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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 15, 2004 Returning to the Holy Land By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings Pastor Ron Timen of Rivergate of Ashland, a member of the Assembly of God ministries, is leading yet another tour of Israel Sept. 26-Oct. 6. Pastor Ron Timen shows off the ruins at Cesaria on the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel. He is leading another tour to Israel in September. Submitted photo Timen, who was raised in the Jewish faith, said each year the trip takes on new meaning. "I have always had a heart for Israel from the days of Sabbath school when we would collect money to plant trees in Israel," he said. "There is a real draw for Israel. There are the prophetic scriptures that speak of how Israel would be reformed and it was. And they spoke how people would come back in a mass exodus from the four corners of the world and that has happened with a big exodus from Russia." Timen was a child of the 60s and 70s and came to find his new faith in the 80s. In the 60s and 70s, playing drums, rock 'n' roll and college took precedence over his religion. "As the 1980s began, I followed my wife's lead and began checking out churches," he explained. "We liked what we heard and saw and gave my heart to the Lord in 1980 and have been serving him ever since. I was saved here and served on staff for five years and then left the area for 11 years. We returned as senior pastors in 1997." The trip is a part of the International Christian Tabernacle's Feast of Tabernacles celebration. "They have done this feast for about 15 years," Timen said. "They have dance, speakers, generally the mayor of Jerusalem or the Prime Minister will speak and then there will be a march of celebration and support of Israel." People who have taken the journey in the past come back with a greater understanding of the area and its history. "One of the things, as a Christian or student of the Bible, they come back with is a greater appreciation of the scriptures and appreciate the topography,' he said. "When you say they came from Galilee, you have a mental picture or when the scriptures say, 'Come let us go up to Jerusalem to worship in the mountain of the Lord,' they see that you really have to go up the hill to get there." Timen said there is also a real appreciation of the people who are so friendly. The people of Israel are amazed that someone would come to their country with the press they have, he said, adding that the country is actually quite peaceful. "That is something people come back with, an understanding that not everything is as the news portrays it," he noted. "News tends to concentrate on the crisis. Relatively speaking, it is quite peaceful. When you travel there, it is like traveling in Los Angeles. There are some areas you would not drive through at night if you want to be safe. So the same is true in Israel. There are certain communities you might want to avoid." Among the sites to be visited are Qumran, the Dead Sea and The Dead Sea Scrolls. "Having the experience, especially for us men who often have a hard time floating, of floating effortlessly in the Dead Sea is exciting," he said. "Visiting Masada and to go up to the Galilee and see biblical sites from both the old and new testaments is very interesting. We also go through the old city and have the charm of going through the ancient narrow quarters as well as going into modern Jerusalem." The tour will also visit many ancient excavations currently taking place and those recently completed. Registration must be in by Aug. 19 in order to arrange flights out of Medford. The actual tour costs about $2,200 and does not include the price of the flight from Medford to New York. The tour leaves from New York and lasts 10 days. The group will stay in major hotels while in Israel. For more information or to make a reservation, call Pastor Timen at 482-2546 or visit Rivergate at 188 Garfield St. (the corner of Garfield and Iowa Streets). DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams