By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

HOOVER—Twelve members of Inverness Vineyard Church experienced a different kind of mission trip this summer. The group traveled to Israel and spent nearly two weeks in June walking through the Bible.

“It was a mission trip to our own hearts, it wasn’t your typical mission trip,” Inverness Vineyard Church missions coordinator Kim Frolander said. “We took about 13 days and 12 people, and just went over there just to spend that time learning who the Father is and how he relates to us and the nation.”

Each day, the group traveled through Israel, making stops at locations from the Bible, including Masada; Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found; Galilee; Mount Bental; the Mount of Beatitudes; and the Valley of Megiddo, also known by its Greek name, Armageddon. The group also spent several days touring Jerusalem.

The Inverness Vineyard Church travelers were encouraged to bring their Bibles to each site, to read along, underline and connect the text with the place.

“You really connect with the Lord in ways you can’t here (in America),” Frolander said. “You can identify with the stories and they come to life.”

The group performed “enactments” at many of the sites, recreating scenes or practices from Biblical times, Frolander explained. For example, while in Qumran, the group built alters of remembrance, a custom from the Old Testament.

“Some beautiful things came out,” Frolander said. “It was a real team building time.”

Frolander used her knowledge of Israel to lead the tour through the country. Frolander lived in Jerusalem in 2007 and 2008 as a volunteer with the Christian Friends of Israel.

“This was my first time to actually lead a group of people back,” Frolander said. “It was so fun to introduce people to anew reading of the Word.”

The 13-day trip took about a year and a half of planning and was intended to introduce Inverness Vineyard Church members to culture and customs of Israel in preparation for future missions trips. Frolander is currently working to plan another introductory mission trip to Israel.

“It’s a totally different culture,” Frolander said. “You really need to go in and learn about their culture.”