Each day at the Nazareth Village brings new reasons to give thanks as we grow in our ministry. The number and variety of our guests amazes us, as people from all the world’s nations stream in. As our already-mature institution continues to break records for visitor numbers, we look forward to expansion, in both our village and through a new Discovery Center that will strengthen our ministry. Our thriving community is deepening its witness in Nazareth, becoming a site where local Arab Christians, Messianic Jews, and believers from all over the world collaborate to tell about the life and teachings of Jesus, and thousands of local guests see our new vision. As our tent widens, we see God at work among us, and give thanks.
A Foundation in God’s Kingdom
For almost a century, the ground that is now the Nazareth Village was an empty field owned by the Edinburgh Medical Mission Society. Then, in 1994, a local Arab Christian doctor shared his dream with an American missionary to have a place where people from all over the world could see the “living stones” of Jesus’ life and teaching. These two gentlemen approached the EMMS, and they generously granted the land for use to develop this vision. However, no one could have anticipated what would be discovered on it. During excavations on the land, archeologists found watch towers, water channels, terraces, and a wine press (in which they found Early Roman Period pottery shards, making it nearly certain this press was in use around Jesus’ lifetime). Along with an influx of volunteer and donor support, the blessing of our discoveries made us certain of our mission – to help guide visitors to follow Jesus.
A Thriving Witness
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28). Every day, we can attest to the Great Commission’s fruitfulness. We constantly see the results of Christian witness, with disciples from every nation pouring in and coming to see, taste, reflect, and learn. Our guides lead tours in twelve languages. In 2015, 60,000 visitors saw our lovingly-crafted village and learned about life in Jesus’ time. By 2018 we have nearly doubled to over 100,000 guests! Our many enthusiastic repeat visitors and the warm testimonials that we hear after the tour and see online suggest that our word-of-mouth growth will continue, and we cannot wait to see what coming years bring.
A Bright Future
To meet the challenges of growth, we are expanding both our village and our welcome facilities. The village is growing, with research and construction of a potter’s workshop coming along well. However, our most exciting change is yet to come – this year we hope to break ground on a new Discovery Center. The center will allow us to accommodate and educate even more visitors with entirely new museums, lecture space, and media capacity, as well as expanded access to our tour grounds. This will be the first building that we own and will enable new levels of engagement with our guests. {To learn more about this and ways that you can help, find out more here.
A Broad Tent
At the heart of our ministry is the committed, passionate, service-minded work of followers of Jesus from many traditions. Local Arab Christians from various churches, Messianic Jews, long-term residents from the U.S. and Europe, and numerous short-term volunteers run the village together every day. Our collaboration is a testimony to God’s love at work in the world, and visitors notice what God is doing, through us, together. Because we can draw on and minister to such a variety of Christians, we are able to witness the Spirit’s activity in exciting ways. One exciting movement in recent years has been the development of our special Christmas and Easter program, which see thousands of local people from Nazareth and the surrounding area streaming into the village, many unfamiliar with stories of Jesus’ life. We are delighted to teach scripture in this context.
Ultimately, it is this growth – knowledge of scripture, and through it, our risen Lord – that is most important. We exist to help people encounter God, and seek him where he is found – in Jesus of Nazareth. Every single day, we are thrilled to see our visitors grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of scripture. This is why we are here — we hope you will join us!
