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LEWISTOWN - Local church groups are planning two different trips to the Holy Land in 2024.
Pastor Stephanie Rupert from Grace United Methodist Church and Pastor Steven Small, who serves multiple United Methodist Churches in Lewistown, will lead the traveling groups.
Pastor Rupert will lead the first trip from March 11 through March 20, 2024.
"For all who travel, it is a life changing experience any time you travel to another part of the world, but for the Holy Land trip, specifically, it brings our Christian faith to life, reveals deeper understandings of what happens in the news, and a connection with people, places, and faith," Pastor Rupert said. "As a pastor, when I preach, I visualize the places I'm preaching about, and now many in my church will be able to see it in their minds as well."
The first trip includes stops at Mount Carmel, Nazareth, Galilee, Magdala, Golan Heights, Bethsaida, the Jordan River, Jericho, the Church of the Nativity, Mount of Olives, Mount Zion, the Western Wall and many other sites.
Pastor Rupert was there in 2005 and says her most memorable moment was when they were able to walk the steps that dated back to the time of Jesus with no replacements between the High Priest Caiphas house and Pontius Pilate's House where Jesus would have walked the last night of his life.
"It was incredibly humbling and moving," she said. "It not only brought scripture to life, but deepened my faith dramatically."
Travelers will experience a sound and light show as they visit the Old City at night. The breathtaking story of Jerusalem unfolds on the walls of the Old City in an open-air theater, spanning creation to present day.
"This trip I am looking forward to sharing meals with Israeli and Palestinian families to learn what it is like to live there," Pastor Rupert said.
Travelers will be able to take part in a special dinner prepared by a Palestinian-Christian family when they visit Bethlehem. A local family will host visitors at their table and invite them into their lives.
Later in the year, Pastor Steven Small will lead an 11-day trip to the Holy Land, departing on Nov. 12, 2024. The second trip visits many of the same sites as well as several different locations.
Both trips plan to depart from Newark, N.J. Airport. Contact Pastor Rupert at srupert@susumc.org or call (717) 248-5311 or (814) 689-9013. Contact Pastor Small at ssmall@susumc.org or call (814) 414-7505 for more information.