INTRODUCTION
In January 2026 Pastor Erik and Rich Taylor, a parishioner, are in a group trip to Palestine. Pastor Erik spent time in Palestine and will be visiting families and people he knows from that time. One friend is Rev. Dr. Imad Haddad who is being installed as Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan when Pastor and Rich are there.
While in the area they also plan to visit Episcopal and Lutheran Hospitals, visit and worship with the local Palestinians, visit The Church of the Holy Sepulture, and other areas as time permits.
The following are messages and photos from Pastor Erik updating us on the trip.
Day 8
Pastor Erik and Rich spent the day traveling around the Bethlehem area. First, they went to a monastery in the wilderness. While the scenery was beautiful, the group was not allowed inside because they were Protestants and not Orthodox. Next, the group went to Shepherd’s Field and looked over the different grottos in the area. Next, we passed by a refugee camp and went shopping at a famous store in the area. Pastor Erik found himself a chalice and paten and will have it blessed by Bishop Donna Simon of the Central States Synod before he leaves.
Day 7
Pastor Erik and Rich had a slower day as they come to the end of their time in Palestine. The pictures from this morning are taken from a very special farm in Palestine. Pastor Erik and Rich will talk more about this place (run by a Palestinian Lutheran) in their in-person presentations.
Next Pastor Erik and Rich went to Dar al-Kalima, a Lutheran University in the Bethlehem area. There they had a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb and he shower them a gallery while explaining the different things happening at the University.
Finally, Pastor Erik and Rich finished the day at the Environmental Education Center at the ELCJHL school Talitha Kumi school. They got some insight into the particular environmental challenges that face Palestinians and saw the release of some birds that had been banded.
Day 6
To begin Day 6, Pastor Erik and Rich began their day on the Mount of Olives on the Lutheran World Federation compound. They got to hear from people in charge of the hospital, Augusta Victoria, which specializes in cancer treatment and dialysis including having facilities for children. Many of their patients come from the West Bank but they are facing hardships due to the withholding of important funding that has allowed them to treat children or prevention of travel for the children to come and receive treatment.
A couple of pictures also show a day care and preschool on the campus and Pastor Erik pointed out to Rich that one of his coworkers served there. The Church of the Accession was a beautiful church that was also on the campus where the Arabic speaking congregation occasionally meets for worship because it is more accessible. Much more can be said about the history of this compound, but you will need to attend a presentation by the two travelers to hear more.
To top off the day, Pastor Erik and Rich went to the new building for the school that Pastor Erik worked when he lived in Palestine. This set of pictures also includes a picture of their whole group minus one bishop who needed to leave that morning.
Day 5
Today, Pastor Erik and Rich went to Jericho and the Jordan river. This area is quite an oasis with many different fruits growing in the area with dates in particular being a popular one. The group for visited one of the many functioning monastery on the Jordan River and got to see many of the crypts and altars setting in this ancient part of the world. After the monastery the group went to a baptismal site on the Jordan River and got to wave at the country of Jordan and witness two people renewing their baptisms in the Jordan River.
After the Jordan River, Pastor Erik and Rich took an air trolley ride to the top of a cliff overlooking Jericho. After climbing a ton of stairs, they entered into a monastery dedicated to the story of when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. They got to eat lunch at a restaurant that gave a grand view of Jericho and Jorden. They experience some rain on this day thus why the rainbows in some of the pictures.
Pastor Erik and Rich made one more stop in Jericho to Hisham’s Palace, an 8th century Caliph palace that served as a winter home for several royal families. It is also the location of the mosaic of the tree of life.
After Jericho, the group managed to get into the Church of the nativity at the last minute. Much like the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem, the Church of the Nativity is overseen by several Christian denominations.
Day 4
Pastor Erik and Rich had a late start after the group attended the celebration of Bishop Haddad’s consecration. The first stop was to the ruins of some medicinal pools in the Old City. This area is under the care of the White Fathers, a Christian order from Africa. They then looked at some Roman slabs that remain to this day. The picture of the tick tack toe looking thing is a marker that meant the room was used by Roman soldiers. The map is an image of Jerusalem during the second temple era.
