Project Jerusalem Assembly – This project helps the poor and needy in general, but its first priority is to our brothers and sisters in the church. That is, single mothers with babies and small children, widows, and Christian families whose breadwinner has lost his or her job and are in need of assistance – medical, clothing, shelter, school material for children, and other needs as the Lord leads this ministry. Project Jerusalem Assembly also helps new immigrants, elderly, and sick holocaust survivors. This help is not only expressed by food and other commodities, but also by spending time with them, speaking, praying, and building relationships.
Jerusalem, January 3rd, 2020
In the beginning of this New Year, we would like to wish you God’s richest blessings and share with you some exciting news.
By God’s grace, the regional committee approved the building plan for the mall where the new church is going to be located. The contractor is going ahead and we start to see the foundation of the complex. This meant also that we had to pay the second payment. The third payment will be payable when the contractor finishes the whole building skeleton. We pray that by then, we may have the sum to pay as well. The whole church is praying and people are giving sacrificially. The leadership of the new church is combined with some elders of our church (mother church) and we are all excited.
We understand the following principles that force us to stay on our knees and pray:
1: God did not come to save buildings but people. Our focus is on preaching the gospel for the salvation of people. See Psalm 127: “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain…”
2. The Core group is now under spiritual attack and in a real need of God’s grace. We pray for their safety, marriage, children, simply every aspect of their lives, that nothing will prevent them from serving the Lord.
Attached is a picture file of the project, where the new church will be. The yellow marked area is the section we purchased. It is a small part, a corner on the top floor. The construction will finish God willing in two and a half years.
Some technical info: The hall is (270 m2) and the balcony is (220 m2). The location is west, outside Jerusalem. Until the place is ready, we prayerfully continue to establish the core and better equip the new leadership for the coming responsibilities.
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (www.foi.org) helped and continues to help us with the project purchase. During the last three years, brothers and sisters in the U.S.A donated through F.O.I. about $850,000. Part of it was already paid as a down payment on the contract and the second installment.
The total project price (purchase plus facilitating the church) is about $1.7M and the needed sum is $850000.
Our church is wholeheartedly giving faithfully and sacrificially. However, it is a God-size project for us, and we do need the “hands” of the brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in this project.
God is good to us! We are currently enjoying a full house. Each Saturday morning, the Main Church Hall is full, and the overflow is directed to the Fellowship Hall. We are blessed to see people getting saved – Jews and Gentiles alike. We thank God that every week we can practically experience Romans 15:10-11 “And again he says, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; and let all the peoples praise Him.”
We pray that the new-planted church will be light in its area, and be used by God to bring the gospel to the lost.
· Evangelism Ongoing Projects: The “FUTURE” in Arabic.
· Combined youth groups: Arabs and Jews – One in Christ.
· Hanukah/Christmas celebration and youth camp
· Update on the new books
· Family update: A new addition
Evangelism Ongoing Projects
The “FUTURE” booklet is now available in the Arabic language. It is an exciting event for us. The booklet is a tool to study “things to come” but also good for evangelism. We pray that this new booklet will be a tool to bring people to the Lord and assist God’s children to better know the Word.
Combined youth groups: Arabs and Jews – One in Christ.
As we did last year, we continue to join our youth group with the Arab speaking church in the Old City (Jerusalem). It’s amazing to see both groups singing, studying and playing. How much joy is in heaven as these two groups unite in worshipping our Lord. We pray, that both churches will find the time to meet together to worship Christ. Now that we speak about it, we will push to make it happen.
Yesterday evening during the young adult’s meeting, Sarah was baptized. The joy was on earth as well as in heaven. We thank God for each person who stands firm in obedience to Christ.
