Holy Land Pilgrimage with Autumn Ridge Church

Tuesday 4/16 (day 1) Travel Day
Your spiritual pilgrimage begins as you depart the from Minneapolis on an overnight flight to the Holy Land. Meals will be served on board.

Wednesday 4/17 (day 2) Travel Day
We arrive at Ben Gurion airport and depart northward to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Thursday 4/18 (day 3) Sea of Galilee, Church of the Beatitudes, Primacy of Peter and Capernaum
We will take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee and experience a special time of worship and teaching. From there, we will visit the Kibbutz Nof Ginosar and learn about the “ancient boat”, a rare and excellent example of the kind of boat in which Jesus would have sailed. We will visit the Church of the Beatitudes and contemplate the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). We’ll also visit the Chapel of the Primacy, where three times Peter professed his devotion to the risen Christ (John 21). Next, we travel to Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee. We will visit the synagogue that stands on the site where Jesus taught.

Friday 4/19 (day 4) Magdala, Nazareth
We will visit the Valley of the Doves with a view of the Arbel cliffs. This valley would have been the route which Jesus took from his home in Nazareth to his ministry in the Galilee. In Magdala, once home to Mary Magdalene, we will see a recently discovered first-century synagogue. We will step back in time with a visit to the Nazareth Village, a first century recreation of a working farm and village. In Nazareth, we will visit the Church of Annunciation as well as the Synagogue Church.

Saturday 4/20 (day 5) Caesarea Philipi, Chorazim, Bethsaida
We will travel north to visit Caesarea Philipi, then we will walk the streets of Chorazim, listed as a “city of woe” by Jesus (Matthew 11). In Bethsaida we will visit the ruins of the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip. In the Gospel of Mark 8:22–26, Jesus restored a blind man sight at a place just outside the ancient village of Bethsaida. 

Sunday 4/21 (day 6) Beit Shean, Megiddo, Caesarea
On our way to Jerusalem, we will visit the ruins of Beit Shean, a city that has been continuously inhabited for 5,000 years. This is the city where Saul and his sons’ bodies were hung from its walls (1 Samuel 31) and was one of the Roman cities Jesus passed on His way from Galilee to Jerusalem. We will then travel the ancient caravan route to Tel Megiddo, where 20 different cities lie superimposed upon each other. We’ll continue to the Mediterranean coast to see the Roman aqueduct and theater at Caesarea, a center of early Christianity. Here, Cornelius became the first Gentile
convert to Christianity (Acts 10), and Paul was imprisoned before being taken to Rome for trial. At the Roman Theater, we will listen to Paul’s speech before King Agrippa (Acts 26). Overnight in Jerusalem

Monday 4/22 (day 7) Wadi Qelt, St. George’s Monastery, Bethlehem, Herodium Fortress
We will begin our morning by hiking down into the Wadi Qelt valley to see St. George’s Monastery. This valley is the ancient route between Jerusalem and Jericho and the setting for the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-36). Returning to the Bethlehem area we will visit the Herodium, one of Herod’s desert fortresses and the site of his burial. In Bethlehem, we’ll visit the cave revered as the place where Jesus was born (Luke 2:1-7). The church, which was constructed on the site, is the world’s oldest functioning church.

Tuesday 4/23 (day 8) Bethphage, Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Temple Southern Teaching Steps, Rampart Walk
We will start our morning at the Church of Bethphage, where Jesus started His entrance into Jerusalem. We will continue to the Haas Promenade and enjoy a panoramic view from the south of Jerusalem, including the Old City walls and the hill called Mount Moriah, where Abraham was commanded by God to offer Isaac as a burnt offering (Gen. 22). We’ll view the Kidron Valley and the Valley of Gehenna. Walking down the Palm Sunday walkway, we will visit the Church Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. We will come to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Peggy will lead a devotion as we reflect on the price he paid for us. We will follow the Kidron Valley down to view the ancient rock-cut tombs. After a traditional Israeli lunch, we will gather together for a time of devotion on the Teaching Steps, where Jesus likely taught His disciples and where Peter likely preached the first sermon after Pentecost. We will finish our day with the Rampart Walk around the top of the Old City walls.

Wednesday 4/24 (day 9) Western Wall, Temple Mount, Pool of Bethesda, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Hezehiah’s Tunnel, City of David, Pool of Siloam
We will start our morning at the Western Wall and an opportunity for prayers. We’ll visit the Temple Mount area, site of the 1 st and 2 nd temples and now home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. We’ll view the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-31), where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle, and sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne. Then, we will enter Herod’s Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23: 1-11). Together, we’ll walk the Via Dolorosa, “the Way of the Cross,” and stand in reverence at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. After Lunch in the Old City, we’ll explore Hezekiah’s Tunnel, an amazing engineering feat that was dug from either end to meet in the middle. We’ll wander the excavations of the City of David and walk the steps to the Pool of Siloam recently uncovered at the foot of the city.

Thursday 4/25 (day 10) Temple Mount Sifting, Israel Museum, Dead Sea Scrolls
We will make our way to Mount Scopus, where we will have a chance to participate in real archeology at the site of the Temple Mount Sifting project. In the afternoon, we will visit the Israeli Museum, where history comes alive. While there, we will also see The Shrine of The Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display as well as a large-scale model of ancient Jerusalem

Friday 4/26 (day 11) Masada, Qumran, Qasr al Yahud baptismal site, Dead Sea
Today, we go to Masada, Herod’s mountaintop fortress, which became the last stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. We’ll ride the cable car to the top, explore the ruins, and peer down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. We’ll continue to Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery, and discuss the mysterious community of the Essenes who once lived on the shores of the Dead Sea. After lunch at Qumran, we will continue on to the Qasr al Yahud baptismal site on the Jordan River. We will recall the baptism of Jesus and anyone
who desires baptism will have the opportunity. We will finish our day with a relaxing float in the Dead Sea.

Saturday 4/27 (day 12) Garden Tomb Communion and free time
We will begin our day at the Garden Tomb and take part as a group in a communion service. The remainder of your day you can “Choose Your Own Adventure” 1) guided shopping and sightseeing in the Old City including sweet treats and lunch. 2) Take the train to the Machane Yehuda, a large outdoor marketplace 3) Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum via taxi. 4) Rockefeller Museum of archeology, walking distance. Of course you are free to strike out on your own or simply relax at the hotel.

Sunday 4/28 (day 13) Travel day
Depart for Gurion airport after breakfast filled with memories to last a lifetime.

NOTE: The schedule is subject to change, due to various factors, and at your Tour Leaders and Guide’s discretion.