Monthly Archives: July 2023

July 15, 2023 · 8:30 AM

Transforming the Landscape of Our Work among Israelis

Shalom in the great name of Jesus our Messiah. My wife Zhava and I are spending quite a bit of time in Israel coordinating and participating in a host of fruitful activities. It is impossible to express my excitement about all the Lord is doing in Israel right now . . . but I will try!

God is moving among second-generation Israeli young believers who are actively proclaiming the gospel among their friends, and many are coming to faith in Jesus the Messiah!

I can only describe this movement as a second-generation movement of the Holy Spirit. Their parents and pastors have done a great job leading this next generation to the Lord and providing opportunities for their discipleship.

Your Mission to the Jewish People is also playing a part in the discipleship of these zealous young adults. We are working alongside these godly parents in preparing their kids for the challenges of mandatory military service and the social and spiritual issues they face in the Holy Land today. These sons and daughters of Israel work both in the secular world and in full-time ministry. They use their vocations to help their fellow Israelis come to know the Lord. They are leaders in their congregations, ministries, businesses, and the military!

THE LIVING WATERS MENTORING PROJECT

Chosen People Ministries created the Living Waters mentoring project in response to the growth of this young adult movement in Israel. Living Waters focuses on the present and immediate needs of ministry, but even more so, Living Waters casts its gaze toward the future through mentoring young leaders. We are helping to train a new generation of young adults who are even now leading the next generation of the Israeli believing community into greater spiritual maturity and service.

The growth of this second-generation movement is transforming the landscape of the Lord’s work in Israel!

Let me briefly explain what we do at Living Waters. Each year, we gather about forty younger leaders along with their spouses and children (if they have any) and provide a retreat for them, which includes Bible teaching, fellowship, and practical ministry training. We also help meet some of the everyday needs of walking with the Lord and serving Him through their congregations. Additionally, we connect these young adults with one another and encourage peer-to-peer friendships as well as partnerships with Israelis in different parts of the country.

Just a decade ago, at some of our early Living Waters retreats, everyone from all over Israel seemed to know one another. But today, the movement has grown to the point where most young leaders are meeting one another for the first time! This trend is another visible sign of the expansion of the Israeli believing community.

By connecting these young leaders to one another, we are creating an atmosphere for fellowship and ministry partnerships to bless the entire body of Messiah for years to come. We have already seen this happen as our Messianic Jewish testimonies project, Ifoundshalom.com, grew out of relationships built at Living Waters.

The pastors who recommend their young people attend Living Waters are delighted with the program. Additionally, most of the pastors of those who attend Living Waters view the program as an opportunity to enhance their own ministries. They recognize we are helping them train their future congregational leaders.

It is wonderful to see relationships built between young leaders and those who come to teach and mentor them. As a result, doors have opened for further ministry, funds have been raised, additional training received, and new relationships and connections developed from the discipleship experienced through Living Waters.

Israeli leaders need friends and mentors outside of Israel to pray for them and help gather resources, funds, and training to continue their work in Israel.

We take great joy in helping deepen these relationships between our American-based mentors/speakers and the Israeli participants.

THE NEW TEL AVIV MESSIANIC CENTER

Another response to this growing movement in Israel is the expansion of ministry space in Tel Aviv—the city with the largest concentration of Israelis in the country. We recently purchased a commercial space to use as a Messianic outreach center. This new space is two-and-a-half times larger than what we currently rent, and this center will be one of the few facilities owned by believers in Tel Aviv and the surrounding suburbs. It is another sign of God’s favor on the growing Messianic movement in the Holy Land!

I am diligently raising funds, working with architects and contractors, and securing building permits. Please pray for this work, as it is going to be very challenging because some ultra-religious Jewish politicians have a more significant role in Israel’s current government and strongly oppose our efforts. I am hoping God will grant us favor with the officials so our permits to build will come quickly.

We plan to dedicate the new center this December during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah (which means “dedication” in Hebrew). If you want to join us on this unique and memorable tour, you can find all the details and register at http://www.chosenpeople.com/dedicationtour/.

Please pray about coming on the Israel trip of a lifetime!

A CHOSEN PEOPLE GLOBAL MINISTRIES REGATHERING

Another major event took place this past month in Israel as we gathered for fellowship with many on our worldwide staff at a hotel in Jerusalem. More than 300 of our Chosen People Global Ministries family were able to see each other face to face for the first time in many years. We worshiped, prayed together, and heard some great messages about the future of Jewish evangelism in Israel and worldwide. Everyone was inspired, encouraged, and energized to serve the Lord.

We also invited families to bring their children. We ended up engaging about fifty-five kids in our children’s program.

So, we not only envisioned the future but were able to see it right in front of us.

A NEW HEBREW-LANGUAGE EVANGELISTIC WEBSITE

I also spent time working with our Israel staff on our new online evangelistic website—LaOmek (the Hebrew word for “going deeper”). This new website offers digital booklets addressing various significant issues among younger Israelis, like healthy relationships and the challenges of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Thousands of Israelis have already downloaded our booklets. Our Israel staff is now busy following up with them!

The summer will also be busy around the globe as we conduct short-term evangelistic campaigns in Israel, New York City, London, and more!

