Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies

BICS is going back to Turkey and Greece...and you're invited to join us! We'll embark on a 15-day journey (March 19-April 2, 2025) to retrace the steps of the Apostle Paul and visit the Seven Churches of Revelation.

Imagine standing in the ancient cities where Paul preached - like Ephesus, Philippi, Athens, and Corinth - and reflecting on the timeless message of the gospel in these spaces. Or imagine standing at the sites of the churches of Revelation 2-3 - like Laodicea, Sardis, and Pergamum - and reading the letters written to them two-thousand years ago. Every BICS tour offers a unique blend of spiritual enrichment and historical discovery, and this is no exception!

Space is limited and registration ends in late September, so secure your spot today! For more information, you can view the itinerary and sign up here: https://berkshireinstitute.org/bls25

Here are a few photos of Orientation week so far! Classes officially started today!

And we're off! Stay tuned over the coming week for pics of the Class of 2025!

Today's Commencement will be Livestreamed. We'd love for you to join us virtually if you can!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIWm3gKgYYA

Back where we started...254 days ago!

Last day of classes and a field trip to consider the life of Jonathan Edwards (and a stop for ice cream, too!). It's a beautiful day in the Berkshires as our semester draws to a close.

Closing out our last chapel with singing around the piano. "Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me..."

A quick stop at the ocean before making the long trek back to the Berkshires. We've traveled 1,200 miles since Friday. We're so grateful for a wonderful weekend of Ministry Team programs throughout the beautiful state of Maine!

Finishing up our weekend: Saturday night at Dunntown AC Church (Wade), Sunday morning at State Road AC Church (Mapleton) and tonight at Sunshine AC Church (Deer Isle). Heading home tomorrow!

In Aroostook County tonight and tomorrow morning. Grateful for a beautiful day to travel north!

First Ministry Team program of our weekend trip in the books at New Beginnings of Church of God in Waterville, ME.

We're traveling this weekend with our students! Join us if you can!

Ministry Team at Hope Church this morning and Experience Day tonight!

The Class of 2024 has a few remaining Ministry Team programs over the next few weeks. If you're nearby, we'd love to have you join us! Please feel free to contact us for additional details.

We've arrived in Boston!

Our last day of touring began with a brief drive toward Corinth. We saw the Corinth Canal which is the gateway between the Aegean and Ionian Seas. We then visited ancient Corinth. Unfortunately, the archaeological site was closed due to Greek Independence Day. But while observing the ruins from outside the fence, we inadvertently joined a local parade! Still, we found a place to hear our final site report and read some of Acts and 1 Corinthians. After lunch, our final stop of the tour was at nearby Cenchreae. This is the ancient port city where Paul stopped briefly and which is known as being the hometown of Phoebe. Here we read from Acts and Romans, and wrapped up our tour by singing and reflecting on the power of the gospel.

Today's site report at Corinth was given by Alison.

It's been a wonderful 2 weeks in Turkey and Greece! We thank God for safety, health, beautiful weather, and the great privilege of studying these meaningful places. Please join us in praying for a safe trip home tomorrow.

After a long drive this morning we arrived in Athens! First, we toured the city by bus, but made a quick stop at the Panathenaic Stadium, which is the site of the first modern Olympics and maintains ceremonial significance for Olympic games today. We then went to the Plaka where we enjoyed an Athenian lunch. Lastly, we ascended the Acropolis to see Mars Hill (where Paul preached to the Areopagus), the Parthenon, and other ruins. We ended the day at our hotel here in Athens with a time of sharing, singing, and prayer on this Palm Sunday. It was a beautiful day and we're so grateful. Tomorrow is our last full day of touring before our morning flight on Tuesday.

Today's site report was given by Emma here in Athens.

Our day began with a short trip from Thessalonica to Berea. We read from Acts 17 at a modern memorial commemorating Paul's ministry and the Bereans' receptivity to the gospel. We then made our way south to Meteora to see the awesome geological formations and the Greek Orthodox monasteries that sit atop them. We went inside the only monastery that's open to visitors after stopping for photos and singing "How Great Thou Art" together at the lookout. At our hotel, we celebrated a student birthday (Sinaia)!

Tomorrow we head to Athens to begin our final 2 days of touring. We are traveling well and so grateful for God's provision of health, safety, and great weather.

We began today in Kavala, or ancient Neapolis, where Paul landed in Europe. We read the biblical account at a modern monument commemorating his arrival. Our next stop was Philippi - first, a chapel alongside a stream that celebrates the baptism of Lydia. It's a beautiful chapel and landscape which provided a great opportunity to read, sing, and reflect. Next we went to the nearby archaeological site where there's an ancient theater, agora, and prison. We read the account of Paul's imprisonment and miraculous release in Acts 16. Finally, we arrived in Thessalonica to end our day. There isn't much for ruins here, but we considered Paul's travel visit and his letters to the church here outside an ancient Byzantine basilica, now a Greek Orthodox Church. Our guide also made sure we enjoyed local cuisine by leading us to a local patisserie before heading to the hotel.

