Churches Together in Central Peterborough Visit to Israel

In November 2009 about 20 people from several city centre churches set off from Peterborough at the crack of dawn.  At Heathrow our number more than doubled as we discovered Pax Travel had also advertised the pilgrimage on the internet.

The trip was split between two distinct areas: Jerusalem and the Galilee.  We spent four nights in an adequate hotel in East Jerusalem before moving to a more comfortable venue in Tiberius!  While based in Jerusalem we visited:

·         The Mount of Olives – where we shared a service in a beautiful Franciscan Chapel

·         The Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

·         The Garden of Gethsemane

·         Abu Gosh – possible site of Emmaus with its magnificent Crusader church

·         Church of St Peter in Gallicantu – where Peter denied knowing Jesus

·         Bethlehem – where our hearts sank at the sight of the security wall

·         The Church of the Nativity

·         The Upper Room, Mount Zion

·         Ein Karem – birthplace of John the Baptist

·         Holocaust Museum and the Wailing Wall

We spent a day visiting the Good Samaritan Inn, on the road to Damascus; stunning Masada, Herod’s citadel & last outpost of the Jewish Zealots during the revolt against the Romans and the Dead Sea, where most of us tried floating, before driving north to Tiberius in Galilee.  After five fairly busy days in the south, it was lovely to move at a slower pace in the north of Israel.  Included in our tour were:

• Crossing the Lake of Galilee

   

• Capernaum, Tabgha (Jesus’ loaves & fishes miracle) & Mount of Beatitudes

   

• The Golan Heights

   

• The River Jordan – where there was the opportunity to renew our baptismal vows

   

• Cana – where many of us renewed our wedding vows 

   

• Nazareth – today a bustling market town

   

• Mount Tabor – the probable setting for Jesus’ Transfiguration

   

• Caesarea Maritima – once a busy port, built by Herod, today a sleepy seaside resort

Late on our eighth day we caught the flight back to Heathrow and found the coach waiting to bring us back to Peterborough.  Overall it was an experience not to be missed.  My personal highlight was crossing the Lake of Galilee, as the sun came out from behind the clouds and How great thou art was being sung…  Most of us wept and I found it very moving to be following in ‘the footsteps’ of Jesus.  Thank you, Father John, for leading our party and making the Holy Land so accessible to us.