Faith-based Tours
We all have stories about how travel breaks down walls and builds bridges of understanding and respect. While the current economy has stifled the travel industry in general, we have seen the faith-based market strengthen. Faith-based travel used to be defined as a pilgrimage or a mission trip. Today that definition has been expanded to be much more, as it encompasses not only the knowledge but the experience of faith with others. Faith-based groups travel any where in the world on trips lasting from one to many days; they travel to events, overseas or close to home; they visit a third-world country or an inner city, and their destinations can include the Holy Land, Rome or even Disney Land. They travel to a place where they can listen to or tell a story. They travel to reach out a helping hand or to reach out in understanding. The faith-based traveler will go where their own faith can be strengthened and refined, or where they can engage other cultures and build bridges of understanding. Ed-Ventures has helped arrange many faith-based tours for more than two decades. Below are some tours we currently have planned.
If you would like to create your own faith-based tour please contact us.
2020 Faith-based Tours
A Journey through the Holy Lands • March 27 - April 7, 2020
Tour Code: VTI20
Popular Bible teacher, author and speaker Vicki Tiede will once again lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. A highlight of our tour will be the Palm Sunday procession, walking in faith with thousands of others from all corners of the world. Included are visits to sites of the Old and New Testaments, Tel Aviv and Jaffa, the Galilee Region, Jerusalem, Qumran, and the Dead Sea. Don’t miss the pre-tour option to Jordan, where we will visit Petra, the mosaics at Madaba, Mt. Nebo (where Moses looked over the land of milk and honey), and the baptismal site at Bethany. Early-bird booking incentives are offered.
Tour Cost:
$2,650 per person
double occupancy
In the Footsteps of Luther and the Passion Play • June 16 - 27, 2020
Tour Code: RGA20 (formerly RTS20)
Pastor Terri Stagner-Collier will host this 12-day exploration of the major Luther historical sites, the Passion Play in Oberammergau, and a few Germany highlights. In addition to the historical and cultural insights provided by our professional tour guides, Pastor Terri will also lead us in scripture study, worship and song. This tour has been custom designed to strike a balance between group site-seeing and down-time to explore (or rest) on your own! Martin Luther’s journey of faith grew from a tentative novitiate full of questions and doubt to that of a passionate and courageous reformer, deeply grounded in God’s grace and the truth of Scripture. This tour will not only explore the sites and history of Luther’s life, but his theological journey as well. The Passion Play in Oberammergau will be the pinnacle of our travels, as we too experience anew the life-changing gift of God’s grace made known on the cross. All are welcome!
SOLD OUT!
Tour Cost:
$3,499 per person
double occupancy
Splendors of Italy and Oberammergau • June 22 - July 2, 2020
Tour Code: RIT20
Ah, Italia! Join tour hosts, Rev. Jason and Sandra Steele, an Evangelical Presbyterian Church minister with a congregation in Owosso, MI, as we we tour the beautiful sights of Italy. We'll start in Rome, with a tour of some of her most magnificent attractions, including the Vatican and the ancient Forum. We'll head through Tuscany to Florence to see the famous Duomo, Michelangelo's David, and other city highlights. After a day trip to Pisa, we'll continue to the canals of Venice. We'll end our tour by crossing into the Bavarian Alps to Oberammergau, where we will attend the once-a-decade performance of the Passion Play in this charming wood-workers' town. Our last stop is a day in Munich to enjoy the sights. A fun and faith-filled journey await.
Limited Availability
Tour Cost:
$3,899 per person
double occupancy
Footsteps of Martin Luther in Germany • August 13 - 22, 2020
Tour Code: RMX20
Steve Mixer, a retired pastor, and his wife Merrill, a professional tour guide and history buff, have enjoyed local delicacies in 40 countries throughout their 38- year marriage. They will host this tour which travels from Berlin to Munich, exploring historical sites relating to Martin Luther, quaint villages, magnificent castles, monasteries and churches. We’ll learn how God directed people and events to spark the Protestant Reformation. Then, we’ll attend the world-famous Oberammergau Passion Play – a testament to the faith that spared this tiny town from the Black Plague in 1633 and lives today. “For by grace are you saved through faith..it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
Tour Cost:
$2,999 per person
double occupancy
2020 Faith-based Tours
Lutherland and the Passion Play • August 19 - 30, 2020
Tour Code: PPREF20
We explore how faith has motivated action as we move through central Europe on this tour. First, we look at some of the places important to the life of Martin Luther and the start of the Reformation movement in Germany. Then, we have an opportunity to visit the monastery which provided refuge to Bonhoeffer, Mayer and other Nazi resisters. Finally, we visit Oberammergau, a small town where villagers perform the Passion Play once each decade to honor a promise made to God by their ancestors in 1633. Our last stops are in the alps of Lichtenstein and Switzerland for some awe inspiring history and majestic views.
Tour Cost:
$3,689 per person
double occupancy
Pilgrimage to Poland: Homeland of Pope John Paul II •
August 22 - 31, 2020 • Tour Code: SJP20
Join Father Tom Loomis and the St. James Coffeehouse on a journey of faith, friendship and fantastic sights in Poland. We’ve carefully curated a collection of stops that will guide you through the country’s deep history and incredible global contributions. We’ll show you lofty views from mountaintops, go deep into mines that will blow your mind, pray at elegant and inspiring churches and cathedrals and visit the humble abodes of some of the most influential people to have called Poland home. There is a wonderful opportunity to combine this tour with an Oberammergau Passion Play extension into Germany. The tour price includes many meals and airfare, with optional price available for other gateways or land-only.
Tour Cost:
$4,789 per person
double occupancy
Including airfare from MSP
Italy: Sites of the Saints • Oct. 18 - 29, 2020
Tour Code: SJIT20
St. James Coffee House returns to Italy with Father Andrew Beerman leading us in touring and prayer. Enjoy views of the picturesque countryside as we travel through central Italy to explore the legacies of St. Benedict, Padre Pio, St. Francis, St. Clare and more. Visit massive monasteries and humble village churches. Tour Roman sites with us, including visits to the Colosseum & Forum, the Vatican Museums and St. Peters, and a tour outside the city that leads us to more St. Francis and St. Benedict sites. We’ll end this faith-filled visit with a Papal Audience at the Vatican. All are welcome!
Tour Cost:
$4,999 per person
double occupancy
Including flight from Minneapolis