41 church members return to US from Israel after being stranded amid Iran conflict
By Michael Gryboski - Posted at The Christian Post:
Published March 5, 2026
“Every time we head to the bomb shelter. You’ve only got a few minutes to get there once the alarm goes off and we’re hearing the explosions going off over our heads, it’s just completely surreal. It’s unbelievable.”A group of 41 members of a South Carolina church who had been stranded in Israel due to the Iranian counterstrikes against the country has safely arrived back in the United States.
A plane carrying members from Calvary Chapel Summerville arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday afternoon, after the group was forced to spend nearly an extra week in Israel because of the airspace being shut down.
Charles Timmerman, assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel, told The Christian Post that the group has safely returned to the U.S. after taking a bus from Israel to Jordan and then flying out of that nation.
“Our faith in God is the most important thing in our lives, and we are just deeply grateful to our God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and then for the prayers that have come in from across the country,” said Timmerman. “People have stepped up, and we are very deeply grateful.”
