Walk Where Paul Walked.
See The Bible Come To Life.
Learn How to Defend Your Faith.

"grounded"

April 1-10, 2027


Attention all Young Adults and Upper-class High Schoolers!  You are invited to participate in an incredible student growth opportunity this Spring.
This once in a lifetime opportunity is an educational walk through Greece with an emphasis on helping students learn how to defend their faith.
We hope you and your family prayerfully consider this amazing opportunity. 
I'm Interested!

Important Date to Remember

We will have a meeting about the trip November 22nd at 1:00 pm for parents and
those interested in going at Battle Ground Baptist Church in the fellowship room.

Walk Through Greece

During Spring Break of 2027, we are taking students on an 8 day trip throughout the Peloponnesian peninsula in Greece and will be walking the footsteps of the apostle Paul.  
We seek to equip young men and women with a resilient, rooted faith in Jesus Christ through immersive, place-based discipleship, forming lifelong friendships, biblical worldview clarity, and a passion to explore God’s word with courage and conviction.

Why This Trip? 

The heart behind "Grounded" is to help young men and women remain steadfast in their faith after high school and as they step out on their own. We also hope they will form lasting friendships and ignite a passion for exploring the world. Most of all, we want them to be deeply rooted in their faith, especially when the world around them tempts them to question God.

Schedule

Students will spend the first night in Athens, and then the next seven nights aboard a catamaran as they sail through the Saronic and Argolic gulf, with stops at the Ancient Theatre at the Asklepieion of Epidaurus, Nafplion, Spetsis, and Corinth along the way. Each boat has queen-sized beds, with one room having bunk beds. Each room also has its own private bathroom.

Co - Led By

Dr. Shawn Newberry

Dr. Shawn Newberry, Senior Pastor of Battle Ground Baptist Church, holds a Doctor of Educational Ministry (D.Ed.Min.) in Leadership with an emphasis on Discipleship, as well as two Master’s degrees in Biblical Education and Christian Leadership. These degrees reflect a lifelong commitment to both sound theology and practical formation—essential for shaping the spiritual and intellectual growth of young people. His educational background equips him not just to teach biblical truth, but to form lives that live it out.
Dr. Newberry has spent nearly three decades in pastoral ministry, including service as a senior pastor, youth pastor, and mentor to both emerging and seasoned leaders. His ministry has always prioritized discipleship, spiritual renewal, and equipping others to thrive in their calling—making him especially suited to guide students through a formative spiritual journey like Grounded.
Shawn with his wife Joanna will be attending this trip.

Dr. Corey Miller

Dr. Corey Miller, president of Ratio-Christi, is exceptionally qualified to co-lead this trip, both in terms of academic expertise and spiritual depth. His unique background, personal story, and professional experience align powerfully with the mission of the trip—equipping young people to be grounded in their faith while engaging a complex world with clarity and courage.
With three Master’s degrees (in philosophy, biblical studies, and philosophy of religion/ethics) and a PhD in philosophical theology from the University of Aberdeen, Dr. Miller brings a rare combination of intellectual rigor and theological depth. He has taught nearly 100 college-level courses on philosophy, theology, comparative religion, and rhetoric—key areas that help students learn to think critically and live faithfully in today’s cultural climate.
Corey with his wife Melinda will be attending this trip. 

Details At A Glance

Cost Details

Deposit per person by December 1, 2026 = $500
Airfare = $1,000 by January 15th.
Remaining balance due by March 15th ($750).
Optional Travel Insurance through the church = $30-79 per person.

Trip Cost & Fundraising

The cost of the trip is $2,250 per person,
including airfare, all meals (in Greece), transportation, and all excursions.
To help defray individual costs, we will be doing several fundraising efforts.
In February, we will host a fundraising dinner at the church that will include a silent auction for desserts. Everyone attending the trip will need to be present and help with this event.
We have also been incredibly blessed by the generosity of a local business that has committed to match our fundraising efforts dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. In addition, our catamaran captain has gifted us with the boats free of charge and the only charge is to the captain and cook during our time on the boats. Without these generous people and our fundraising efforts, the cost of the trip would be approximately $5,000 per person.
Participants may also raise additional support from family and friends to help cover their individual trip costs. Sample support letters and an information packet are available below and outside the Youth Room for anyone who would like to begin raising support.

