A few weeks ago you received an email I sent about the legacy of Eliezer and Sara Urbach, Messianic Jewish pioneers who touched countless lives, especially young lives, for Yeshua. Eliezer passed away just two months ago. One of my favorite memories is hearing Eliezer's challenge about our four young children: "Russell, you must decide, will your children be in the Christmas pageant or the Hanukkah play?" Or as he put it on another occasion, "With one tuchas you can't dance at two weddings!" Eliezer's example helped me, along with hundreds of young Jewish believers in Yeshua, decide to dance at the Jewish wedding.

To honor the legacy of Eliezer and his wife, Sara, who passed away in 2005, we launched the Urbach Legacy Fund, designed to help reach and encourage a whole new generation of young Messianic Jews. Now, during the days of Chanukah and the end of the year, I'm asking you again to make a generous contribution, which will bear fruit for years to come.

Two major efforts will benefit from your gift: the UMJC Internship Program and our innovative young leaders retreats. Let me give you a quick picture of each one.

The Internship Program provides matching grants to qualified congregations that can give young people hands-on training in all areas of the ministry, such as children's education, outreach, music and liturgy, and adult education. Interns are given genuine responsibilities and a stipend, plus weekly time with the congregational leader to evaluate their progress and receive mentoring.  The goals of the program are:

• To involve younger Messianic Jews, especially potential leaders, more deeply in our congregations.
• To provide the intern with a realistic view of congregational ministry and Messianic Judaism.
• To equip younger leaders for a life of ministry within a Messianic Jewish congregational setting as a viable option in Jewish ministry.

Nathan Joiner is serving as an intern right now at Ruach Israel congregation in Needham, MA, under Rabbi Rich Nichol. (Nathan is pictured below [with the dark beard] with his wife, Raina [holding their baby], and some teen campers.) Here is what Nathan says about his experience . . .

This September I began leading services and giving sermons monthly at Ruach Israel. . . .  In the coming year I will play a leadership role in a home group Bible study that we plan to launch in February 2010.  Raina and I have been leading Ruach Israel's teen group, and have spearheaded the founding of a  UMJC Messianic Jewish Teen Camp, along with Sid Cohen, a Ruach member.  The camp was quite a success! We hope one day this will be an experience 100s of Messianic Jewish teens all over the country will be able to have every summer! I appreciate the investment the UMJC has put into young leaders and the long-term vision for growing Messianic Judaism that we share.

The internship program is a great success but, of course, its focus is individual, providing extensive training for one or two leaders at a time. Recently, the UMJC brought together a number of younger leaders for a more intensive experience. Nine key leaders came to Houston to spend two full days together in learning, prayer, mutual encouragement, and laying the foundation for a network of new generation Messianic Jewish leaders.

The leaders who came to this initial event considered it an unparalleled experience. Here's what they said:

I am so excited I came! The biggest thing I'll walk away with is the relationships built over the last few days. It was the perfect blend of everything!!! Thank you!

It would be great to have more participants ... I would love to involve more guys.

Have them again and often. Seriously. The more often they happen, the stronger these ties will be.

In response to suggestions like these, we are planning a young leaders retreat for 2010, which will include women as well as men, and we hope to make this an annual event.

I cannot imagine a better way to honor the memory and legacy of Eliezer and Sara Urbach than to support young leaders like these. To do all we envision for the near future will take $25,000-30,000, and depends on partners like you. Please help us advance the Messianic Jewish vision into a new generation!

In Yeshua,

Russ Resnik
Executive Director

PS We have an excellent new internship candidate who is ready to start in February, and our young leaders are waiting to hear a date for our 2010 retreat. Please donate today. Thank you!