Hanukah/Christmas celebration and youth camp
Our Christmas service was on December 21st since it was the only date when most people could participate. I shared unique information with the church so that we all will focus on Christ Himself and not on the date…
My mom has no specific birthdate on her identification card. It has only the year: 1933. We chose to celebrate Sep 12 as her birthday since she knows that she was born around the feast of Tabernacle. Though we don’t know the exact birthday, we do know our mom very personally and have a personal relationship with her on a daily basis. We love her and she loves us. What counts is our personal relationship and not the birthdate. So, the question asked is: Do you know Christ Jesus personally and intimately or only on Christmas?
As often happens, Chanukah and Christmas collide so that our kids and youth have a vacation. We planned to have our annual camp in the desert, but extreme winds and cold weather prevented this. We re-located to the church building and had a wonderful time there instead! The Teaching topic was “the Minor Prophets”.
While waiting to receive the feedback on my doctorate dissertation, I was working on finishing the books we started years ago. The first one was the commentary on Proverbs. After checking it again, it is now in the proofreading stage. The second book is; All Jesus’s Parables. Helmut and I go over each word, arrange the footnotes. By now we are on page 370 of 600. The third book is; The Appointed Times of Jehovah. It is already written and needs to go through the last stages of editing.
Please pray for us, that these tools will be used to glorify our Lord.
God willing the final feedback of my dissertation is scheduled for January 7th. I pray for wisdom to do the needed corrections. I thank God for my mentor who is godly and wise. I have learned so much through recent studies.
God willing the meeting for defending the Thesis will be on March 9th. Your prayers are most needed and appreciated.
Our daughter Ronit gave birth to a baby girl on December 31st. The name of our granddaughter is Arbel (grandchild #5) Anat and I are humbled by God’s grace upon us. GOD is Good Always.
Arbel is the name of the tall cliff above the Sea of Galilee. It stands for strength.
Jael (our oldest daughter), Irit Iffert and Sasha Atlas are the managing teams of “Yuval Christian School for Music and Arts”. Our church is heavily involved with the school. Kids from all evangelical churches in Jerusalem are registered for the music and art classes at “Yuval”. Many of the kids have both parents working, and their houses are still empty during the after-school hours. So, instead of these kids getting involved with bad company, YUVAL offers them music and art classes. All the teachers are believers. The kids can hang out in the school area, and are kept from trouble. Some just step into the offices and share their hearts with the staff. So, the teachers’ role is more than just teaching music and arts…
In comparison to other schools, the classes are cheaper, but still many of the families cannot afford to pay. That’s where we step in and try to help.
You can visit YUVAL website http://yuvalarts.org
Please continue to pray for Jael and Irit. Their support is totally depended on donations.
With much love and gratitude, (Psalm 127)
(Supported through Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry)
Jerusalem, November 14th, 2019
Dear Friends, Shalom.
We are studying through 2nd Chronicles in our weekly home prayer group. As I was teaching chapter 17 we got a reminder of the purpose of the people of Israel in the kingdom of the Messiah. King Jehoshaphat who was a godly king, sent his officials and priests (Bible teachers) to all the villages in Judah in order to teach the Word of God to all the people. God honored such a holy venture and caused the nations around to fear the Lord. Apparently, the closer the people of Israel are to the Lord, the less military army they need. The more the chosen people are closer to God, the better it is to the whole nations around. It is a blessed reminder of what will happen in the future. But as for us today, let us bring the Word of God to all people. Let us do the things that glorify the name of our Lord. One of them is: Share the gospel with your Jewish friend/neighbor – provoke them to jealousy (Romans 11:11-16.
More in this report:
· Teaching Trip to the USA
· Teaching in Brazil
· The Core Group and Facility for the New Church Plant
· Evangelism Ongoing Projects
· My Personal Studies.
· Yuval
Teaching Trip to the USA
During September my wife and I participated in the yearly Friends of Israel prophecy conference in Lancaster, PA. It was a blessing to meet our friends and share the ministry with many people. As the conference ended, Anat (my wife), Jael (our daughter) and Irit (They both run YUVAL Christian arts and Music ministry) left immediately to Germany in order to present their ministry at a conference and also lead as a worship team. Anat was with them as a translator to German. Meanwhile, I stayed in the U.S and flew to Minnesota to teach in aq supporting. By God’s grace all went well. It was a great blessing to meet with brothers and sisters in faith, and share pearls from the Word of God.
