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Journeys of Paul in Greece with Cookeville First UMC’s “Cookeville Sojourners" | April 20, 2024

8 days
Greece
Starting from $3296* Taxes & Fees Apply

Join Cookeville First UMC’s "Cookeville Sojourners” on an 8-day Journeys of Paul in Greece, starting at $3,296* from Nashville, TN departing on April 20, 2024. Journey to  Amphipolis, Thessaloniki, Veria, the rock forest of Meteora,  Athens, Corinth, Delphi, Philippi, and much more!

Register Early & Save
$100 Register by July 20, 2023
$75 Register by August 20, 2023
$50 Register by September 20, 2023
$25 Register by October 20, 2023
Full deposit required. Savings are deducted from the balance.

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
  • Overseas Airport Transfers
  • International Airfare
  • Administrative Fees

^ Additional Baggage & Optional fees may apply.

† If air purchased through EO.

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 April 20 – DEPART THE USA

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

Day 2 April 21 – ARRIVE IN GREECE

You will arrive in Thessaloniki, Greece, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 3 April 22 – AMPHIPOLIS, PHILIPPI, and NEAPOLI (KAVALA)

Follow in the footsteps of Paul and Silas to Amphipolis and explore the ruins of the many Christian basilicas there. In Philippi is a baptismal site commemorating where God opened the heart of Lydia (a seller of purple from Thyatira) to hear the words of Paul (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts baptized on European soil. View the Roman-era crypt thought to have served as a prison for the Apostle Paul, and explore Philippi’s famous Acropolis, marketplace, the Basilica of Paul, and theater. Today’s last stop is Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece’s most picturesque mainland ports where Paul landed with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. See the Roman Aqueduct and Acropolis before returning to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 April 23 – THESSALONIKI and VERIA (BEREA)

Discover Thessaloniki, where Paul was accused of turning the world upside down with his preaching of Christ (Acts 17: 3-6). As you explore St. George’s Basilica, believed to be built over the synagogue where Paul preached, reflect on the two epistles the Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church here. Stroll through the Archaeological Museum and the beautiful basilicas of St. Sophia and St. Demetrios. St. Demetrios is dedicated to a distinguished Roman proconsul martyred for his Christian faith. Along the Via Egnatia stands the Galerius Arch, and you can look out over the second-largest city in Greece from the Old City Ramparts, some dating back to Roman times. Follow the path of Paul when he fled Thessaloniki for the safety of Veria (Berea), where Jews and some honorable Greeks accepted the new faith (Act 17: 10-12). Continue on to Kalambaaka for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 April 24 – METEORA and DELPHI

As you visit the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”) in western Thessaly, imagine the Apostle Paul walking that treacherous terrain on his missionary journey. Gaze up at the breathtaking Byzantine monasteries spectacularly perched on soaring, sheer-sided, grey sandstone pillars. In the 13th century, monks sought refuge in cliffside caves before fleeing higher to build the original wooden shelters that later became these monasteries. After a monastery tour, travel to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world and marked by the conical stone called the omphalos or “navel”. Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, theatre, and the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle performed her prophetic rituals. As you consider the incredible amount of pagan influence just in Delphi alone, you will gain a new appreciation for the tremendous spiritual opposition the Apostle Paul faced in preaching the Gospel of Christ here. In the Museum are many ancient treasures, including the fifth-century, bronzed charioteer, so detailed you can see his eyelashes. Continue to Athens for your overnight stay.

Day 6 April 25 – CORINTH, CENCHREAE, and MYCENAE

Tour the city of Corinth, where the Apostle Paul met fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla and received a vision from the Lord saying, “I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18: 10). As Paul spoke, Crispus (chief ruler of the synagogue) and many others believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8), establishing the church at Corinth to whom Paul later wrote his two epistles. Discover the Archaeological Museum, marketplace, and temples. As you walk among the ruins, stand on the Bema, where the Apostle Paul stood before Gallio to face charges brought against him by the Jews. Stop briefly at the port town of Cenchreae from which Paul later departed for Syria (Acts 18: 12-18). Return to Athens for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 April 26 – ATHENS

(Note – Cruise extension passengers will depart from the group this morning and head to Piraeus for their cruise ship) Enjoy the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens as your guide introduces you to the world-renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. Stand on Mars Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). As you stroll the agora (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also, see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This afternoon is free to explore Athens on your own - here are some ideas to consider in Athens... Visit the Platka shopping area, return to the Acropolis area and explore further on your own, take in a museum (additional entrance fee may be involved), or relax at your hotel. An optional journey to Sounion to visit the famous Temple of Poseidon (additional $75) will also be offered. Dinner and overnight is spent in Athens.

