IN THE STEPS OF ST. PAUL

Transcription

1 MCMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE PRESENTS BIBLE LANDS PILGRIMAGE TO TURKEY AND GREECE IN THE STEPS OF ST. PAUL April May 12, 2011 Hosted by: Drs. Stanley and Wendy Porter Pastor Jim and Adrienne Reese

2 Dear Friends, Wendy and I look forward to returning with you to Turkey and Greece from April 28 to May 12, 2011, to walk together in the steps of the apostle Paul. We are delighted for McMaster Divinity College to be partnering with Rev. Jim and Adrienne Reese to make this a memorable and life-changing journey. As a Professor of New Testament, I am looking forward to being with you at the various sites in Turkey and Greece as we experience them together as a means of enhancing our understanding of the Bible. Jim and Adrienne will serve as our tour hosts, and Wendy will lead us in worship throughout the tour. I am praying that this tour will help us all to recapture the spirit of the early Church, as a missionary church reaching out to the lost and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and his salvation. We will visit the churches mentioned in Revelation and then trace Paul s missionary journey from Asia to Europe. We will enjoy these historical sites as part of a spiritual journey that builds our faith and encourages us in our service to our Lord. I don t think that you will be able to read the book of Acts and the epistles the same way again after experiencing this tour. This tour is designed for experienced travelers and first-timers, students and those interested in a new adventure, and people of all ages. As you read the details that follow, we invite you to register soon for this life-changing adventure. Yours in Christ, Dr. Stanley E. Porter and Dr. Wendy J. Porter Pastor Jim and Adrienne Reese McMaster Divinity College 61 Avon Road, Kitchener ON N2B 1T Main St. W., Hamilton, ON Canada L8S 4K ext jareese@rogers.com princpl@mcmaster.ca, Thursday, Apr 28 Afternoon depart Toronto via ROME to ISTANBUL. Friday, Apr 29 Arrival Istanbul,where East meets West. This afternoon we shall enjoy a cruise on the Bosphorus for a panoramic view of Istanbul with its skyline of palaces, mosques and manors. Dinner and overnight. Istanbul. Saturday, Apr 30 ISTANBUL The bejeweled capital of Istanbul sits between two continents and is home to 450 mosques. You will visit the famous Blue Mosque with its six minarets and sparkling interior. You will also visit the Topkapi Palace, once home to royal Sultans. Inside, you will see the fabled jewels of the Treasury, delicate displays of Chinese porcelain in the Kitchen Quarters, and the provocative Harem Quarters. Walk through St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia), which was the largest church in Christendom for a 1000 years. Built by Justinian ( A.D.), the church has 107 columns, fossil imbedded white marble floors, and beautiful glass mosaics..dinner and overnight. Istanbul. Sunday, May 1 -ISTANBUL Today, we visit the Archaeological Museum,located near the Saint Sophia Church and for those who love history that is the right place to go.the most interesting objects of the museum are very big and majestic ornate sarcophagi. Among them are those of the King of Egypt, Tabnit, and Alexander the Great. Enjoy the aroma of cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and other exotic spices as you explore the Spice Bazaar before you visit the Grand Bazaar. Over 4000 shops sell everything from herbs to gold. Dinner and overnight Istanbul Monday, May 2 ISTANBUL/CAPPADOCIA Early morning transfer to airport for flight to Kayseri. Drive to Cappaddocia. Tour to Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. Soganlı Valley, an Open Air Museum in a wild natural setting near a typical Cappadocian village with its different style Rock-Cut churches and frescoes. Villages in the valleys, surrounded by the table top mountains, are spectacular. Lunch and Visit to Sahinefendi ( Sobesos )- Sobessos, newly discovered (01 May 2002) mosaic houses & Archaeological excavation site. Continue with Keslik Monastery near Cemil, that hides its frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torch light. Our tour finishes with a visit to Mustafapasa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. Dinner & Overnight Cappadocia Tuesday, May 3 CAPPADOCIA After breakfast, first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley; walking in Pasabag near Zelve ; fairy chimneys where the voice of wind mixes with the songs of fairies. Lunch in Avanos, centre of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC. and a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century). Continue to Uchisar Rock-Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia Dinner & Overnight Cappadocia Wednesday, May 4 PAMUKKALE Fly to IZMIR and visit ancient Smyrna (Rev.2:8-11). Proceed to Pamukkalle; which means Cotton