Shepherding the Next Generation
Messianic children face a special and important challenge. In the minority among their peers nationally, they are sometimes subject to taunting and mockery at school, as well as confusion about their relation to their Jewish and Israeli identities and their identity in the Body of Messiah. While it might seem like too much for a child to handle, these kids fare remarkably well, praise the Lord.
Still, as the next generation of native-born Israeli believers in Jesus, Messianic children require strong leadership, nurturing, and a sense of community. Realizing this crucial need, more time and attention is being devoted to children and youth programming across the Messianic community.
During the Hanukkah holiday, there was a children's celebration in our Jerusalem Messianic Center. One of our workers writes:
There were around 40 children and youth at the Hanukkah party and we had a great time of fellowship together. The sweetest part of the day was when we sat down, worshiped together, and had a Bible study. Remember some of these children are the only believers in their whole school. They could even be the only believers in their entire village or neighborhood. To have this time to meet and fellowship with each other is very important.
Our congregation leader in Tel Aviv reports that their vibrant children's ministry program is quickly growing. A group of about 25 young people, both believers and seekers, traveled together to Germany this past summer for a Messianic youth camp. Plans are in the works to have a bigger and better Messianic camp next year for youth across Europe, Russia, the Ukraine, and of course, Israel. These and other activities specifically for Messianic youth help them to build a solid foundation for their spiritual future.
