2008 Prayer Theme: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future

Jewish tradition has kept this practice alive ever since the destruction of the temple, and in recent years, the UMJC family has made this tradition our own, as we have joined in 49 days of unified prayer during this period. This year, counting the omer begins on Sunday evening, April 20 and concludes Saturday evening, June 7. The next day, Sunday, June 8, is Erev Shavuot, the eve of Shavuot, the holiday celebrating God's gift of the Torah at Sinai, and the outpouring of the Spirit upon the followers of Yeshua centuries later. UMJC congregations and supports will pray together throughout this period, which will culminate in a Shavuot offering that will be sent up to the land of Israel. In fact, since our annual conference this year takes place in Israel, we will be able to bring the offering in person. The theme of the prayer campaign reflects the UMJC conference theme of Come Home Again: Honoring the Past; Embracing the Future. Israel is the place of our biblical past, homeland of the Jewish people, and site of the holy temple and the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah. Israel is also the place of the future, where the Jewish story and the Yeshua story will together reach their completion.

When Spring approaches, many of us think of Passover and its familiar customs- cleaning the house to get rid of all leaven, preparing a big meal for family and friends, sitting down together to retell the Passover story, and eating matzah for eight days.

All UMJC congregations and supporters will receive the prayer guide that provides a Scripture each day as a basis for prayers on the theme Honoring the Past; Embracing the Future. The first three weeks focus on honoring the past, by honoring God for his past deeds on behalf of Israel and all the nations. The second three weeks focus on embracing the future laid out in Scripture for Israel and the nations. The final week will bring everything together with prayers welcoming Yeshua as Lord and Messiah to return and fulfill the words of the prophets that we have repeated in our prayers.

Finally, on Shavuot, the 50th day (June 8-10), UMJC congregations and individual supporters will bring an offering that reflects the ancient sacrifice for Shavuot origins and our future. Past prayer campaigns have been great successes, allowing the UMJC to expand staff, fund programs for children, youth, and young adults, and distribute tzedakah, meeting needs in the land of Israel. This year, with its focus on Israel, can be the most powerful ever!

As it was last year, the prayer guide will be interactive, with daily prayers and brief commentaries posted online and available via email. Participants will be connected to others who are praying in the same way all around the world. Visit www.umjc.org to sign up for your daily prayer commentary.

Counting the omer itself honors the past, beginning during Passover when we celebrate God's mighty acts of deliverance long ago, and it embraces the future, counting off each day in eager anticipation of the gift of Torah, the outpouring of the Spirit, and the coming of God's Kingdom upon the earth. In the same way, as we pray and give together this year, we will honor what God has already accomplished for his people and embrace the future he has promised.

Shuvah Yisrael appeals to a higher court

 I was as surprised as anyone when I read the headline in the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, "Messianic Shul Gets Permit in Bloomfield."

For "The Ledger" to not only acknowledge our synagogue, but to call it a shul without their usual obligatory quotation marks was only a little short of miraculous. But this was really the appropriate announcement at the end of an arduous and yet exhilarating fight for religious rights between Congregation Shuvah Yisrael and the Town of Bloomfield.

Just under one year ago we sold our quaint New England synagogue building in the Hartford suburb of Simsbury, Conn. We felt the need to move out of the safety and isolation of the suburbs, and closer to the heart of the Jewish community. After almost nine months of searching for the ideal location to build a synagogue and cultural arts center, we decided upon the Wintonbury Mall, a once vibrant center that is being revitalized.

We expected our application for a special use permit to pass easily, since our plans satisfied all of the safety, parking and equal access criteria, and the original development plans for the mall explicitly allowed for places of general assembly- - but the board vote ended in a 3-3 tie. Since there were only six sitting members on the board the application was denied without prejudice. We were allowed to reapply after the general elections in November supplied a new board member.

In the interim we appealed the decision in the Hartford Superior Court, since we believed it violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which requires a zoning board to show a compelling governmental reason to deny access to a house of worship. But this had not stopped the Town of Bloomfield, which had a well known but unspoken "moratorium on churches."

Apparently we were the first of many religious organizations to stand up to the board, but we did not want to sue the town. We had already spent thousands on the appeal, and if we had to actually go to court it likely would have cost tens of thousands of dollars. Instead, on the last day before the hearing for the new application, we decided to appeal to a higher court. It is not that we didn't pray before, but I suppose we had seen this as our private battle up until this time. Through the UMJC and friends in various churches we enlisted a network of intercessors throughout the country to pray for our synagogue. That night we were the only application being heard. Our hearing lasted over three hours, and when the vote came in 4-3 in favor of our application, I felt like I was exhaling for the first time in the grueling four-month process.

