September 2025

The Chosen People Newsletter

A husband and wife team who are on staff never thought they would find themselves in a bomb shelter in Tel Aviv with missiles exploding above, but that is exactly what happened when they went to Israel in June. They arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on June 5, and were supposed to leave on June 16. However, on June 12, Israel launched a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, and everything changed.

That night, they found themselves huddled in a stairwell at their hotel in Jerusalem with the rest of their group. They were there to dedicate the Tel Aviv Messianic Center and were supposed to leave Jerusalem for Tel Aviv the following afternoon. However, their hotel did not have an official “safe place,” a euphemism for a bomb shelter, so the decision was made to leave Jerusalem early and head to their next hotel in Herzliya, which is just north of Tel Aviv. They didn’t know they were jumping from the frying pan into the fire!

On Friday, June 13, their group boarded a bus and traveled across the country from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean. While that may sound luxurious, nothing was open. The beaches were closed Friday, and businesses shut down due to the incessant threat of missile fire. They were confined to the hotel, with the only time they ventured out being to visit the new Messianic center, but they were not allowed to go all at once. Their Sabbath dinner on Friday night, their small dedication ceremony at the hotel on Saturday, and the rest of their trip were interspersed with sirens, giving them only ninety seconds to reach the shelter, which was the hotel’s parking garage. They heard the explosions overhead and, at one point, even felt the shaking of the ground beneath them.

Yet, despite the chaos surrounding them, there was a peace that was literally beyond understanding. The Jewish hotel staff and other guests witnessed the singing and dancing that broke out in the garage while they awaited an all-clear notice. One young woman, who was there for her wedding, found comfort with the Chosen People Ministries group. They invited her to their Sabbath service on Saturday, and she accepted the invitation! Our staff member was blessed to have been asked to lead the service, ensuring that Miriam* heard the gospel. Please pray for Miriam.

The school year is nearing at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), and a staff member of ours has high hopes for his student group called Our Jewish Friends. One of the prospects that our staff member is excited about is Ruth,* who has agreed to lead a Sabbath dinner or teach at an event. This came about through a very difficult conversation. Ruth bluntly accused our staff member of appropriation. In her eyes, he is not Jewish, and the student group is a Christian attempt to appropriate Jewish culture. She considers it offensive for a “fake Jew” (i.e., our staff member) to teach Christians about Jewish culture alongside the gospel, which she believes is anti-Judaic. She says it gutted her to know that the student group and Jewish Studies program at DTS are Messianic. She has very serious concerns about associating with our staff member. For one, he had attended her Holocaust remembrance march in April. She told him that she had to prove to one of her major donors that she did not invite a Messianic Jew. Had this donor organization known our staff member was there, it would have pulled funding.

Our staff member made several points in response. He told her that DTS is one of the most influential evangelical institutions, evangelicals desire real interactions with Jewish people, he wants DTS students to know the perspectives of Jewish people who find Jesus offensive, and they are not understanding it because leaders such as herself defensively distance themselves due to offense instead of proactively engaging with a goal of influence. Our staff member challenged her, acknowledging that she finds his views offensive, but inviting her to express her difference of opinion. She understood, and she suggested that she host a Sabbath dinner at DTS from the perspective of an “authentic Jew.”

Our staff member also agreed to help her start a Christian student group on her campus that supports Jewish people. While this conversation was emotionally charged, Ruth gradually showed more interest in understanding our staff member’s perspective and the supposedly non-Jewish idea of a divine Messiah. She wants to continue these conversations. As you can see, this avenue that our staff member is pursuing is very sensitive and could end at any moment. Please pray for Ruth to grow more open and for her to grow in curiosity about the gospel. Pray that God will give our staff member wisdom, gentleness, and humility as he navigates these challenging conversations. Please also pray for his new team and a successful year.