NEWS FROM ISRAEL

HaGefen Publishing

Moving back to the office has been smooth but very demanding: reassuming responsibilities; soothing ruffled feelings of a fine and highly dedicated staff unnerved by the changes imposed upon us due to the financial realities under which we must operate and by a sense of insecurity bred by these realities; providing a sense of continuity to both staff and the community we serve and the orderly transferral of the magazines to our sister organisation while maintaining the pastoral ministry have all added up to a challenge with which God has graciously enabled us to cope. Hopefully we will now be able to proceed on a more even keel.

Within the next three months we hope to have completed the production of three books: Answers to Tough Questions (an evangelistic book), Between Two Mountains (Gods law in the Christian life), and The Fruit and Work of the Spirit. Work has begun on a book dealing with church life and we will commence work on a book dealing with the Fundamentals of the Faith. Meanwhile, work on the Childrens Bible in Hebrew progresses and we have been encouraged by the reception granted the first volume, consisting of the five books of Moses.

Grace and Truth Congregation

1. The new Church Building

On the morning of November 29 we held the breaking ground ceremony for what, God willing, will become within the next 24 months our congregational home. Funds available now cover approximately 1/3 of the estimated building costs, but we hope to be able to reduce our expenses through the help of volunteers. It was necessary to commence construction because our building permit is soon to expire and construction costs are beginning to climb.

The breaking ground ceremony was attended by representatives from some Israeli congregations, friends from overseas who have had a hand in helping us come to the point of breaking ground, and members of the congregation. The Orthodox sought to disrupt the event, but were not able to do so because, expecting their enthusiasm, we had informed the police in advance. The police cordoned off the area, allowing a very small number of protesters through and restricting their protest to an orderly one. Banners were spread with slogans against the so-called 'mission' (a catchall phrase that lumps evangelical Christians, and the various sects active in Israel). Efforts were made to shout down the speakers, but the wind was contrary to the Orthodox and their voice was carried in the opposite direction. Our ceremony was simple, orderly and God-centred. We were especially delighted when representatives from the Arab congregation in Galilee arrived, somewhat late due to the police cordon. Here was another expression of unity in Christ in spite of the terrible tensions between our respective peoples.

Response to our appeal for volunteers has been encouraging. From the Netherlands, we have a Construction Manager, who is most likely to remain with us for a good part of the construction process. From Germany and possibly from Canada will come two carpenters to help us build the forms into which the concrete will be poured. Others will be coming to assist in various stages and ways. One has 'bought '100 bricks and another is encouraging his Sunday School class to buy still other bricks. We have grounds to hope that the construction will not be held back by lack of funds.

2. Baptisms and Progress

On the Saturday following the breaking ground ceremony we held a baptism for six, four of whom were from the deaf community and one a young man who had grown up in the church. It was a thrilling event as each of the baptised gave testimony to the saving grace of God and as they all joined the congregation in taking their first communion. Once again, the Orthodox had got wind of our plans and prepared to stage a mass demonstration outside, blocking our entrance to the building. However, again, God was pleased to bless us in spite of their intentions. The demonstrators began to gather only after we had completed the service.

Just now we are in the throes of submitting next years congregational budget to the congregants. The church is making a constant effort to progress toward financial independence, a goal still a far way off but nevertheless much nearer than it was 5 years ago. About 1&Mac218;4 of the budget is devoted to Gospel work in Israel and abroad. We consider it important to educate the church toward a missionary concern that will exceed the borders of Israel and therefore make small contributions to two missionary families working overseas. In addition, one of our members is in the Ukraine, helping to set up a work among the deaf, and is supported by the church to the tune of $150 per month.

3. Preparing for the Future

Our new youth group seems to have begun with blessing from the Lord. The young people attending have become preoccupied with the issues of guilt, atonement and repentance unto life. Please pray with us that God will work savingly among them and that they will grow into mature, responsible dedicated servants of the Lord. Our Sabbath School begins at the age of 3. When the children are 13, we commence a mid-week Bible study for them, overseen by a man who is assisted by a woman. These two accompany the children up to the age of 18, when the children are enlisted and join the young adults fellowship. At present, we have two youth groups in church, one composed of youth between the ages of 16 to 18,and the other a newly formed group made up of 13 year olds.

Anxious to train as many as possible for service in the church, we plan to commence a training program as of mid-January, when Raymond Perron is due to arrive from Canada to teach a seminar on the doctrine of God. Tom Ascol from Florida is scheduled to be with us for that purpose in June. This program is organised with co-operation from the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches in America (ARBCA). We expect to be further assisted next year by the Rev. Cornelius Sonnevelt, from the Netherlands Reformed Congregations, who will spend some moths with us.

During February of alternate years we renew our committees and have begun talking with congregants about the possibility that they will assume further responsibilities in church life. Our goal is to give opportunity for active service to all and any who desire to serve, and to inculcate such a desire in all who worship with us. We will be making further recommendations with regard to three young men we would like to introduce to our trial and training program for the Eldership, and three more for the Deaconate. Slowly but steadily, the number of those who affirm an intelligent understanding of and identification with our Reformed confession of faith is growing, so there is a growing stock of potential men to serve as officers in the church.

