BYU Jerusalem Center
One of the highlights of the trip will be visiting the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. The acquisition of the property and miraculously building of the facility is a faith-promoting experience. The site is on the north side of the Mount of Olives and overlooks the old city. We will plan to attend church there and tour the grounds. You will never forget sitting in the chapel and overlooking Jerusalem and a "green hill far away". The students on BYU semester abroad are usually there also.
Since we cannot tour all of the inside rooms of the center, here is a virtual tour.
blob:https://players.brightcove.net/643f27b5-c4d2-41ea-a6de-4c953f49027d
To acquire this site and have a church presence as a BYU campus, the church has agreed to a strict no proselyting policy in all of Israel. We will review this further at our first-morning gathering.
See the link below for a little history of this remarkable structure and what it means to members of the Church.
We intend to have Sacrament meeting at this "Mormon Center" during our Sabbath (Saturday) with this remarkable view in the backdrop. You will enjoy the beautiful grounds with their working olive press and remarkable Old City architecture.
It is truly a highlight!
You can learn more about the Jerusalem Center at its website:
https://jerusalemcenter.ce.byu.edu/
This statement on Proselyting for the BYU Jerusalem Center is our standard also:
“The Church has made a firm commitment that no one associated with the Church will engage in proselyting activities while in Israel. Put simply: You may not proselyte, directly or indirectly. You should be an example of righteous living, but you should not answer questions about the Church. If asked, the only acceptable answer is this: "I cannot talk about that matter." Non-member visitors are not permitted to join our worship services. Please do not invite anyone who is not LDS to Sabbath-day meetings.”
David Whitchurch, Orson Hyde, The Holy Land and Brigham Young University
https://www.byutv.org/7ea57ed2-df2e-40b7-8e2a-13d685506cb3
David Da