Temple Mount, Jerusalem

Gethsemane olive tree, roots from Jesus’ time

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

ISRAEL PILGRIMAGE

Sponsored by Providence Educational Foundation

and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Leaders Dr Clay Corvin, Dr Jim Parker, Dr Jim Dukes,

Dr William Warren, and Rev JP Cox.

March 18-28, 2015, 11-days

$3495 ($1995 qualifying student)

Day one, Wednesday, March 18: get an early start on the renewal of spring break on a jet plane flying to Israel, the Holy Land. Most of the group departs from New Orleans, though other airports may be used (contact J.P. Cox at the seminary, contact information on back of brochure).

Day two, Thursday, March 19: after arrival at Ben Gurion aiport near Tel Aviv, travel to our accommodation at Mashabei Sade in the northern Negev desert. Full breakfast and dinner buffets are included in our hotels each day.

Day three, Friday, March 20: early departure to start a full day, beginning at Beersheva, biblical Israel’s southernmost city (“from Dan to Beersheva”), closely associated with Abraham in Genesis. We will visit Abraham’s well and other antiquities at Tel Beersheva (a “tel” is an artificial hill built up from the remains of succeeding generations and civilizations). We visit another tel at Arad, which thrived through centuries on a major trade route—see a Bronze Age dwelling, Iron Age fortress against the Edomites, and a temple from the Divided Kingdom period. On to the Dead Sea, lowest spot on earth. Take a cable car to the top of King Herod’s fortress/palace Masada, where zealous Jews were the last to hold out against the might of Rome after the fall of the Temple in 70AD. After lunch on our own at the Masada cafeteria, visit the caves at Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Time to swim (more literally float since nothing can sink) in the Dead Sea and slap on some of its supposedly restorative mud. Then through the Jordan Valley and to the shores of the Sea of Galilee to check in for four nights at the kibbutz Ma’agan hotel.

Day four, Saturday, March 21: visit Kursi on what the gospels call “the other [Gentile] side” of the Sea of Galilee and where Jesus healed the pagan demoniac by casting the legion of demons into a herd of pigs (first known example, in the old preacher-joke, of “deviled ham”). To Capernaum, the lakeside town of Jesus, where He head-quartered his Galilean ministry for 18-months—see the house of Peter’s mother-in-law where Jesus resided, as well as the foundations of the very synagogue in which he preached and healed. Tabgha or the Primacy of Peter remembers both where Jesus gave Peter his commission to “feed my lambs” and by an ancient mosaic preserved in a lovely church where Jesus fed the multitude with a few loaves and fishes. See the ruins of Chora-

zin, a village Jesus cursed for its unbelief even in face of His mighty works. Recall the Sermon on the Mount at the lovely Mt. of the Beatitudes chapel. Travel north to Dan, northernmost biblical city, where you will see both the actual mud-brick gates through which Abraham walked after chasing the kings who had kidnapped his nephew Lot and a high altar built by Jeroboam after his rebellion against Jerusalem. End the day at Caesarea Philippi, headwaters of the Jordan River from the snow melt at the foot of Mt Hermon, where Jesus asked his disciples then and now, “Who do you say I am?” Walk through King Herod Agrippa’s palace to get a sensation what the power of the government looked like at the time.

Day five, Sunday, March 22: see an actual fishing boat from the time of Jesus as it has been raised from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee by marine archaeologists, then actually sail on the Sea of Galilee in an enlarged version of Jesus’ fishermen disciples’ boats. Many believe carpen-ter Joseph and his apprentice son helped construct the Decapolis city of Sepphoris for King Herod Antipas—see ancient synagogues co-existing uneasily with Roman society . . . and the beautiful mosaic “Mona Lisa of the Galilee.” Explore Megiddo, chariot fortress of both Solomon and Ahab overlooking the Valley of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16)—basis of The Source, a much-recommended historical novel by James Michener. End the day at the Nazareth Overlook, a chasm His hometown citizens were willing to hurl Jesus into for his preaching.

