Mayterm 2023 The Footsteps of Paul in Turkey, Greece & Rome
Deepen your understanding of the New Testament texts. Travel "alongside" the Apostle Paul and his companions in modern-day Turkey, Greece, and Rome. Have you ever looked at the maps in the back of your Bible and paid attention to Paul’s missionary journeys? Have you ever read the Acts of the Apostles and marveled at the exciting drama unfolding, Paul’s own experiences, and the growth of the early church? Let’s walk in the “footsteps of Paul” and see the places and consider the message the church was given for the world! We will travel and study throughout Turkey and Greece, come alongside missionaries in Thessaloniki, and debrief in Rome.
The two academic courses are naturally related on a deep level. What is the church, and how can or should the New Testament shape our view of it? What does it mean to be the church today, in a time and place far removed from the Mediterranean world of the first century? How do we “do church” well, in ways that honor God’s purposes, both individually and communally? How have followers of Jesus throughout the ages grown in their faith, embodied their faith, and participated in the mission of Jesus, and what can we learn from them? In addition, RS 113 satisfies the GE component Serving Society, Enacting Justice. This element of the GE asks us to reflect on the needs of our societies and respond in faith, hope, and justice by serving. The relevant questions for us today include asking how the first followers of Jesus served their contexts well and in doing so confronted injustice. How can we follow in their footsteps even as they followed in the footsteps of Jesus?
Pre-trip preparation and coursework begins on campus.
We begin our adventure with two days in Istanbul. Then we travel to Canakkale Izmir, Pamukkale, and Kusadasi. We board a ship and sail through the Mediterranean Sea to Athens.
After our time in Athens, we move on to Kalambaka and Thessaloniki where will spend time with Rev. Daniel Napier and do a service learning project.
We will end the program with three days in Rome.
COURSEWORK
Study of the developing theology and praxis of the early church as seen in the New Testament, with special attention to Acts and the epistles.
Fulfills GE Serving Society, Enacting Justice
An exploration of the disciplines of the Christian spiritual life. Readings in classical and contemporary literature on spirituality.
Holly Beers is married to Max, her best friend and true partner in life. They have three children with Old Testament names (Noah, Moses, and Eden), and two female cats with New Testament names (Euodia and Syntyche; see Philippians 4:2-3). They live in Santa Barbara, where their “Jesus family” is much bigger than their biological family and includes many Westmont grads, both recent and not-so-recent.
Holly teaches New Testament and Greek courses at Westmont College, having graduated from North Central University in Minneapolis (BA), Bethel Seminary in St. Paul (MATS), and London School of Theology in England (PhD). She specializes and has research interests in 1 Timothy, Colossians, Demons and Magic in the Greco-Roman World, Literary Criticism, Luke-Acts, New Testament Ecclesiology, Old Testament in the New Testament, Philemon, Philosophical Hermeneutics, and Pneumatic and/or Pentecostal Hermeneutics, though at heart she simply loves the Bible, wants to understand it well, and help others understand it also.
She writes articles and books, and her favorite contributions are those that make clearer the connection between Christian faith and how that could or should shape Christian embodiment, both individually and communally. Her current passion project is as co-editor for a commentary series on the New Testament written by and for charismatics and pentecostals (published by Baker Academic), for which she is also writing a volume on Colossians and Philemon. Her deepest desire is to deeply know and be led by the Holy Spirit, and her discipleship is imperfect (ask her family!) but ongoing.
Scott Lisea is married to Jamie. They have raised three sons and a nephew. He has been captured by Jesus for 40 years. He loves serving as the Campus Pastor at Westmont College.
He is a graduate of Westmont College (Economics/Business ’88), completed his Masters in Theology (’98) and Doctorate in Theology from Fuller Seminary (2013). His dissertation was a study in the expansive nature and impact of the gospel of Jesus Christ on our personhood.
He has spent his lifetime working with young people, serving on the Young Life staff for 23 years retiring as the Regional Director for the Gold Coast & Central California Region. He served in executive leadership for 8 years in Christian education at Oaks Christian School, and then Providence Christian School in Santa Barbara.
He has been involved in training ministry leaders throughout Asia and Africa, speaks at summer camps, teaches an Augustinian Seminar course, and he and Jamie teach a ministry leadership course at Westmont, as well as lead marriage intensives together for Young Life staff from around the country.
He likes to play everything, and is great at nothing, including: golfing, surfing, pickleball, fly fishing and cycling.
That’s the good news. The truth is also that he can be a stumbling, bumbling, inconsistent, impatient, self-absorbed, undisciplined, brash, crude, ungentle, and short-sighted disciple of Jesus, who has feet of clay who is in awe of the patience, mercy, grace, and unconditional love of our God. Be that as it may, he is passionate about considering Jesus together with people from all walks of life.
Eligibility
- Class standing
- GPA (minimum 2.3 gpa for eligibility)
- Application and essays
- Personal and faculty recommendations
Criteria
In addition to the general qualifications above, the following are requirements that must be met, with or without reasonable accommodation, in order to complete all essential elements of the program. All participants must be able to:
- Participate in regular communal meals based on a local diet and with limited control over food choices. In some locations, be prepared to participate in preparing and cleaning up after these meals.
- Tolerate local diet with limited control over food choices in most locations.
- Navigate multiple irregular surfaces and walk/travel up to 10 miles in a day independently. (Extensive walking, as well as travel throughout ancient cities and towns with narrow passageways and many stairs, are part of the daily life of the program.)
- Navigate carrying personal items including suitcase and/or backpack without assistance.
- Anticipate having sufficient emotional wellness to fully participate in the program safely and successfully despite the limited availability of frequent access to psychological services.
- Anticipate at least double occupancy accommodations on some if not all locations.
- Receive the final dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at least two weeks prior to the commencement of the program.
- If eligible, receive the most recent Covid-19 vaccine booster at least two weeks prior to departure if it has been at least two months since your last Covid-19 vaccine or booster.
Program Cost & Dates
The program fee is $8700 and includes tuition, room, board, in country travel, entrance fees, and tours. In addition, the fee also includes round trip airfare, shuttle to LAX and on-campus room and board the week of May 8-12. The program begins May 8 on campus, departs from LAX on May 12, and ends on June 10. Limited scholarships are available.
How to Apply
No longer accepting applications. For more info about how to apply, please contact ocp@westmont.edu. For more info about the program, contact Professor Beers or Professor Lisea.