Faith Pilgrimage

For almost 40 years, First Christian has been supporting Christian Holyland Foundation as they focus on evangelism, church planting, discipleship, reconciliation, relief and development ministries in Israel and Palestine. While our understanding of that land is mainly through the lens of scripture, there are churches in modern times who are working to grow the kingdom of God in the difficult social landscape they’re surrounded by.

A few years ago, we began dreaming alongside CHLF what a pilgrimage to the Holyland could look like. To walk the same roads as Jesus, see the places he prayed in, taught in, and where he suffered and died to reconcile us from our sins and back to God. From those dreams and conversations, we are thrilled to offer the chance to experience a trip to Israel in 2025.

Our trip will be focused on Jesus’ life, bringing together historical locations, spiritual disciplines, and interactions with followers of Jesus who call that land home. Our guide, Mark Ziese, brings a heartbeat for the kingdom, a teaching career in theology, and years of experience in the Holyland to help the trip come to life.

See more details about the trip here.

There has been a lot of social upheaval there in the ongoing conflict. We’re hosting Matt Nance, the executive director of CHLF, this coming Sunday. Matt will be able to share a little more in each service about Christian Holyland Foundation and what God is doing through the ministry. He also will be leading a special session at 1:00 pm in the chapel that will dive deeper into the trip and answer questions around how the ministry has navigated that conflict.

While this session will be focused on a deeper look at the trip, the invitation is open for everyone to come and learn more. Matt’s personal experience in that country, including several trips this year, can bring a lot of encouragement and clarity to how the church is growing in the place it began.

You can see more details about the trip, the planned locations to visit, and more here.