Where then is my hope? Job 17:15

St. Mark’s held a meeting with their church to share their stories from Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Below are the notes from Josie Jordan's presentation... I experienced hope during our homestay with a Palestinian family in Burqin…

Walls and Walls – A Pilgrim’s Perspective

This blog post comes from traveler Susan Goodwillie Stedman (former St. Mark’s Parishioner who joined us from Maine for the 2015 Pilgrimage in Israel/Palestine/Jordan. Her late husband, Bruce Stedman, had been an assistant to Count Bernadotte,…

Seeds of Hope, as seen in the Arts

St. Mark's held a meeting with their church to share their stories from Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Below are notes from Marjorie Coombs Wellman's presentation... We saw numerous examples of artistic pursuits on the trip, even where it…

Visiting Taybeh

The First Lutheran Church group visited Taybeh and Taybeh Brewing Company to learn about delicious Palestinian beer. Below are some pictures from the day. 

Updates from Bethlehem

The morning began with news that our bus driver couldn't get out of his village and our bus wasn't able to leave the lot. This news was followed by news that during the protest we witnessed yesterday a young man was killed by Israeli soldiers.…

Bethlehem mornings

It's morning here in Bethlehem and there is steady traffic flowing down the street as I sit on the balcony. In front of me is a terraced hill with an old dwelling on it surrounded on each side and above by more modern buildings. Bethlehem is…

Day 5 with First Lutheran Church

There are moments in every pastor's life when you sit back and look around and are in awe at what God has done. 3 years ago when I first visited the Holy Land, I knew that God was asking me to work for peace and justice here in this place.…

Days 3 and 4

Today's blog post comes from Pastor Karyn Bodenschatz It has been a full two days as we learn the land of Jerusalem. We are finding that our trip is unlike many that our tour guides do; we spend a lot of time listening and experiencing as…

Update from the First Lutheran Church

We are at the beginning of our second full day in Jerusalem and already our heads are full of the wonder of this amazing city and questions about the things we have seen. The clash of the ancient and  modern was never more clear than when we…

First Lutheran Church trip to the Holy Land

Three years ago I woke up in a foreign land to the sound of the call to prayer ringing through the valley. I sat outside and watched the sun rise over Old City Jerusalem and I knew I was in a holy place. Later that day, the ringing of the church…