Combining spiritual and educational, young and old, Christian and non-Christian, First Presbyterian Church and Westminster College led a dozen Americans through Israel this winter.
"The idea was wonderful, to feed the mind and nurture the heart," said Pastor Rob Erickson.
He and Westminster professor Cliff Cain, who also is the theologian in residence at First Presbyterian, planned the trip for about 18 months.
What they experienced while in country could not have been planned.
They were able to baptize a Westminster student in the River Jordan.
And they shared communion aboard a boat on the Sea of Galilee, where unlike in Jesus' story, they enjoyed a calm sea.
Israel is a land of many faiths and historically a place of unrest. Yet, those who chose to go on this trip had no hesitation.
This was Rob's third trip and Cliff's 12th to the Holy Land.
"For people of faith, this is such an incredible experience," Cliff said. "To have your faith come alive in a variety of ways, it registers a spiritual excitement."
The group visited Caesaria Maritima, an archaeological dig Cliff had worked with 20 years ago.
"Things had changed so radically," he said.
Rob noted, "It was fun to be with someone who had done the archaeological work."
In general, the Holy Land's history is captured in the layers of rocks and ruins, Rob said.
"We're always asking, "Are we on the Jesus layer yet?'"
They visited Bethlehem, which was enclosed by a stone fence topped with barbed wire.
"We received hospitality, but with sadness," Rob said.
Their guide lived in Nazareth, occupied by Israel. They stopped at his mother's home in Bethlehem, occupied by Palestinians.
"Without our visit, he would not have seen his mother for another three months," Rob said.
The Westminster students, familiar with the Berlin wall section on their campus, saw similarities in how everyday people experience the divided political control of a land, Cliff said.
Then they visited the Holocaust museum, where they saw evidence and heard stories of the tragedy, all of which helped them better understand the importance of a Jewish state, he said.
"You couldn't help but feel the pain of their persecution."
The trip also included the
Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, Western Wall, Church of the Sepulchre and Beth She'an.
They saw where David thwarted Goliath and where the Apostle Paul was imprisoned for two years.
And they were deeply moved at the Jewish fortress by the Dead Sea - Masada, where the Israeli army today takes its oath.
For several on the trip, their concept of the sites named in their Bible was transformed through this experience. Rather than desert, they saw fertile grounds and rather than tiny villages they saw remnants of civilizations.
In the Bible, it always says someone went "up" to Jerusalem. Because the visitors saw how the site is on a hill, the word becomes real, Cliff said.
Not only did this trip bring the scripture alive for the group, but teachers and the pastor have been sharing their experience through conversations and lessons.
"We become part of the story," Rob said. "It's not ancient. From a land of conflict, we find hope."