July 2022 President’s Letter
Dear friend of God’s chosen people,
Shalom in His love. I hope and pray this letter finds you rejoicing in His grace and that you are experiencing a fruitful summer. We are getting ready for Shalom New York, our summer outreach program where dozens of staff and volunteers from all over the United States come and witness to Jewish people in the parks and on the streets and beaches of New York City, home of two million Jewish people.
This outreach is a significant step forward in restoring our in-person ministries. It is also part of Foundations ’22—our year-long effort focused on returning to doing what we have done best for more than one hundred years. Your Mission to the Jewish People was founded on the principles of personal evangelism and discipleship of Jewish people and training our brothers and sisters in the church to be more effective in reaching their Jewish family and friends for the Lord. Our partner ministry in Germany, Beit Sar Shalom, baptized nine people a short time ago.
A Quick Update on the Lord’s Work in the Holy Land
I just returned from my second trip to Israel in the last few months—making up for lost time! After spending three days with a group of young Israeli Messianic Jewish leaders and our Chosen People Ministries—Israel staff, their spouses, and kids at a staff retreat, I am still on overdrive. I wish you had been there with me to hear the firsthand reports of all the Lord is doing in Israel today. The Holy Spirit is moving powerfully among a new generation of Messianic believers.
Most of these young Israeli believers:
- Grew up in a Messianic Jewish Israeli home
- Served in the Israeli military for the mandatory years of service—three for men and two for women
- Spent some months traveling the world after the army
- Returned to Israel to go to school or get a job
- Married, had kids, and now serve the Lord through a local congregation in Israel
While there are exceptions to this usual pattern, the younger generation of believers takes this typical path, including some of our staff. This season of life is a busy time for these wonderful young people, many of whom work, go to school, serve in their congregations and ministries, and are raising children. Offering them the opportunity to go on a three-day retreat is an excellent way to support them.
The army experience is often where Israeli believers come to grips with their personal relationship with the Lord. Military service presents a very challenging time for these young, believing soldiers. Thank God there are some army programs offered by various ministries in Israel today that help believers prepare for the challenges ahead and remain steadfast in the Lord throughout their army years.
Some History of the Messianic Movement within Israel
I still remember the days when there were very few Messianic believers in Israel and, therefore, no second or third generation of believers. Today, many next-generation Israeli believers were raised by believing parents, grew up in dynamic and growing Israeli congregations, and are finding the Lord in the Land. They are also active in sharing the good news with their friends, schoolmates, and fellow soldiers.
There is debate as to how many Israelis are Messianic Jews, but I can tell you that it is a whole lot more than my first trip to Israel back when I was still in seminary in 1976! Our best and most recent estimates say there are between 15,000 and 30,000 Messianic believers and between 200 and 300 Messianic congregations throughout Israel.
God has done an extraordinary work, but I also feel like we have just begun (Romans 11:25ff.).
Living Waters Mentoring Retreat
By the time you receive this letter, we will have started a young adult retreat with about thirty-five mostly post-army young adult Israeli believers. We were doing this event each year before the pandemic, and it is wonderful to be back in person. Most of the participants either work in one of various secular and ministry jobs, go to school, or continue to serve in the army. They are eager to experience spiritual renewal and improve their skills to serve the Lord in the Holy Land more effectively.
This year, we invited Pastor Greg Stone, a Jewish pastor serving at Gateway Church in Texas, to be our guest speaker. Focusing on the psalms, he is teaching these young Israelis how to use the psalms in personal ministry among those they are discipling and serving.
The Power of God Revealed in the Holy Land
I want to thank you for your prayers for our growing Israel staff. We have relaunched all our in-person programs, including ministries to Holocaust survivors, personal evangelism, congregational meetings, outreach concerts, and Sabbath dinners. We gather dozens of young people, serve great Israeli food, and preach the Word. Of course, lots of non-believers attend all these events as well.
I am also thrilled to tell you about some of our staff’s new ministries in Israel.
Michael and his family moved to the Golan Heights and are starting house churches in this relatively remote part of Israel. Right now, they are getting to know their neighbors and making friends.
Moti and his wife are part of our Tel Aviv team, and Moti is now a well-known “gamer.” He has a following of thousands of younger Israelis whom he reaches through their interest in video games. In addition, he has more than 50,000 Israelis who are part of his online Tik Tok audience.
Our teams are still very involved in reaching Ukrainian Jewish immigrants and even some new immigrants from Russia fleeing the war zones and moving to Israel. We are helping them adjust to Israel, learn Hebrew, find jobs, and get their kids in school. We express God’s love to them in practical ways, and they are always interested to know why we are willing to help.
I thank God for the dedicated and creative team we have in Israel and again ask you to pray for their ministries.
We are also reigniting our ministries around the globe to traveling Israelis. After the army, young Israelis travel to some pretty exotic spots, including New Zealand, China, Brazil, India, and more.
We send combined teams of Israelis and short-term mission workers from North America and Europe to reach these wandering young Israelis. They are more open to the gospel as they travel because they do not have the pressure of parents looking over their shoulders. The environment also causes them to be more open to new ideas and religious beliefs, including learning more about Jesus the Messiah.
Looking Back to Look Forward
Over the past 128 years, Chosen People Ministries has faced some major world events, including:
- the mass immigration of Jewish people to the United States
- rising antisemitism in the United States during the pre-World War I period
- World War I
- the Spanish flu
- the Great Depression
- World War II
- the Holocaust
- the founding of the State of Israel and the wars related to it
- the fall of the Soviet Union
- massive Russian Jewish immigration to the West and Israel throughout the 1990s
- the COVID-19 pandemic
- the current war between Russia and Ukraine
All these world events have affected the everyday work of our historic mission to the Jewish people. These influential events with global impact have caused us to pause, reflect on our ministry, and consider new perspectives and ways of sharing the gospel. It has also challenged us to be flexible enough to adapt to the changes thrust upon us.
A Turning Point
I believe Chosen People Ministries is experiencing another historic turning point. The dark times of the pandemic seem to be passing, but the days ahead are not without new challenges.
We do not know the future, of course, but we know the One who not only knows the future but shapes the future with His wisdom, power, and love. We have our marching orders: to preach the gospel, baptize, and disciple those who respond to our proclamation of the good news. Our particular field of service is in reaching Jewish people, and we take Paul’s mandate in Romans 1:16 seriously—to bring the gospel to the Jewish people first. This passage guides us and undergirds all our ministry activities.
We cannot move forward without your prayers and sacrificial support. The Jewish community around the world is more open to the gospel today than in previous years. Jewish people are ready to discover the love and healing available through a relationship with God the Father through the Prince of Peace!
Would you consider a gift today so that our workers in the United States, Israel, and around the globe can provide the resources needed to reach Jewish people for Jesus?
Our work in Israel alone requires about $40,000 per month for our thirty-plus workers to have what they need to reach Israelis day in and day out with the gospel.
Our efforts in New York City, Chicago, South Florida, and Los Angeles—with a combined Jewish population of more than four million—also need our prayers and support. They are key centers for evangelism and discipleship for Your Mission to the Jewish People. Whatever the Lord leads you to give toward reaching Jewish people for Jesus will be deeply appreciated.
We are excited about the future and the new opportunities to share the Lord person to person and heart to heart with the Jewish people!
Thanks for joining us in the journey through your prayers and support!
Your brother,
Mitch
P.S. Please consider giving regularly through our Watchmen for Jerusalem monthly giving program. The details may be found on the enclosed card. Thank you for praying and thinking about this way to support Chosen People Ministries.
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