Castle, named for the limestone-laden hot springs which cascade from one white-edged terrace pool to the next.dinner and overnight Pamukkalle. Thursday, May 5: Colosse,Laodicea and Hierapolis; Hierapolis is blessed by hot mineral springs and some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in Asia Minor. Paul mentions Hierapolis in his Letter to the Colossians in saluting Epaphras, a fellow laborer, for his love of the brethren there (Colossians 4: 13). The ruins cover more than a mile. You will see the impressive amphitheatre with seats still in perfect condition. You will see the City Gates, column-lined streets and arches, which have stood through time and earthquakes. Famous as the receiver of Paul s Letter to the Colossians, the town of Colossae has fallen into obscurity. You can still see traces of the theatre, the Necropolis and the Church. The Christians of Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches (Rev. 3: 14-22), were chastised for being lukewarm, You are neither cold nor hot (Rev. 3: 15), and for being too comfortable incorporating pagan and Christian beliefs. In the famous scripture from Revelation (3: 20-21), Jesus says to the Laodicean church: Behold, I stand at the door and knock.... Visit the amazing remains of Aphrodisias. Continue to Kusadasi for dinner and overnight. Friday, May 6- EPHESUS. Ephesus is one of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Rev. 1: 11). In ancient days, Ephesus was a bustling port town of 250,000, graced with wide, colonnade-bordered streets. Today, you will be impressed with the spectacular excavations of the major streets of ancient Ephesus. You will view the Library and the huge Agora. The Temple of Artemis was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today, only a single column remains to mark the site. You will visit the Basilica of St. John, traditional site of his grave. From the basilica, enjoy a commanding view of the area. You will visit the Museum of Ephesus for an up-close look at artifacts from the ancient city. You will have time to explore this powerful city on your own and recreate some of the footsteps of Paul. Dinner and overnight Kusadasi

3 Saturday, May 7 SARDIS PHILADELPHIA,PERGAMUM Drive to Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6) capital of the ancient Lydia, see the Temples of Cybele and Diana, which later became a church. Continue to Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13) in Alasehir, visit the scanty remains of the Cathedral. Continue to Pergamum. Pergamum was another of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation. It displeased the Lord because it tolerated the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which Christ hated (Rev. 2:12-17). Towering 1000 feet above the town and commanding a spectacular panorama is the fabled Acropolis. As you pass through the Royal Gates, you will enter one of the great centers of classic Greek culture. You will see the foundations of the Temple of Zeus, the Temple of Athena, and the ruins of the Library which once held 200,000 parchment volumes. You will see the remains of the Temple of Trajan, the Grand Theatre, the Gymnasium, and the Health Center (Aesclepion). Not far away is Troas. Here, on his second missionary journey, Paul had a vision in which he was called to Macedonia (Acts 16: 8-13). Later, during his third journey, Paul spent a week in Troas preaching. On one occasion he also resurrected Eutychus who fell to his death from a window while sleeping (Acts 20: 6-12). In Troy, history is buried in myth and mud. Nine layers of the fabled city have been excavated. Homer s Iliad relates the legendary story of the Trojan War. Dinner and Overnight at Cannakale. Sunday, May 8 TROAS, PHILIPPI/KAVALA Leave Canakale and cross the Dardenelles. Then, travel to the Turkish /Greek borders. We ll travel in the footsteps of the apostle Paul and Silas to Philippi, where Paul, intending to find a place to pray by the riverside, spoke to women who had gathered there among whom was Lydia, the seller of purple and whose heart the Lord opened to hear the words that he spoke (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia was the first Christian to be baptized on European soil. Visit the place where this event is remembered and see a crypt dating from the Roman period, which is thought to have served as a prison for the apostle Paul. See the famous Acropolis, the Market Place, the Basilica, and the Theater. Visit Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece s most picturesque mainland ports. Paul landed here with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. See the Roman Aqueduct and Acropolis. Dinner and overnight at Kavala. Monday, May 9-THESSALONIKI,VERIA,METEORA Thessaloniki, the city where Paul was accused of turning the world upside down by his preaching of Christ (Acts 17: 3-6), and the church to whom he addressed his Thessalonian epistles, visit St. George s Basilica, traditionally believed to be built over the synagogue where Paul preached. View the Old City Ramparts, and the Galerius Arch that rises over the Via Egnatia. Visit the Archaeological Museum. See two of the most beautiful basilicas in the city, St. Sophia and St. Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished member of the Roman army and a martyred Christian convert. When the apostle Paul arrived in Veria (Berea), he went to the Jewish synagogue, where he discovered the Jews had accepted the new faith along with some honorable Greeks (Act 17: 10-12). Continue to Kalambaka. Visit the rock forest of Meteora in western Thessaly and ponder the rough terrain in which the apostle Paul walked during his missionary journey. See famous Byzantine monasteries perch precariously on summits of soaring, sheer-sided grey rock pinnacles of varied and spectacular shapes. Their history goes back to the 14th century when the monks sought refuge in cliff-side caves, then fled higher to build the original wooden shelters, later transformed into monasteries. Visit one of these monasteries. Kalambaka dinner and overnight. Tuesday, May 10 DELPHI/ATHENS Travel to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world, considered by early Greeks to be the center of the world and marked by the conical stone, called the omphalos or navel. Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, the Theatre, and the Temple of Apollo where the oracle performed his or her prophetic rituals. With innumerable pagan ruins surrounding your walk, capture a glimpse of the challenge the apostle Paul incurred in preaching the Gospel of Christ in Macedonia. Visit the Museum where you will view many ancient treasures, the chief of which is the 5th century BC bronzed Charioteer, complete with even eyelashes. Continue to Athens for dinner & overnight. Wednesday, May 11 ATHENS/CORINTH. In Corinth, the city where Paul met Aquilla and Priscilla, the tent makers, and where the Lord spoke to Paul by a vision saying, I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city (Acts 18: 10). Here, Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue believed in the Lord, and many Corinthians as well hearing Paul, believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8); thus, began the church at Corinth to whom Paul wrote two epistles. Visit the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place and Temples. Walk among the ruins and stand on the Bema where Paul stood before Gallio facing charges brought by the Jews that were dropped. Paul stayed awhile in Corinth before leaving for Syria from the port at Cenchreae (Acts 18: 12-18). Return to Athens.Enjoy the architectural splendors of the ancient city of Athens as you follow your guide to the world renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. View Mars Hill where the apostle Paul stood and said, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you (Acts 17:23). See the Agora, the ancient market place and center of the Athenian public life, where the apostle Paul preached Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Dinner & overnight. Thursday, May 12 - ATHENS/TORONTO Our journey comes to a close as we transfer to Athens airport in time for our flight via Rome back to Toronto. The Parthenon in Athens The Library of Celsus at Ephesus

4 The Odeon at Ephesus TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Tour Operator, GTI Group Tours acts only as an Agent for the various Companies, Owners or Contractors providing the means of transportation, accommodation and other services pertaining to the tour. All exchange orders, coupons and tickets are issued subject to the terms and conditions under which such means of transportation, accommodation and other services are offered or provided. The issuance and acceptance of such tickets shall be deemed to be consent to the further conditions: a. The Tour Operator GTI Group Tours shall not be in anyway liable for any injury, damage or loss, accident, delay or irregularity which may be occasioned either by defect or irregularity on any vehicle, or through the acts or default of any company, or person engaged in conveying the passengers, or of any hotel proprietor, personnel or servant or of any person otherwise in connection therewith. b. Each exchange coupon, order and ticket are to be regarded as one contracted by or on behalf of the particular company or person named in it. c. The Airlines concerned are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not on board their plane or conveyance. Thepassage contract used by the Airlines concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the Airlines and the Purchaser of these tours and / or passengers. Delivery of baggage to the Airline, Railway or Motorcoach shall be deemed an irrevocable release of the tour operator from