Newsletter
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June 2010
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadows of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust" Ps. 91:1
This verse is describing our attitude facing the growing opposition from the international community towards Israel. Combined with the nuclear threat from Iran and the weapon building up at the Lebanese and Syrian border. God is still establishing His peace plan for the all of the Middle East. It is called the Gospel! We also know that the manmade borders around Israel (created less than a century ago by European powers) will once again be peacefully united through the Lord in His Highway of Holiness (see Isaiah 19). This verse is describing our attitude facing the growing opposition from the international community towards
Celebrating Shavuot The rooftop of our congregation was crowded with more than 200 people on the evening of the feast of Shavuot. The children opened the evening with a festive parade, waving sheaves of wheat and carrying baskets filled with fruits. We praised God together, danced and heard a message about the meaning of the holiday. According to tradition, we read the all book of Ruth, with drama show that brought this beautiful story to life. There was an opportunity for everyone, to present their own first-fruits and thanks to God for His blessings, in a symbolic way in baskets. To some it was for a new job, for a baby that was born, for a special gift from the Lord… and to some it was a gift or a blessing that God has given to them… Many non-believing family members and friends were present and heard the message of God's goodness and Salvation. Please remember them in your prayers.
Going up to Jerusalem Shavuot is one of three annual festivals, which in Bible time, the children of Israel used to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate, bringing their offerings to the temple. It was 1,980 years ago, when the first believers in Yeshua gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Shavuot, which the Holy Spirit came down on them. Every year, Messianic-believers from all the congregations in Israel gather together in Yad Hashmona (messianic settlement near Jerusalem) to praise & worship God in songs and dances, pray for our nation, and fellowship. This year also our young dancing team participated in the program. Later, we continued with our rented bus to visit different sites in and around Jerusalem with Tony as our guide. We had a special prayer time at the "Kotel" (Western wall of the temple) close to where the temple of the Lord stood, claiming that the first fruits we represented as messianic believers, will become a great harvest as promised in the scriptures. Lighthouse – Outreach through coffee house This month we renewed the activities of our coffee house ministry. This outreach called “the lighthouse" is again open every 2 weeks on Saturdays evening, on the rooftop of our congregation. People are invited to come and hear about Yeshua and our faith in an open & friendly environment, with good music and fine humus, fresh coffee or homemade lemonade.
Some facts about the population in Israel:
Today, the state of Israel has 7.587.000 residents, 75.5 percent of them are Jewish, 20.4% are Arab, and 4.1 % are" others". The population grew by 1.8% in 2009. 159.000 births and 16.000 immigrations contributed to this growth. 30 % of the Israeli population is under 14 years old (compared with 17% in average western countries), but only 10% are over 65 years old (15% in western countries). Today, 70% of the Jewish Israeli population is born in Israel; in 1948 it was only 35%.
Art in Faith: "The Way the Truth and the Life" Testimony of a teenager "I’m 17 years old, and I take art as my main subject in high school. In the beginning of this year (which is my last year) the teacher asked us to think about ideas for our ending project. I knew from the start that I want to connect my work to God, because He is the most important thing in my life, and I couldn't leave Him out of the picture. After a lot of thoughts and prayers I decided to show in my work the connection of God with mankind. I drew three encounters with God from the Old Testament, when God met three specific individuals: 1. Abraham and the three visitors. 2. Jacob struggling with the angel. 3. Moses and the burning bush. And I drew one picture from the New Testament – Jesus on the cross. In the Bible times, God didn't have a personal relationship with everyone, just with leaders and prophets. After Jesus came to the world as Messiah and son of God, crucified and died – every person has the possibility to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is what I wanted to show through my work. God has created opportunities for me to talk about my faith with my teachers and other teenagers at my school. God has helped me during hardships creating it, and I thank Him for that. My art work was presented in an exhibition with the rest of the works of art-class. In the darkness of this world and the depressing subjects my collages chose to show in their works, my beautiful, colored work was shining like a star. I realized that God's light was shining through me and I sowed it through my work."
