You are invited!
Spiritual Adventure of a LifetimeYou are invited -- 13 Days, 12 Nights the Holy Land
May 5 - 18, 2027 Join us for a comprehensive pilgrimage to the Holy Land, visiting many of the most significant sites in the biblical story. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus. Meet and worship with local believers. Experience the beauty of the Sea of Galilee and the holiness of Jerusalem, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Temple Mount, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Via Dolorosa.
Walk along the Mediterranean shore at Caesarea. Sail on the Sea of Galilee. Look out across the land from Mount Tabor. Visit Cana of Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jericho, and Masada. You may even float in the Dead Sea. We call this a Living Stones Pilgrimage because we are intentional about creating opportunities to meet, talk with, and worship alongside local believers — Christians who continue to follow Jesus in the land where the Christian faith was born. Rescheduled to May 2027We have rescheduled from Fall 2026 to Spring 2027: We trust that we are seeing the end of a period of regional conflict in the Middle East. We are encouraged by signs that the situation is easing and praying for a just and lasting peace.
May the Prince of Peace bring about an enduring season of peace so that Jews, Muslims, and Christians may dwell side by side in the land where these faiths were born. Pilgrimage deepens faith, strengthens our understanding of Scripture in its geographical and historical context, and builds relationships across the Body of Christ. Christian pilgrimage also contributes in a meaningful way to the economic well-being of the peoples of the Holy Land, including many local Christian families whose livelihoods depend on hospitality and tourism. We trust that our plans for May 2027 will be able to go forward, while recognizing that the safety of pilgrims must always come first. |
Trinity Tours -- our MissionOur mission is to create carefully planned Christian pilgrimages where Scripture comes alive, faith is renewed, and pilgrims encounter the Living Stones — the local Christians whose witness continues in the land where our faith was born.
Itinerary overviewLiving Stones Pilgrimage 2027
Our May 2027 pilgrimage begins with a group non-stop flight to the Holy Land. We start in Galilee, based at the Golan Hotel in Tiberias overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and spend several days walking in the places where Jesus taught, healed, called disciples, and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. Highlights in the Galilee include Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Magdala, Nazareth, Cana, Mount Tabor, Mount Carmel, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, and a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. Along the way we enjoy good meals, expert guiding, shared worship, and time to reflect together. We then travel south toward Jerusalem, visiting significant biblical and historical sites along the way. In Jerusalem, our home base is the Golden Walls Hotel, just outside the Damascus Gate. From there we explore the Old City, the Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, the Pool of Bethesda, the Via Dolorosa, Mount Zion, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Day trips from Jerusalem include Bethlehem, Ein Karem, the Judean Desert, the Jordan River, Jericho, and other important sites. We worship with local Christians and intentionally make time to meet the “Living Stones” of the Holy Land — believers who continue to follow Jesus in the land where the gospel first took root. The primary pilgrimage runs May 5–18, 2027, with an optional two-day Jerusalem Extension May 18-20 for those who wish to stay longer. |
Reserve a space
We expect strong demand for hotel space in spring 2027, especially after several years of postponed travel. We saw something similar after the Covid-19 pandemic: when travel resumed, the number of pilgrims visiting the Holy Land increased very quickly.
We are now well placed for May 2027 because we hold a block of rooms at two excellent hotels: the Golan Hotel in Tiberias and the Golden Walls Hotel in Jerusalem. Holding these rooms is important. Once travel to the region resumes more fully, many pilgrimage groups and tour operators will be trying to rebook and the better hotels will be difficult to book.
We are now well placed for May 2027 because we hold a block of rooms at two excellent hotels: the Golan Hotel in Tiberias and the Golden Walls Hotel in Jerusalem. Holding these rooms is important. Once travel to the region resumes more fully, many pilgrimage groups and tour operators will be trying to rebook and the better hotels will be difficult to book.
early Booking is importantAt present, we hold a block of 20 rooms, enough for a group of about 30 pilgrims. Once we have enough confirmed participants to fill these rooms, we can request additional rooms, subject to availability. However, it is not always possible to secure extra rooms later. We can only hold this block of rooms for a limited time before paying a deposit.
