Bedford's Holy Land seeks to teach about Jesus

At Holy Land USA — a Christian-themed tourist attraction and pilgrimage site near Bedford — Jesus is wrought from plywood and the Sea of Galilee is a man-made pond.

The Upper Room, site of the Last Supper, is housed in a defunct distillery that once produced apple brandy.

Nestled on about 200 acres of farmland along Virginia 746, Holy Land takes visitors on a three-mile journey through the Bible lands of Israel, past replicas of sites like Mount Moriah and Jesus’ tomb. For $10, visitors can take a two-hour motorized tour that retraces Jesus’ life and death, starting at the manger in Bethlehem.

Thousands of people have visited Holy Land since it was founded in 1972.

To its founder, the late Robert Johnson of Bedford, Holy Land’s mission was an earnest one: to educate people about the life and times of Jesus. It also serves as a larger-than-life memorial to his son Campbell Johnson, who died suddenly at the age of 24.

“He wanted to create a place where people could come if they couldn’t go to Israel,” says general manager Keith Vinsin.

Johnson made several trips to Israel to get inspiration for the park. The route, which winds through the fields and forest, provide an approximation of the real-life geography, with each mile of road equaling about 100 miles in Israel.

Though Johnson died, the park lives on.

In 1991, he left Holy Land to its longtime manager, Richard Dooley, then pastor of Bible Center Chapel in Bedford. The park ran continuously until 2005, when Dooley closed it to look for a buyer. He sold it to a board of trustees headed by Tree of Life pastor, Mike Dodson, and in the spring of 2008, the park reopened as a nonprofit for year-round tours.

On a recent Saturday in August, church groups from as far away as Baltimore and Richmond came for the tour.

The first group boards a yellow school bus that is a wonder in its own right — the roof has been removed and the side walls cut down to provide an open-air view of the park. As they wait for the tour, an all-woman church group from Baltimore breaks out into a soulful rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

Just after 10 a.m., volunteer tour guide Mike Dodson Jr. climbs aboard and revs up the engine. He is the son of the elder Mike Dodson and pastor of Tree of Life’s Biker Church, a ministry that caters to motorcyclists.

After the manger, the first stop is “Shepherd’s Field,” a grassy hill bearing a cement cross and Star of David made from boulders. As the bus idles, people stand up in their seats to snap photos with their cell phones and digital cameras.

People come to Holy Land not just for tours, but for religious retreats, marriages and baptisms. There is even a cemetery on grounds, with open plots for those who wish to be buried on a re-creation of the Mount of Olives.

Although not consistent, the park draws as many as 300 visitors a week, Vinsin estimates. The park relies on one paid staff member and a cadre of volunteers to lead the tours and maintain the grounds.

The sites along Jericho Road are modest, mostly built into the natural scenery with wood, stone and cement. Hand-painted signs dot the journey, providing background information and scripture, and props help illustrate Bible stories.

For example, at Cana of Galilee, six pots strewn on the ground symbolize Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine at the Cana marriage feast.

Around the bend is the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked across water. Nearby lies an old wooden boat used in the James River Batteau Festival years ago.

At Holy Land, it serves as a talking point for Jesus’ ministry work along the shores.

The tour’s climax takes place in Jerusalem. Here, visitors disembark the bus to inspect Jesus’ tomb, lit by a florescent light. “The tomb is empty!” the sign proclaims.

Beyond the tomb is Mount Calvary, marked by three wooden crosses.

Before boarding the bus, Dodson leads a prayer and encourages the unsaved to give their lives to Christ. Of the 50 or so on the tour bus, eight people commit or recommit to the Lord that morning, and Vinsin says hundreds more have over the years.

“I’ve had some amazing stories out here of people lives being changed,” he says.

After a quick jaunt through Egypt, the bus rumbles to a halt in front of the gift shop and vending machines.

“Have you enjoyed your journey today?” Dodson asks.

The bus erupts in applause, and “Praise God” rings through the air.

info
Holy Land USA is located on 1060 Jericho Road. For more information or to reserve a riding tour, call (540) 586-2823. The park is open between 9 and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The last journey leaves at 3 p.m.