Shalom in the risen Messiah! As our hearts are still overflowing with joy knowing that Jesus rose from the dead, I want to tell you about another resurrection that is very exciting to me! Chosen People Ministries’ work in the very Jewish and profoundly strategic city of Boston has reopened!

A Vision Born in Prayer

Our ministry had a long history in Boston, but the work closed in the early 1990s as the staff serving there moved on to vital ministries in other places. The Chosen People Ministries leadership at the time did not have missionaries to replace them, and so the branch in Boston was reluctantly closed.

When I was appointed president of Chosen People Ministries in 1997, I knew that one day we needed to reopen our Boston branch. Boston has a large Jewish population, as well as thousands of Jewish college students attending some of the finest universities in our country. We know that many of our most gifted future leaders are among them, and we want to tell these young people about Jesus.

Today, Boston’s Jewish community numbers over 200,000. The city has synagogues of every branch of Judaism as well as organizations serving the Jewish community in ways ranging from philanthropic work to Jewish historical research. The Jewish community also maintains strong links with learning institutions, particularly those with significant Jewish student bodies.

Reaching the Boston Jewish community for Jesus is a MUST!

In 2001, I scheduled a leadership meeting in Boston. The meeting went well, but the most memorable and dramatic moment of those few days was when we went to Harvard Square in the middle of Cambridge on a rainy, wintery day. We prayed as we walked through Harvard Square, asking the Lord to resurrect Chosen People Ministries’ work in this great city.

We have continued to pray over the last decade that the Lord would enable us to reopen our work in Boston, and I am delighted to tell you that He has answered our prayers—and in a way that is personally meaningful to me.

I want to introduce you to two friends I have known for over twenty years—Mitch and Kina Forman, who have answered the Lord’s call to serve the Jewish community in Boston.

Mitch and Kina Forman: Servants of Messiah

I remember the first day I met Mitch, when he walked into my office in San Francisco—at that time I was serving with our sister ministry, Jews for Jesus. He was wearing an earring or two and sporting a short ponytail.

I assumed that Mitch was a Jewish seeker, as his appearance was typical of the young men I often witnessed to in San Francisco during the mid-to-late 1980s. But I soon discovered that Mitch was different.

I immediately realized that he was a brand new Jewish believer in Jesus. He began sharing his testimony—a fascinating story of God’s power and grace. He was brought up in Boston in a traditional Jewish home and went to college to study restaurant management. After graduating, he held jobs in various hotels in the Boston area that were known for their excellent cuisine.

After a few years, he left Boston and traveled to San Francisco, where he began working with a chef who is considered “the father of California cuisine.” However, though Mitch learned how to create great food, he lost his focus and his mentor took notice. For that reason and several others, Mitch began drinking heavily and eventually was fired.

He explained to me that this experience brought him to a low point in his life. He was able to get a job at a restaurant in Carmel, California, but his life continued to go downhill. Eventually he met a young woman who was a backslidden Korean Christian, but one of the reasons he was attracted to her was because of her faith. Mitch became increasingly interested in the Gospel; he visited a local Baptist church and received Messiah.

Almost immediately, he stopped drinking and his life was transformed by the power of the Gospel. Yet, like so many other Jewish people who believe in Jesus, Mitch thought he was the only Jewish person in the world to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Someone in his church told him about our ministry of sharing the message of Jesus with Jewish people, so he came to visit me in San Francisco.

I could see Mitch’s spiritual hunger, and decided at that moment that I would disciple him. Mitch eventually moved up to San Francisco to open another restaurant. During the ensuing summers, I encouraged him to accompany me as part of a short-term ministry team working in New York City, where he served as the resident chef for our ministry team. As time went by, it was clear that God was calling Mitch into full-time ministry.

After some years in Jewish ministry, Mitch returned to Boston to work with his brothers in their family business. Six years later, he was finally able to re-enter full-time ministry with Chosen People Ministries in his beloved Boston.

May I also add a word about Mitch’s wife Kina (pronounced “Keena”), whose testimony we’ve included in this issue as well? Kina is also a Jewish believer and a vital part of the Forman ministry team. She attended Washington Bible College in Lanham, Maryland and finished her Bachelor’s degree in Missions at Nyack College in New York. A month after graduating, she married Mitch, the love of her life, and served in Jewish ministry by his side for the next ten years. Mitch and Kina now have two daughters.

After all these years, I am thrilled that the Formans have re-entered full-time Jewish ministry with Chosen People Ministries. Mitch will also serve as the Vice President of U.S. Ministries, and Kina, who is expecting another child, will serve as a Church Ministries Coordinator from her home.

Establishing a Center in Boston

Mitch’s mature leadership has already borne wonderful fruit for the Kingdom in the Boston area. He writes:
About four years ago, I became involved in the leadership of a Russian Jewish Messianic congregation in Newton, which is a suburb of Boston. We have thirty to forty people attending our regular services, and during this time, ten or twelve people have received the Lord. We’ve baptized almost all of them, which is a huge step for them to take in public.

Chosen People Ministries plans to establish a Messianic Center in the Boston area, close to the congregation and near enough to the university district to have a ministry among students. We envision a Center for evangelistic outreach and discipleship —a comfortable place for students to bring their friends, with a variety of activities designed to help young Jewish believers grow in their faith. We are looking for space at this very moment, so please pray for God to guide us!

I hope that you also consider sending a gift to help us establish this new work in Boston. I do not usually ask for funds in our newsletter, but I want Mitch and Kina to have the resources they will need to get this work going. It is not easy to resurrect the dead, but we do know Someone who has experience!
Your brother,

Mitch

P.S. We are also happy to have our very own professional chef on staff—here is one of his favorite Jewish recipes!