Bible Land Exploration with Asbury United Methodist Church | Oct. 28, 2024

10 days

The Holy Land

Starting from $4496* Taxes & Fees Apply

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Join Asbury United Methodist Church for a Bible Land Exploration tour, starting at $4,496* from Birmingham, AL, on October 28, 2024. You will see Caesarea by the Sea, Mount Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth, Galilee, Magdala, Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, the Church of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights, Bethsaida, the Jordan River, Jericho, Qumran, Masada, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, Yad Vashem, Shepherds’ Field, the Church of the Nativity, the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, Mount Zion, the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, the Upper Room, the Western Wall and much more.

Register Early & Save
$150 Register by November 28, 2023
$125 Register by December 28, 2023
$100 Register by January 28, 2024
$75 Register by February 28, 2024
$50 Register by March 28, 2024
$25 Register by April 28, 2024
Full deposit required. Savings are deducted from the balance.

Almost everyone who has traveled to the Holy Land has come back saying that their pilgrimage changed the way they read the Bible forever. I hope you will join me on Asbury’s trip to Israel in 2024 as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, renew our faith, and grow in our love of God together. -Rev. Mike Holly

For more information contact:
Robyn White, Adult Ministry Director
robyn.white@asburybham.org • 205–995-1700

What’s Included

All Inclusive Pricing
Breakfast and Dinner Daily
Deluxe A/C Motor Coaches
Domestic Airfare
Entrance and Program Fees
First Class Hotels
Fuel Surcharges and Gov't Taxes
Guided Tours
Hotel Gratuities
Live Audio Headsets
Overseas Airport Transfers
International Airfare
Administrative Fee

^ Additional Baggage & Optional fees may apply.

† If air purchased through EO.

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Daily Itinerary

Day 1 October 28 – Depart & Arrive in the Holy Land

Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

Day 2 October 29 – Welcome to the Holy

Once you arrive, you will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Netanya to enjoy dinner and overnight.

Day 3 October 30 – Caesarea by the Sea, Mount Carmel, Megiddo & Nazareth

Visit the Roman aqueduct and theatre at Caesarea, a center of early Christianity (Acts 10) and where Paul was imprisoned for two years (Acts 23:33). View Mount Carmel and recall Elijah’s dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). Follow an ancient caravan route through the Jezreel Valley to Tel Megiddo, an exciting archaeological dig with layers of twenty different cities all built on top of each other. Conclude your day in Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matt. 2:23).

Day 4 October 31 – Sea of Galilee

Pass through the Valley of the Doves and see Mount Arbel (Isaiah 9:2) on your way toward the Sea of Galilee. This was a major pathway in the time of Christ. He and His disciples passed through this valley as they walked through the Galilee. In Magdala, once home to Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-3), visit a recently discovered first-century synagogue. Enjoy lunch together before crossing the waters of the Sea of Galilee on a very special boat ride, complete with an onboard worship service. At Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, see the 2,000-year-old “ancient boat,” a rare example of the kind of boat in which Jesus might have sailed. Visit Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matt. 4:13, 23). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the text of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preached there (Matt. 5-7). Explore the Church of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha, the traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:10-17).

Day 5 November 1 – Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights, Bethsaida & Jordan River

At the ruins of Tel Dan, see the altar built by King Jeroboam I (I Kings 12:25-30) and learn about where the “House of David” fragment from the First Temple Period was discovered. Continue on to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter told the Lord, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!” (Matt. 16:16). A scenic drive along the Golan Heights will give you some beautiful views of Syria and Jordan as well as Israel. Stop at Bethsaida, where Jesus chose five of His disciples. Remember your baptism at the Yardenit Baptismal site, where the Jordan River exits the Sea of Galilee on its journey southward (Matt. 3).

Day 6 November 2 – Jericho, Qumran, Masada & the Dead Sea

Head to Jericho to visit the ruins of the ancient city Joshua conquered (Josh. 6:20). Off in the distance, you can see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:1). Stop in Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd. Enjoy a visit to Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built by Herod that later became the final tragic stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Ride the cable car to the top to explore the fortress and look down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. On the way to Jerusalem, stop at the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, for an opportunity to take a quick dip in the mineral-laden waters.

Day 7 November 3 – Bethlehem, Yad Vashem & Israel Museum

In Bethlehem, gaze out over Shepherds’ Field and visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace (Luke 2:1-20). Visit the Church of the Nativity, built above the cave and considered the world’s oldest functioning church (Luke 2). In Jerusalem, visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, with its poignant exhibits honoring the lives lost during the Holocaust. Explore the Israel Museum and its first-century model of the City of Jerusalem. Another highlight is the museum’s Shrine of the Book exhibit showcasing the Dead Sea Scroll book of Isaiah.

Day 8 November 4 – Jerusalem

Stand on the Mount of Olives for a remarkable view of Jerusalem (the Golden City); Jesus stood here before ascending into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:9-12). In the Kidron Valley across from the walls of Jerusalem, pray as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36). Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26:57). Recall the events of the Last Supper as you visit the traditional location of the Upper Room (Mark 14:12-26). Spend time in prayer at the Western Wall (the only remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem) and sit on the Teaching Steps where Jesus taught.

Day 9 November 5 – Jerusalem

Walk the Temple Mount (conditions permitting), once the site of the Temple of Solomon (II Chronicles 3) and home to the Dome of the Rock. See where Jesus healed on the Sabbath at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5: 1-18). Walk the Via Dolorosa (“the Way of the Cross”) to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (John 19), built over the traditional sites of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. At the Garden Tomb, share communion together and experience the reality of the Resurrection (John 20).

Day 10 November 6 – Return to the USA

Return to the USA

Departure Dates

*A 3.5% surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.