Reservations Both tours are now filled. If you have questions about a reservation, please contact us. Information Meeting Audio from the January 19 informational meeting is available below. Click here to follow along with the agenda from the meeting. Pre-Departure Meeting Registered passengers will receive essential details for departure. Thursday, April 12 7-9 p.m. Commons Tour Details Please click for more information about what’s included in each tour package, plus the options for stateroom upgrades on the Viking Sun. Also note the Payment Schedule and Cancellation Policy. Recommended Books Click here for a list of books recommended by Pastor Dixon. Travel Services We are pleased once again to work with Madison Tours and Travel, which specializes in Holy Land tours and group travel. On their website you’ll find practical Traveler’s Information and an extensive list of Scripture references related to key historic sites in Israel. Contact Rebecca Johnson Tour Coordinator, Cherry Hills Community Church 720.295.6552 Sandy Richardson Tour Operator, Madison Tours and Travel 888.837.9640

Join us in celebration of the church’s 30th Anniversary with two special travel and learning experiences.

Roots Tour

Israel: April 26–May 5

Explore the Roots of Judeo-Christian history and tradition during a journey through the Holy Land of Israel.

Reformation Tour

Rhine River Cruise: May 5–13

Take a cruise along the Rhine River to examine the events and theology of the Reformation that still shapes Protestant faith to this day.

Roots Tour Itinerary

Roots Tour plans are still being confirmed, but here is the working itinerary as of June 12.

Day 1 – Thursday, April 26

Depart from Denver, change of planes in New York for the overnight flight to Tel Aviv.

Day 2 – Friday, April 27

We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv where we will be met by our Israel representative and transfer to the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. After a delicious buffet dinner, enjoy a walk along the Mediterranean Sea.

Day 3 – Saturday, April 28

After a short drive through Tel Aviv, our tour begins at Caesarea Maritima. Among the magnificent array of archaeological finds you will see well-preserved aqueducts and a beautiful example of the Roman Amphitheatre. We will gather in the Amphitheatre to hear biblical and historical insights from Pastor Dixon. We then visit Mount Carmel, where Elijah held the triumphal contest with 450 prophets of Baal.

Continuing to Megiddo, see the site of 26 superimposed cities, the remains from King Solomon’s days, and view the Plains of Jezreel where the final Armageddon will be fought. We will drive by Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. As we enter the Galilee region, we will drive up to Mount Arbel for a magnificent view of the valley.

We arrive at our hotels, located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where we will stay while in Tiberias: the Rimonim Galei Kinnereth Hotel and the Scots Hotel St. Andrew’s Galilee.

Day 4 – Sunday, April 29

We begin our day sailing across the Sea of Galilee in replica boats similar to vessels of 2,000 years ago. On board, enjoy morning devotions by Pastor Dixon and worship with our group. Visit the ancient “Jesus boat” discovered in 1986, which is consistent with boats built from 100 BC to AD 200.

Next, travel to Capernaum to see the ancient synagogue where Jesus taught, the Apostle Peter’s home, and explore the archeological gardens. Walk on the Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount, and gain a new understanding of the area, sitting on the hillside as Pastor Dixon speaks.

We then drive to Banias, one of the headwaters of the Jordan River and site of ancient Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” and declared that the gates of hell will not prevail. We end our day at Yardenit, where you will have the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River.

Day 5 – Monday, April 30

We begin with a visit to Sepphoris, near Nazareth, which served as the region’s capital where Jesus and his family would have traded goods, worked in carpentry and perhaps attended religious studies.

Next we drive down the Jordan Valley to explore the Beit She’an, Israel’s largest excavation revealing the remains of a Decapolis Capital that was destroyed in a massive earthquake in 749 AD and never rebuilt. At this amazing archeological site you will walk through massive columns that line the main street and see the skeleton of a city that included theaters, bathhouses, markets, reflecting pools and residential homes.

We continue to Gideon Springs, the natural springs where Gideon brought ten thousand to be tested. We will rest under the nearby trees for a devotional time with Pastor Dixon. Continue past Jericho and the Mount of Temptations to the lowest spot on earth, the Dead Sea. We will stay at the the Rimonim Royal Dead Sea Hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea for an evening of relaxation. Take advantage of the spa facilities or float in the naturally therapeutic salt water.

Day 6 – Tuesday, May 1

Today we visit Masada, the famous archaeological site of the King Herod’s fortified palaces where Jewish Zealots made their last stand against Rome in AD 73. We then pass Ein Gedi, site of the waterfalls where David cut off Saul’s skirt, on our way to Qumran, site of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery.

Relax and rest your feet as we drive to the Golden City, Jerusalem. Upon arrival, we will stop at the top of Mount Scopus for an overview and blessing. We will stay at the The David Citadel Hotel for the remainder of our time in Israel.

Day 7 – Wednesday, May 2

We begin our day on the Mount of Olives with an orientation to the Old City, then we walk down the Palm Sunday Road to the Garden of Gethsemane and teaching time with Pastor Dixon. We will get an overview of recent excavations of the City of David. Outside the Old City is the original Jerusalem, where excavations have revealed the ancient walls, wells and passageways.