The Connecticut Jewish Ledger actually reported the story fairly. And though they of course did not know of the decisive prayer intervention, they did note an interesting fact that was actually the most amazing testimony to the prayer. All three Jewish members of the Planning and Zoning Board voted in favor of the application. If any one had wavered the application would have failed. Some might see this as ironic, but at Shuvah Yisrael but we believe it was providential.

2008 UMJC Conference in Israel

How the time flies! It has already been more than six years since the UMJC began to pray and plan for its 2003 conference in Jerusalem. Here we are in 2008, and the next Israel conference and tour will be held thi s sum er, June 26 - 28.

The 2008 UMJC Conference in Israel will be a mitzvah. The Israeli leaders who are helping plan the tour and the conference are doing all they can to ensure that participants have the opportunity to connect deeply with them, their history, and their efforts in the land. Even if you have been to Israel many times, this year has much to offer with opportunities to engage the sights, sounds and history of our people as well as interact with other Messianic teens in Israel.

There will also be humanitarian volunteer opportunities (one of the tour options), so that visitors can participate in some way that makes a difference. Also, the conference will be providing an opportunity for Israelis to display and sell locally made arts and crafts, as well as advertise their wares.

This year in Jerusalem!

This year's participants can show continued support for the Messianic believers in Israel. Just as in 2003, the majority of the content will be provided by the Israelis. The speakers will be mostly local congregational leaders. One long-standing member of the Israeli Messianic community said, "Last time we were very encouraged by the fact that you came to hear from us, and to visit our congregations."

The situation in Israel during this year's conference tour is very different from 2003. The tourism industry in Israel has rebounded: 2007 was a banner year. As Israel marks its 60th anniversary as a nation this year, tourism is up. Getting reservations for planes and hotels for the UMJC conference has already been challenging.

The 2003 conference itself was at an especially difficult time for Israel-it was during the second intifada, and tourism was way down. This event brought 300 participants into the country, and when another 350 Israelis joined them there was a highly visible presence of 650 associated with this occasion. The number of participants at this year's conference is expected to be comparable.

Undecided participants may think that Israel does not need visitors as much as during the 2003 conference. But as UMJC Executive Director Russ Resnik said, "If you ask an Israeli what you can do for Israel the answer is almost always, ‘Come visit.'"

Even though the situation has greatly improved, much of the economy is still dependent upon tourism. This is not the time to let your support of Israel and of the UMJC wane. And did we mention that the conference is being held just outside of Jerusalem, the capital, the city of David? "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill..."

The original decision for holding the conference every fifth year in Jerusalem was made during the planning process in 2001. One concern was that the distance might make it difficult to have necessary number of delegates required for a quorum, but the 2003 conference saw the minimum easily exceeded.

For the 2008 conference there is always an expectation of resistance to Messianics. But Russ Resnik noted, "Despite ongoing opposition we are in many ways less marginalized than in the past. Many Israelis are starting to see Israeli Messianics as an oppressed minority. As a movement, we have also been able to support humanitarian causes in Israel, and our young men and young women have served in the IDF. That makes us more mainstream as well." UMJC President Jamie Cowen also notes the possibility for continued interaction between American Messianic Jews and the Israeli government.

Everyone also wants this conference to be meaningful for our youth, both American and Israeli. There are plans to maximize interaction between them. The 2008 teen tour will be a hands-on experiential event. The tour is jam packed.

Kabbetz HaEsrim West

Redemption's Song, named after the Torah portion for the weekend, Beshalach, was the theme for the UMJC's second annual west coast 20s conference, Kabbetz HaEsrim West. A fantastic crowd of young people attended the conference, held in Beverly Hills, California.

The weekend long mini-conference was an inspiring time of music, activities, and speakers. From the inspirational Kabbalat Shabbat service and dinner on Friday night, to the challenging and uplifting message on Sunday morning, Conference attendees have shared that they have felt refreshed, strengthened, and spiritually empowered by the event. Conference speakers included Rabbi Jason Sobel, Joshua Brumbach, Robert Bloch, and Rabbi Dr. Stuart Dauermann.

Kabbetz HaEsrim conferences are an initiative of the UMJC's 20's Committee to connect, strengthen, and invigorate Messianic young adults. Recognizing the need to carry the Messianic vision into the future, the UMJC has placed great emphasis on building the future through the next generation.

The Kabbetz HaEsrim MidWest conference, in Chicago, is scheduled for Feb. 22 - 24, 2008. Speakers will include Rabbi Kirk Gliebe, Rabbi Jason Sobel, Rabbi Dr. Jeff Feinberg, and Rhena Klayman. The theme for the weekend is "Three Strands," and you will not want to miss it. Visit www.umjc.org/kabbetz for more information!