Florida Church Group Escapes From Israel Into Jordan After Hearing Rockets and Gunfire

A group of 54 from the First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach were on a trip to explore Biblical sites when fighting broke out between Hamas and Israel.

Pastor Zach Terry and his congregation from First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach pose in Jerusalem after escaping from Tiberius following Hamas's military strikes on Israel, Oct. 7, 2023. Courtesy of First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach

A North Florida church with a group of 54 safely crossed the Jordanian border this weekend after a violent war between Israel and Hamas threatened to trap them overseas.

Zach Terry, the pastor of First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach, told The Epoch Times that it is his church’s fifth pilgrimage to Israel, but never before was a trip cut short due to the sound of aerial rocket blasts and machine gun fire echoing in the streets below their rooms.