We give thanks to the Lord for:
· The growing unity among Messianic congregations and Arab churches in Israel. In Nazareth last week, we witnessed a wonderful unity in spirit with our Arab brothers, as we came together for worship, prayer and repentance declaring a common purpose and destiny on Yeshua, the prince of Peace. · The new home group in Hebrew that started in one of the settlement near Kfar Saba. · Healing and restoration in the lives of people attending the 'healing rooms'. · The new men's monthly gatherings started last month on the subject of "faith, vocation and the work place."
Prayer needs:
We thank you for your friendship and partnership with us in prayer and support.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ March 2010
Shalom dear Friends, wishing you a blessed Passover.As we just celebrated Passover, we were reminded again of God's miraculous deliverance of our forefathers from the bondage of Egypt. In those days, each Israelite family applied the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their home and the angel of death would pass over it sparing them from death. Today, we apply the blood of Yeshua our Messiah and sacrifice on the doorposts of our hearts, as He who became our Passover lamb (1 Cor 5: 6-7), delivered us from bondage to sin and from spiritual death. What a merciful and wonderful God we serve! Purim and the threats of destructionJust a month ago we celebrated another holiday that also reminds us the faithfulness of God to save and deliver His covenant people. Every year, Jews all over the world remember the miracle of Esther and Purim. We read together the story of Esther, and how God created her for “such a time as this” to come against the annihilation of our own people. This story is so relevant today with the renewed threats of the New Persian –Iranian prime minister calling for the destruction of Israel. Will Gog and Magog come to pass, we still know the outcome: Our God is on the throne and His purposes for salvation will be established both for Israel and the Nations (See Psalm 2). Sharing the Gospel in faraway landsIt has now become a known tradition that when young Israelis finish their army duty they travel to faraway countries and look for adventures and spiritual experiences. Our congregation encourages our young people to go to the countries where Israelis travel to and share the Gospel with them. One of them came back recently from New Zealand, where he had excellent time and opportunities to share with those travelers about his faith in Yeshua. This week we blessed 3 of our young men before they are leaving to Nepal & India to share the Gospel with Israelis there. Gardens of lifeOn March 4th, (18TH of the month of Adar) "The Gardens of Life "- the memorial for the unborn child - were dedicated in the presence of 12 local pastors and elders. The vision started as the Lord birthed the prayers to see a place where unborn children could be remembered and honored. Through a divine connection, we were put in contact with the monastery of Latrun who granted us a plot of land (4 acres or 17 dunam). In that first day 135 trees were planted and watered by the tears of the parents and family who lost their children through abortion or miscarriage. We see these gardens as a great potential for restoration and healing in the life of many families and individuals. Please pray for the development of the gardens and the means to carry this vision for the restoration of the value of Life in Israel. Women's eveningOn the evening of March 14th, our congregation meeting room was transformed into the palace at Susa. We were surrounded by walls of beautiful fabrics and royally carpeted floors. Seated on overstuffed cushions and couches, we enjoyed an evening fit for women of the royal court. While eating from our sweet-laden tables, we enjoyed a drama about some women who spent all of their time engrossed in their own fleeting beauty and other women who thoroughly despised all of her daily duties as a housewife. Each of these scenes was interspersed with readings from the book of Esther. Each of us learned to see the beauty that the Lord brings to our lives as well as the need to look at every circumstance as an opportunity to live for His glory (even folding the laundry). We shared a time of prayer and received a lovely compact mirror as a reminder of our lessons-learned. The evening brought together women from many different walks of life, different ages, and different languages for a time of true fellowship. Prayer needFor the Israeli government to stand in the midst of international pressures and eminent threats from neighboring countries, For Godly wisdom and courage to act rightly (Micah 6:6) • Pray for U. and Z. who are battling with cancer. • Pray for single mother I. with teenager D. who is going through a time of depression and despair, with death thoughts. • For E. 14 years old boy with struggling with depression, for his mother (single mom) and brother. • For the orphans and widows in our midst, for provision and encouragement. • For the new Hebrew home group starting in K.S this month. Also the ministry to Spanish speakers. • For the children's ministry and their teachers. • For the young people's outreach in Nepal and India and the thousands of Israeli travelers seeking for spiritual experiences. • As we are now facing crowded facilities, please pray with us for the Lord to open a door for more space for a new Worship center, Children and youth ministries, House of refuge and hospitality ministry. We are dreaming (with our eyes open) about a piece of property big enough to be to meet all our growing needs. • Pray for the children in Israel - A report about the situation of children in Israel showed that 34 percent of the children were affected by poverty in 2009 (In 1980 it was 8 percent). Another survey shows that the number of violent crimes and abuse against children has risen from 26 in 2005 to 212 in 2008. In the same time the number of minors participating in crimes has doubled. It is clear that the educational system is crumbling with a breakdown of family values and rise of immorality and iniquities. Pray for a real turning back to The Lord God of Israel and true repentance.
Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and support.
December 2009
Dear family and friends, As part of the world is facing a wave of cold and snowy weather this week, we are sending our warmest greetings and blessings from Kfar Saba, Israel. Looking back at the year 2009, we cannot help but notice the Faithfulness of our God. Even in the midst of hardship and challenges, we are moving forward following Him and proclaiming the Good news of His kingdom.
Hanukkah- The festival of Lights We had a great "Festival of Lights celebration" declaring that Yeshua is the "Shamash" (the witness or the servant), the first light used to light the other candles and make us all "lights of the world". (Matt 5: 14 ). We then sung the traditional Hanukkah song "we came to rebuke the darkness". Hanukkah in Hebrew means dedication. It is also the celebration of the re-dedication of the temple to the God of Israel. (The story is told in the two Apocryphal books of Maccabees). Hanukkah lasts eight days, and one of the feast's traditions is to exchange gifts and give money to the poor. Let your light shine before man that they may see your good deed and praise your father in heaven ". (Mat. 5:16) " This was a good opportunity to remember our brothers and sisters, who are in need, visit them and bless them with the hope of salvation. During this week some were also involved in sharing the gospel in prisons.
Studying the book of Joshua Paralleled with the study of the book of Joshua, both in the home groups and at the Shabbat services, we sensed the Lord is leading our congregation to another level of growth and commitment. God is bringing us across "the Jordan" and taking us to our "Guilgal" to stand in front of our "Jericho’s". We still need to make sure we don't fall into the " sins of Achan ", bringing sin into the camp and making compromise with the "Gibeonites" of the world. We long to see the miracles of redeemed time each day like when the sun stood still in "the valley of Ajalon" so we can enter into our promised inheritance. Here are some of the practical signs of change we can see right now in our congregation.
New families and the growth of the children ministry During this last year many young parents with their children have joined the congregation bringing new life and more children. They are also bringing some new challenges and the need of more teachings and training for teachers and parents. The children's ministry needed to be reorganized and a parent's evening seminar is being organized on the subject of: "Bring up your child in the way he should go…"(Prov. 22:6) We want to emphasize as a priority, the importance of parenting and bringing up the next generation. We believe that being a parent is the most difficult challenge and job a person can find himself into. A boy's club Seeing the need of the young boys aged 10-14, some of them fatherless, the Lord put on our heart to start a boy's club with the participation of some of the fathers. Pray for Moshe as he leads this new ministry. They meet weekly to study the bible, play outside games & pray for one another.
The healing rooms This new ministry has been birthed just a few months ago. Even though we are at the beginning stages we already see great results. Every Wednesday afternoon and evening, whoever needs prayer, counseling and healing can come and meet a praying team trained to minister either in group or as individuals . Their spiritual preparation is of the utmost importance. With fasting we are asking the Lord to prepare our hearts to be his instruments of healing and restoration. The Lord already sent people from another city to receive answers to their needs. During the last counseling staff meeting the Lord led us to pray for nine different persons encountering hardship and difficulties in their lives. As we look upon the list of people we discover that all of them are fatherless or motherless. Please pray for the spirit of adoption, that each person will know God as their parent.
