In 2003 the UMJC held our regular conference in Jerusalem for the first time, as part of a two-week tour of the Land. This was during the darkest days of the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising against Israel, and our tour operator tells us that it was the largest single tour since the outbreak of the intifada a couple of years earlier. We brought 300 people from abroad and an equal number of Israeli believers joined us for the conference. Together we made history.

Within the believing community the conference made history in another way. Many other Messianic Jewish and Christian conferences have been held in Jerusalem, but the UMJC has a unique grass-roots approach, and ability to network with other groups. We hosted and organized the conferece, but gave the platform for speaking, teaching, and leading worship almost entirely over to Israelis. We came to Israel to honor the dynamic and growing body of Messiah there and to hear from them. Four years later, Israeli believers still tell us how much they appreciated this level of respect and cooperation.

 Our return to Israel in 2008 will be different from 2003 in some ways. For one thing, the situation in Israel has improved and tourism is doing well. But, we are still working closely with leadership in Israel to plan and promote this conference and tour. We will not come to Israel as tourists, but as part of the extended family, working side-by-side with our Israeli Messianic Jewish brothers and sisters to make this a powerful and high impact event. On Tuesday, Jamie Cowen and had an excellent meeting with our Israeli advisory committee. In  the photo below, you'll see from right to left David Lazarus (leader of Beit Immanuel, where we met), Eitan Shishkoff, Jamie Cowen, David Katz, Seth Ben Haim, Andrey Gelbet, and me. Dafna Sadan and Martha Stern are also on the committee, but unable to attend. The meeting was not just productive, but visionary, generating real excitement for the tour and conference, even as we sat around the table to discuss details.

One overall goal is to deepen this connection with the Messianic Jewish community in Israel. As we visit different cities, we will meet local leaders, artisans, small business people, musicians, and others. We will hear the story of places like Beit Immanuel, where we are standing (in the photo) in front of a tree planted by the first graduate of the agriculture school in Holon, not far from here, in the early days of the Jewish settlement. We'll hear first hand from Israeli leaders in the Galilee, in the Haifa area, and in the south, as well as in Jerusalem, and see some of the humanitarian projects in which the believing community is involved.

You need to be part of this historic visit that will go far beyond any tour to Israel, Jewish or Christian. We will not just visit the usual--and important --biblical and historic sites, but also places where we can connect on a personal level with fellow believers in Yeshua.

The conference will reflect the motto for our tour, "Come Home Again," as we honor our past and embrace our future. So, come and expand your vision for the future and help make history again!