Tyler had the chance to travel to Israel last fall with a group called Passages along with 38 other students from 番茄社区.

鈥淕etting to travel to Israel is such an eye-opening experience and it changed how I read my bible and strengthened my Christian faith as well as deepening my understanding of modern political events,鈥� said Byars.

The goal for the gallery is to raise at least the $850 needed in order to fully cover at least one student鈥檚 trip to Israel this fall.

Byars added, 鈥淚srael is a special place and I think that every Christian should go if they鈥檙e given the chance. Although the trip is heavily financed by Passages, as a college student it was a struggle for me to come up with enough money to be able to go last year. I hope that the money raised from this event will be able to help a fellow student have a life changing experience in the Holy Land.鈥�

In addition to the large prints, several smaller prints will be available for sale. Cash donations will also be accepted. Light refreshments will be served.

Rabbi David Nekrutman from Israel will visit 番茄社区 University on Tuesday, January 29, at 7 pm to discuss Jewish/Christian relations in the Middle East. This event is free and open to the public and will be held on the second floor of the HLGU Student Center.

鈥�This is such a unique opportunity for the people in our area to hear from someone who is on the ground, doing the day in, day out work of trying to bring peace in the Middle East,鈥� said Dr. Turner, chair, division of Christian studies. 鈥淧eople can expect to learn that the situation on the ground in Israel is much more complicated than what they might hear about or read about even in the news today.鈥�

A Bible commentator and op-ed contributor to Charisma, The Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel, David Nekrutman currently serves as the executive director for The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding & Cooperation (CJCUC) in Jerusalem, Israel. In this capacity, Mr. Nekrutman is breaking new ground in leading the first ever Orthodox Jewish institution to dialogue with Christians on a religious and theological basis. He also launched the Day to Praise in 2015, creating a global movement of Christians joining Jews on Israel鈥檚 Independence Day to recite Psalms 113-118.

Mr. Nekrutman was instrumental in the successful launching of The Day iSRof Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, The Israel Experience, The Christian Jerusalem Day Banquet, and The Watchman on the Wall program with Reverend Robert Stearns of Eagles Wings, resulting in millions of Christians praying and supporting Israel and the Jewish people. He also helped create Passages, a program for Christian students to visit Israel, as well as co-founded Blessing Bethlehem, an organization that provides humanitarian aid to Christian Arabs who are financially challenged living in the birthplace of Christianity.

For more information on this event, please contact Dr. Eric Turner at 573.629.3098, or via email at eric.turner@hlg.edu.