The Bobcat Gazette
March 3, 2026
A group of 26 Arizonans from Calvary Church 14:6 in Surprise is
sheltering at an undisclosed location after being caught in Israel
during the U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran. The church tour, led by Pastors
Patrick Marks and Steve Long, turned into an unexpected ordeal when
missile interceptions began overhead.
Caught on the Sea of Galilee
The group was visiting biblical sites like Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee
when the joint U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran were announced over the
weekend, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Within
an hour, air raid sirens blared, and the impacts from Israel’s Iron Dome
shook their surroundings.
Pastor Marks described the scene: “You could seriously hear the impact of the
Iron Dome making impact with the missile. It was seriously loud. It
rattled the building, shook the windows... and we had three or four
different air raids during that whole morning.”
Pastor Long added: “For us, it’s very special to go to the place where we know
that Jesus lived and where he died and rose again. Then you juxtapose
that against this backdrop of, oh my goodness, now there’s all this
unrest going on and bombs and missiles are flying overhead. And it’s
just a really weird emotional dichotomy.”
State Department steps in
The U.S. State Department coordinated with the group’s travel agents to
relocate them to safety, away from the conflict zone. FOX 10 Phoenix
reports they are now “in an undisclosed location, thanks to the U.S.
State Department,” with no public details on the exact site for
security.
The pastors emphasized calm in a Facebook video from Tiberias: “Here where
we are, there’s nothing to stress about. You can hear them popping off.”
All 26 members remain safe and in good spirits.
Defiant faith amid the chaos
Despite the chaos, the group vows to return. “War or no war, we’re going to
keep coming. We’re going to keep bringing groups here because the
authenticity matters so much,” Marks said. Long urged prayer: “I would
just say pray for the peace of Israel, pray for the peace of Iran, pray
for our troops, everybody that’s involved. Like we said earlier, we
don’t want anybody to suffer.”
It’s unclear when flights home will resume, but the group expects to be back in Surprise within days.
This story draws from local TV interviews and pastor statements.