The Rev. Daniel Mark Cenci walked through the water of the Jordan River along with fellow believers of Jesus Christ.
It’s one of the most sacred places in the Holy Land because it’s where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Along with Cenci of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, more than 20 people from Sampson County recently took a pilgrimage and spiritual journey through Jerusalem — traveling where Jesus lived his life.
“I’ve been baptized before and I renewed my baptismal vows in the Jordan River,” said Tommy Newton. “That was very moving.”
About five years ago, Cenci and his wife, Jessica, took a trip to Jerusalem and took a course at St. George’s College, an institution affiliated with the Anglican Communion. After returning to Sampson County, there was a lot of interest about planning a trip, which grew outside the walls of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
“One of the participants said they read the Bible their whole life in black and white, but when you actually go there, it’s like reading the Bible in Color. You see the places and you can walk on the streets and see the buildings. Some of the buildings have been there for thousands of years. There’s places in Jerusalem where the roads are still the same roads that the Romans built before Christ. They are the same roads that Jesus would have walked on.”
Newton, a member of Graves Memorial Presbyterian Church, felt the same way.
“It’s extremely powerful when you walk in the Jesus’ footsteps,” Newton said. “You see the Bible come to life. It was a life changing trip.”
There’s different denominations within Christianity, but their love is connected through Jesus and the Holy Land he walked. The participants represented Episcopalians, Baptists, Methodists, and Catholics. Together, they took a course called “The Footsteps of Jesus,” featuring
“We all worship in different church, but we believe in the same Jesus and believe in the same God,” he said. “For us to be able to come together and walk that path together was really powerful. It’s a great reminder that, there’s a lot more that unites us than divides us.”
Their journey began in Bethlehem, with the birth of Jesus Christ, and the the Church of Nativity where he was born. Later, they went to Nazareth were he Jesus was raised and home oh his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. Next, they went to the Church of the Annunciation, where Gabriel, an angel, told the Virgin Mary, she was going to give birth to the Son of God. They also visited the Church of St. Joseph, which was built over his workshop and home.
Together, the Sampson group traveled through the Sea of Galilee to visit several of the towns where Jesus taught and performed miracles. Cenci and others also went to hills where he fed thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish.
Right outside of Jerusalem, they walked through the land where Jesus too his last steps before he was crucified by visiting the Calvary – a cathedral built over the area. The other end is the empty tomb where Jesus was buried before Jesus was resurrected.
“Then we went to Emmaus where Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection,” he said. “So, we followed the whole life of Jesus in two weeks, from Bethlehem to Emmaus. It was a lot of stuff packed into a short period of time.”
For Newton, one of the most moving times was when he traveled through the wilderness where Jesus Christ was tempted.
“We were out by ourselves, and we were able to pray and mediate in the same area where he was,” Newton said.
Jerusalem includes a cultural mix of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam followers. Some of the sites are holy to all such as the Temple of Jerusalem. For the local believers, the biggest take away was bringing the stories of the Bible to life.
“They’re not just stories, but they actually happened and they happened in real places and happened in history,” Cenci said. “It sort of changes your perspective.”
Cenci begins new journey
For Cenci, leading the trip was a great way to end his ministry with St. Paul’s Episcopal.
“Hopefully, it’ll energize them as they move into a new stage in their ministry with a new pastor,” Cenci said.
After spending several years in Clinton, Cenci is headed to Christ Church in Elizabeth City to serve as the rector. It’s hard for Cenci to leave, but moving to Elizabeth City will put Cenci and his wife closer to their family in eastern North Carolina.
“It’s bittersweet — we certainly are going to miss Clinton and miss St. Paul’s. We loved the church here and we loved all the members,” Cenci said about his family. “They’ve been very kind and welcoming and generous to us. But we’re excited about what God has planned for the future.”
While growing up, the Edgecombe County native always had an interest in the church, even as a young child.
“I would play church with my friends,” he said with a smile. “I would preach them.”
He went on to serve as an acolyte and was involved with campus ministries. Overtime, God called on him to full-time ministry.
“I like serving people and I like the ministry, not just preaching and teaching, but I like community service,” he said. “I feel like there’s a need for that in the world. There’s a need for service for people to help those who are less fortunate and those who are need. I feel that God put that on my heart.”
After graduating from high school, the Edgecombe County native earned a bachelor’s from in religious studies and history from the University of Alabama and a master’s in divinity from the The Virginia Theological Seminary. He served as the Parish Seminarian at Pohick Episcopal Church in Lorton, Va. ,where President George Washington worshiped.
Next, he served as curate at St. John’ Episcopal Church in Montgomery, Ala. for a few years before becoming a rector for St. Paul’s in Clinton.
During his years in Clinton and it’s a place he always loved. He compared it to the fictional town Mayberry from “The Andy Griffith Show” — in a very good way.
“Everybody knows each other and everybody looks out for each other,” he said. “You can walk down the street and talk to anybody and they’ll stop and talk to you. It’s just a friendly community. We’ve always had neighbors willing to help out with our kids if needed the. It’s always been a good place to call home.”
