Concordia alumni and faculty travel to historic, Biblical sites

Recently, a group of Concordia University, Nebraska alumni and faculty traveled to Israel and were able to visit many of the sites mentioned in the Bible. The trip took place from May 29 to June 11, and 15 people participated. The group was led by Concordia professor of theology, Dr. Mark Meehl. Other participants included director of student life Rebekah Freed and music administrative assistant Debbie Brutlag.

The group departed from Omaha on May 29 and arrived in Amman, Jordan, on May 30. After a night at the Bristol Hotel in Amman, they visited Petra, also known as the Rose City.

After they crossed into Israel, the group saw several historical sites. Some of these included Tel-Jericho, the mosaics at Hisham’s Palace, the baptismal site of Jesus on the Jordan River, Beit-Shean and Magdala. They also visited the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee and saw the Mount of the Beatitudes church, the fishes and loaves/feeding of the five thousand church, the Primacy of Peter/Mensa Christi/Feed My Sheep churchand the Byzantine church at Kursi, which was the site where Jesus sent the demons into the pigs. In Capernaum the group saw the foundations for the synagogue where Jesus taught and Peter’s house.

In northern Israel, they traveled to Hazor, Dan and Caesarea Philippi/Banias. They also went to Birkat Ram on the rim of an extinct volcano in Golan Heights before traveling to Mt. Bental and seeing an old Israeli observation point on the rim of another extinct volcano.

“We had an excellent, very rewarding trip. The connections we make between the places on the ground and the episodes in the Bible are priceless and very meaningful.”

The group then traveled south and visited Nazareth where they visited the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation and the Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation, Megiddo, the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel located on Mt. Carmel before heading south to Caesarea and its aqueduct.

Afterwards, they saw the sites in Bethlehem, including the Roman Catholic Shepherds Field, the Church of the Nativity, and took a tour of Dehaisha (Dheisheh) Refugee camp. They then traveled to Jerusalem and walked the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) which leads to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The group also visited the Western Wall of the Temple Mount and then headed to the Augusta Victoria hospital on the Mount of Olives and the German Church of the Ascension and belltower. They walked the Palm Sunday route, starting at an overlook, visited the Dominus Flevit (Jesus Wept) church on another overlook, and ended at the Church of all Nations (The Rock of Agony) and the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. Afterwards they entered the Old City through the Lion’s Gate and visited St. Anne’s church and the Bethsaida Pools before returning to Bethlehem. The next day they swam in the Dead Sea after touring Masada, a fortress used during the Jewish revolt against Rome, and Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

On Sunday, they attended worship in the Crusader Chapel of the Redeemer Church. Afterwards they toured the excavations along the south wall of the Temple Mount after visiting Cardo in the Jewish Quarter. They then returned to the top of the Mount of Olives to see the Roman Catholic Church of the Ascension before going to Yad Vashem, the world Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The group then traveled west to visit Beth-Shemesh with its Samson connections and underground cistern. They also saw the David and Goliath battlefield in the Elah Valley and one of the possible sites for Emmaus near Latrun. After lunch at the Elvis Inn, the group returned to Jerusalem and spent the afternoon at the Israel Museum. On their last day they visited the Lazarus church and tomb in Bethany, crossed back into Jordan, and stopped at Mt. Nebo before returning to Amman for their return flight.

Dr. Mark Meehl said “We had an excellent, very rewarding trip. The connections we make between the places on the ground and the episodes in the Bible are priceless and very meaningful.”

He also shared that contrary to what is shared through various media, vast spaces in Israel are safe for travel. He said, “The local people were very glad we were there and always thanked us for coming. The whole time we were on the ground in Jordan and Israel I never felt unease about our situation. We saw great sites, ate incredible food (chicken musakhan, maqlubeh, shwarma and felafel) and met friendly, welcoming people at every stop.”

Debbie Brutlag also talked about her experience on the trip. She said, “I've been wanting to take this Holy Land tour for years – to see what it was like to be in the places where all these things I had always read and heard in the Bible actually happened. I didn’t know what I would feel, but I hoped the trip would be special. My expectations were more than exceeded! Being in the Holy Land brought the Bible to life in a way that can’t really be described, only experienced. The trip was an investment, to be sure, but one that has enriched my understanding of scripture, faith, and that part of the world more than I imagined.”

Dr. Mark Meehl takes study tours to Israel every three years. He will be taking another study tour to Israel in the spring of 2026. During the Holy Land Study Tour, you will encounter the land of the Bible on three levels. First, you will see the traditional sites associated with the Bible and visit archaeological excavations that will flesh out your picture of the ancient history of the region. Second, you will meet and talk with the people of the land – Palestinians and Israelis; Christians, Jews and Muslims - in a variety of settings to provide context and relevance to the events that occur in this land today. Finally, you will embark on a devotional journey that will add depth to your spiritual life for years to come. His Holy Land Study Tour has been designed to be a pilgrimage in many senses of the word, uniquely tailored to the needs of Concordia’s students, alumni and friends. If interested please contact Dr. Meehl at mark.meehl@cune.edu.