Day six, Monday, March 23: the Philistines hung the bodies of Saul and his sons from the walls of Bet Shean in OT times; as a Decapolis City, opulent Bet Shean was both destroyed and preserved by an earthquake, the covered ruins having been magnificently restored by archae-ologists. Bet Alpha is an ancient synagogue, syncretic in its mingling of Jewish and pagan symbolism. While Israel is in large part a dry land, there is plenty of water at En Harod, where Gideon was given a distinctive manner to winnow his troops before battle and at Yardenit, a purpose-built baptismal site on the Jordan River.

Day seven, Tuesday, March 24: along the way to Jerusalem, cross the fertile Jezreel Valley and visit Mt Carmel, where Elijah challenged (and slew) the Prophets of Baal. Down the Medi-terranean sea coast to Caesarea by the Sea,

artificial harbor and magnificent Roman city built by Herod the Great, complete with aqueduct, hippodrome, and stadium (with signage proof of the historical existence of Pontious Pilate). Just a few miles outside the Holy City is Bethlehem, City of David, in the fields of which shepherds kept watch by night over the flocks that would be used as sacrifices at the temple—and where the final sacrificial lamb was born, by tradition at the silver star in the cave/stable at the Church of the Nativity—the oldest continually-functioning church in the world. End the day still outside the city at the Israel Museum, orienting ourselves to Jerusalem in the first century at a huge, detailed outdoor model—plus in the Shrine of the Book, see artifacts and writings found as part of the Dead Sea Scroll treasures at Qumran. We will spend three nights at the deluxe Dan Panorama hotel, within walking distance of the Old City and the Ben Yehuda pedestrian shopping mall.

Day eight, Wednesday, March 25: pray at the Western (or Wailing) Wall, also known as Kotel. Ascend the Temple Mount with Muslim mosques squatting where the Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple (Ezra and Nehemiah, with finishing work by Herod the Great) once stood. Pray for the healing of loved ones at the Pools of Bethesda and worship in the acoustically-marvelous St Anne’s Crusader church. Stand on the actual pavement on which Jesus was tor-mented by the Roman soldiers. Walk the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrow—narrow, noisy, twist-ing, and crowded, pretty much just as when Jesus carried His cross). The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, with reasonable claims to enclose the hilltop site of Calvary. Other sites include the Russian Orthodox Church. Shop and explore both the Old City bazaar and the Cardo, a restored Roman shopping street in the Jewish Quarter.

Day nine, Thursday, March 26: just outside the walls of Jerusalem, explore Mount Zion, the original area of The City of David. Worship in the building that commemorates the Upper Room, nearby the traditional Tomb of David. See the actual steps up which Jesus was dragged from the Mt of Olives to Caiaphas’ house, also known as St. Peter in Gallicantu, where the cock crew thrice. Have a spectacular overlook of the Holy City from the summit of the Mount of Olives, then walk down the Palm Sunday path, stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city.

At the bottom of the hill is the Garden of Geth-semane, with olive trees flourishing from roots that were alive when Jesus prayed in the garden, a memory preserved in the Church of All Nations, just across from the Eastern or Golden Gate. Back inside the city, see the actual Southern Steps to the Temple, where Jesus watched and taught in the last days leading up to His Passion.

Day 10, Friday, March 27: check out of our hotel . . . but keep on touring, including the Herodium, King Herod the Great’s recently-discovered burial site in part of an artificial hill-palace just south of Jerusalem. Stop at the Valley of Elah to, as did David, pick up “five smooth stones.” Yad Vashem is the Holocaust Museum, where the evil that men can do is seen in its extreme and where humans with faith in God can find hope even amidst ashes. Lunch on our own at Yehuda Mahane Suk, a vibrant outdoor market that is a feast to the senses (check it out on Youtube). More sightseeing in Jerusalem will finish at the Garden Tomb, where a natural hillside formation reminds many of Golgotha (Place of the Skull) and a rich man’s tomb has had the stone rolled away and is gloriously empty. As our time in Israel comes to an end, our farewell banquet will be in Jaffa (biblical Joppa) and then on to Tel Aviv for our flight home, arriving on Day 11, Saturday, March 28, with many stories to tell at church tomorrow of the blessings from a trip to Israel, Land of the Bible, and Jerusalem, The Holy City.