Available Spots

Space is limited. We currently have spots available for:
•5 young women
•6 young men
•2 sets of parents — We have one cabin available on each boat for a set of parents who would like to participate in the trip alongside the students and young adults.
This trip is open to high school students and young adults, with limited space available.
More Details
Fundraising Details
I'm Interested!

The Trip

Details

Walk Where Paul Walked
This is much more than a sightseeing trip. We will use the places we visit as an outdoor classroom. Students will stand where the Apostle Paul preached, reasoned with people, defended the gospel, and helped establish the early church.
At Mars Hill, we will consider Paul's encounter with the philosophers of Athens in Acts 17. In Corinth, we will explore the world in which Paul ministered and wrote to the Corinthian church.
Students will discover that the Bible is not a collection of stories detached from history. Scripture records God's work among real people, in real places, at real moments in history. We want students to understand that they are now part of God's continuing work in the world.
Learn to Defend Your Faith
Dr. Corey Miller holds a Ph.D. in philosophical theology and will help students think carefully about what they believe and why they believe it. Using Paul's ministry in Athens as a model, students will learn how reason, logic, evidence, Scripture, and the gospel work together when communicating the Christian faith.
Peter instructed believers to be: “Always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” — 1 Peter 3:15
We want students to return home better prepared to explain what they believe, why they believe it, and why their faith matters.
More Than Defending the Faith
Our desire is not simply to help students defend their faith; we want to deepen their faith.
Jesus called His followers the “light of the world.” Following Christ means living out our faith not only at church, but also in our schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, professions, and communities.
One example is Erastus, whom Paul identifies in Romans 16:23 as the city treasurer. He was connected to Paul's ministry while holding a position of civic responsibility in Corinth. His example provides an opportunity to discuss how Christians can faithfully serve their communities with integrity, courage, wisdom, and grace.
Greece also provides a remarkable setting for these conversations because the ancient Greek world played a foundational role in the development of democratic government and Western thought.
Our Purpose
This trip combines adventure, history, biblical studies, apologetics, discipleship, and Christian community in an unforgettable setting.
We want students to return home with more than photographs and memories. Our prayer is that they return with a deeper confidence in Scripture, a stronger relationship with Christ, meaningful Christian friendships, and the courage to live their faith openly.
They will walk where Paul walked, stand where the gospel was proclaimed, see the historical world of the Bible firsthand, and learn to give a reason for the hope within them.
Most importantly, we pray they return home ready to live boldly for Christ wherever God has placed them.

We need to know who is interested in this trip by December 15th at the latest.  Spots will be secured with a $500 deposit.
 
