Holy Land Travel is Back:
Meeting Peacemakers First Pilgrimage took place October 13-26, 2022

Meeting Peacemakers tours provide visits to Israel/Palestine for travelers who want to discover the land and people in deeply personal ways. This Pilgrimage includes visits to traditional biblical holy sites (the Dead Stones), but also introduces local Peacemakers (the Living Stones). Through several hikes, participants experience the beauty of the Land (the Fifth Gospel). Most meaningfully, they meet leaders from organizations on both sides of the Green Line who are working for a just peace in this troubled land. Tours last 2 weeks and are scheduled as groups commit to travel together. Interested? Contact Joan Deming for more information.

Olive harvest, Tent of Nations
Al Aqsa Mosque
Visiting Biram, Abuna Chacour’s village

Who are the tour leaders? Rev. Joan Deming has led 15 similar listening-study tours to Israel/Palestine since 2012. Usama Nicola is our on-the-ground guide, together with colleagues from Wi’am, the Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center in Bethlehem. Maximum group size is 25.

“Come and See” in order to “Go and Tell”! Participants share experiences like these:

  • Get to know amazing leaders of organizations including Wi’am, Al Rowwad, the Parents’ Circle/Bereaved Families Forum, Defense for Children International-Palestine, Al Tufula, and the Mar Elias Educational Institutions. These organizations celebrate cultural riches, value human rights, practice non-violence, and witness to the power of hope.
  • Join in the olive harvest with an inspiring family whose “Tent of Nations” farm, surrounded by settlements, is threatened with confiscation. They still proclaim: “We refuse to hate.”
  • Worship with Christians in Bethlehem. Meet Christians, Jews, and Muslims on both sides of the Green Line whose commitment to living together is not always evident through U.S. media.
  • Visit OCHA, the United Nations Organization for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the West Bank and Gaza, for a briefing.
  • Share a hike in the desert, followed by a meal, entertainment, and conversation with local Bedouins.
  • Hike through a beautiful valley near Bethlehem to the UNESCO Heritage Site of Battir.
  • In Ibillin, meet with Mar Elias students and teachers and Archbishop Elias Chacour.
  • Visit key holy sites, including towns in the Galilee region where Jesus lived and carried out most of his ministry.
  • Take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
  • Visit Archbishop Chacour’s childhood village of Biram.
  • Begin preparing to share your experiences with friends and family after you return home.
  • Become an advocate for peace for all in the Holy Land.

For more information, check out these pages prepared for the 2022 pilgrimage:

  • Informational brochure from Oct 2022 pilgrimage with description of included activities and full trip details.
  • Registration form, Oct 2022 sample.
  • Online registration form and online payment option – will be activated when another group is in process of recruiting/registering.
See photos of activities from past pilgrimages on the Pilgrimage Photo Gallery page.

More about the Leaders of Meeting Peacemakers LLC:

Joan Deming is a retired United Methodist pastor and past executive director of Pilgrims of Ibillin. Working with Wi’am, she has led more than 270 American travelers on Living Stones pilgrimages to visit well-known holy sites and hear less-known stories of peacemaking in Israel and Palestine. Usama Nicola, Wi’am’s Citizen Diplomacy Director, together with Wi’am Center Colleagues will provide local planning. Wi’am staff are natives of Bethlehem and lifelong activists for peace and human rights.