Day 8 April 27 – RETURN TO THE USA

Return home with a new understanding of the Apostle Paul’s life and ministry.

Enhance Your Journey

Thessaloniki On Own Pre-Tour Starting from $398

April 18 - 21, 2024 | Starting at $398

April 18 – DEPART THE USA

April 19 - Thessaloniki
Arrive in Thessaloniki and transfer to the hotel. Dinner is on your own.

April 20 - Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki on your own. Breakfast at the hotel is included. Lunch and dinner are on your own.

April 19 - Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki on your own. Breakfast at the hotel is included. Lunch and dinner are on your own.

April 21 - Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki on your own. Breakfast at the hotel is included. Lunch is on your own. Dinner is with the basic group arriving from the USA.

Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.
*A 3.5% surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.

GREEK ISLE CRUISE extension Starting from $1298

April 26 - 30, 2024 • Starting at $1298*

April 26 – EMBARK IN PIRAEUS and MYKONOS
Board the ship and sail the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. In the evening, you will arrive at the world-famous Greek Island of Mykonos, where gleaming white-washed buildings seem to climb atop each other to reach the azure sky.

April 27 – EPHESUS and PATMOS
This morning, you arrive in Kusadasi, Turkey, and journey to Ephesus, where the Apostle Paul spent three years of his ministry. He planted a church here and later wrote to them in his Epistle to the Ephesians. Many of the ruins of Ephesus (known as “the marble city”) have been restored to show the city as it was in the Apostle Paul’s time. Visit the agora and imagine where Demetrius, the silversmith, sold his silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. Stroll through the great theater, where Paul witnessed faithfully for Christ. Not far away is the stadium where chariot races took place and gladiatorial combats were held. Tradition has it that the Apostle Paul himself fought here against wild beasts. Visit the ruins of St. John’s Basilica, where early Christian tradition tells us the “disciple whom Jesus loved” was buried. View one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the ruins of the Temple of Diana (Artemis), before setting sail for the Island of Patmos to visit the Monastery of St. John high on the mountain overlooking the entire island. Walk down to the Grotto of the Apocalypse and the caves where it is believed that the exiled Apostle John lived and was inspired by God to write the Book of Revelation as well as other letters to the early church.

April 28 – CRETE and SANTORINI
Dock this morning in Crete’s port of Heraklion, just three miles away from the fantastic ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Discovered in 1899 and partially reconstructed, the elaborate palace is believed to be the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of ancient Minoan culture. Disembark at Santorini, one of the most beautiful Greek islands, where picturesque whitewashed villages topped with brilliant blue domes stand in stark contrast to the sheer drop cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea. The island itself perches on the edges of a volcano whose eruption 3,500 years ago is thought to have led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization.

April 29 – ATHENS
Enjoy the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens as your guide introduces you to the world-renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. Stand on Mars Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). As you stroll the agora (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also, see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This afternoon, you are free to explore Athens on your own - here are some ideas to consider in Athens... Visit the Platka shopping area, return to the Acropolis area and explore further on your own, take in a museum (an additional entrance fee may be involved), or relax at your hotel.  An optional journey to Sounion to visit the famous Temple of Poseidon (an additional $75) will also be offered.  Dinner and overnight are spent in Athens.

April 30 – RETURN TO THE USA
Return home with a new appreciation of the Apostle Paul’s life and ministry.

Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.
*A 3.5% surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.

Departure Dates

  1. Saturday, April 20, 2024
    From $3296* Registration closed
*A 3.5% surcharge will be added to all credit card transactions.