Teaching trip to Brazil
Shortly after returning from the U.S.A we left to Brazil. The purpose was to participate in the yearly Midnight call Brazil teaching conference. As Jael and Irit were part of the worship team, my part was teaching. The main teachings in Sau Paulo and Curitiba were from the book of Psalms.
The Book of Psalms is not a songbook, but a prophetic book on Christ Jesus. The chapters are arranged in order to teach a story in which Christ is the center (cf. Luke 24:44-47). This ministry report is too short to enter into deep explanations, but you can view the lessons (also in English) through our church website: www.jerusalemassembly.com
The Core Group and Facility for the New Church Plant
By God’s grace, the core group of the new church met for prayer and shared the vision of that church. The group was happy and encouraged. Though we participated in the past in helping to start churches and establish new church leadership, this “baby” is a soft point in my heart.
The yellow marked area is the section we purchase for the new church plant. It is a small part, a corner on the top floor. The construction will finish God willing in two and a half years.
About 10 months ago we signed the purchase contract. It is a hall (270 m2) and a balcony (220 m2) to fit the newborn congregation. The location is towards the west just outside Jerusalem. Until the place is ready, we prayerfully continue to establish the core and better equip the new leadership for the coming responsibilities.
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (www.foi.org), helped and continues to help us with the purchase project. During the last almost three years, brothers and sisters in the U.S.A donated through F.O.I. about $800,000. Part of it was already paid as a down payment on the contract.
The total project price (purchase plus preparing the place to be a church – House of Prayer facility) is about $1.7M. We still need $500,000 to pay (during the next two years) for the facility. Besides the purchase sum, we will need about $400,000 to furnish the place so it will serve as a local church (Rooms, chairs, offices, restrooms, etc.).
Why not just rent?
From our past and current experience, any time we rented from non-believers, the owners were pressured and threatened by Anti-Christian groups to end the contract with us “or else…”
We need your help!
Our church is one minded and each person will continue to give faithfully and sacrificially. However, it is a God-size project for us, and we do need the “hands” of the brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in this project.
God is good to us! We are currently enjoying a full house. Each Saturday morning, the Main Church Hall is full, and the overflow is directed to the Fellowship Hall. We are blessed to see people getting saved – Jews and Gentiles alike. We thank God that every week we can practically experience Romans 15:10-11 “And again he says, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; and let all the peoples praise Him.”
We pray that the new-planted church will be light in its area, and be used by God to bring the gospel to the lost.
Evangelism Ongoing Projects
Our media team launched a new evangelism video clip: “Five facts you did not know about the New Testament”. Each video clip (in this series) is very simple and clear. Our website address is added, so anyone can visit and read/watch all our teaching materials.
In two months, 300,000 people watched the video clip. We pray that the message will penetrate hearts and bring the people to call on Christ Jesus for salvation.
This video clip is added to many others done earlier. A few more are being prepared as well. You can watch all the video clips with English subtitles http://jerusalemassembly.com/media-ministry/
We hope you will enjoy watching and encourage others to watch and use it for evangelism. (My favorite video clip is the one on Isaiah 53). All our church’s lessons are also available on the website. They are all: English/Hebrew
Tracts outreach:
Each week, a team from our church walks through the neighborhoods and places gospel tracts in mailboxes (It is legal in Israel). We regularly print our gospel tracts. We pray for the salvation of our nation.
