Vision Trip 2023: Church in Georgia and Azerbaijan

In May of 2023, our group of freshman Maclellan Scholars from Covenant College is planning to travel to the country of Georgia with one of our scholarship directors. This is a vision trip -- a chance to learn from Georgian Christian leaders and their American partners in ministry and to explore how this country interacts with contemporary Christianity in the public and private squares.

In a land that claims both Noah’s grandson as their ancient forefather and to be the home of the Golden Fleece sought after by heroes of Greek myth, we are going to learn how God has worked and is working in this ancient crossroads. In light of modern events to their north in Russia and Iran to their south, we hope to better understand how this small country and ethnic group can survive and how their faith has played a role as a primary unifying power. We do this in the hopes that we too may look beyond ourselves to something eternal to help us persevere no matter the challenges we might face. In short, we are sure we will grow as we learn from local believers and we hope that we might encourage them to persevere in their hardships as well.

Knowing the complex history of Christian missions in Georgia, current church leaders must balance two difficult goals: bringing healing to the wounds caused by early evangelical efforts and continuing to boldly bring their faith to this country. Throughout our time on this Vision Trip, we hope to engage with these leaders as humble learners, eager to grapple with the challenges of the church’s history. Taking insights from their successful efforts, as well as their mistakes, we will be able to translate many of their lessons to our contexts, now and in the future. We hope to gain a deeper understanding of the global church, particularly the ways that the Eastern Orthodox tradition has influenced the church in Georgia. We are excited to experience a culture and people different from our own and grow in our appreciation for the unique ways that God is working around the world.

The cost to participate in this trip is approximately $3000 per person, including transportation and all on-site expenses. We have committed to raising this money by March 15, 2023.