Like good members of a congregation named St. Francis, Rich and Pastor Erik followed the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Once again many of these pictures require more explanation so feel free to ask questions on their comments if you want to learn more!
While at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Church of the Resurrection in Arabic), the group ran into The Venerable Canon Fuad Dagher, the Rector of St. Paul’s Church, Shefa’amr. Rich sighed a breath of relief to finally be around another Episcopalian after spending so much time with Lutherans! If you would like to learn more about Father Dagher and the Diocese of Jerusalem, visit their website: https://j-diocese.org
After touring the Church of the Resurrection, the group had some free time to explore the Old City of Jerusalem. Pastor Erik snapped back into his old patterns of moving around the Old City and Rich took as many pictures as he could as well borrowing some from other group members.
Day 3
On day 3, Pastor Erik and Rich began their first day at Christmas Lutheran in Bethlehem to join the Arabic speaking congregation for Sunday worship. Pastor Ashraf and Tony led a wonderful service. The creche in the rubble was a powerful symbol started in 2024 by this congregation with the added Christmas tree to represent a change back to celebrating Christmas in all of its joy.
After church, the group went to Jerusalem for the consecration of Bishop Haddad. Pictures cannot do it justice especially with the scout bands playing. The service began with everyone marching from Jaffa gate to the Old City. The group was led by scout bands from the Bethlehem area. They played an assortment of Christmas songs on various instruments including bagpipes. The event was INCREDIBLY well intended so that even some processing bishops did not have seating. The pictures include not only ELCA bishops but also international Lutheran bishops. This set of pictures even includes Pastor Erik’s Lutheran bishop. The president of the Lutheran World Federation was present as well. Many of the pictures require individual explanation in which you will need to attend a presentation that Pastor Erik and Rich will hold when they return. Conversations have included situations where we would have at least two, one at St. Francis and another at Trinity Episcopal in Michigan City or a possibility of a joint one with the two congregations. If any local congregations are interested in hosting Pastor Erik and Rich when they return let them know and they can schedule something. After attending the service Pastor Erik and Rich attended a celebration for Bishop Haddad in the Bethlehem area.
Day 2: Taybeh and Jerusalem
Pastor Erik and Rich visited a Catholic church in Taybeh today. This community is one of the last all Christian communities in Palestine. It has three active congregations which share in ministry together by doing joint youth ministry, providing jobs for people to work in farming and tourism, and provide pastoral support during times of danger. Taybeh holds the tradition of being the location of Ephraim where Jesus went to hide from people who wanted to kill him (see John 11:54~). The tradition holds that upon coming he received a pomegranate, which has become a Eucharistic symbol for the town. The church also had a little cave house that is similiar to what people may have lived in during Jesus’s time.
Also in Taybeh, Rich and Pastor Erik got to visit the ruins of a crusader church. Taybeh’s roots as a Christian village go back possibly to ancient times. When the crusaders came to the Holy Land they saw the church in what is now known as Taybeh and they added to it. Unfortunately it was destroyed but the Christians remained and rebuilt their own communities. All three living congregations occasionally worship together at this site.
The last stop in Taybeh for Rich and Pastor Erik was to the brewery. When Pastor Erik last visited they were much smaller and had a smaller selection of beers. Now they regularly release speciality beers, opened a distillery and winery, and have become a major economic force for the area. Their work not only provides tasty beer, but they also create jobs and economic opportunities for their village and beyond.
After Taybeh, Pastor Erik and Rich visited the Mount of Olives and got a grand view of the Old City of Jerusalem. While there, they also visited the traditional site of where Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Day 1, 01/09/2026
Day One: Arrival
This will be a shorter update as Pastor Erik and Rich have only just arrived in the Middle East. They flew out of the states on Thursday at 11 pm Eastern time and arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday at 5 pm local time. Tired, but excited, they rode a bus to Beit Jala, a town connected with Bethlehem and stayed at a hotel there. The pictures include one that Pastor took of the Mediterranean Sea as they approached Tel Aviv. The other is the first plate of food Pastor Erik got once they go to their hotel.
Photos from Day 1