Our Tentative Schedule
April 1, depart PDX at 1:05 pm on Delta to Amsterdam, switch flights there and go to Athens. Current prices are $1050 per person.
April 2, Arrive in Athens at 12:40 pm, get picked up by our drivers have lunch, and do a short tour of Athens (Go see the changing of the guard & the Olympic Stadium) before being dropped off at the Airbnb. Dinner will be within walking distance of the Airbnb.
April 3, Breakfast near the Airbnb (small café), picked up at 8:00 AM for a tour of Mars Hill, The Acropolis, The Museum of the Acropolis, The Western Slope (Where Western Government began including the beginning of civic justice and the rule of law, the idea of democracy (of the people, by the people, for the people), and citizenship). Lunch at 1:00, then depart for the boats.
At 1:30, we will arrive at the docks to board our boat at 2:00 pm.
2:00 pm, safety briefing and we begin sail for the Isle of Egina to visit Temple of Aphaia.
We will have dinner that night near the docks.
April 4 – We will sail for Poros after breakfast. Quads will be waiting for us at the docks in Poros, we will ride to Sanctuary of Hippolytus at Troezen and see a civilization that began about 200 BC but was destroyed in the 400’s.  A church was planted there in about 150 AD (not sure if was out of Corinth or Athens, but historians believe Corinth is most possible).  Lunch will be on our way back. We will have dinner on the boat.
April 5 – We will sail to Spetses and have dinner there. Breakfast and lunch will be on the boat, this will be a long sailing day. We will learn about the history of Greece and the beginning of their most recently history, when they fought the Turks.
April 6 – We will sail to Nafplio and have breakfast while sailing. We will pack a lunch and get in our taxi and visit Archaeological site of Mycenae (from the time of Abraham) as well as Ancient Corinth. Dinner will be when we get back to the boat.
April 7 – We will sail to Hydra – an island with no vehicles.
April 8 – We will sail to Epidaurus and Visit the Sanctuary of Asclepius and the famous Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Here we will see where Hypocrites taught medicine and other famous philosophers taught. We will see training areas of athletes as they prepared for the ancient Olympics.
April 9 we will see an underwater city (it is 6 feet under water in a bay). Then we will sail back to Alimos by 5:00 pm.
April 10 we will be picked up at 3:30 am and be at the airport by 4:00 am to depart for home by 6:00 am.  We will return to Portland on Sunday at 11:00 am.

Fundraising

Deadline for Contributions: February 15, 2027

Sample Support letter if you wish to write one: 
Dear Friends and Family,
I am excited to share an opportunity God has given me this spring break, April 1–10, 2027, to travel to Greece with a group of Christian students led by Dr. Corey Miller and Dr. Shawn Newberry. I would be grateful if you would prayerfully consider supporting me.
During this trip, we will walk where the apostle Paul preached, visit ancient biblical sites, and explore the historical foundations of Christianity. We will stand on Mars Hill in Athens, where Paul boldly proclaimed the gospel, and visit places that bring the Bible and the early church to life.
This trip is about more than history. We will learn how to explain and defend our Christian faith, engage respectfully with those who believe differently, and prepare for the challenges we may face in college and adulthood. We will also explore how Greek philosophy, democracy, and culture shaped the world in which Christianity spread.
My hope is to return with a deeper understanding of God's Word, a stronger faith, and greater confidence in sharing the gospel with others.
The total cost of the trip is $2,250. I am committed to contributing as much as I can personally, but I would be grateful for any financial support you might consider giving. No gift is too small! I am also happy to work on weekend projects to help earn money toward the trip.
Most importantly, I would appreciate your prayers for safety, financial provision, spiritual growth, and opportunities to grow in my relationship with Christ.
Thank you for considering investing in this opportunity and in my spiritual growth. Your prayers, encouragement, and generosity mean so much to me!
With gratitude,
P.S. Giving Information
Checks can be made payable to Battle Ground Baptist Church. Please include my name and "Greece 2027" in the memo.
Battle Ground Baptist Church
1110 NW 6th Ave.
Battle Ground, WA 98604
Our fundraising efforts are designed to secure the reduced $2,250 trip price. A generous local business owner has committed to matching the first $10,000 we raise from our fundraiser, making every dollar raised toward our initial goal twice as impactful. Without this matching gift and our fundraising efforts, participants would be responsible for the full cost of approximately $5,000 per person. Eugene who owns the catamaran charter company in Athens has also graciously reduced his price to make this affordable for us.

For students and families who would like additional help covering their $2,250 individual cost, personalized support letters are available. Participants may send these letters to friends, family members, and others who may wish to support them financially.

 We will have a fundraiser for this trip in February, where we will do a dinner and desert auction.

We will have a meeting about the trip November 22nd at 1:00 pm for parents and those interested in going at Battle Ground Baptist Church in the fellowship room.