YUVAL
Jael (our oldest daughter), Irit Iffert and Sasha Atlas are the managing teams of “Yuval Christian School for Music and Arts”. Our church is heavily involved with the school. Kids from all evangelical churches in Jerusalem are registered for the music and art classes at “Yuval”. Many of the kids have both parents working, and their houses are still empty during the after-school hours. So, instead of these kids getting involved with bad company, YUVAL offers them music and art classes. All the teachers are believers. The kids can hang out in the school area, and are kept from trouble. Some just step into the offices and share their hearts with the staff. So, the teachers’ role is more than just teaching music and arts…
In comparison to other schools, the classes are cheaper, but still many of the families cannot afford to pay. That’s where we step in and try to help.
You can visit YUVAL website http://yuvalarts.org Please continue to pray for Jael and Irit. Their support is totally depended on donations.
With much love and gratitude, (Psalms 132-133, A holy and pure fellowship can take place only after making peace with the Messiah from Ephrathah)
Meno and Anat Kalisher
(Supported through Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry)
Jerusalem, September 1st 2019
Dear Friends, Shalom.
All are back to school. The first day of September is the national day of back to school. What does that mean to us? Our kids are back to school but also all the mid-week children activities are back as well.
By God’s grace, we had five blessed camps to different age groups during July-August. The cherry on the cake is the baptisms of a few of the youth group and the growing desire of the youth to walk with Christ. The parents are thankful for the changes they see in their kids’ life. We can only say: Our faithful God answers our prayers. To God be the glory.
Another reason to praise God is the few new families added to the church in the last few months. We pray that our hearts will remain focused on Christ, in order to experience more of God’s grace.
More in this report:
- Back to writing books
- New evangelism project: Statistic results
- Use the link attached! http://jerusalemassembly.com/media-ministry/
- Preparations for the new church plant
- Ministry trip to Singapore and USA.
- Teaching in the Israel Bible College.
- Yuval
Back to writing books
During 2014 I went back to Bible school. Due to the load of work, all the writing projects were suspended. Now that I am in the last stage (waiting for the corrections of the dissertation), I am back to finish the light commentary for the Book of Proverbs (For youth). After checking it again, it is ready for proofreading. I pray that it will be ready for printing during the first half of 2020.
‘All the Parables of Christ’, and ‘The Appointed times of the Lord’ are the other books we are working on. Helmut (another elder in our church) continued where I stopped and did a superb job. Now we go over the material and God willing give it a push until it is ready for printing.
Meanwhile, the “FUTURE” booklet was translated into Arabic, and now it is in the last text check. God willing it may be printed as soon as next month. As much as I know, such material is not available in Arabic, so we are so eager to make it available to our Arabic speaking brothers and sisters in Israel and anywhere else.
New evangelism project
Our media team launched a new evangelism video clip: “Five facts you did not know about the New Testament”. Each video clip (in this series) is very simple and clear. Our website address is added, so any one can visit and read/watch all our teaching materials.
In two months, 300,000 people watched the video clip. We pray that the message will penetrate hearts and bring the people to call on Christ Jesus for salvation.
This video clip is added to many others done earlier. A few more are being prepared as well. You can watch all the video clips with English subtitles http://jerusalemassembly.com/media-ministry/
We hope you will enjoy watching and encourage others to watch and use it for evangelism. (My favorite video clip is the one on Isaiah 53). All our church’s lessons are also available on the website. They are all: English/Hebrew
Tracts outreach:
Each week, a team from our church walks through the neighborhoods and places gospel tracts in mailboxes (It is legal in Israel). We regularly print our gospel tracts. We pray for the salvation of our nation.
The Facility for the New Church Plant
By God’s grace, I will add the picture and ground plans for the new facility in the next ministry report. Also, I will explain why we do not share in this moment all the technical info.
About half a year ago we signed a purchase contract for a facility for the new church we are planting. It is a hall (270 m2) and a balcony (220 m2) to fit the newborn congregation. The location is towards the west just outside Jerusalem. Until the place is ready, we prayerfully continue to establish the core and better equip the new leadership for the coming responsibilities.
