The churches in the Holy Land had a rough year in 2007, but as the Word of God says in 1 Peter 4, we should not be surprised!
So what is happening these days in Jerusalem?
The churches in the Holy Land had a rough year in 2007, but as the word of God says in 1 Peter 4, we should not be surprised! Satan has been busy in his attacks, yet as Jesus promised even the gates of Hades will not overpower God's kingdom.
First, this year has been a year of persecution, not only against our
church but against other Christian groups as well. In Jerusalem, a
group of extremist Jews attacked and burned a local Baptist church
for reaching out to Jewish citizens. Our group has received similar
threats in the past, and our hearts go out to the Baptist fellowship.
Meanwhile in Bethlehem, many local churches are being investigated by the Palestinian Authority because of their political agendas. This
has resulted in a legal struggle between many churches and the
Palestinian government. As a result of the investigations, we have
lost a large part of the freedom we enjoyed in reaching out to the
community in Bethlehem. Please pray that we can continue to exercise
freedom in reaching out to the Arab community here.
This year has been a year of changes within the church as well. After
much prayer and advice, last July I decided to stop working full-time
for the church, and take on part-time pay instead. With the extra
money, we were able to bring two interns to help out with the church
here: Brad Procek of DeKalb, Illinois and Cirron Greenidge of NYC. We
are very excited to have them here, and we are extremely grateful for
the churches in NYC, Memphis, DeKalb, and Central Jersey, who are
funding their stay in Israel!
The interns are working hard and helping encourage the church. We now
have two bible talks every week at Hebrew University, a bible talk in
Bethlehem, and a bible talk in Jerusalem. In addition, the interns
are volunteering with impoverished youth in Bethlehem. Please pray
for their ministry here, as they work to help the church!
As for me and Marie, we are working to develop our tourism business.
This is the forth year of operation for the company, "Missions
Worldwide." We have had 3 summer mission groups in the last 3 years,
and many tours in between! It has been great giving tours to
disciples and spending time with Christians from all over the world.
For this summer's trip, we are happy to announce that we are
partnering with Dr. Douglas Jacoby, who will be leading a life
experience tour through Egypt, Israel and Jordan this summer. You can
register at http://www.douglasjacoby.com/view_article.php?ID=5628 .
Also, we have updated the tourism website, so if you are interested
in visiting the Holy Land, Egypt or Jordan, stop by our website at
http://www.missionsworldwide.org!
Finally, we would like to recommend to you our sister Shibolit, who
is a member of the Jerusalem Church and a convert from Judaism. She
is a Hebrew teacher at Hebrew University, and would love to teach
Hebrew in a church that would sponsor her for the summer. I
personally recommend her as a great teacher. Shibolit has a degree in
Jewish Thought from Hebrew University, and a degree in teaching. If your church is interested you can contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Note about Financial Support:
We are still fundraising for the internship, and we are also
fundraising for a church van. If you are interested in supporting one
of these efforts, you can find donation information at
http://www.jerusalemchurchofchrist.org/jcontact.html .
Thank you for all your prayers and support; we ask for your
continuing prayers for the church as we enter the new year! We wish
you the best, and thank you for your friendship and interest in the
churches here!
In Him,
Aziz Sarah,
Minister, Jerusalem Church of Christ
972-54-747-2355
www.jerusalemchurchofchrist.org