Opposition to the Gospel "Blessed are you when people insult you persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" (Mat. 5:11). There has been growing persecution against believers from the Jewish Orthodox community in different places in the Land. In a small town, the cars of some of congregational members have been burnt, members are being threatened with violence and pressure is being placed upon landlords to revoke housing contracts with Messianic believers. We thank God that the police finally (after a year and a half) found the criminal who tried to kill the Pastor in the town of Ariel and very badly injured his son. The trial is underway. Another court case also continues in the city of Beer Sheva against the town's chief Rabbi and a group of Orthodox Jews who attacked violently the local congregation during one of the meetings. Through all these persecutions, the topic of the Messianic believers is more than ever addressed by the media. Every week an article or interview is being published. May our Lord be exalted in the process.
Testimony of a teenage girl "When I heard about the next youth conference theme "A heart to serve" I got excited, because usually we talk about ourselves and focus on our lives. But this conference was going to deal with society and what we teens can do or should do for other people. The first message was from the book of Nehemiah with emphasis on the words from chapter 2:20 : “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding". We were taught what it means to have 'a heart to serve' – a heart who is seeking God and thirsty for His Word, a heart that demands holiness even when no one is watching. We were given the challenge – to build the body of Messiah instead of mocking the builders and stand on the side doing nothing. We should be working people who search after God's will. Serving in a congregation doesn't start with a microphone on the stage, but doing jobs that are more hidden, like cleaning or helping with the children. I have learnt a lot in this conference and God has really spoken to me and gave me A HEART TO SERVE. "For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do". (Ephesians 2:10)
Prayer needs Pray for the persecuted believers in different places in the country, especially protection for the new and young believers Pray for victory in court cases against some religious Jews who persecute the Messianic believers. Pray for the release of the soldier Gilad Shalit from the Hamas prison. Pray for the establishing of the Spanish speaking group in our congregation, as well as two other Hebrew home groups in nearby towns. Pray with us for more space and facilities for our growing children's ministry. Pray for the fatherless and motherless children & youth in our congregation. Pray for the Lord to encourage the intercessors and renew their strength and vision. We praise the Lord for the way He has blessed the team of young people who just came back from Nigeria, using them to bring salvation and healing to thousands . They all came back very encouraged in their Faith to see that God is still a God of Miracles today . Please pray also for J. who is leaving next week for a ministry trip to mainland China to encourage the persecuted believers there.
We would like to thank you for your partnership with us in prayer and support during the past year. Your prayers have definitely made a difference. We wish you a new year 2010 filled with the Lord's blessings. "May the Lord bless you and keep you and May His face shine upon you" (Numbers 6:24)
October 2009
Rosh Hashanah, our New Year
Throughout Israel, families come together to celebrate the Jewish New Year, the biblical "Feast of Trumpets". Our congregation had the pleasure and the honor of doing the same as one big family. We gathered on the roof of our congregation to celebrate and bless the New Year 5770. We dipped apples in honey, as a symbol that the New Year would be sweet. The tables were decorated with pomegranates, so that we will be as fruitful as its seeds. We wrote our prayers for the coming year, attached them to white balloons and released them; praying God would answer our prayers. Since the New Year is also called "The Feast of Trumpets", we divided into four groups, each gathering on one corner of the roof, overlooking Samaria and our city of Kfar Saba. We blew the Shofar towards each corner – prophesying to the four winds (Ezekiel 37), asking for and declaring the salvation of Jews and Arabs living in our area. What a wonderful and moving evening we had...full of praise songs, dance presentations by our youth, and food that was beautifully decorated and very tasty! National Prayer Gathering
"Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land. To the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord". (Joel 1:14) During Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year- the Feast of Trumpets), about 600 local believers participated in the national prayer gathering. We started by repenting as the body of Messiah. Leaders and pastors representing about 25 different congregations in the Land stood as one in humility and desire to see God work in bringing revival to our Land. We had a time of identifying with the Jewish people and repenting for the sins of our nation as the prophets Daniel and Nehemiah had done in the Tenach. We worshiped, prayed, interceded, and repented. We shared the Lord's Supper together, blew shofars and declared that all Israel would be saved! The Lord showered us with a surprise blessing – it rained! This is so unusual! It has only happened 3 times in the past 50 years on Rosh Hashanah in Israel. "So rejoice, O sons of Zion and be glad in the Lord your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication, and He has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before". (Joel 2:23)
