The Going On Faith Conference is known for presenting a roster of speakers who bring fresh information about their travel companies and the exciting trips they offer.
To kick off this year’s conference in Ontario, California, Mac Lacy, a partner in the Going On Faith Conference, described to audience members the importance of international faith-based travel. “It’s been said that faith-based travel is the oldest type of travel known to man, and that makes a lot of sense,” said Lacy. “It’s very true, isn’t it?”
Targeting all church and program directors and travel industry representatives, key-note and motivational speaker Keith Powell emphasized the “power of passion” in everyone’s business dealings. “Passion moves people to action. Passion causes people to get excited and enthused,” said Powell. “And it is belief that is empowering. The Greek word for enthusiasm means ‘hand of God.’ You can’t get more passionate than that.”
Attendees also got to hear detailed information on a variety of travel products from the experts that created them.
Among the most popular presenters was Tara Russell, creator of the new social-impact organization Fathom Cruises. “We essentially help people discover their superpowers and God-given gifts, talents, purpose and why they’re here,” Russell told attendees. “We have created a travel experience that allows people to walk with God in a beautiful, playful, engaging and dynamic way.” Talking about the people her travelers meet and help in foreign nations, she said, “We fall in love with them and have gained so much from them and their cultures.”
Boaz Shalgi, owner of EDI Travel, is a Holy Land tour specialist. “There’s something special about this destination. When you come to the Holy Land, it’s a Bible study tour,” said Shalgi. “This is where everything happened. Think about Abraham, David, King Solomon, Jesus, the disciples. When you land in Israel, everything you learned becomes literal. We walk where the prophets walked; see the place where David triumphed over Goliath; go to the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water and performed his miracles. Your own pastor can preach a sermon from the Mount. You can see where Jesus was born. Words cannot describe that.”
The Globus Family of Brands offers outstanding faith-based trips, as described by Joanna Dyer. “There are several years of really exciting events coming,” said Dyer. “One is the celebration of the 500 years of the Reformation in Germany in 2017. It’s very popular. If you haven’t thought of planning this yet, I encourage you to do it now. We have itineraries in Wittenberg, the birthplace of the Reformation.”
Dyer also plugged the 100th anniversary of the Our Lady of Fatima Apparitions in Portugal. Pope Francis is expected to visit in 2017. The Oberammergau Passion Play in Bavaria is staged only every 10 years and arrives in 2020.
Wayne Peyreau talked about MSC Cruises, a relatively new line of which many people may not have heard. “We’ve conquered Europe. We’ve conquered South America. But no one knows who we are in North America — yet,” said Peyreau. There are 12 ships in the current MSC fleet, and 11 more ships are to be launched between 2017 and 2026.