June 2 speaker at Monte Vista is tour guide in Israel

The community is invited to a presentation by Eschar Kapoya, "A Journey into the World of Jesus," on Sunday, June 2, at Monte Vista Baptist Church, 1735 Old Niles Ferry Road. Kapoya, has spent his entire life in the land where Jesus was born, lived and died.

Pastor Jerry Mantooth invited Kapoya to come and lead this Sunday morning experience (9 a.m. to noon with breaks during the morning.) Pastor Mantooth has led two pilgrimages to Israel and Eschar was the tour guide for both.

“There was an immediate connection between Eschar and our group," Mantooth said. "His impact on us was so powerful that I arranged for him to be the guide for our second trip. Before we left Israel, participants started asking me to arrange for him to come to Monte Vista so that our church might benefit from his personal story and his wealth of knowledge.”

Mantooth hopes to take one more group on this pilgrimage, after tensions settle in the Middle East.

"I realize not everyone is able to make such a trip, so I have asked Eshcar to bring Israel to us," the pastor said. "I think you will be encouraged by his own spiritual journey and the opportunities God has given to him. He will introduce us to the world in which Jesus was born and lived, walk us through his ministry in the Galilee and then take us to Jerusalem for Jesus’ final week. Weaving together historical events, Jewish traditions, cultural attitudes, and the biblical text, you will experience the life of Jesus in a way you have never experienced it before.”