SOJOURN TO BETHLEHEMCelebrate Christmas with the Palestinian Church
The world teaches us that hope comes from power.
Bethlehem tells a different story.
Join Christians from around the world in the city of Jesus' birth to learn from Palestinian Christians, celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem, and rediscover the good news of Christ as God's answer to violence, fear, and division.
Dec 27th - 31st
Bethlehem, Palestine
Bear witness to our shared hope as we seek Christ at the checkpoint.
An Incredible OpportunityCelebrate with us. Worship alongside us.
Spend this Christmas with Palestinian Christians, families and churches.
This photo is from the early 1900s as pilgrims and local Christians gathered in Bethlehem for Christmas.
Trip Highlights
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Tour the Holy Land
Walk the streets of Bethlehem and Jerusalem through the eyes of Christians whose roots in this land stretch back nearly two thousand years — a living, breathing community whose presence is both ancient and urgent.
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Learn from Palestinian Theologians
Sit under the teachings of theologians and pastors with distinct experiences in rootedness, justice, and peacemaking — voices that have been absent from global theological conversations for far too long.
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Experience Traditional Palestinian Foods
Share in the flavors and traditions that Palestinian families have passed down for generations — let the table become a place of encounter, hospitality, and connection.
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Stand in Solidarity with Us
See the seperation wall.
Pass through a checkpoint.
Bear witness to the realities of occupation. -
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Christmas in Bethlehem
There is no place on earth quite like Bethlehem at Christmas. Experience the celebration of Christ's birth in the very city where it happened, surrounded by a community that has carried this joy through centuries of change.
Christ at the Checkpoint on Social
Your TripThis schedule is subject to change as we finalize details, but we wanted to give you a sense of how our time together will unfold.
Christmas Day
Add-on Package
Dec 23 — 26
Details below.
Day 1
Dec 27 — Sunday
Attend a local church.
Worship alongside Palestinian Christians.
Opening Ceremony & Session
Dinner at venue.
Dismissal: Community activities
Day 2
Dec 28 — Monday
First full day
Breakfast & networking.
Morning: Conference sessions.
Lunch around Bethlehem
Community activities.
Afternoon: Conference sessions.
Dismissal - Community activities.
Day 3
Dec 29 — Tuesday
Second Full day
Breakfast & networking.
Tours.
Lunch around Bethlehem.
Afternoon: Conference sessions/
Dismissal - Community Activities.
Day 4
Dec 30— Wednesday
Third Full day
Breakfast & Networking.
Morning: Conference sessions.
Lunch around Bethlehem
Community activities.
Afternoon: Conference sessions.
Dismissal - Community activities.
Day 5
Dec 31 — Thursday
The Last day
Breakfast & Networking.
Morning sessions
Closing Session
Your Visit to Our City
Bethlehem Bible CollegeThe formal entrance to the Bible College
Located in the heart of Bethlehem this is where the conference sessions and accommodations will take place.
The Bible College was established in 1979.
Accommodations at Bethlehem Bible College
Dr. Bishara Awad the founder of Bethlehem Bible College, outside the original building in the 1970s.
Church of the Nativity
Built: 339 A.D.
Historians and archeologist agree (Christian and secular) this church was built directly over the site of Jesus’ birth.
It is now a shared space for the local Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Apostolic Christians.
Banksy Art Hotel:
The Walled-off HotelYes, that Banksy.
Come see for yourself, it’s a 10-minute walk from where you’ll be staying.
Optional Christmas Day PackageDec 23-26 Pre-Conference Package
Experience Christmas day in the city where Jesus was born.
Join the 1,700-year-old
Christmas Eve Procession
Above: Christmas procession ~1915
Below: Christmas Procession 2025
The Christmas Eve Tradition
Every Christmas Eve, Bethlehem comes alive with an ancient rhythm: clergy, choirs, and the faithful process through the town's narrow streets, converging on the small grotto revered for two thousand years as the birthplace of Christ.
It's a tradition that has endured for centuries, carrying pilgrims and worshippers along the same path, toward the same sacred place, year after year. To walk it is to feel history and faith meet in a single moment — the ongoing, living witness that in Bethlehem, the story of the Nativity is still being told.
The Bethlehem Scouts
A Living Tradition: The Scouts of Bethlehem
Before dawn on Christmas Eve, Bethlehem stirs to the sound of bagpipes and drums. Palestinian Scouts — a tradition dating to 1912 — march through Manger Square toward the Church of the Nativity, heralding the arrival of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem as he processes in for Midnight Mass.
For our small but enduring Christian community, this march is more than pageantry — it's a living witness that the story of the Nativity still walks these same streets today.
Christmas Day Add-on Cost:
$475
Includes:
Accommodation & Meals
Guided Tours in Bethlehem and Hebron
Participation in Christmas Festivities
Sign up for it when you register:
Conference PricesStudent Registration
$145
Individual Registration
$285
Virtual (online):
$99
Lodging & FoodOnsite at Bethlehem Bible College.
Lodging includes breakfast and dinner,
featuring authentic Arabic cuisine.
Double Room:
$60 per night.
4 night total:
$270
Single Room (private):
$90 per night.
4 night total:
$360
All prices listed in U.S. Dollars
Frequently Asked Questions
More coming soon
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Christ at the Checkpoint is a global conference hosted by Palestinian Christians that invites the global Church to engage with Palestine through the lens of the Gospel. For more than fifteen years, CATC has brought together Christians from around the world to learn, worship, build relationships, and explore what faithful discipleship looks like at “the checkpoint.”
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Room and board (which includes breakfast and dinner; lunch is on your own) will be $90 per person or $60 per person for double occupancy. Registrants can reserve their room and board through the registration form when they purchase their conference ticket.
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Thousands from around the world have visited Bethlehem for our conference over the years. Like any international travel, it requires awareness, and we work closely with trusted local partners to ensure participants are well supported. We also believe in being honest: military occupation can create uncertainties beyond our control. But we live here with our families, and we would not invite you if we did not believe it was worthwhile and reasonably safe.
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No. In fact, many Palestinian Christians will tell you the opposite. One of the deepest challenges facing our community is isolation. Your presence is one of the most powerful expressions of solidarity and relationship you can offer. It is deeply meaningful to us when you come to listen, learn, worship, share meals, and build friendships.
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For many visitors, the process is quite straightforward. Travelers from countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and most European nations do not typically need a traditional tourist visa to visit Bethlehem. Instead, they must obtain an ETA-IL (Electronic Travel Authorization) before traveling. Most applications are processed online and approved quickly. If you are traveling on a passport from another country, entry requirements may differ, and we encourage you to check the latest requirements before making travel plans.
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Christmas in Bethlehem is unlike anywhere else in the world. The city comes alive with lights, music, services, processions, and pilgrims from around the globe. There is something deeply moving about encountering the Gospel once again through the eyes of the community that has carried the story of Jesus in this place for millenia.
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Absolutely. Christ at the Checkpoint is designed for people at many different stages of learning and engagement. Some participants have spent years studying the region; others are attending because they sense there is more to understand and want to listen, learn, and ask honest questions.