Covenant Journey is a US-based non-profit organization that provides trips to Israel for deserving Christian students aged 18 to 25. It sponsors the pilgrimage to the Holy Land to bring back the fire in the young believer’s faith, Breaking Israel News reports.
“We want participants to really experience modern Israel, and the only way is to meet real people,” explained Staver.
For the ten day trip, 45 students visit sites significant to the history of Christianity, including Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, the town of Magdalena, and Caesarea Philippi. Like Jesus Christ, the participants are also baptized in the Jordan River. The final leg of the pilgrimage takes them to Jerusalem, where they visit the Garden Tomb and walk the Via Dolorosa, the street believed to be the route that Jesus took before his crucifixion.
Mathew Staver, founder of Covenant Journey, saw a need for young Christians to know their Biblical roots. He said the college years are usually the time when students slowly detach from their faith. He believes that letting them go to Israel will revive and invigorate their connection to Christianity.
“It impacts their Christian faith,” Staver, a devout Christian, said. “Oftentimes Christians only look at the New Testament. This trip emphasizes the [Hebrew Bible] roots of Christianity. They realize these are real people, real places, it brings the Bible to life for them.”
As a way of strengthening interfaith relations, the tour also introduces the students to locations which are important to the Jews. They also spend time with Israeli political leaders, Holocaust survivors, and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.
“We want participants to really experience modern Israel, and the only way is to meet real people,” explained Staver.
Covenant Journey offers several trips to Israel every year. They send students who are Christian, have leadership potential, and have some level of support or interest in Israel. Selected students for the pilgrimage will only pay the $500 registration fee. Covenant Journey shoulders all other expenses, including round trip tickets from the U.S. to Israel, accommodation, meals, and speakers.
Sources:
Breaking Israel News
Covenant Journey
