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:24). Jesus frequented the village so much that Matthew 9:1 calls it His "own town". Later this afternoon we'll drive to Yardenit, a special site on the Jordan River, for a Baptism service for those who wish. Breakfast & dinner provided.

Thursday, March 1: Ancient Boat Museum, Nazareth Village, Mt. Carmel, Caesarea & Tel Aviv. This morning we'll see the first century "Jesus Boat", found by members of Kibbutz Nof Ginossar after a drought in 1985 caused the water level in the Sea of Galilee to fall lower than usual, exposing this ancient boat.

Continue to Nazareth, boyhood home of Jesus. Modern Nazareth is a busy city with a population of approximately 70,000 people. For nearly 2,000 years hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have found their way to the setting which shaped the Man who changed the course of history. Nazareth Village is located on the last remaining tract of virgin farmland, just 500 meters away from where he grew up. Here we'll have an opportunity to take a tour of the village and experience life as it must have been during the time of Jesus.

Next, we'll continue to Mukhraka on Mt. Carmel, where Elijah defeated the priests of Ba'al. Then drive south, via Megiddo, site of Biblical Armageddon, where 20 layers of civilization have been discovered. Continue to Caesarea, the magnificent harbor built by Herod the Great, where we'll tour the excavations of the harbor, theater and, aqueduct. Drive to Tel Aviv, modern center of Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. Tonight we'll enjoy our final dinner in Israel. Breakfast & dinner provided.

Friday, March 2: Tel Aviv/Portland. Today we say a reluctant goodbye to Israel as we transfer to the airport for our return flight to the USA, via Frankfurt, arriving in Portland later today.

Destination FAQs

Included Features

• Flights from Portland via Lufthansa/United Airlines

• Accommodations in First Class & Superior Hotels, in twin-bedded rooms with private facilities

• Lavish buffet breakfast and table d'hote dinner daily plus lunch at Nazareth Village

• Transfers and touring are provided by modern, air-conditioned touring coaches, including all entrance fees to places visited in the itinerary

Tour Prices, Fees & Options

Per person prices from Portland (PDX).

Double occupancy:	$2130
Single occupancy:	+ $410
Personal tips (not included):	+ $72
Airline departure taxes, fuel surcharges & airport fees (not included):	+ $420
Travel Insurance (optional, recommended):	+ $129

Reservations

Please download the reservation application and fax or mail it to us, together with your $300 per person deposit. Fax to: 215-572-9803. Mail to 500 Old York Road, Suite 200, Jenkintown, PA 19046.

Reservation application PDF

For additional information, please contact:

Pastor Dave & Gerri McGarrah
Salem First Church of the Nazarene
1550 Market St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
Tel: 503-581-3680
Fax: 503-375-2621