Easter Peace Pilgrimage
April 6-17, 2006

Middle East Fellowship invites you to spend Easter and Palm Sunday in the Holy Land.


- Worship with Palestinian Christians
- Stay with Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem
- Celebrate Palm Sunday in a 2nd annual march for Peace in Bethlehem
- Learn from Israelis and Palestinians working for peace
- Explore sights of religious and political significance
- Celebrate Easter in Jerusalem


This unique pilgrimage to the Holy Land will be hosted Holy Land Trust and led by Dr. Frederic Bush, a retired professor of Old Testament and Near Eastern Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary.



For more information visit:



http://www.middleeastfellowship.org

http://travel.holylandtrust.org



Note: Program is subject to change.

______________________________________________________________



Easter Peace Pilgrimage Itinerary



Thursday, April 6th, 2005�Arrival and Orientation
We will meet at the Holy Land Trust Office in Bethlehem at 4pm. Sami Awad, a Palestinian Christian and former Executive Director of Holy Land Trust will welcome the group followed by an introduction from the group�s leader Dr. Fred Bush. Holy Land Trust staff will then provide a short orientation in preparation for the home stays. Next we will be taken to our host families, where we will enjoy some authentic Palestinian cuisine and spend the night.

Friday, April 7th, 2005�Bethlehem, Jerusalem

The day will begin at Bethlehem Hotel where Dr. Bush will give a brief overview of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and address the issue from a Biblical perspective. The group will then travel to Jerusalem for a tour of the Old City, Holy Sepulcher, Wailing Wall, and Haram Ash-Sharif. We will also meet with representatives from Sabeel who work to promote a more accurate international awareness regarding the identity, presence, and witness of Palestinian Christians. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit and shop in New Jerusalem. Later we will meet to discuss the upcoming Palm Sunday Peace Pilgrimage. Overnight with host families and a group dinner at the �Citadel� restaurant in Beit Sahour.

Saturday, April 8th, 2005�Bethlehem

In the morning, Sis Levin will give a presentation on Holy Land Trust�s �Peacebuilders� program. Dr. Lucille �Sis� Levin, an internationally known peace educator and certified professional mediator, directs �The Children of Abraham� mission project of the World Peacemakers division of Every Church A Peace Church. She also developed the �Peacebuilders� project with Holy Land Trust. We will also meet with Holy Land Trust�s �Remember the Innocents� (RTI) club and visit the kindergartners in Bethlehem who developed the concept for the Palm Sunday donkey ride and peace pilgrimage. Later, we will complete details of preparing for the following day�s peace march. Dinner and overnight lodging will be in Bethlehem with host families.

Sunday, April 9th, 2005�Peace March, Bethlehem

Following worship, reflection and prayer with Palestinian Christians, we will have an opportunity to participate in the 2nd Annual Peace March commemorating Jesus� Palm Sunday donkey ride to Jerusalem. International press and television coverage is anticipated. At the end of the day, we will have dinner and celebrations at the �Tent� in Beit Sahour. Overnight will be in Bethlehem with host families.

Monday, April 10th, 2005� Bethlehem

In the morning we will meet to debrief our experiences at the peace march. In the early afternoon we will then have a contemplative walk at Mar Saba Monastery on the edge of the Judean Wilderness. The group will continue on to Bethlehem Bible College where Bishara Awad, President of the College will give a Palestinian Christian�s perspective of the situation. The group will then visit with refugees in Aida Refugee Camp. In the evening we will then visit the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherds� Fields. Dinner and overnight lodging will be in Bethlehem with host families.

Tuesday, April 11th, 2005�Christian Peacemaker Team, Hebron

In the morning we will tour Hebron with the Christian Peacemaker Team, a Christian organization that is using nonviolence to support a just peace. In Hebron we will tour the old city and visit the Ibrahami Mosque. In the afternoon, we will meet with and hear the stories of Palestinian families just outside of Hebron whose homes and livelihoods continue to be challenged by settler encroachment. Overnight in Bethlehem with families.

Wednesday, April 12th, 2005� Meetings with Israeli peace groups

We will begin our day in Jerusalem and meet with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and tour East and West Jerusalem including stops at the �hafrada� (separation) wall with ICAHD�s staff. In the afternoon we will meet with Rabbis for Human Rights and then the Israeli human rights organization B�Tselem. Overnight in Bethlehem with host families.

Thursday, April 13th, 2005� Ramallah and Taybeh
We will visit with Adameer (http://www.addameer.org/index_eng.html ) (�conscience� in Arabic) a Palestinian human rights organization, and tour Ramallah, a hub and city connecting the North and South West Bank. In the process we will see the Qalandia Checkpoint, one of the largest Israeli military checkpoints in the occupied West Bank. Following Ramallah we will visit Taybeh, one of the few completely Christian villages in the West Bank.

Friday, April 14th, 2005�Haifa/Nazareth

We will travel to Haifa and Nazareth. On our way we will visit the Association of Forty in Ain Hod, an unrecognized Arab village in Israel. We will eat lunch at an amazing restaurant in Ain Hod that supports a family in the unrecognized village. Next we will visit Haifa and then on to Nazareth. Overnight will be at a hotel in Nazareth.

Saturday, April 15th, 2005�Haifa/Nazareth

In the morning we will visit the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth and then travel to Shefa Amr to meet with the House of Hope (http://www.hohpeacecenter.org). In the late afternoon we will then travel to the Sea of Galilee and the Mt. of the Beatitudes. We will return along the Jordan River Route and if time permits visit either the Dead Sea or St. George Monastery near Jericho. Overnight in Bethlehem.

Sunday, April 16th, 2005�Easter Sunday in Jerusalem

In the morning, we will join Easter worship services at a church in Jerusalem. We will spend the rest of the day in Jerusalem participating in Easter Celebrations and visiting the Mount of Olives, Via Dolorosa, Garden of Gethsemane and the Holy Sepulcher. Overnight will be in Jerusalem or Bethlehem.

Monday, April 17th, 2005�Departure

Participants will return home.





To register online please visit:

http://travel.holylandtrust.org/index.php?q=registration_process



For more information please visit:

http://travel.holylandtrust.org/

www.middleeastfellowhsip.org [middleeastfellowhsip.org]

www.holylandtrust.org [holylandtrust.org]



Contact:

Middle East Fellowship

PO Box 40040

Pasadena, CA 91114

Phone: 626-797-7904

Fax: 626-797-7906

travel@middleeastfellowship.org



Joshua Keaney: jkeaney@middleeastfellowship.org

Frederic Bush: fredericbush@cox.net


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------