Page 12 - Holyland Magazine - 2017 Edition

Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Why Christians Should Visit
Jerusalem
Experience the birthplace of Christianity and foundation of our faith
Nick Mancino
President Journeys Unlimited
It was on my third visit to the Holy Land
that I learned why Christians travel to
Jerusalem. In March 1974, I was asked
to escort Rev. Kash Amburgy from South
Lebanon, Ohio to Israel. The Good
Reverend was not only a preacher, but he
was also an entrepreneur who had built over
350 homes. He owned a furniture business
(Kash's Big Bargain Barn), was a radio
evangelist, and had led over 100 tours to the
Holy Land as well. His motto for the furniture cut tomb that was unearthed in 1867 and
business was, “Save cash with Kash.” He
opened his radio broadcasts saying, “This is
Reverend Amburgy, your country preacher,
and we are here to praise Jesus.” Mr.
Raymond Masillo, our senior vice president,
worked with Rev. Amburgy on his annual
pilgrimages that averaged between 40 and
250 passengers until he passed away in
2005. To quote Rev. Amburgy, “Traveling
12
annually to Jerusalem recharges my pastoral
batteries.”
The 1974 group was a large one, made up
of about 200 participants, including Rev.
Amburgy, his wife Mary Louise and me. Most
of the participants were from his home state
of Ohio. Flying on El Al via London, our tour
started in the north where we visited all of
the sites pertaining to Jesus’ ministry in the
Galilee. By the fifth day, we were in Jerusalem Our group was at the Garden Tomb, and
and visiting the Garden Tomb. Our guide
explained that the Garden Tomb is a rock-
is considered by some Christians to be the
site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus.
The Garden Tomb is adjacent to a rocky
escarpment which in the mid-nineteenth
century was proposed by some scholars
to be Golgotha. The site is not without
controversy, though. The tomb has been
dated by prominent Israeli archaeologist
Gabriel Barkay to the 8th-7th centuries
BC. For some Christians, especially Roman
Catholics and other groups, the traditional
site where they believe the death and
resurrection of Christ occurred has been,
since the fourth century, the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre.
since we were such a large group, we were
able to secure the site for a private worship
service. First the guide gave us the tour,
and then the communion service began.
During Rev. Amburgy’s sermon, some of the
passengers started speaking in tongues.
Others joined in, until the sound level grew
louder and louder. Everyone seemed to feel
the spirit except General White, the person in