HPU Students Explore Faith During Spring Pilgrimage in Greece

A group of 20 High Point University students traveled to Greece during their spring break to trace the path of the apostle Paul’s second mission. Pictured are HPU students and their advisors at the stadium of the first modern Olympics in Athens. Pictured are students and their advisors at the stadium of the first modern Olympics in Athens.

HIGH POINT, N.C., March 18, 2024 – A group of 20 High Point University students traveled to Greece during their spring break to trace the path of the apostle Paul’s second mission. Students were able to walk in the footsteps of the early church, learn more about ancient Greece’s influence on the western world and develop deeper friendships and a stronger faith along the way.

They were accompanied by Rev. Dr. Preston Davis, vice president and minister to the university; Rev. Dr. Chris Franks, chair and associate professor of religion and philosophy; and Gwenn Noel, vice president of Student Life.

“As pastor to our community, there is no greater reward than seeing students experience deeper connections between scripture, sacred places like these and their own lives,” said Davis. “With each location we visited, there is another epiphany in a student and a life changed forever.”

Some of the pilgrimage highlights included students visiting Parthenon and Mars Hill in Athens, where the apostle Paul gave his speech to the ancient Greek philosophers of Athens, and having communion in the ruins of the Roman agora in Corinth, where Paul would have worked and developed one of the earliest Christian communities outside of Jerusalem. They also ran the original track in Olympia where the first Olympic Games were held and trekked up to the Byzantine monasteries in Meteora, which are regarded among the great wonders of the world.

This pilgrimage was made possible by generous contributions from donors and partnerships with the HPU Chapel, Student Government Association, Communication Fellows, Health Science Fellows and Office of Student Life. Through these contributions, students pay only a fraction of the cost to travel. Such opportunities allow all HPU students to experience once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities regardless of financial capability.

Two students on this pilgrimage had never flown before, Davis said, and eight had never been out of the country. These are the extraordinary educational opportunities HPU prides itself on providing to students and families.

“My recent journey to Greece was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse myself in the Gospel in a meaningful way,” said Keira McQuillan, a senior English major and religion minor from Middleborough, Massachusetts. “Reading about the apostle Paul’s near imprisonment in Corinth or the establishment of the first Christian church in Europe through Paul’s missions in Philippi took on breathtaking significance when I stood on the very ground where Paul once walked years ago. As someone aspiring to work in ministry long-term, when I now share the Gospel, I can confidently say that I have not only read about these places but have personally experienced them.”

Aidan Brooks, a senior advertising, public relations and strategic communication major from Kernersville, North Carolina, said he is grateful for HPU’s generous donors who made this trip possible and for the work of the Hayworth Chapel and Religious Life programs on campus and beyond. He plans to become a youth pastor and is confident the pilgrimage will influence his future teaching, preaching and study of scripture.

“This pilgrimage gave me a whole new understanding of the apostle Paul’s life and travels through rugged but beautiful terrain across Greece,” said Brooks. “The ancient history and ruins spread throughout the country were amazing to see, and seeing such significant locations as the Parthenon up close was truly unforgettable.”