CJF Ministries

PO Box 345
San Antonio, Texas 78292-0345 God has not forgotten the Jewish people, and neither have we.

September 2017

Telephone Dear Friends,

(210) 226 - 0421
Have you heard the term fake news? It usually means a story thats totally
made up, or at the very least, full of half-truths designed to sway opinions against
Fax particular people or causes. It follows the old mantra: Tell a big enough lie often
(210) 226 - 2140 enough and people will begin to believe it.
Sorry to say, fake news about the Jewish people has been circulating for millennia.
E-mail The most dangerous fake news narrative, however, is often propagated by the
info@cjfm.org Christian church itselfthat God is finished with the Jewish people. After all,
the Jewish nation rejected the Messiah, didnt they? Its only right that God
would reject them and give the Gospel to those of us, i.e., Gentiles, who are more
OrderLine worthy. Yep, they had their chance. They wont ever believe in Jesus, and so
(800) 926 - 5397 theres no point in even sharing the Gospel with them.
Well, friends, those sentiments hardly jibe with reality or with Scripture. In the
Website first place, not all Jewish people have rejected the Gospel. There has always been
cjfm.org a believing remnant. That was true in the Old Testament, true in the early church,
and its true today. Today, there are thousands of Jewish believers in Yeshua. And
that number is growing.
In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul confirms that God is not finished with the Jewish
people, and he warns Gentile believers not to assume a holier-than-thou attitude
(see esp. vv. 1-2, 11-15, 25-29). Throughout his missionary journeys, this Apostle
to the Gentiles preached the Gospel to Jewish people first, stopping at synagogues
and places of prayer (see Acts 1319). Yes, he met opposition. But others
welcomed him and believed.
God has not rejected the Jewish people. Scripture tells us that one day, all Israel
will be saved. And thats the truth! Thats the reason we share the Gospel with
Jewish people now. Its why our representatives speak to churches and small
groups, and conduct Passover Seders. Its why we host tours to Israel, and why we
conduct pastors conferences in the former Soviet Union. We want to mobilize other
believers to join us in planting seeds and sharing the Good News with the Jewish
people. And, in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Yours for the salvation of Israel,

Dr. Gary Hedrick

ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH IN THE LAST TIMES
Moldovan Baptist Union Pastors Conference

Last spring we conducted a two-day pastors conference in Moldovas capital city of Chi-
sinau, home to approximately 4,000 Jewish people, two synagogues, and three Messianic
congregations. At the beginning of the 20th century, nearly half of Chisinaus 110,000 resi-
dents were Jewish. In 1903, there was a terrible pogrom, accelerating Jewish emigration to
what would become Israel. Many of the regions remaining Jews perished in the Holocaust.
There has been a Jewish presence in this general area, however, since the 15th and 16th
centuries when it was an important transit stop for Jewish merchants traveling between
Constantinople (Istanbul) and Poland.
For the first time, we welcomed Jewish believer Dan Strull to our conference teaching team.
Dan leads the Olive Tree Messianic Congregation in suburban Chicago, home congregation
also of Dr. Tim Sigler, CJFMs Scholar-in-Residence. You can learn more about Dans per-
sonal journey to faith at olive-tree.org and IfoundShalom.com (stories).

Jenya Drazman translated into Russian as Dan Strull discussed Practical Evangelism to the Jewish People.

Before we formally began our sessions, Moldovan Baptist Union president, Ion Miron, brought
an encouraging message on the certainty of the Resurrection. Nearly 96% of Moldovas 3.5 mil-
lion citizens identify as Orthodox Christians, but tragically, many do not believe in the Resur-
rection. Please pray for the Baptist pastors as they share the true Gospel with these Christians.

