Explorations in Antiquity Center

For many of us, the highlight of the week long tour came today at Jim Fleming's "Exploration in Antiquity Center." Fleming is no stranger to Chapelwood as he has given several lectures both at our church and throughout the Houston area.

Quoting from the brochure, "The Center is an interfaith museum of daily life in antiquity committed to making history come alive." For our group it was more than that, as we heard a lecture on the Dead Sea scrolls from Derek Lewis, the Operations Manager at the site. Fleming and his group of archaeologists aren't out to debunk any thinking about the Bible, but to help with better understanding. It was a fascinating discussion about a dig among the Essene which were a Hebrew community known to question the powers in Jerusalem.

We then toured the site with "Oliver" who's Hebrew name is too hard to pronounce or to spell. (He admits he's now using his second name as an author since his given name is too hard for Americans to figure out.) Growing up as a Jew in Brazil, Oliver was among Jim's crew when the center was in Israel. Today with the assistance from a grant from the Calloway Foundation, Fleming moved his operation to La Grange, Georgia and the museum which is now in its third year is doing well. We experienced what it would have been like if we were a first century shepherd, or a farmer or one who lived as a villager.

Lunch was exceptional, and we're not necessarily talking about the food. Imagine if you were taking part in the "Last Supper." Oliver painstakingly went through the entire meal as we ate without utensils like those in the first century. Every part of the lunch had Biblical significance as if we were experiencing a Passover meal like the twelve apostles did with Jesus.

Fleming, who is writing another book, did make a brief appearance to shake a few hands, and share a word with me about his vision. "We've tried to make full scale replicas of daily life from Biblical times that would help people better understand the background of the stories of the Bible. So things the first writers would have already known because they lived in that land and therefore took for granted and don't explain, we've made here so we can fill in between the lines and we can have folks say Aha! that's what that meant."

And it's not just adults who are learning. Fleming likes to tell about young folks making archaeological "digs" in the many sandboxes outside the museum. "We actually have real artifacts, some two and three thousand years old, that we bury each night so the kids can discover and sift through every day. It's nice for a child to see that the truth is not only for what is yet to discover, but what is also in the past to be uncovered. And for folks in the Judeo-Christian culture, we can look to the past for truth that will guide us in our life."

Fleming has spent a lifetime trying to unlock many secrets to Biblical life working and living in Israel since 1973. "After people visit here we are looking for sparkling eyes. We would like people to say so many old stories have new meaning now, now that I have new Biblical insight."

Back at Calloway Gardens we toured the Sibley Horticulural Center where flowers are always in bloom. Let me just say the pictures can only give you a glimpse of the beauty of Calloway Gardens which is celebrating its 25th year.

Warm Springs Pictures

Photos by Bob Johnson

Roosevelt's Little White House

We left Savannah early this morning for a cross state trip to Pine Mountain, Georgia via Warm Springs home to Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House. It was there the 32nd President went for rest and relaxation as he battled the devastating effects of polio throughout his Presidency. His unfinished portrait is in beautiful display as visitors to the museum will see on the way out.
Roosevelt first came to Warm Springs in 1924, 12 years before he campaigned for the presidency in 1932. There he built a simple cottage and it is there where he died while posing for a portrait by Madame Elizabeth Shoumatoff on April 12, 1945 just before the end of World War II.
Today visitors can see the 1938 Ford convertible equipped with hand controls among the number exhibits including a short film narrated by Walter Cronkite. The brochure says more than 100,000 people visit Roosevelt's Little White House every year, that now includes 40 from Chapelwood United Methodist Church this year.
Following our visit we took a short bus ride to Calloway Gardens where the azaleas are in full bloom.
Tomorrow we visit Jim Flemming's Antiquities Center in La Grange.

Day three pictures

Editors note: More photos courtesy Bob Johnson!

Touring Savannah and Bethesda

"Lordy, It's a beautiful day. Will you use it wisely,or will you throw it away?"-Kareem the doorman at the Hilton Savannah DeSoto Hotel.

This is how Bob Johnson greeted us on our tour bus today as we prepared to visit several churches in the area. The doorman's call was right on the money. We were treated to a gorgeous blue sky with mild temperatures, in short picture perfect.
We first stopped at the Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church on Telfair square. For those unfamiliar with Savannah, the city was originally built with 24 squares of which 21 or 22, depending on who is doing the counting, remain. This means there are a lot of green spaces for walks, picnics, and various festivals throughout the year.

The Wesley Monumental Church is patterned after Queen's Kirk (church) in Amsterdam. It has two spires measuring 136 and 196 feet in height and built in the Gothic architectural style. Again since we were able to tour the church following Easter services, the altar was adorned with beautiful flowers still in full bloom. While there are stained glass pictures throughout, most striking is to the rear where busts of John and Charles watch from above the balcony. The church is very active serving 1,100 members.

The oldest Methodist church in Savannah is Trinity facing Calhoun square with its first cornerstone placed on February 14, 1848. It too was to be a monument to the Wesleys but Retired Pastor Ralph Bailey admitted since John and Charles stay in Georgia wasn't what they had planned, some church members were uncomfortable and after changing the name to Trinity, the congregation began to grow. But Bailey admits there have been a number of challenges facing Trinity in its 150 year heritage.

"We had the Civil War, we've had the yellow fever epidemic which decimated the city, we had the fire which destroyed a good deal of Savannah, we've had storms, we had all sorts of personal issues, plus the Great Depression that squeezed the life out of congregations." Still Bailey said it was a thrill to be Pastor of this great old church especially looking out the door to the area where John Wesley did most of his preaching while he was in Savannah.

Today the church has a heritage feel; strong hardwood pews and the shiny golden organ pipes which stand stately in the background of the altar. You could almost hear gospel songs echoing in the sanctuary.

We also visited Bethesda, the home for Boys started by the great orator Rev. George Whitefield (pronounced Wit-field) in 1740. It started out as an orphanage, the word Bethesda meaning "house of mercy" and is the oldest child caring institution in the country. Today 105 boys attend the school and working farm. As Bob Johnson noted, Whitefield did many of the things John Wesley wanted to do, like preaching to the Native Americans. (John Oglethorpe thought it was too dangerous for Wesley.) The irony of course by being run out of Georgia, Wesley had to dig down deep within his soul to become one of the great Christian leaders of all time.

Many of us spent the afternoon walking along the banks of the Savannah River where there are plenty of shops and restaurants to sample much like the Strand in Galveston. The city does a bustling tour business complete with a paddle boat for those wanting to enjoy the river. Remember at the beginning of the blog the doorman asked, Will you use it (today) wisely or will you throw it away? I think Kareem would be happy, we had another terrific day.

Tomorrow we say good-bye to Savannah and head to Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Day two pictures

Editors note: The photos are courtesy Bob Johnson's camera.