any and all liability whatsoever resulting from loss, damage or delay in transit to any baggage of the tour participant during any portion of tour including sightseeing. Please note: The government of Canada requires that you be advised of the following: Entry to another country may be refused even if the required travel documents are in order. Living standards and practices at the destination and the standards and conditions there with respect to utilities & services, may differ from those found in Canada. GENERAL INFORMATION Passport: Every tour participant must be in possession of a valid Passport. If you already have a Passport, please check that it is valid for at least six months after day of departure. If not, you must apply for a new Passport No vaccinations required. VISA: GREECE No visa is required for passengers travelling with Canadian/ USA/EU Passports. Others please contact G.T.I. Group Tours. TURKEY: A visa is required and will be issued at Istanbul airport at a cash payment of $65 CDN per person. Reservations: Reservations are made and accepted upon receipt of a deposit as indicated in the reservation form. Final payment is due no later than 60 days prior to departure from Canada. NO PAYMENTS BY CREDIT CARD. Cancellations: If 90 to 45 days prior to departure - loss of deposit. If 44 to 31 days prior to departure - loss of 50% of tour price. If 30 days to departure - loss of 100% tour price Hagia Sophia at Istanbul TOUR PRICE FROM TORONTO $3669 CDN PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY TOUR PRICE INCLUDES Transportation: Round trip jet economy class via Alitalia Airlines and/or any other carrier, based on Special Group Airfare in effect at the time of printing, from Toronto/return. Hotel Accommodations: In twin-bedded rooms with private bath or shower at deluxe hotels. Single Rooms: Some single rooms available upon request at a supplemental charge of $879. Meals: Daily breakfast and dinner at hotels. Sightseeing: By Pullman motorcoaches as per itinerary including the service of a Lecturer/ Guide, all entrance fees to sites visited. Touring sequence may be slightly changed to comply with group requirements. Service Charges and Taxes: All taxes charged by local governments on services which are part of the tour arrangements are included. Transfer and Porterage: Included everywhere on arrival and departure at airports as well as hotels. Our Rates Do Not Include: Passport and visa fees, insurance, laundry, mineral water, serving of coffee or tea after lunch or dinner, food other than the regular d hote menu, airport taxes & fuel surcharges. Tips to guide, driver and hotel staff - not included. Note: Tour will be operated subject to a minimum of 36 paying passengers participating. All rates published in this brochure are based on tariffs and exchange rates in force at the time of printing and are subject to change. Please note that once you have paid in full, your tour price will not undergo any changes. If in the unlikely event, the price of the tour is increased by more then 7% before you have paid us in full, you are free to cancel and receive full refund of your deposit. Insurance: A special insurance package, includes trip cancellation, medical coverage, accident and luggage is available and highly recommended at the following rates: 0-59 $ $ $ $ $ If you have chosen to purchase our offered insurance package, the policy will be enclosed with your invoice. REMIT PAYMENT WITH REGISTRATION. NOT REFUNDABLE Tour Documents: 30 days prior to departure, each tour member will receive documents consisting of final itinerary, flight and hotel schedules, and other important informative material regarding the tour. G. T. I. Group Tours Inc. 534 Lawrence Ave. W. Toronto Ontario M6A 1A2 Tel: (416) Fax: (416) gticanada@sympatico.ca ONT. REG For passengers from Western & Eastern Canada best available add-on fares to Toronto will be offered. Printed July 2010

5 Registration Form In the Steps of St. Paul April 28 - May 12, 2011 Name (Mr/Mrs/Ms) (As shown in Passport) Address Postal Code Phone (Res.) Phone (Cell) Insurance required? yes no Date of Birth I wish to share a room / cabin with I wish to depart from I wish to reserve a single room yes no Enclosed is my/our checks for $ per person. Plus optional insurance fee $ All Checks must be made payable to G.T.I. Group Tours Mail to G.T.I. Group Tours, # Lawrence Ave. W., Toronto,ON M6A 1A2 Registration Form In the Steps of St. Paul April 28 - May 12, 2011 Name (Mr/Mrs/Ms) (As shown in Passport) Address Postal Code Phone (Res.) Phone (Cell) Insurance required? yes no Date of Birth I wish to share a room / cabin with I wish to depart from I wish to reserve a single room yes no Enclosed is my/our checks for $ per person. Plus optional insurance fee $ All Checks must be made payable to G.T.I. Group Tours Mail to G.T.I. Group Tours, # Lawrence Ave. W., Toronto,ON M6A 1A2