4. Visitation

As regular readers of this bulletin will know, regular pastoral visitation is an important aspect of our congregational life. In the course of the last year or so, we have been so burdened with pressing needs that we were unable to carry out the regular visitation program. Instead, we rushed from one house to the other to help the brethren in times of crisis.

Nadia* (a pseudonym, as are all names in MaozNews marked with an asterisk) is a 27 year old with 3 children, whose husband has decided to leave her for another woman but wants Nadia to remain his wife, so he can return to her should his present relationship turn sour. Nadia, a new Christian, is confused. How should she respond as a Christian? Should she forgive him and yield to his demands or seek a divorce? We have been counselling Nadia and seeking to support her as she makes these difficult and important decisions for her life. What are her legal and moral rights according to the legal culture in Israel, and how can she be a better testimony to Gods grace in her own excruciating circumstances?

Nella* is 26. She has a long and painful history, leaving home at the age of 16 and marrying a much older man who turned out to be a drug user. In the hope of making a new start, they immigrated to Israel but Nellas husband was soon introduced to the drug sub-culture here and, after some years of infidelity and neglect of his wife and child, was imprisoned for breaking and entering. Nella had come to faith and, after some hesitation, divorced him, only to find herself caught up with the vacuous promises of another man, whose influence threatened to draw her away from Christ. Finally, after a long and painful struggle, Nella made her choice and broke contact with the man. A short while after that, burdened with the emotional strain of her life, the choices she made and the side effects of Interferon, which she took to help alleviate her liver disease, Nella collapsed into an emotional heap and was hospitalised.

Some years have passed. During this time we have visited Nella often, teaching her how to function as a single mother to her 10 year old son, encouraging her to grow in the Lord and supporting her efforts to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord. Today, Nella is one of the female stalwarts in the church, working with young people and proving to be a fine moral and spiritual influence on them. Years of patient visitation have, under the hand of God, borne their hoped-for fruit. I can well remember the frowns of disbelief, which greeted the proposal that she work with the young people. Today everyone speaks her praises, and the praises of him who called her out of darkness into his marvellous light.

Maxim* and his wife, Oksana*, were converted in their middle 60s. Oksana grew by leaps and bounds, while Maxim began to struggle with Parkinsons disease, diagnosed a year or so after his conversion. Fear of the future mace him morose and finally flung him into the depths of despair. Oksana suddenly found herself needing to cope with everyday matters normally handled by a faithful and competent husband while dealing with Maxim and the effects of his encroaching disease. We learned about her plight in the course of one of our visits.

Maxim and Oksana sat with us as we opened the scriptures and spoke of the wisdom of God, of his rule over our lives and of the need sometimes to suffer in order to grow in grace. We reminded them - and ourselves (we often find ourselves speaking to our own shortcomings as we address those of others) that self-pity is a form or arrogance that is unworthy of a Christian. We reprimanded Maxim for abandoning his Christian duties toward Oksana so long as he is able to carry them, and for selfishly casting a heavy burden onto his wifes shoulders instead of leading the home by his example of trust in God. Maxim listened and, in the course of our time of prayer together, turned to God in repentance and asked for grace to be a better testimony to all around him.

Since then over a year has passed, and Maxims situation has deteriorated considerably. He has also been diagnosed with cancer. But Maxim continues to shine as a light on a high hill, ever joyful in the Lord, ever trusting in his divine grace.

Not all visits end so happily but most of the congregation are helped greatly by these opportunities for more direct, more intimate discourse, by the times of prayer and Bible study we always have on these occasions and by the personal attention accorded them and their private conflicts. We consider pastoral visitation to be one of the most important aspects of our ministry, and are grateful to those who taught us.

5. A Need for Prayer

One of the members of the congregation has asked me to share the following information with you:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Before I begin to tell you about someone whom you have never seen, I would like to thank God that I have met this boy and all the people around him. I am also grateful to Him for the chance to share his story with believers all over the world and to ask for your prayers on his behalf.

Tsahi is a very cute four-year-old who was born in Israel to a tourist from Moldavia. Immediately after his birth he was operated upon because his lungs did not supply sufficient oxygen to the heart. One day following the operation, Tsahi's mother abandoned him and fled Israel. Since then the boy has been living in the hospital. The only home known to him is the oxygen tent in which he spends his nights. He is unable to eat normally and must be fed through a tube in his stomach. Last year he was operated upon again in order to remove a stone from one of his kidneys. He was close to death, but God spared his life once more.

Many couples would like to adopt Tsahi, but he is connected to many medical devices and therefore cannot leave the hospital. The doctors say there is a very small chance that his lungs will begin to function normally after his fifth birthday. If that happened, they would perform a heart transplant and seek to enable Tsahi to eat normally.

Please join me in praying to our Almighty God to heal this boy. Let us ask Him to work a miracle that would make many people to think about Him, Whom they do not know.

May God of Israel be with all of you whose hearts are touched by this childs needs and whose prayers will be heard by Him.