Greetings!
Are you ready to meet God in the Holy Land?
That's what pilgrimage is all about. This ancient concept goes all the way back to the 4th century in Christian history. Read more about various types of pilgrimage here.
Then, sign up to go on your very own pilgrimage. BridgeWorks and friends are hosting a trip to Israel and Palestine February 3-13, 2010. It'll be the spiritual adventure of a lifetime. And it's not too late for you to reserve your spot. Register now.
In fact, early registration discounts are still available. Please see the online brochure to see which you quality for. Or click here to register now.
Our trip is shaping up very nicely. Quite a few of you have signed up already. It's going to be a wonderful journey.
We hope for as much diversity as possible--denominational, religious, racial/ethnic, age, and geographic. Both lay and clergy are welcome, too. So if you've been thinking about signing up, please do. We'd love to have you. Learning from each other will be an important part of this trip.
 Over the course of 10 days together we'll see some amazing places. For instance, we'll be traveling to the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Church of the Fish and Loaves, and the Jordan River. And that's just one day of the trip!
We'll also be going to Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. We'll see the ancient city of Jericho, the Church of the Nativity, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Mount of Olives. We'll pray in those places, touch ancient stones, and re-live the stories of our faith. An optional adventure will include a day at Masada, the Dead Sea, and the Holocaust Museum.
Our trip has two special emphases. The first is the Jewish roots of Christianity. The second is meeting Abrahamic peacemakers. We'll get to know a few of the many Jewish, Christian, and Muslim people who are fashioning a peaceful approach to living side by side.
It's going to be an amazing trip! Designed especially for us by Educational Opportunities. That's one of the reasons we're working with them. The other reason is their safety record. For 35 years, they have safely shepherded travelers to and fro. They use state of the art communication to make sure we're always where we should be. And not where we shouldn't be.
 Co-hosting the trip will be The Reverends Linda Wells of
Douglas WY, Steve Burnett of Casper WY, and Steve Easterday-McPadden of
Longs Peak UMC in Longmont CO. And our spouses. We are each looking forward to the trip. We love, respect and enjoy one another. And we are looking forward to sharing this incredible experience with you. Check out the online brochure. Then reserve your space now. A $300 deposit secures your place. Additional side-trips are also available. A special assurance program promises your money back if you can't travel. Even at the last minute. So what have you got to lose?
I can't wait to go back! The last two times I traveled, I was with my Jewish community. This will be my first time traveling as a Jewish Christian. I look forward to sharing this special pilgrimage with you.
Shalom,
Rebekah
P.S. If you want to register under a different tour host, here's how:
2. In the box at the right, "I Know My Tour Information", for Tour enter
HL10; for Departure Date enter 020310; then where you see the "A" or other
letter in the box to the right of the departure date, click on "R"; for
Group Leader ID, enter
 42865 for Rebekah Simon-Peter
30648 for Steve Burnett
51931 for Linda Wells
51934 for Steve Easterday-McPadden.
Then click on "Search."
3. Here you can register online, download an online brochure and check out the itinerary, day by day.
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 Carbon-Neutral Travel
Our pilgrimage will take us half way across the world. That will deepen our carbon footprint considerably. But there is a way to make our pilgrimage more environmentally friendly. And that's by offsetting the carbon dioxide produced by our travel. BridgeWorks uses Native Energy to offset all our travel and office energy use. We invite you to do the same. We like them because they support Native American wind energy projects while creating a way to combat global climate change. Here's how it works: Using their travel calculator, you figure out how much carbon dioxide your trip will generate. Then you purchase enough wind energy, or other form of alternative energy, to offset the amount of carbon you'll be adding to the earth's atmosphere. You can offset your trip to the airport, the airline travel, and our bus travel around Israel and Palestine. Or like us, you may decide to establish a carbon-neutral lifestyle. Carbon offsetting helps create a market for renewable energy and helps ensure that this sacred ground will be livable for the next generation. Check out the travel calculator here. |
About BridgeWorks 
We work with leaders who want to empower their people, and organizations that want to make a difference in their community. How? By turning barriers into bridges of understanding.
Check out our transformative programs:
Care of Creation,
Hope and Healing,
Embracing Diversity,
Jewish Roots of Christianity and
Communication and Leadership.
We
partner with churches of all denominations, interfaith groups, civic
organizations, schools, business, and community groups. We'd like to
partner with you. If you think there's something we can do for you,
just ask. If we can't be of service to you, we'll let you know who can.
Check out our upcoming events.
BridgeWorks is a carbon-neutral extension ministry of the United Methodist Church.
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