Itinerary

Day 1 Monday October 22nd

JOURNEYING TO THE HOLY LAND

We gather at Heathrow for our morning flight to Tel Aviv. We will land in the evening and be transferred to the simple but beautiful Nof Ginosar on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

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Day 2, Tuesday October 23rd

MT TABOR, NAZARETH & CANA

Our pilgrimage begins at Mount Tabor, traditionally associated with the Transfiguration. After visiting the glorious Basilica on the summit of the mount, and enjoying wonderful views of the Jezreel Valley, we continue to Nazareth, the town in which the gospel story begins. We will visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, Mary’s well and the Synagogue Church, before breaking for lunch. In the afternoon we continue to nearby Cana, the site of Jesus’ first sign, according to the Fourth Gospel. We return to Tiberias via the Jordan River baptismal site, where we will have the opportunity to renew our baptism vows, before finally returning to our lakeside hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

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Day 3, Wednesday October 24th

JESUS’ LAKESIDE MINISTRY

Today we will focus on the principal sites of Jesus’ ministry around the home he made for himself by the Sea of Galilee. After commemorating the call of the first disciples in a Eucharist by the Sea itself, we will visit the excavated ruins of Capernaum, as well as sites associated with the Feeding of the 5000, the recommissioning of Peter, and the giving of the Sermon on the Mount. In addition we will have an opportunity to sail on the Sea of Galilee itself in a scaled-up modern replica of a First Century fishing boat. Return to our hotel in the early afternoon to enjoy the lake, for private prayer and reflection. Dinner and overnight stay by Galilee.

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Day 4, Thursday October 25th

JERICHO - BETHLEHEM

This morning we leave the Galilee and make our way south to Jerusalem. We drive south along the Jordan Valley to the oasis city of Jericho. View the Mount of Temptation and the traditional Sycamore tree before breaking for lunch. In the afternoon we leave Jericho and drive up through the hills of the Judean Wilderness towards Bethlehem. On route we will visit Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus., before proceeding on a thirty minute diversion around the 9 metre high Partition Wall to continue our journey to Bethlehem, where we have to proceed through the Partition Wall and armed check-point to our hotel by manger Square. Dinner and overnight stay in Bethlehem.

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Day 5, Friday October 26th

BETHLEHEM & BETH SAHOUR

Today will give us the chance not only to see the places associated with the birth of Jesus, but to see the implications of the Incarnation as lived out by the Christians of Bethlehem. During the course of the day we will visit the Shepherds Fields and the Church of the Nativity, as well as seeing the work of two remarkable Christian institutions endeavouring to bring something of the abundant life promised in the gospel to those living under the restrictions of the Occupation. We hope to visit the Holy Family Hospital, which offers the only neo-natal care in the southern West Bank, and the remarkable International Center of Bethlehem, founded by the Lutheran Pastor Mitri Raheb. Dinner and overnight stay in Bethlehem.

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Day 6, Saturday October 27th

JACOB’S WELL & ISRAEL MUSEUM

After breakfast we drive to the north of Jerusalem through the heart of the West Bank, and are able to see something of the nature of the Israeli Occupation and consequent building of illegal settlements. We will visit Jacob’s Well, the site where the Jesus and a Samaritan woman met and spoke and then continue to the Christian village of Taybeh, situated on the borders of Samaria and Judea and has a population of around 1500, most of whom are Christians from all denominations. The town has risen to prominence in recent times by establishing the first brewery in the West Bank and now exports internationally. It is also the largest employer in the village. After a break for lunch we return to Jerusalem to visit the Israel Museum, in particular the scaled detailed model of ancient Jerusalem based around the time of Jesus. We then continue to Jerusalem and check-in to our hotel within the Medieval walls of the old city. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

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Day 7, Sunday October 28th

ST GEORGE’S, QUMRAN & DEAD SEA

We begin the day by joining with the local Christian community for worship at St George’s Cathedral. After service we will have time for coffee with members of the community, before proceeding down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth to visit the historic site of Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered also view the remains of excavated Essene Monastery where the scrolls may have originated. Finally, the chance to experience the unique sensation of floating in the unique mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Returning to Jerusalem in the early evening. Dinner and overnight stay in Jerusalem.

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Day 8, Monday October 29th

MOUNT OF OLIVES & MOUNT ZION

This morning we drive up to the summit of the Mount of Olives, where we will spend the morning recalling the Palm Sunday route, and visiting places associated with particular events in the gospels as we slowly make our way downhill. We start at Bethphage, the traditional starting point of the procession of palms, and in the course of our journey will visit the church of the Pater Noster, where we recall Jesus’ teaching of the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples, and the church of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the fate of the city. Finally, we reach the Garden of Gethsemane, and the dark and brooding Church of All Nations, where we recall Jesus’ agonized prayers prior to his arrest, and reflect on the failure of his closest friends to keep awake and watch with him. Late morning we drive across the Kedron Valley to Mount Zion. Here we will find a site commemorating both the Upper Room used for the Last Supper as well as the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and a striking abbey in honour of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. The principal focus of the morning, however, will be a visit to the church of St Peter in Gallicantu, built at the top of an ancient set of steps which leads up from the City of David to what is believed to have been the residence of the Jewish High Priest. Many believe that Jesus himself was led up these steps to his trial by the Jewish authorities after his arrest. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

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Day 9, Tuesday October 30th

TEMPLE AREA & VIA DOLOROSA

We begin our day with a visit to the Western Wall, and if permitted, we will ascend Mount Moriah to visit the Temple Mount, where we can see close up (but not enter) the glorious Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque. we leave the Temple Area we walk up to the remarkable church of St Anne and the Pools of Bethesda, which we will visit, before coming to the start of the Via Dolorosa. Here we will celebrate the Eucharist, and then wind our way through the narrow alleys of the Old City, following the traditional Way of the Cross, culminating in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. we proceed to Mount Zion, where the earliest Christian community lived in the days following the resurrection. After a break for lunch we will visit the Ecumenical Christian Theological Movement Sabeel, founded by the Revd Canon Naim Ateek, to learn of its work. We return to Jerusalem in the late afternoon. Farewell dinner in Jerusalem.

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Day 10, Wednesday October 31st

EMMAUS & JOURNEY HOME

After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel, and start heading west, towards the airport. After seven miles, we will stop at the village of Abu Ghosh, one of the sites associated with the village of Emmaus in the gospels, to celebrate our final Eucharist together. After a stop for lunch, we will arrive at Ben Gurion airport, to board our flight back to London, and our journey to our own homes. And we hope that each one of us will continue to tell our friends all that has happened to us on the road…

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