Trip highlights include . . . Daily bible study before or after evening meals. Daily devotionals on the bus to begin each day. Site devotionals by individuals at each major place we visit, generally about five minutes. Please note while you will experience everything mentioned in the itinerary, the order of sights may be changed from day to day due to such local conditions as weather and traffic. Time in Israel is eight hours ahead of New Orleans; noon New Orleans is 8:00 p.m. in Israel. March weather in Israel is good for travel. Day-time highs 60s and 70s, perhaps up to 80 in the Negev and at Dead Sea. Showers are possible, so a weather-proof windbreaker can be handy. Registration information is included on the back page of this brochure.

Terms and Conditions U.S. passport valid through September, 2015, is required; anyone with non-U.S. passport, please contact tour operator. Payment schedule: $600 deposit required to guarantee a place on the tour. Second payment of $900 is due August 1. Third payment of $495 is due October 1. Fourth payment of $700 is due by December 1, and the final payment of $800 is due by January 15. Qualifying students will not be obliged to make the fourth and final payments. Tour price includes . . . Air transportation may be on any scheduled airline, economy class. Cancellations after the air tickets have been issued are subject to a cancellation penalty as imposed by the airline. Current air taxes and fees of $710 included but may change up or down. Please note: frequent flyer miles or credit card points cannot be used to purchase or upgrade air tickets; however, if you arrange your own airfare, deduct $1250 from the brochure price. Accommodations in superior and deluxe hotels with private bath. Extra cost for anyone staying in a single room $598. Meals daily buffet breakfast in hotels and dinner daily either in hotels or nearby restaurants. Sightseeing as specified in the itinerary, including entrance fees and services of English-speaking guide. One regular-sized suitcase per person, maximum 50 pounds, is currently allowed free of charge plus one airline approved "underseat" bag. Tour organizers accept no liability for loss or damage to any baggage. All tips to guide, driver, hotel and restaurant personnel, and porters are included.

Tour price does not include wines, liquors, bottled water, coffee or tea not part of menu; sightseeing or services not specifically mentioned or noted as optional; baggage charges that may be implemented by airlines (none currently).

Sea of Galilee seen from Mt Arbel

Cancellation policy: Full refund minus $200 administration fee if written cancellation is received through October 31. Refund, minus a minimum of $500 and a maximum of 90% of the total tour price if written cancellation is received between November 1 and December 31. No refunds for cancellations after January 1. No refund made for missed services while on tour. In addition to the above cancellation fees, airline tickets are not refundable once issued. We recommend the purchase of travel insurance, information available on request. Please note: Healthcare and Medical Costs due to international travel are not covered by Medicare. Price is based on minimum 42 passengers, Israel VAT policy, and shekel/dollar exchange rate as of February 1, 2014. Responsibility: Dr Clay Corvin, Rev J.P. Cox, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Providence Educational Foundation, Ronald L. Cansler dba Escorted Travel Concepts, LLC, and their agents act only in the capacity of agents in all matters, and as such, are not responsible for any damages, expense, or inconvenience caused by late plane arrival or departure or by any change of schedule or other condition, nor the loss of or damage to any person or property from any cause whatsoever. The sponsoring organization has the right to withdraw the tour at any time, or make changes in the published itinerary whenever in their sole judgment conditions warrant, or if they deem it necessary for the convenience or safety of the tour. Services of any regularly-scheduled jet carrier may be used on this tour. Payment of deposit by tour participants indicates acceptance of above terms and conditions.

To register, make out $600 per person check to “NOBTS—March Israel Trip” and mail to

January Israel Trip-Attn: J. P. Cox, NOBTS, 3939 Gentilly Blvd., Box 98, New Orleans, LA 70126 For information or assistance contact tour organizer J. P. Cox at jpcox@nobts.edu, (504) 816-8442