Therefore, if you think you may wish to be part of this pilgrimage, the next steps are: |
Next steps
Important Note:
|
Join us for 12-15 Days in the Holy Land
Living Stones PilgrimageMay 5–18, 2027
|
Jerusalem Extension May 18-20, 2027
|
|
|
|
Pilgrimage leaders:
Canon Vicars Hodge |
ArchBishop David Edwards |
Administration:
Registrar for our Pilgrimage is Jenna Kimbo (Carole & Vicars' daughter). She is responsible for hotel reservations, rooming lists, coordination of flights, entry visas, and other administration.
 Vicars Hodge
The Rev. Canon Vicars Hodge plans the itinerary and program for our pilgrimage tours. He is the liaison between our tour operators, hotels, guides & drivers, restaurants, and our group and is responsible for reservations and arrangements.
Vicars is an experienced Anglican Priest with a passion for the Holy Land and her people. Over the past 35 years he has accompanied a number of pilgrim tours in the land that St. Jerome called "The Fifth Gospel." Vicars is a retired Rector of Trinity Church, Sarnia where he continues to serve as Associate Priest. He is the Canon Missioner of the Diocese of Huron. Vicars has a keen interest in the Bible, history and theology. He will supplement the local Tour Guide’s talks, offering devotional moments and Biblical insight to the various sites we visit. Vicars will be available to answer questions as they arise. This will be Vicars’ seventh group pilgrimage to the Holy Land. As well, in 2017 he spent a 60 Day Sabbatical living at Tantur Institute, on a hill outside Jerusalem overlooking Bethlehem. Asked why he keeps returning to the Holy Land, Vicars says: "Pilgrims to the Holy Land never return home unchanged. I am thrilled to watch as the stories of scripture come to life in context and faith grows deeper.. As well, my heart sings as I watch new friendships form between western pilgrims and the people of the land. Pilgrimage has deep and enduring kingdom value and I feel honoured to be part of it." Vicars is married to Carole (who will be join this pilgrimage) and they have three adult children and three grandchildren. When he is not preaching or on pilgrimage he is usually found in his woodworking shop. |
 David Edwards
The Most Rev. David Edwards will share the teaching and leadership of our 2024 pilgrimage. Archbishop Edwards has a lifetime of experience as a pastor and teacher and a great love for helping people to come to know Jesus and understand the Bible. Archbishop Edwards is the 10th Bishop of Fredericton and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada (Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces.) He was born and educated in Shropshire, England and worked as a high school history teacher prior before training for ministry as Bishop's Advisor in Evangelism. He was ordained a priest in 1995 and then moved to New Brunswick in 1998 as Principal of Taylor College of Evangelism. In New Brunswick David served as a parish priest, territorial archdeacon, and as Parish Development Officer for the Diocese of Fredericton. He was elected coadjutor bishop May 10, 2014 and installed as the tenth Bishop of Fredericton a few months later. In 2020 he was elected and installed as Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada (Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces). He serves on Wycliffe College Toronto's Board of Trustees and is the Liaison Bishop to the Mission to Seafarers, Canada. David enjoys reading, walking and has been a lifetime supporter of the Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (the Wolves). David is married to Debbie (Collicott) who will also be joining our pilgrimage. |
Limited Group Size: Our group size is limited by two factors:
|
Bus Space
We usually use a standard motor coach with a capacity of 45.
On our larger pilgrimages we have used an "oversize" coach with seating for 54 passengers including leaders. Coach size sets the "upper limit" on number of participants. |
Hotel Room Availability:
We presently hold a block of 20 hotel rooms - enough rooms for the first 30 pilgrims who register. Once this block is filled, we will request more rooms, subject to availability. As long as hotels have space, we can add new registrations. Unfortunately, the better hotels fill up in the Holy Land and we sometimes disappoint people who seek to register late. Last pilgrimage we had to close our list at 47 as no further rooms could be had.
So, the bottom line is this, if you want to go, register early. Even if you are not absolutely certain -- you can reserve. All you risk is the deposit. To be kept up to date please subscribe to our newsletter and you will get our periodic updates as our plans develop. |