Israel:
During one of Pastor Shingler's ministry trips to Israel in 1996, he was able to meet with an Israeli contact who was starting a work in the Haifa area. Recently (2002) our church began supporting this brother and his ministry.
This brother was an American Jew who became miraculously born again into a living relationship with Jesus Christ in the mid 1970's. In 1992 he moved his pregnant wife, along with their three other children to Israel. After he was commissioned and set out from the congregation, he co-labored until 1995, and then he began his work in Haifa.
Even though Christians are not tortured in Israel as they are in other countries we work in (Egypt and China), there is still persecution from various groups.
Following are some comments from our Israeli missionary:
From the first service we held in a narrow, unheated/un-cooled, rented, cleaned up warehouse - in a small, out of the way industrial district - we watched God collect people and resources. Steadily the work grew for two years. We dreamed of adding a textile factory. We started up Bible-school classes. Our children's classes were cramped and hot, but we continued seeking the Lord. Then, on October 21, 1997 we were firebombed. Relatively small though it was, we had attracted the attention of some of our orthodox Jewish opponents. Our office was razed to the floor. All of our equipment was burned and melted. But out of those ashes God brought beauty.
Within 100 days of the arson we were signing a contract to purchase/lease a facility 3 times bigger and brand new. The best part was that it was only a few yards from the firebombed warehouse. The many who walk to our activities could still get there. Not only did God dramatically open the door for a larger synagogue and distribution center, but also He gave us a harvest of souls. In the aftermath of the fire no less that 22 Israelis gave their hearts to Yeshua. Immigrants from many nations, they were a sort of "first fruits" of the resurrections God gave us following the attempt to wipe us out.
The new facility was dedicated during Chanukah (the Feast of Dedication) in Dec. of 1998. By spring of 1999 we had planed two daughter congregations in Central Asia (Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). Many Jewish and non-Jewish people were brought to faith by outreach festivals in these cities. Then congregations were formed. We are actively involved in the growth and development of these words, believing that God's prophetic design is to again send His word from Zion. In fact our outreach to the nations is called "Out of Zion" from Isaiah 2:3.
Over these four years, many services have been added. We have opened a pro-life counseling venture, to try to stem the death tide of abortion in our area. Our own "homegrown" garment factory opened in May 1999. We are producing 100% cotton tee shirts, employing Messianic immigrants in producing a very high quality product that is fully exportable. We also run a small Bible school to spiritually train and equip all who wish to learn. And last, but not least, in December of 2001, a daughter congregation was planed in Haifa.
But best of all, we are worshiping the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the land of Israel, in the name of Yeshua HaMashiach, after nearly 2000 years of silence and distortion about His role as Israel's Messiah.
Another form of persecution comes from Muslim Palestinian Militants. Just recently (March 2003) the 14 year old daughter of another missionary family in Haifa (Abby) was killed when a suicide bomber blew up her school bus.
Also, "anti-missionary" organizations continue to harass and threaten the different Messianic congregations. We in America have little understanding of how much of the rest of the Christian communities around the world must live.