We arrive at the Western Wall, built as a retaining wall for the Temple, and pause for a time of personal prayer and reflection. As you walk along the wall and nearby tunnel, you will see distinctively carved and well-preserved Herodian stones that weigh over 100 tons each. One of the stones is the largest ever quarried by man: 400 tons. Nothing near its size exist in Greece, the Pyramids or modern buildings of today.

We conclude our day with insight from Pastor Dixon on the Southern Steps of the Temple Mount. Very few sites can claim for certain to be a place where Jesus walked, but these steps were the only entrance for all who visited the Temple during the time of Christ.

Day 8 – Thursday, May 3

This morning we enter the Old City again and follow the Via Dolorosa, the “way of suffering” believed to have been traveled by Jesus as he went to his crucifixion at Golgotha, where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands. On the way, we visit the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus performed a miraculous healing, now just outside the historic Church of St. Anne’s. Next we walk through the Old Arab Markets, still bustling with color and commerce to this day.

For the afternoon, you have a choice of two options. You may continue our guided tour to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, to see the Church of the Nativity, Shepherds’ Fields and town shops. Or you may explore more of Jerusalem on your own, including Old City markets or modern shops. Enjoy dinner on your own, or return to the hotel for the meal provided there.

Day 9 – Friday, May 4

We complete our exploration of the Old City with a walk through the Jewish Quarters to see the ancient Roman Cardo and the remains from Nehemiah’s Wall. For a look at modern Jerusalem, we pass by the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, then walk through Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum.

For a final overview, we also visit the Israel Museum and see the Holy Land Model, a 1:50 miniature replica of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus. Many historical documents were used to construct how Jerusalem looked in the first century. We will also see the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran. We celebrate our Holy Land experience with a communion service led by Pastor Dixon outdoors at a Garden Tomb, a site believed to be the place of Jesus’ burial and resurrection.

Roots Tour passengers who are concluding their travels will transfer to the airport for late night departure and arrive home in Denver on Saturday, May 5.

Note: Itinerary details are subject to change at the discretion of Cherry Hills Community Church or the tour operator.

Reformation Tour Itinerary

Reformation Tour plans are still being confirmed, but here is the working itinerary as of June 12.

Day 1 – Saturday, May 5

Roots Tour passengers who are continuing on the Reformation Tour will be served breakfast at our Jerusalem hotel before departing on a one-way flight to Amsterdam.

Additional passengers will join us as the Reformation Tour begins. Enjoy a guided city tour and lunch in Amsterdam, then free time for exploration and dinner on your own. After our overnight stay in a 5-star hotel, we will have breakfast and a leisurely morning before a short drive to the port.

Boarding of the Viking Sun begins at noon. Sample fruits, deli meats and appetizers from the embarkation buffet until your stateroom is ready around 3:00 p.m.

Days 2-10 – May 6-13

From here, we will follow the Viking River Cruises itinerary from Amsterdam to Basel, with special opportunities added for our group’s enjoyment and learning. The cruise travels through 4 countries, including 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites and 6 land tours at ports of call.

Passengers concluding their travel in Basel will disembark and transfer to the airport for departure to Denver.

Optional Extension – Days 11-12 – May 13-14

The Rhine River Cruise ends with breakfast and disembarkation in Basel, but no time to see that city.

Therefore, we have made arrangements for an extension to include sightseeing in Basel and Zurich, as well as free time to explore Lucerne and enjoy dinner on your own. After an overnight stay and breakfast at the 5-star Palace Luzern hotel, our home-bound flight would depart from Zurich.

The extension cost per person is $599 in addition to the main Reformation Tour price. We need a minimum 20 passengers to make this work as a group option. Please confirm your interest with your Reformation Tour reservation.

Reformation Highlights

As our plans take shape, we will post additional information about the history and theology of the Protestant Reformation related to the sites along our cruise. Meanwhile, here are just a few glimpses of what’s in store:

Cologne, Germany
Now Germany’s fourth-largest city, Cologne is located on both sides of the Rhine River. Here, we will discover the historic Cologne Cathedral and the love story of a Catholic Archbishop whose heart was captured by a lovely Protestant Canoness from Martin Luther's hometown. The end of the story: he converted.

Heidelberg, Germany
In Heidelberg, the still relatively unknown monk, Martin Luther, in 1518 defended the theses he had nailed to the church door in Wittenberg several months earlier. This city is the site of Germany's oldest intact public library, established in 1421. It is 39 miles from Mainz, where the printing press was invented in 1440 and where the so-called Gutenberg Bible was the first major book published on a movable-type printing press.

Strasbourg, France
Stirrings toward church reform and insistence on Bible study gained momentum throughout the 1500s in Strasbourg, which was already known as a center for scholarship. Reformer John Calvin lived here as a refugee for several years.

Basel, Switzerland
Basel was both the home and pulpit of Ulrich Zwingli, who deviated from liturgical tradition to preach his way through each sequential book of the New Testament, and then the Old. On the run, John Calvin lived in this city, too, and here published his seminal work, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, in 1536.

Note: Itinerary details are subject to change at the discretion of Cherry Hills Community Church or the tour operator.

Israel tour

Israel tours
Roots and Reformation