News and Events
The BEMA Messenger
Sign Up for the BEMA Messenger — Get an email from us about once a month with the latest news and stories.
BEMA Messenger Archive — See past editions.
Session 1 Reboot Begins!
December 2
• Surprise release of Episode -1 to give listeners an idea of what we are doings with the reboot.
• Also see our FAQ at the bottom of this page.
Marty in Kokomo, IN
December 21, Marty visiting Bridgeway Church for Blue Christmas, a community Christmas service where sadness and the hope of Christmas can share a sacred space.
Marty in Idaho and Montana
December 23 – January 4, the Solomon family is traveling for the holidays
Session 1 Reboot
December 30 — Episode 0 launches, weekly releases to follow
• Learn more with BEMA Messenger #64, by listening to Episode -1 now, or see our FAQ at the bottom of this page.
Live Q&A
January 8 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter/X
Marty in North Carolina
January 16–19, Marty in Wilmington and Bath (no public events)
Marty in Orlando
January 20–29, Marty at Impact’s All-Staff Conference and Annual Board Meeting (no public events)
Brent in Florida
January 21–28, details TBD
Live Q&A
February 3 at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter/X
Marty in Georgia and Florida
February 17–27, details TBD
Marty and Brent in Wichita
March 7–11, some details TBD
• March 8, meet-and-greet 9–11:30 am at Hope Community Church in Andover
Live Q&A (GMT Edition)
March 23 at 1 pm PT / 4 pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter/X
Marty in North Carolina
March 28 – April 6
• March 28–29, Marty speaking at Christ the King in Raleigh
• April 5–6: Marty speaking at Catalyst Church in Greensboro
Study Tours to Israel and Turkey
We currently offer study tours in even-numbered years (2024, 2026, etc.) as Marty takes the odd-numbered years to be with family and have a rhythm of rest. Sign up for the BEMA Messenger to be the first to know when we release information about upcoming tours. Any currently available tours will also be posted here, but not until the Messenger is published.
BEMA Israel 2024 (Low Contact) — CANCELED
Dates: March 23 – April 6
Cost: $5,390
Orientation Details: March (BEMA Messenger #46)
Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZeSzRZaUqk
Registration: May (CANCELED)
Waitlist: N/A
BEMA Turkey 2024 — REGISTRATION FULL
Dates: June 2–14
Cost: $5,090
Orientation Details: June (BEMA Messenger #49)
Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcHnz0SPOOg
Registration: August (FULL)
Waitlist: FULL
BEMA Israel 2024 (Full Contact) — REGISTRATION FULL
Dates: August 31 – September 14
Cost: About $5,690
Orientation Details: September (BEMA Messenger #52)
Orientation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ91s0GB4Sk
Registration: November (FULL)
Waitlist: FULL
*Finalizing Details
Dates and Cost: These details cannot be finalized until about ten months before the trip. The last elements to fall into place are the airline schedule and ticket prices. Once those are released by the airline, we can lock in dates for flights, hotels, and so on. When we have dates, we will publish them as best as we know, but they could change by the time registration is open. Trips in 2022 were between $4,580 and $5,090, and we expect 2024 trips to be in that ballpark, but we cannot know the final price until registration is open. Either way, a deposit is due upon registration, which was $500 for trips in 2022 (again, subject to change).
Registration: The best and only way to know about registration opening is by signing up for the BEMA Messenger. There is no pre-registration for previous trip participants. While the Messenger is normally sent early in the morning, registration editions will be sent around 9 am PT / 12 pm ET. And while the Messenger is normally sent the first or second Wednesday or Thursday of the month, registration editions may not follow that pattern.
Waitlist: These trips are filling up registration very quickly: 5 hours for Israel (Low Contact) and only 40 minutes for Turkey. GTI does offer a waitlist for participants who are not able to register in time, but this is not something to count on. Just a small handful of people have been able to move from the list in the past; please be ready to register. Watch the orientation video ahead of time and be fully informed.
What’s Included: Flights from Chicago. (You will be responsible for getting to Chicago.) Hotel accommodations with breakfast and dinner buffets. Lunches are provided on site. (Water will be available throughout the day. Other beverages may be purchased by participants at meals.) Transportation, entrance fees, taxes, and tips. Other miscellaneous items (detailed when registration is announced).
Itinerary: This depends on the dates and is determined when the airline schedules are released. In general, Israel trips include time in the desert around the Dead Sea, in the Galilee, in Jerusalem, and possibly other sites (basically the content of Sessions 1–3 of the podcast). Turkey trips include time in the cities of the letters of the New Testament and the seven churches of Revelation (basically the content of Sessions 4–5 of the podcast). The itinerary is always subject to change, even while on the ground, with safety as a priority. For example, the itinerary for BEMA Israel 2022 (Low Contact) changed during the trip to account for possible flash flooding in the desert.
Orientation Videos: These are almost an hour long, but they are designed to be informative and comprehensive; if you’re interested in going on a trip, we ask that you watch its video in full to make an informed decision. Please watch before registering.
Join the BEMA Slack Community
The BEMA Slack is a great place to discuss the podcast, share ideas, and build community. Maybe you haven’t been able to find a local discussion group, or your group has just started but you want to talk about current episodes. With designated channels to discuss episodes from each session, as well as upcoming trips, discipleship, and other topics, there’s a place to go deeper with your fellow podrishioners.
The BEMA Liturgy
A simple approach to lead you through the Church calendar, building community and pursuing Jesus together.
BEMA Merch
BEMA T-shirts, hoodies, notebooks, mugs, and more…
BEMA Discipleship on TeePublic
FAQ: BEMA Session 1 Reboot
Why are you doing this? How will it work?
Episode -1, the refreshed version of which is available now, will answer most questions about the reboot. You can also read about it in BEMA Messenger #64.
I am only seeing the episode from 2016. Where do I find the new one?
Reboot episodes will replace the original episodes in the podcast feed. They will not automatically appear as new episodes in your podcast app, and the original publish date will remain.
How do I know I am listening to the new version of the episode?
As far as the audio, the easiest way to tell will be the new music, although you will also notice improved sound quality in our voices. You will also see changes to the show notes, explained in the next question.
What if I want to listen to the old episode?
The original recordings and transcipts will be preserved in the show notes under Legacy Episode Content.
Will transcripts be available for the new episodes?
Not only transcripts, but also The Companion, our newest study tool that should be helpful to guide your efforts in wrestling with the Text, whether personally or in your discussion group.
When will new episodes appear?
Beginning with Episode 0 on December 30, 2024, reboot episodes will be published every Monday. We will post reminders on our social media accounts.
What if I am not seeing the new version of the episode?
The most reliable way to know an episode is updated is to look at our website. Most podcast apps look directly at our podcast feed from your phone and will see the change in short order. If you are seeing updated show notes, you should also get the updated audio. Spotify, however, updates show notes much more quickly, but the updated audio can take up to 24 hours since they are rehosting the file.
