Pilgrimage to Turkey & Greece

“In Search of Paul” An Aegean Odyssey

April 22 - May 9, 2014 The Rev. Dr. Don Carlson, Host

a LEAD pilgrimage for rostered leaders

In partnership with Tutku Tours

Educational, Biblical, and Classical Tours

Apr 22 Tue DEPART HOUSTON, IAH Turkish Airlines TK 34 direct flight to Istanbul departing at 7:50 PM. Apr 23 Wed ARRIVE ISTANBUL at 3:55 PM The tour guide will meet you after the customs and baggage claim with a “DON CARLSON” sign. Meet and transfer to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (D) Apr 24 Thu ISTANBUL Full day tour in Istanbul. Visit the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome Square, St. Sophia Church, and the important Istanbul Archaeological Museum containing the Gezer Calender, the Titus Inscriptions, city walls from Babylon and other important items. Dinner at an outside seafood restaurant in Kumkapı district. (B,D) Apr 25 Fri ISTANBUL - To GREECE BORDER - KAVALA Drive to Greece border. Change buses for an easy border crossing. Drive across the border into Greece and transfer to Greek bus with guide then continue to Kavala for dinner and overnight. (B,D) Apr 26 Sat NEAPOLIS, PHILIPPI, AND AMPHIPOLIS - THESSALONIKI Visit Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece's most picturesque mainland ports. See the Roman Aqueduct and Acropolis. See Philippi, where Paul, intending to find a place to pray by the riverside, spoke to women who had gathered there among whom was Lydia. 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. Travel to Amphipolis, to see the ruins of many Christian basilicas. Overnight in Thessaloniki area. (B,D) Apr 27 Sun THESSALONIKI and VERIA - METEORA In Thessaloniki, visit St. George's Basilica, where tradition holds it is 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 on to Meteora (Kalambaka) for dinner and overnight. (B,D) Apr 28 Mon METEORA and DELPHI - ATHENS Visit the rock forest of Meteora in western Thessaly. See famous Byzantine monasteries perched precariously on summits of soaring, sheer-sided grey rock pinnacles of varied and spectacular shapes. Visit one of these monasteries. 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. Visit the Museum to view many ancient treasures, the chief of which is the 5th century bronzed Charioteer, complete with even eyelashes. Dinner and overnight in Athens. (B,D) Apr 29 Tue ATHENS Enjoy the architectural splendors of the ancient city of Athens with guided tour of the world renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon and the Erectheum. View Mars Hill where the apostle Paul spoke about “the unknown god” and see the Agora, the ancient market place and center of the Athenian public life. Also see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Afternoon is free to explore Athens on your own. Overnight Athens.(B,D) Apr 30 Wed CORINTH and CENCHREA – OVERNIGHT FERRY TO PATMOS In Corinth, the city where Paul met Aquilla and Priscilla, the tent makers, 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 Cenchraeae (Acts 18: 12-18). Dinner at a local restaurant in Athens. Transfer to port to take overnight ferry from Athens to Patmos. (B,D) May 01 Thu PATMOS – KUSADASI Arrive Patmos and visit the Cave of Revelation and the Basilica of John. Take afternoon ferry to Kusadasi. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi. (B,D) May 02 Fri EPHESUS – KUSADASI After breakfast, leave Izmir and drive to Ephesus , the first of the Seven Churches, for a visit. See the amazing ruins of this great city: the theater, the library, the Temple of Hadrian and the newly excavated Roman terrace houses. Also visit the Crisler Library. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi. (B,D) May 03 Sat PRIENE - MILETUS – APHRODISIAS – PAMUKKALE Drive south to visit the Greco-Roman city of Priene. Then visit Miletus Theater where Paul spoke to Ephesian elders. Then drive to Geyre to visit Aphrodisias, a great site excavated by the New York University. Dinner and overnight will be in Pamukkale. (B,D) May 04 Sun HIERAPOLIS - PHILADELPHIA – SARDIS – IZMIR Visit Hierapolis to see the monuments, thermal baths, the theater with its well preserved stage and the Temple of Apollo. Travel to Philadelphia, now called Alasehir, and visit the remains of a Byzantine basilica as well as some 11th century frescoes. Travel from there to Sardis , one of the most picturesque areas of any of the Seven Churches. See the remains of

