Young People’s Ministries is organizing a group of young leaders—one from each jurisdiction or central conference—to go on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We are accepting applicants until November 9, 2018.

This program is organized by Young People’s Ministries (a unit of Discipleship Ministries) and supported by the Young Clergy Initiative of the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry.

Event Information

This Pilgrimage is open to young leaders (18-35 years old) in the United Methodist Church.

One applicant from each jurisdiction or central conference will be accepted.

All participants selected for the Pilgrimage will have their lodging and program registration supported by Young People’s Ministries with support from the Young Clergy Initiative grant. Participants from the United States would be responsible to reserve and pay for their own travel to and from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) Participants from the Central Conferences would pay a $300 travel deposit to Young People’s Ministries and YPM would then arrange and pay for their travel to Tel Aviv. In addition, participants are responsible for any visa-related expenses.

Applicants will be notified of the result by November 20, 2018.

Exact itinerary is still being finalized. The trip will be 10 Days in length and take place on August 4-14, 2019.

This Pilgrimage will involve a lot of hiking—about 7-8 miles per day on average. Participants should prepare for this level of physical exertion.

Requirements to apply

Applicants must be current members of the United Methodist Church.

You should be a young leader (age 18-35) in your jurisdiction or Central Conference.

Ask your Bishop or District Superintendent to sign an endorsement form. We need this form for your application to be considered. A sample endorsement form can be downloaded below.

Because we don’t have the capability for translation during the Pilgrimage, applicants need to be able to converse well in English.

Deadline for applications is on November 9, 2018.

--- APPLICATIONS FOR THE PILGRIMAGE ARE NOW CLOSED. ---

Questions? If you are from a U.S. jurisdiction, please send an email to cwilterdink@umcdiscipleship.org; if you are from a central conference outside of the U.S., please send an email to mrasing@umcdiscipleship.org.

Download the sample endorsement form here (PDF): https://www.dropbox.com/s/9kb00ttzzy1za0d/Sample%20Endorsement%20Form.pdf