How 7 More Israelis Met Their Messiah!

Our Tel Aviv team added a new layer of ministry to Russian-speaking Israelis as one of our ministry-wide summer outreaches.

Svetlana Adelson reports, “Club Aleph (the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet) is our Jewish version of a popular series where seekers and skeptics gather with believers to explore a wide range of biblical, faith-related topics. So far, we have seen seven Jewish people from Club Aleph profess faith in Jesus.

“Sarah, who attended club meetings regularly, found the topic ‘Why did Jesus die?’ especially compelling. When we met to talk more about it, Sarah opened up about her life. She was especially concerned for her twin sons who are over 30 and experiencing spiritual problems.

I emphasized the importance of a mother’s prayer.

“We read Isaiah 53 and talked about how it prophesied that Jesus would sacrifice His life so that we can be forgiven and have peace with God. I emphasized the importance of a mother’s prayer and how Sarah can pray for her sons, inviting God to come into their lives, forgive them, and restore them. But she must first come to God herself to bring His Light into her home.

“Sarah was ready to turn to God, ask for forgiveness, and receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior. I prayed with her for God’s light and life to shine in her home and draw her family to His truth. We continue meeting to study the Bible, and we pray that her sons will one day want to learn about God’s salvation as well. Thank you for helping us reach people like Sarah. Please join us in praying for her sons to surrender their lives to Yeshua (Jesus).”

The great thing about Club Aleph is that many participants knew our staff and one another previously from our Hebrew and Bible lessons. That was the case with Tina, who made a profession of faith in Jesus after the second Club Aleph meeting.

Whereas Sarah and Tina were among those who were interested in learning about Messiah, other more skeptical guests came mainly to enjoy the company. One woman confessed, “I really don’t want to hear about God or Jesus, but somehow my feet just get me here!”

Max commented that it takes sincere faith to make such a sacrifice.

Then there’s Max, who attended with his wife. He does not believe in God, but after the presentation about Jesus’ sacrifice, he suddenly remembered the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. He made a connection between these two events on his own and commented that it takes sincere faith to make such a sacrifice.

Yulia Mitnitsky, who spearheaded this outreach says, “Club Aleph met over the course of eight evenings and a day offsite. We covered 12 topics. Each week, one of our missionaries or volunteers presented a 20–30-minute message on the topic or topics, including a PowerPoint, video, or skit, and an icebreaker as well as a song to help people connect with the message. Then we had a meal and discussions at round tables, each with five to seven guests, hosted by a leader and a helper. Our staff and volunteers had trained beforehand to develop skills in listening, asking questions, and facilitating conversations. It was a real team effort!”

The team is continuing to follow up with many Jewish people who attended Club Aleph, so don’t be surprised to see more praise reports from this capstone!