Yom Kippur – A Testimony From a New Immigrant
Just imagine in your country that God calls a fast, and because of this, the whole country stops… no cars are allowed to drive… nothing is broadcast on the TV or radio stations… all the stores are closed… and everybody comes out on the streets that night after prayers in the Synagogue and enjoys a huge block party with kids riding bikes, skateboards, or inline skating. This is Israel and the Holiday is Yom Kippur. Thousands of years ago, God declared that the nation would observe a day of fasting for the atonement of our sins. To this day, Jews around the world observe this commandment. But to see how it is done in Israel is amazing. Because there were no cars allowed, I had to walk 1 hour from Hod Hasharon to Kfar Saba (15 min by car). Not once did I walk on the sidewalk, only on the street with thousands of other residents who enjoyed the peace and quiet of no horns honking or car fumes filling the air. Instead, kids enjoyed their newly acquired bikes and battery operated mini-cars. I was amazed as I walked on Main Street in Kfar Saba and saw what appeared as all the inhabitants of that booming city out on the street by the thousands. It looked exactly like Times Square in anticipation of the dropping of the ball on New Year’s Eve! I marveled standing in the middle of what usually is the busiest intersection in the city gazing at a sea of people on every side. I used to live in the vast expanses of Arizona where the country was quiet with only the sound of an occasional bird singing. But Tucson’s quietness paled in comparison to this night, and the next day. It was as if a day of reverence was even honored in the voices along the street.
No cell phones ring, no bars open, no one shops to get the “Yom Kippur Sales”, for the stores are all closed. What a change of pace from the way holidays are observed in the states. What made it even more meaningful was that I walked to Kfar Saba so that I could join the rest of the prayer group praying for our city and country. It was a good time of intercession followed the next day with more prayer and fasting.
I love my new country, the country where Yeshua walked, and prayed for us…all of us. I love the fact that as a nation, at least one day a year is dedicated solely to seeking God. Please join me in prayer that it won’t be just one day a year, but that all Israel will be saved and worship the King of Kings!
Wedding and Goodbye Many of you know Yelena ,our faithful deacon and one of our worship leaders. God led her to meet a Finnish believer with a heart for Israel. Tony officiated their wedding on September 16. We blessed the new couple as they begin their new lives together. After their honeymoon, they will serve in the city of Rishon helping the new congregation planted there last year. We are happy to announce that our music project "Shalom Brasil" has been completed. This vision was born two years ago when Tony saw the thousands of Brazilian believers coming to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Last year his book, " The Mystery of Israel and the Church " was translated into Portuguese. This year, the CD is complete and is a bridge between the two nations. It is a CD of anointed Hebrew praise & worship songs which are partly translated into Portuguese, with unique new arrangements . All the artists, musicians and singers are believers living in Israel , many belonging to the worship team of our congregation who committed to this project for the glory of God.
You can order this new music album and we will send it to you. The suggested price is 12 euros . Prayer needs - Against the wave of violence , street murder and shedding of innocent blood. - For the release of the prisoner Gilad Shalit held captive in Gaza for more than 3 years - For our 'prayer healing rooms' - A new prayer ministry starting this month, every Wednesday, for people in need of physical and emotional healing. -For the prayer team and counselors – for wisdom, discernment and guidance. - For the single mothers and their children – many of them with special needs and disabilities. - For more teachers for the children program - we have now 70 children in 5 different classes. We thank you for your prayers and support which we value very much.
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August 2009 a brand new summer "TheLighthouse" Our new outreach ministry is the "Lighthouse" coffee bar on the top of our roof on Saturday evening. Just imagine, after a long hard week, having a cup of coffee with your closest friends on a roof over looking Kfar Saba and Samaria. Every other weekend, thanks to a comited group of our congregation who get together and enjoy serving members and visitors food and drinks while enjoying good background music. Up to 80 people have attended this brand new outreach and some good contacts and relationships were developed! Please pray for God’s anointing on this outreach!