Moldovan Baptist Union president, Ion Miron, spoke to the conference on the certainty of the Resurrection.
 The pastors were actively engaged throughout the conference. They also made good use of Q&A
times to clarify the distinctions between Israel and the Church, and to identify each ones role in
the Last Days. While pastors debated how they might serve and evangelize the Jewish people, a
Polish couple shared how they had been led to clean up a neglected Jewish cemetery near their
home in Poland. Ironically, Europes largest Jewish cemetery is on the outskirts of Chisinau.
More than 23,000 graves and other buildings are in disrepair. A restoration of this magnitude
is far beyond the means of ordinary Moldovans, but even poor believers could help clean out
weeds and trash. Believers might also assist their impoverished Jewish neighbors by providing
food, medicine, or other daily essentials. Pray that God will meet the needs of all Moldovan be-
lievers, and will direct their efforts to love, serve, and witness to their Jewish neighbors.

Lunch began with the traditional Moldovan soup, Zama (chicken with homemade spaghetti-like noodles).

Key truths that were highlighted at the conference:

Israels rebellion was no surprise to God. His plan always included using Gentiles to
prompt them to jealousy for their God.
The Gospel was preached to the Jew first, a priority that has never been rescinded
in Scripture.
Israels condition of unbelief is not permanent. We should sow the seeds of Gods Word;
eventually, those seeds will germinate.
One day Israel will be the bearer of true light and preacher of the truth, and many Gen-
tiles will eagerly follow one Jewish person because they have heard that God is with
you (Zech. 8:23).
We are not to become obsessed with setting dates for the End Times, but are to remain
on the alert and live wisely.
Pastors must care for the flock with love and patience, guarding them from wolves and
protect them from undue fear of the future.

We wish to thank the leaders of the Moldovan Baptist Union, the guest musicians, and all who helped to
organize, document, and successfully conduct this conference. Our special thanks to Maya Todosoi for her
excellent report, and to Gennady Brutsky, our director of operations in the former Soviet Union and the
driving force behind these productive conferences. All photos courtesy of the Moldova staff.
DEDICATION IN ISRAEL
Kehilat Haderech (The Way Congregation) in Karmiel, Israel, began in 1989 with 10 people meeting
in Yossi Ovadias rented apartment. Over the years, the fellowship has grown and God has provided
different meeting places. For the past several months, while they searched for a more permanent place
to worship, the congregation met in homes, in the facilities of Katzir Asher (a messianic congregation
in Akko), and even in the forest. Imagine shuttling around 150 members every week!
A suitable building was finally found, and in February, they began the massive undertaking of improv-
ing the rented space to meet their needs. The congregation gave sacrificially of time and treasure, as did
many foreign volunteers, including American Marc Judd and his wife, Kathy, who used their first trip
to Israel to help with the construction.

Yossi and Liron make a toast after receiving the keys. Marc Judd doing tiling work.

And on June 8, 2017, the congregation dedicated its new worship center! During the dedication service,
Pastor Yossi reminded the congregation that God does not dwell in buildings made with human hands, but
in people who worship Him in one accord. In keeping with the sentiment of Psalm 127:1, Yossi invited pas-
tors and elders to come forward and pray for the congregation as they begin to serve God in their new home.

As a congregation, Kehilat Haderech works to help recent immigrants (mostly from the former Soviet
Union) get established in their new homeland (Ezek. 36:24-26); they also provide aid to those with
special needs (particularly single moms) (Gal. 6:2); and they strive to develop friendships and promote
reconciliation with Arab believers, especially in the Galilee (Eph. 2:14).
As a demonstration of that, Pastor Yossi and an Arab believer jointly planted an olive tree at the new
meeting location, symbolizing many things, but especially that Jewish and Arab believers are one new
man in Messiah. The grandchildren also participated, patting down the dirt around the tree, symbolizing
the believers desire to have their children and grandchildren also serve the Lord.
Attending the worship center dedication were ministry partners from around the world, including CJFM
president, Dr. Gary Hedrick, and his wife, Marcia.

All photos courtesy of Yossi Ovadia and Kehilat Haderech. To learn more about the staff and ministry of
Kehilat Haderech in Karmiel, visit cjfm.org/Kehilat or kehilathaderech.org and select the English menu.