The heart behind Philip's House.
That beach behind these words is where God started Philip's House. Scroll deeper into our story. It's about a pastor who wants a better Israel experience for you.
It started with my prayer on a plane.
Hi, my name is Philip McCallum. This house is not mine. It's about Philip in the Bible. He had a house where people of all nations meet Israelis. Welcome to Philip's House, to meet Israelis while you see Israel.
I have been a pastor over 40 years. I led classic Israel bus trips. To be honest, they frustrated me. I saw the places but I did not meet the people of Israel. I sat on a plane leaving Tel Aviv. I had been to Israel but not yet met one Israeli friend. As the wheels went up, a prayer went up from my heart.
"Lord, I never want a packaged bus tour again. Introduce me to an Israeli who becomes my friend and open doors for me in Israel."
Two years later, on sabbatical, I was reading Acts 8, where Philip lands at Azotus. I looked the city up. Today it's called Ashdod, on Israel's Mediterranean coast. So my wife and I booked three weeks at a beach hotel. One dawn I ran up a great sand dune overlooking the shore, reading Acts 21 about Philip's House, and I heard God speak: Build a house like Philip's house where people from around the world can come to Israel and meet Israelis.
I found my call within a call. We launched in 2022, and since the very first retreat I watched travelers do everything I had longed to do. They hiked the trails Jesus walked. They sat quietly with open Bibles. They made Israeli friends. I live for the moment a traveler encounters the Lord in the land. It is why I come alive in Israel.
After the brutal October 7 attacks, I flew to Israel. Many pastors and churches followed and brought hundreds of evangelical Christians to comfort those who grieve in Zion. We keep going regularly to Israel to keep the door open for you to come.
Philip started a second life in Israel. I want your second life to begin in Israel too. Israel is possible. You can come.
Watch Philip's story, filmed on that very beach
Philip had a house where the nations felt at home.
Philip's House is named after a famous Jew named Philip. He lived in the first century, and he bridged cultures everywhere he went. He served Greek widows. He preached in Samaria. And when an Ethiopian official rolled past in a chariot, reading Isaiah out loud, Philip ran alongside and opened with a friendly question: do you understand what you are reading?
He settled in Caesarea, on the edge of the Mediterranean, in a house the whole world seemed to pass through. Travelers from the nations rested there for many days. Jewish believers welcomed them, ate with them, prayed over them, and sent them home blessed.
Two thousand years later, the chariots are motor coaches. The question is still the best way to begin. That is the company we set out to build: not a voice talking at you from the front of the bus, but a friend running alongside.
Philip was a bridge between cultures. I dream of a space where leaders from the nations can be blessed by Israelis, just like Philip's House.
Scenes from our retreats.
Real travelers, real moments, from recent Philip's House retreats in the land.
Your friend and retreat partner in the land.
A tour company shows you places. A friend introduces you to people. Everything we build flows from three commitments.
Meet God, not just the sites.
Every day holds quiet space to read, pray, and listen in the very places where it happened. We plan the schedule around encounter, because encounter is what changes a life.
Come home with Israeli friends.
You will share meals, learn names, and plant a tree that keeps growing after you fly home. Most Israelis have never met an Evangelical Christian. When you come in friendship, they know they are not alone.
Travel light in your spirit.
Flights, hotels, believing guides, meals, and everything in between are carried by our partner Sar-El Tours and Conferences. You are free to be fully present.
Carried by Sar-El Tours & Conferences.
When God opened the door to this friendship, everything changed. Sar-El is Israel's largest tour company, founded and led by believers, and together we dream up retreats that a tour bus could never hold. They carry our flights, hotels, guides, and safety planning. They even welcome our groups at their own David's Harp Resort on the Sea of Galilee. With every detail carried, you are free to encounter God.
Come to Israel with us.
The door is open, and friends are holding it. Come and see the land, meet the people, and encounter the Lord where it all happened. There is a seat in this story with your name on it.
Peace to you from the land of Israel. We hope to see you there. Shalom, Philip
Tell us about you.
Traveler or pastor, dreamer or planner, we would love to hear from you. A real person from Philip's House replies within a day or two. No pressure. No pitch.
Someone from Philip's House will reach out within a day or two. If you would rather talk sooner, call (800) 802-0747.
Philip's House LLC · PO Box 152, Snohomish, WA 98291 · philipshouse.com
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Philip's House is a bridge to Israel and greater influence.
ENCOUNTER GOD IN ISRAEL.
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