ITINERARY FOR TOUR OF ISRAEL AND OBERAMMERGAU June 17-29, 2000

Join Pastors Ron Graff and Darrell Ward on ...

Be at the Los Angeles Airport 2 hours prior to departure for security and check-in procedures. Hot meals and in-flight entertainment are per airline policies.

At Frankfurt board the non-stop flight to Tel Aviv. Upon arrival proceed through passport control into customs. You will meet your guide outside the airport terminal and transfer to your Mediterranean hotel for dinner.

Visit Caesarea Maritima (Acts 10, Peter's encounter with Cornelius) to view the Crusader Fortress, the Roman Aqueducts, Roman theater and the stadium. Ascend Mt. Carmel where Elijah had contest with prophets of Baal. Continue to Megiddo, the Armageddon of Rev 16. View the excavations, the water tunnel, and continue to Nazareth for a ridge view of Mt. Tabor and the Jezreel Valley. At Nazareth visit Mary's Well. Depart for the Mt. Arbel cliffside overview of the center of Jesus' operations at Galilee. Check in to your three-room bungalow at the Ma'agan Holiday Village Kibbutz on the south shore of the Sea of Galilee).

Depart for the Yarmuk River and ascend the Aphek Plateau for an unobstructed view of the Sea of Galilee from Kfar Haruv. Continue past Kourci ("demons into the swine") to Bethsaida, home of Peter, Philip, Andrew. Visit the Mt. Of Beatitudes (Mt. 5-7). Optional is a foot descent to the seaside of Tabgha. Visit Capernaum, the operations base for Jesus' public ministry. Optional is a lunch break to sample St. Peter's fish. Sail the sea in the Jesus Fishing Boat, a double-scale replica of a Roman fishing boat. Visit the baptismal site of the Jordan River to baptize those who wish to do so.

Depart the Sea of Galilee for Tel Beth-shean, ancient Bible ,"The Disneyland of Archaeology." Ascend the tel and recall the story of Saul, Israel's first king. Explore the archaeology of Scythopolis, the only Decapolis city west of the Jordan River. Continue via Dothan to Samaria (Sebastiva), the royal city, and to Tel Balata (Shechem) to view the Joshua Stone? Visit Jacob's Well, where Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman. Continue through the Bible heartland past Shiloh, Bethel and visit Mt. Scopus for an ancient Genesis welcome to Jerusalem. Check into our deluxe hotel for the next 4 nights.

Visit the Mt. Of Olives for orientation to Jerusalem's Old City. Walk the traditional Palm Sunday route past the Dominus Flevit Church to the Garden of Gethsemane where we will enjoy a special time of prayer. Proceed to the Dung Gate and enter the Ophel Ridge to view the Herodian pavement, the Temple foundation, and the Temple steps where we know Jesus walked and taught (Lk 19-21). Depart for the Judaean Hills and Bethlehem. Visit shepherds fields, the Church of the Nativity, and take time for olivewood shopping before returning to Jerusalem. The Western Wall Tunnels are subject to time confirmation.

Enter the Dung Gate and ascend the Temple Mount to view the Dome of the Rock. Continue to the intact St. Anne's Crusader Church (Hymn sing), the Pools of Bethesda, and the Ecce Homo Arch. Travel part of the Via Dolorosa to The Church of The Holy Sepulcher. Walk through the market place into the Jewish Quarter. Enter the Wohl Archaeology Museum for the underground exposure to Upper Jerusalem. Continue to the Zion Gate, Mt Zion and the Upper Room. Visit the Israeli Museum to view biblical archaeology that includes the David inscription from Tel Dan, the ivory pomegranate from Solomon's Temple, the Holy of Holies from Arad, the ossuary of Caiaphas, and the Shrine of the Book. Continue to the scale model of Herodian Jerusalem and a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.

Visit the Garden Tomb at 8:30 AM for a private tour and communion. Depart Jerusalem for the Dead Sea and the fortress of Masada.mmAscend by cable car. View the ruins of the Zealots' last stand against Roman forces, including the siege ramp and the synagogue. Swim in the Dead Sea and continue to Ein Gedi (David and Saul). Walk the path to the waterfall. Depart for Qumran to view the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Return to Jerusalem.

Transfer to the airport for the morning flight to Munich. Upon arrival you will be met in the customs area and transfer to a coach for a brief city tour. Visit the heart of Bavaria's capital city at the Marienplatz Square. View the Town Hall and the extraordinary glockenspiel, the Haufbrau Haus, view the Gothic Frauenkirche, and more. Dinner tonight is self-host to permit dining on local Bavarian cuisine.

This morning motor through the foothills of Bavaria to the Mad King Ludwig's "fairyland" Neuschwanstein Castle, an interior visit. Continue to the Wieskirche (rococo church in the meadow), and the Linderhof Castle, Ludwig's pleasure castle. Proceed to lodging for the Passion Play. BD

The fabled OBERAMMERGAU Passion Play is performed all day with a 3 hour lunch break. The villagers make an oath to God during the Black Plague that if He spared them, they would be faithful to tell the story of the Passion of Jesus to the end of the ages. The Black Plague decimated one third of the European population, but the villagers were spared. Today you will witness their faithfulness. You will be given an English translation. BLD

Transfer to the Munich Airport for the return flight to the USA. Fly while reliving the experiences of attending the Oberammergau Passion Play, and having walked and learned the land of the Bible. Clear customs upon arrival at the USA. B

Netanya: King Solomon Hotel (First Class)

Tiberias: Kibbutz Ma'agan (First Class)

Jerusalem: Hyatt Regency (Deluxe)

Munich tbd (First Class).

Oberammergau: Village homes