February 10, 2026
Pastor John suffered a minor medical emergency during the 10:30 a.m. worship service on Sunday. He has been thoroughly checked out by doctors and will resume his normal schedule this week.
He thanks you for all your prayers and continued concern.
Pilgrim Post #2
The Lord said to Moses, “Take off your shoes for you are on holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
All my life, if someone talked to me about the Holy Land, I would immediately think of Palestine and Israel. In my mind, this Holy Land was different than other places. It was a place set apart because of the promises of God to the Israelites in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it was a Holy Land because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Yet in the above verse from Exodus, God calls the land upon which Moses stood – this land we have traveled in modern-day Egypt – “holy.” Throughout this trip, we have had the chance to encounter many temples and churches that have been considered holy ground for generations. We stand in awe of these massive structures and their powerful stories.
One place that will stay with our group as Holy Ground are the Cave Churches in Cairo. These churches are spectacular, sitting towards the top of a small mountain that overlooks Cairo. But to get to the top of the mountain, you have to go through Garbage City. Garbage City is a large neighborhood or suburb of Cairo. The people who live here collect all – and I do mean all – of the garbage of Cairo, bring it back to their city, and sort it. They clean and repurpose anything they find that can be resold as a new item. This sorting of mounds of trash is not done in a factory; it is done in the streets, walkways, and neighborhoods of Garbage City. It is a tough job, and it is done primarily by Christians that live in this Garbage City, this holy space.
Passing through Garbage City, we reached the top of the mountain where we had the chance to visit two cave churches. These are churches that Christians have built into the side of the living mountain itself. They don’t have stained glass, so they have carved scenes of Jesus and the Bible into the cliff-sides of the mountain. As we gaped at the structures, we stood in awe of the stark difference between the Garbage City we came through and the sanctuaries where we were. The churches are large and gather thousands of the local residents every week to be reminded of the love and care of Jesus Christ. Holy ground indeed.
It was a reminder to me that where two or three are gathered, that is the Holy Land God has created. I want to encourage you to be aware of the places that you gather this week and recognize that you are on holy ground.
God’s peace,
Pr. Tim
P.S. Check out Prince of Peace social media for photos of our trip.
He thanks you for all your prayers and continued concern.
Pilgrim Post #2
The Lord said to Moses, “Take off your shoes for you are on holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)
All my life, if someone talked to me about the Holy Land, I would immediately think of Palestine and Israel. In my mind, this Holy Land was different than other places. It was a place set apart because of the promises of God to the Israelites in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, it was a Holy Land because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Yet in the above verse from Exodus, God calls the land upon which Moses stood – this land we have traveled in modern-day Egypt – “holy.” Throughout this trip, we have had the chance to encounter many temples and churches that have been considered holy ground for generations. We stand in awe of these massive structures and their powerful stories.
One place that will stay with our group as Holy Ground are the Cave Churches in Cairo. These churches are spectacular, sitting towards the top of a small mountain that overlooks Cairo. But to get to the top of the mountain, you have to go through Garbage City. Garbage City is a large neighborhood or suburb of Cairo. The people who live here collect all – and I do mean all – of the garbage of Cairo, bring it back to their city, and sort it. They clean and repurpose anything they find that can be resold as a new item. This sorting of mounds of trash is not done in a factory; it is done in the streets, walkways, and neighborhoods of Garbage City. It is a tough job, and it is done primarily by Christians that live in this Garbage City, this holy space.
Passing through Garbage City, we reached the top of the mountain where we had the chance to visit two cave churches. These are churches that Christians have built into the side of the living mountain itself. They don’t have stained glass, so they have carved scenes of Jesus and the Bible into the cliff-sides of the mountain. As we gaped at the structures, we stood in awe of the stark difference between the Garbage City we came through and the sanctuaries where we were. The churches are large and gather thousands of the local residents every week to be reminded of the love and care of Jesus Christ. Holy ground indeed.
It was a reminder to me that where two or three are gathered, that is the Holy Land God has created. I want to encourage you to be aware of the places that you gather this week and recognize that you are on holy ground.
God’s peace,
Pr. Tim
P.S. Check out Prince of Peace social media for photos of our trip.