The Acropolis, Athens

the Temple of Artemis as well as a small Byzantine church. Finally, proceed to Izmir, ancient Smyrna, one of the Seven Churches and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world. Check into the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D) May 05 Mon IZMIR - PERGAMUM – ASSOS After breakfast, we will visit the Smyrna Agora and see the graffiti section which is closed to the public. Roger Bagnall from NYU believes that Smyrna Agora houses some of the earliest Christian inscription in the world, as graffiti. Drive to Bergama which is the site of ancient Pergamos, one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Visit the Acropolis there and see the impressive theater, the Temple of Athena, and other ruins of former civilizations. Drive north to Assos (Acts 20:13-14) for dinner and overnight. (B,D) May 06 Tue ASSOS – ALEXANDER TROAS - CANAKKALE Morning visit to Assos to see its panoramic Temple of Athena overlooking the Aegean Sea. Continue to Odun Iskelesi to visit the site and the port of Alexandria-Troas where Paul raised the boy, Eutychus. Paul visited this area at least twice. Travel to Canakkale for dinner and overnight. (B,D) May 07 Wed BURSA – IZNIK - ISTANBUL Depart to Bursa; visit the Green Mosque and the Green Mausoleum. Drive to Iznik (ancient Nicaea) via the beautiful Iznik Lake road. Two ecumenical councils were held here: the First Ecumenical Council of 325 and the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787. Visit the ruins of the St. Sophia Church where the Seventh Ecumenical Council was held. In the afternoon, drive to Istanbul, the only city in the world spanning two continents; transfer to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B,D) May 08 Thu ISTANBUL Visit Galata Tower in the morning. Walk from Galata Tower in the old Pera district to the new Taksim Square. See the vivid streets of Beyoglu with churches, shops and cafes along the way. Then visit the Spice Bazaar for souvenir shopping. Take a private boat tour along the Bosphorus, seeing both the Asian and European shores of Istanbul. Afternoon visit to Ortakoy Village. This evening, gather for a farewell dinner. (B,D) May 09 Fri DEPARTURE Transfer to Istanbul Airport for TK 33 leaving at 1:05 PM. Direct flight to Houston IAH arriving at 6:05 PM.

Cost: $4270 per person, double occupancy room

(For single occupancy room, add $920) This includes:

International flights between Houston, Istanbul, Houston

10 nights at 3-4 star hotels in Turkey

5 nights at 3 star hotels in Greece

1 night at overnight ferry from Athens to Patmos

Daily breakfast and 15 dinners

Transportation by private bus with A/C

English-speaking, Bible-oriented, professional tour guides throughout the pilgrimage

All entry fees to sites and museums

All tips for hotels and restaurant staff

All tips to tour guides and drivers

All service charges and local taxes It does not include:

Turkish Visa fee ($20 per person for US citizens; to be obtained upon arrival in Istanbul)

Lunches and extra beverages

Personal discretionary expenses; shopping

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Ancient Corinth, Temple of Apollo

NOTE: Although it is not anticipated, a pilgrimage always includes times when the itinerary might need to be adjusted.

How to Register: To register for "In Search of Paul,” click here or go to waytolead.wordpress.com and click on Upcoming Events. Complete all the information on the registration form (red asterisks are required). You will need your passport information to do this. Once you click “next” at the bottom of the screen, you will be taken to a new page which will ask you to double check that the information you entered is correct. If it is, click “confirm & proceed with payment”.

If you are paying with a credit card, you may do so online at this point. If you are paying by check, you will close out the browser and mail a check (with the event title in the memo line) to:

LEAD 12941 I-45 North Freeway, Suite #210 Houston, Tx 77060-1243

You will receive an email after you complete the process. If you are paying by check, the email will say that your registration is pending. Payment Due Dates: Deposit: $400 per person by September 18, 2013 Balance: $3870 per person by January 22, 2014; plus $920 single room occupancy, if applicable

In Search of Paul

Odyssey: a long journey usually marked by change; an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest. As the 500th anniversary of the Reformation nears, travel with us to the Aegean basin, visit the ancient world of the early church and search for the Paul of the 1st century. Contemporary scholars often describe three “Pauls”: the Paul of the genuine autograph letters; the “Paul” of the pastorals - 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus; and the “Paul” of Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians. Lutherans may also have a “fourth Paul” - the “Paul” of the 16th century. How does the “Reformation Paul” equate to the “genuine Paul”? What did Paul mean by: justice, righteousness, salvation, faith, law, and gospel as he wrote to the urban poor living in the classed slave society of the Roman Empire? What does a 1st century gospel mean in a 21st century context? These are some of the questions we will explore as we travel through the world of the early church focusing on the autograph letters of: 1 Corinthians, Philippians, Galatians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon. The odyssey has three stages:

Preparation - We will enter into an electronic relationship before we leave and prepare ourselves for the pilgrimage. There will be required readings in preparation.

Experience - We will journey together as a community where all can feel safe, valued, heard, challenged, enriched, and can experience an encounter with the holy.

Follow up - We will reflect together through electronic and other

means to explore how the journey has influenced our faith and ministry.

Come along, and search out the life and faith of the early church.

In partnership with

Tutku Tours

Educational, Biblical, and Classical Tours

Gaziosmanpasa Bulvari 3/303 Izmir 35210 TURKEY Phone +9-232 441-8635 / 441-8676 / 441-8677

Fax: +90-232 441-8636 Email: info@tutkutours.com www.tutkutours.com

Above: 6th century fresco of Paul and Thecla; at Ephesus. Below: Carving from the doorpost of the synagogue at Aphrodisias listing the names of those contributing to its building. In the upper left is the general category: “...and those who are God fearers.”

Cancellation Penalty: 90-60 days prior to departure: No Penalty 59-45 days prior to departure: 25% 44-30 days prior to departure: 50% 29-15 days prior to departure: 75% 14 days & after No refund Air Cancellation Policy: We will be liable to airline standard rules. Travel Insurance: Optional travel insurance may be purchased as a separate package at an extra cost. Travel insurance agreement is a contract between the traveler and the insurance company (American Express, Travelex, or other).