Saturday, January 3, 1998

Minister plans tour based on book of Acts

By LORETTA FULTON / Senior Staff Writer

RANGER -- When the congregation of First United Methodist Church expressed an interest in studying the book of Acts, the minister took it seriously.

So seriously that she spent a week of continuing education time retracing Paul's missionary journeys in Greece so that she would be familiar with the area talked about in the Bible.

s a result, people attending the classes, which begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, are in for a treat. The Rev. Elizabeth Kugel will present a multi-media study for youth and adults. The public is invited.

Not only will participants learn from Kugel's experience, they also will be invited to go on the same trip, only for a longer time, in the spring of 1999 with Kugel as their guide.

The Wednesday night study will be based on the Acts of the Apostles and the letters of Paul to the Philippians, the Thessalonians and the Corinthians.

"We'll study what Paul was doing in those locations," Kugel said.

Kugel spent seven days in those and other locations learning how to lead a study tour herself. The actual trip in the spring of 1999 will be for 10 days with one and three-day extensions offerred.

About 40 people went on the same tour as Kugel, which was sponsored by Educational Opportunities Tours. Of those 40, about half were ministers from several denominations, Kugel said.

The trip includes stops in Athens and such biblical sites as Philippi, Thessalonika and Corinth.

People attending Kugel's Wednesday evening classes will almost feel like they've been on the trip themselves with Kugel's presentation, photos and videos.

Kugel discovered from her trip that Paul's influence in the region was phenomenal. She also discovered, from ruins and artifacts, that Paul brought the gospel message to a very religious people.

One stop on the tour was at Delphi, a major religious center for 6th Century B.C. Greeks.

"I had the sense that God was working through those people," Kugel said. "These people were ready to have the gospel brought to them by Paul."

Kugel's tour, and the one she will lead, are much more than sightseeing trips. A worship service was held at each stop and a tour guide gave the background of the city.

"Then someone would read from the scripture in Acts that told about that area and Paul's experience there," Kugel said.

While reading about Lydia's baptism recorded in the book of Acts, tour members sat by the river where it may have happened, and engaged in reflection, prayer and songs.

"The whole week was a spiritual experience," Kugel said. "I have a new appreciation of the Greek people and Paul."

For more information on the study sessions, call Kugel at (254) 647-1124 or 647-3145. The ruins of the Parthenon are among the many sites that the Rev. Elizabeth Kugel visited and will talk about in upcoming study sessions at First United Methodist Church in Ranger.