Arch Bonnema
Many people believe something placed a huge mass of petrified wood, embedded with fossilized sea creatures and pitch waterproofing, 5000 feet above the tree line on a mountain in Iran, where it was discovered in 2005 by a team of 15 Americans including Arch Bonnema.
On Monday, November 14 at 7:30PM, Bonnema will come to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Westport to share his remarkable adventure, including why his team chose to look in Iran rather than at the traditional site of Mt. Ararat in Turkey. His presentation will be augmented with slides and video taken on the trip to Iran, and samples of what they found for examination. Bonnema has been interviewed on radio and television, including on Good Morning, America, and spoken on university campuses across the country.
Then on the following night, Tuesday, November 15, Bonnema will examine the mysterious fate of another famous Biblical ark, the Ark of the Covenant, which was the chest used by Moses to store the tablets containing the 10 Commandments. In his second presentation, Bonnema will lay out the evidence that led him to believe the Ark of the Covenant was removed from Jerusalem for safekeeping by African Jewish priests in 586BC, prior to the first destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and that it was brought eventually to a fortress isle on a lake in Ethiopia for about 800 years. Furthermore, he believes that the Ark of the Covenant still exists today, hidden under the protection of an ancient Christian priesthood in an Ethiopian village that he has visited on numerous occasions, and he’ll bring slides and video about those visits.
Aside from his interest in Biblical archaeology, and his business career as president of Joshua Financial, Arch Bonnema is also, along with his wife, the founder My House ministries, an organization dedicated to creating new orphanages around the world. Working in partnership with corporations, individuals, and other non-profits that share this goal, My House has so far established more than 300 orphanages and conducted mission trips to more than 73 countries.
Both of Mr. Bonnema’s presentations are open to the general public, and any degree or combination of belief and skepticism is welcome. St. Paul is located at 41 Easton Rd., Westport, CT.
