Churchnet Leaders
Join Pilgrimage
to Israel
Three representatives from
Churchnet joined leaders from
different Baptist denominations
on a trip to Israel through an
initiative of the International
Fellowship of Christians and
Jews. Executive Director Jim Hill,
Executive Director-Elect Brian Ford,
and board member Doyle Sager traveled to Israel in February. The three joined individuals from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Lott Carey Baptist Mission Convention, and National Baptist Convention of America for a week of visiting biblical sites, dialoguing about ways to cooperate together, and seeing local ministries of the IFCJ. Churchnet President Forestal Lawton traveled on an earlier IFCJ trip as a result of his leadership in the NBCA.
Ford called it "an honor for Churchnet to be among the groups invited." He said he "was personally blessed to be a part of this pilgrimage," which was his first trip to Israel.
“It was a rich trip developing relationships with our sisters and brothers bridging racial, cultural and religious borders,” he added. “Standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilea and gazing over the water and the surrounding hills — the location of so much of Jesus’s ministry described in the Gospels — was thrilling. I also have a better appreciation for the Biblical phrase, ‘going up to Jerusalem.’ It takes serious effort to walk up to the Old City from any point below. These experiences and many more will shape my preaching and teaching for years to come.”
Sager, pastor at First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, also reflected on what he learned on his first trip to Israel. He called the opportunities "to build relationships with our Jewish hosts" and "the time spent with African American pastors from all over the U.S." a special bonus of the trip.
"I will be unpacking the spiritual riches of my Israel pilgrimage for the rest of my life," he said. "Serving communion on the Sea of Galilee, strolling through
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Brian Ford, Doyle Sager, and Jim Hill with the Dome of the Rock in the background.