I cannot thank you enough for your generous support of Chosen People Ministries and your prayers and encouragement. I have more to tell you about new outreach initiatives in the United States we are kicking off this fall, but I will save these updates for another time.

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July 5, 2023 · 8:30 AM

How We Bring Hope to Ukrainian Refugees

With a heavy heart, I must report the war in Ukraine continues to devastate many lives in both Ukraine and Russia. Though the wave of Ukrainian refugees fleeing to places like Poland, Germany, and various nearby eastern European countries has slowed since March 2022, the needs inside and outside Ukraine remain dire. The demand for aid also persists in Israel, where multiple thousands of both Ukrainian and Russian refugees are entering the Holy Land month after month.

Ukraine is struggling to recover from a rough winter, during which many people needed more consistent heat and electricity. Through those cold and dark months, we did all we could to provide warm clothing, sleeping bags, food, and heaters. It is no exaggeration to say there were many who could not have endured the winter without the aid we provided through your help and generous support. The Lord used you powerfully to save lives, and ultimately souls, as we have also been able to bring the message of Jesus to so many suffering throughout Ukraine!

One of our most memorable and evangelistic projects was bringing in more than 1,000 pounds of matzah (unleavened bread) for Passover. This outreach helped both believing and not-yet-believing Jewish people celebrate this festival of God’s redemption (Leviticus 23:5–8). The Ukrainian Jewish community was so grateful for our support.

Ukraine, especially the eastern part, is still a very dangerous place. In many areas of the nation, warning sirens are routine—and people are still dying as a result of missile and drone attacks.

In addition to the physical threats, Ukrainians are facing a growing sense of hopelessness, fearing the war will never end. 

IN SEARCH OF HOPE

Ukrainians find themselves mired in a lingering struggle for the lives of their children and future as a nation. They are hunkering down for a protracted war, which one of our staff members called “a long road of suffering.” 

A major part of what we will continue to do in Ukraine is deliver hope to those who are growing despondent. Food and warm clothing serve the body, but hope is medicine for the soul! We know true and enduring hope only comes through a relationship with Jesus the Messiah, so please pray with us for Ukrainians to have hearts open to the gospel message. 

Every month, we financially support between 400 and 500 Messianic believers who fled eastern Ukraine. Many of them were part of congregations Chosen People Ministries planted during the last three or four decades. We love these brothers and sisters and want to do all we can to help them survive and one day return to some type of normal life. 

We provide between $50 and $100 per month to these dear Ukrainians. The money covers basic needs like food and medicine. Much of our aid goes to older people who depend on help from organizations like ours. They deeply appreciate it since, unfortunately, the government cannot assist them due to its focus on the war effort. 

One of the staff members coordinating this relief work said he could not fully express the heartfelt gratitude shared by those we have helped. The “we” includes you, as your faithful prayers and support are saving Ukrainian lives—physically and spiritually. 

Our prayer for Ukraine is for them to put their trust in the God of Israel and His Son, Jesus, the Messiah for all! 

FINDING HOPE IN ISRAEL

May I bring you up to date on what God is doing among the Ukrainian and Russian refugees fleeing to the Holy Land?

In 2022, more than 70,000 people from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus immigrated to Israel. I am proud of the heartfelt and faithful work our staff in Israel is doing to serve these new immigrants. Several of our team members came to Israel many years ago from former Soviet countries. They were among the more than 1.5 million Jewish people who came to Israel from this region following the fall of communism.

Our Israel team understands what the new immigrants are going through. Michael, the leader of our ministry in Israel, immigrated to the country from Ukraine in 1989. He and his wife came to faith in the Messiah through the love and outreach of believers in Israel who helped them settle into Israeli culture. They and many on our staff speak Russian, Ukrainian, or both as their first language(s). They understand how difficult it is to adjust to a new culture and tongue.

This common experience enables our staff to effectively minister to those now arriving from the war zones. We help them find housing, learn Hebrew, complete government paperwork, and find childcare when needed. We also organize multiple retreats for Ukrainian children and families.

Unfortunately, many of the fathers of these children had to remain in Ukraine to fight for their country. Sadly, some of these men are missing in action or have died. Supporting children who endure this trauma is a priority for us.

The sad situation of Anastasia* is typical of what the kids are going through!

Anastasia is twelve years old, and she came to Israel with her mom in July last year. Somehow, in August, she came to our camp. She was depressed, and she did not want to stay. But after the first day, she was drawn in and no longer wanted to leave. Anastasia found a friend and began to go with her to the local congregation, and her mother started attending too.

The recent family camp allowed broken families to bond and grow, which is vitally important. Ninety families attended, and afterward, at least one of these families is now attending an Israeli Russian-speaking congregation. At the end of May, we held another family retreat in Israel with many new Ukrainian immigrants. Though we had great conversations with the immigrants, most have not yet put their trust in the Lord. We are doing all we can to follow up and become part of their lives. 

We long to proclaim the gospel message to these precious souls devastated by war. Our love and care is an expression of His love. Kind actions often convey more than words ever could. Whatever the outcome, we seek to sow seeds of hope and follow the example of our Lord, who took the form of a servant and loved sacrificially (John 13:1–17; Philippians 2:5–11). 

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