This portion of our itinerary (today and tomorrow) is brand new for BICS. Tomorrow we travel south, making our way eventually to Athens on Sunday.

Today's site reports were Elena (Philippi) and Wesley (Thessalonica).

Our day began in Turkey and is ending in Greece! We began at the ancient city of Troy - the famous setting of the legendary Trojan War, as recorded by Homer. We then traveled by bus across the Dardanelles and to the border where we crossed into Greece. We met a new guide and driver and traveled to the city of Kavala on the northern Aegean Sea. This was once Neapolis, the port through which Paul first traveled to Europe. It was a short day but included many hours on the bus, so the early arrival at the beautiful hotel was quite welcome! Tomorrow we'll begin our trek through northern Greece. We are all traveling well. Thank you for praying!

Crossing the border from Turkey to Greece!

A long day of travel for our crew today on our last full day in Turkey! We began nearby our hotel in modern Izmir at the ancient ruins of biblical Smyrna. We considered Jesus' letter to this church in Revelation 2 and the martyrdom of Polycarp in AD 155. We then traveled north to visit the last of the seven cities of Revelation at Pergamum where we took taxis to the top of the acropolis to see the remains of the theater and temples. Next were two sites Paul visited on the Aegean coast - Assos and Troas. It was cold and windy today, but we didn't have any rain while outside and the sun was out for our stops along the coast. Tomorrow we visit Troy and then follow Paul's footsteps into Europe where we'll cross from Turkey into Greece.

Our site reports today were Luke (Pergamum) and Sinaia (Troas).

Our first stop today was the most impressive biblical site in all of Turkey - the ancient city of Ephesus. Here we first considered the ministry of the Apostle John, who lived and died here, and, of course, the ministry of the Apostle Paul. We visited the terrace houses of the wealthy where perhaps early Christians in Ephesus would have gathered for worship and read excerpts from Paul's letter there. We also saw the great Library of Celsus and the largest theater in Turkey where the riot of Acts 19 unfolded. Next, we went south to Miletus where Paul said farewell to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20).

The only site report today was Lucy at Ephesus.

Thanks for following along on our journey!

Today we traveled slightly north and west toward the sites of 4 of the 7 churches of Revelation. First, we stopped at the minimal remains of Philadelphia. Next, was Sardis with the impressive gymnasium, the large synagogue, and the massive columns of the Temple of Artemis. Adjacent to the temple are the remains of an ancient church where we heard a site report, read, and sang. Our last stop was Thyatira which is also a small section of ruins nestled in the heart of a bustling city. We then made our way to Izmir, which is ancient Smyrna, where we will pick up Revelation 2 tomorrow. For now, we're at our hotel in Izmir for much needed rest.

Site reports today: Reno (Sardis) and Grace (Thyatira)

In the category of "the picture doesn't do it justice": the impressive Roman Gymnasium at Sardis on another beautiful day in western Turkey.

We traveled northwest through the beautiful and snowcapped Ta**us Mountains to arrive at ancient Colossae. Though scheduled to be excavated soon, it's currently only a mound and yet a great place to consider this first century church. We then went to nearby Laodicea, one of the 7 churches of Revelation. Much has changed at this site in recent years which was a delight to explore. Lastly, we went to the nearby ancient city of Hierapolis, which is also the location of Pamukkale. Translated as "Cotton Castle", this is a place of thermal springs which have created white travertine terraces (not snow!) made of mineral deposits.

At the hotel, we enjoyed a time of worship and sharing with a devotional from Colossians by Zac Phaneuf.

Our first Site Reports were today: Faith (Colossae) and Caroline (Laodicea).

Thank you for following along! We are all traveling well!

Enjoying the view from Colossae this morning! Today we remember our church families back home as they gather for worship.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." - Colossians 3:16-17

We enjoyed a beautiful day in and around Antalya. First, we boarded a chartered boat at the ancient harbor (from which Paul and Barnabas departed) and sailed on the turquoise-blue Mediterranean to the Duden Waterfalls. We considered Paul's arrival in Perga and his many voyages on this sea. We then walked to the St. Paul's Cultural Center for lunch where we heard from several Christians who live here and who serve in some of the Christian churches that meet at the Center. What an encouragement and challenge to hear their stories!

In the afternoon we explored both Perga and Aspendos. Paul visited Perga twice on his first missionary journey and there we saw the stadium, gates, bathhouse, and agora. At Aspendos we saw the best preserved theater in the region, and nearby we saw the remains of Roman aqueducts and a reconstructed Roman bridge. We couldn't have asked for a better day! Tomorrow we head north and west toward Colossae and we expect another great day!