The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry (www.foi.org), helped and continues to help us with the purchase project. During the last almost three years, brothers and sisters in the U.S.A donated through F.O.I. about $800,000. Part of it was already paid as a down payment on the contract.
The total project price (purchase plus preparing the place to be a church – House of Prayer facility) is about $1.7M. We still need $500,000 to pay (during the next two years) for the facility. Besides the purchase sum, we will need about $400,000 to furnish the place so it will serve as a local church (Rooms, chairs, offices, restrooms, etc.).
Why not just rent?
From our past and current experience, any time we rented from non-believers, the owners were pressured and threatened by Anti-Christian groups to end the contract with us “or else…”
We need your help!
Our church is one minded and each person will continue to give faithfully and sacrificially. However, it is a God-size project for us, and we do need the “hands” of the brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
Please prayerfully consider partnering with us in this project.
God is good to us! We are currently enjoying a full house. Each Saturday morning, the Main Church Hall is full, and the overflow is directed to the Fellowship Hall. We are blessed to see people getting saved – Jews and Gentiles alike. We thank God that every week we can practically experience Romans 15:10-11 – “And again he says, Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; and let all the peoples praise Him.”
We pray that the new-planted church will be light in its area, and be used by God to bring the gospel to the lost.
Ministry trip to Singapore and USA.
During the first week of August, I went with seven other pastors and heads of different Christian ministries to Singapore. The purpose was to establish relationships with like-minded churches. I got a few opportunities to teach in the main conference and also in a local church on Sunday morning and in the afternoon. The trip was a blessed experience. It looks like it will not be the last one.
This coming Tuesday (Sep. 3rd) I will be flying to attend the yearly Friends of Israel prophecy conference in Lancaster, PA. During that visit, I will try to visit friends and supporting churches. After the conference, I will go to Minnesota to visit and teach in a supporting church.
During the first part, my wife Anat will join me together with our daughter Jael. Jael will participate in the FOI conference introducing YUVAL ministry. Jael and Irit (both are leading YUVAL ministry), will be the music worship team in the conference. Later, they will fly to Germany to participate in another conference, where Anat will be the translator to German.
Please pray that all goes well for the glory of God.
Teaching in the Israel Bible College
As the D. Min. program is finishing, new assignments are coming up. By God’s grace, I will teach an intensive course “Messiah in the Old Testament” during February 2020 in Netanya.
Needless to say, I am in love with this topic. I pray that the teaching will enrich the students and equip them for ministry, to stand for their faith in Jesus.
YUVAL
Jael (our oldest daughter), Irit Iffert and Sasha Atlas are the managing teams of “Yuval Christian School for Music and Arts”. Our church is heavily involved with the school. Kids from all evangelical churches in Jerusalem are registered for the music and art classes at “Yuval”. Many of the kids have both parents working, and their houses are still empty during the after-school hours. So, instead of these kids getting involved with bad company, YUVAL offers them music and art classes. All the teachers are believers. The kids can hang out in the school area, and are kept from trouble. Some just step into the offices and share their hearts with the staff. So, the teachers’ role is more than just teaching music and arts…
In comparison to other schools, the classes are cheaper, but still many of the families cannot afford to pay. That’s where we step in and try to help.
You can visit YUVAL website http://yuvalarts.org Please continue to pray for Jael and Irit. Their support is totally depended on donations.
With much love and gratitude, (Psalms 132-133, A holy and pure fellowship can take place only after making peace with the Messiah from Ephrathah)
Meno and Anat Kalisher
(Supported through Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry)
2018 Jerusalem Assembly
2016 https://youtu.be/W4FTJh7vt4Y
2015 https://youtu.be/xol6JWd9OzU
2014 http://youtu.be/Qh0KWATRHSI
2013 http://youtu.be/INAWFO5G4N8
2012 http://youtu.be/BNuxsRN0vNM
2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8DXCI-_4c
2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OG5gQGzMYA