Reaching out to the community Speaking of outreach, Two weeks ago, one of our home groups got together and painted a classroom in a kindergarten for underprivileged kids in South Tel Aviv. One of our members when to visit that school and saw how the walls were not painted, and extremely dirty, Our whole group decided to spend the afternoon painting and fellowshipping, and then afterwards enjoying a Shabbat meal together. We don’t know who was more blessed, them or us! It was a total surprise to the kids…you can imagine the look on their faces the next day!
Fruits of the Spirit All summer long, our children are learning about the Fruit of the Spirit (theme of the studies from Gal. 5:22 ). If you look in our youth room, you would think you entered a tropical garden covered in various fruits. Each week we emphasize one aspect of the fruit of the spirit. One example of how the children have put into practice what they learn, is by preparing care packages and bringing them to sick children in the hospital . Pray for our children that they would be a light in the midst of darkness.
Summer Camps Our summer camp was a great success! 45 of our kids with 10 camp counselors went up north to a fishing pond close to the beach, and spent four very blessed days there. While they were there, they learned to fish in the natural and learned how to fish in the spiritual. They learned how to fish for the promises of God by seeking His word. They learned how to fish for the greatest promise of all---Yeshua. All of our children were so blessed, and were deeply touched by God’s work and His Spirit. All the glory is to God who worked through a very comited and united team who worked in the kitchen , drama, lifeguard, fishing, first aid, teaching, worship (led mostly by teens . A few of our children went away with a new deep renewal of their personal relationship with Yeshua. Thank you so much for ALL your prayers for our children. Our children are very important to us. Every week, at our prayer meetings, we ask God to strengthen them and protect them so that they will be strong in their faith and a light to their friends. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ July 2009 In the midst of a very hot and dry summer we are busy organising the children camps, trying to find every spot of shade or water to keep the children and ourselves cool. Thank you for the numerous prayers and the help we received to sponsor the fatherless children . Please pray for protection and that every child will have a divine encounter with the living God . Pray for Rafi and Diana and their children as they travel to South Africa and Germany . For the Lord protection and blessings where they will stop to share about what the Lord is doing in Israel and in the congregation . June 2009 Shavuot Started the last thursday of May. Ended the counting of the Omer, the 7 weeks since Pessach ( Passover ). The occasion to celebrate the Lord who gave us His Torah in Sinai and wrote His law into our heart with his holy spirit through the new covenant. ( Jer . 31-31 ). After the evening celebration where we dedicated new babies and where we gave thanks to the Lord for His provision and goodness , we rented a bus and travel the next day to Jerusalem , to participate in the yearly gathering of the messianic believers in a moshav nearby. Our young dancing team, " Laakat hamaayan " participated in the program. Later we continued to the old city of Jerusalem to bring blessing to a young child preparing his Bar mizva . The Lord touched also very strongly one of our old veteran there, at the Kotel. We then moved to visit the Garden tomb and had a time of discovery and rest and personal prayer under the shade of the garden. The next day on shabbat , the Lord met us during the worship service and we prayed for the sick and the oppressed , the message on " the promise of the father " during shavouot led us to ask the Lord to fill us afresh with His Holy Spirit . In short it was a week end full of the Lord that we will not easily forget and that has made a lasting impact in the life of some of the participants. New babies : We were pleased to rejoice in the birth of Adam , the fourth baby born this year from our congregation. " Be fruitfull , multiply and fill the earth ( Gen 1 )" is still the first comandment in the bible and as far as we know God has not changed His mind concerning children . " Children are a blessing ( and not a burden ). In fact children are probably the best cure from selfishness . ( to meditate ). Anyway we rejoice in God's gift of Life he added to our congregation.
May 2009
- For the nation of Israel – for the salvation of Jews and Arabs.Please join us in prayer: |
