A Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

It is a lifelong dream for most Christians — a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Imagine walking where Jesus walked, seeing where He was born and where He grew up. Picture yourself sailing across the Sea of Galilee or standing near where Jesus was baptized. Visualize yourself standing on the Mount of Olives with its panoramic view of Jerusalem or walking the streets that Jesus trod on His way to Calvary.

Time spent in the Holy Land is not just another sightseeing tour. It is a life-changing experience in which the words of the Bible take on new meaning. It is a spiritual highlight. That is why for centuries, people who have made the journey to the Holy Land have referred to it as a spiritual pilgrimage.

Now you can make your own spiritual pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

The Alabama Baptist and Birmingham Baptist Association are cooperating to sponsor a 12-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, including Israel and Jordan. Dates of the pilgrimage are March 11–22, 2009.

This spiritual pilgrimage will also be about what God is doing in the Holy Land today, what He is doing among both the Jews and the Arabs. Participants will visit Baptist sites in both Israel and Jordan. Baptist representatives will share about the history of Baptist work on either side of the Jordan River and about Christian witness in their respective lands. In addition, national Christians will help us understand what it is like to live as a religious minority in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.

In Israel, participants will visit the Baptist Village in Petah Tikva just outside Tel Aviv, where for more than 50 years, Baptists have used a variety of creative ministries to help others know about the Christian faith.

The visit to Nazareth will feature a time with leaders of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel, composed primarily of Arab churches. In Jerusalem, a visit will be made to Jerusalem House, a historic place of witness for Baptists to learn about God’s activity among Messianic believers.

Jordan will provide opportunity to visit Ajloun, where Southern Baptists established work in the country in the 1950s. Today the village is the site of a Baptist school, a Baptist camp and a Baptist training center. Along the way, leaders from the Jordan Baptist Convention will share about what God is doing in that nation.

Of course, there will be time at the sites that draw millions of tourists every year. In Jordan, we will visit Petra, one of the new seven wonders of the world; Mount Nebo from which Moses gazed into the promised land; and Jerash, one of the best preserved Roman ruins in the world outside Italy. And nights spent along the Dead Sea will be breathtaking.

Israel offers Masada, the desert stronghold of Herod the Great and site of the final battle of the First Jewish Revolt in A.D. 73. Today this mountaintop citadel is designated a World Heritage site. We will see Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered; Sepphoris, the traditional birthplace of Mary; and much, much more. In truth, history is behind every hill and every turn in the road in Israel.

Who can describe the experience of visiting the Pool of Siloam or walking up the Southern Steps of Temple Mount, steps Jesus walked as He made His way to the temple? The whole experience is breathtaking. It is life changing.

In the last two years, it has been my privilege to do extensive travel in Israel and Jordan as a guest of the Ministry of Tourism of each country. In January of this year, several pages of The Alabama Baptist reported on the trip to Israel. A little more than a year earlier, several pages were devoted to Jordan. This trip builds on those contacts and experiences as well as relationships with Baptist representatives in each country and national Christian leaders. 

The result is what promises to be a wonderful, unique experience. It will be a rich spiritual highlight. It will be firsthand exposure to missions. It will be sightseeing among some of the most outstanding venues in the world. And all of this will be done in the company of fellow believers.

That was the goal when the board of directors of The Alabama Baptist voted to sponsor this Holy Land pilgrimage. It is not designed for private gain but for the benefit of Alabama Baptists. The state Baptist paper is not in the “tour business,” but we are about missions in our state and around the world.

Twice the state Baptist paper has sponsored a Baptist heritage tour of New England to help readers learn about Baptists in the area where the first Baptists in America lived. Both were missions experiences. This pilgrimage will make similar contributions. It will help Baptists expand their missions vision while they experience firsthand the places where Jesus lived and taught.

Former Alabama Baptist State Convention President Mike McLemore, now executive director of Birmingham Association, and I will serve as co-leaders of the pilgrimage. You are invited to join us. I pray you will. We leave March 11 from Birmingham and return March 22. Plan to be a part of this special event.

For many, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We have done our best to make sure you will have the best experience possible. Again I emphasize this opportunity is more than sightseeing. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that will change your life and expand your understanding of what God is doing in His world.

Information about cost and other details is available by writing Holy Land Tour, 3310 Independence Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209, or by e-mailing HolyLandTour@TheAlabamaBaptist.org.