| FELLOWSHIP ISSUES NATIONWIDE CALL FOR 'DAY OF PRAYER FOR ISRAEL' Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, |
| THE TREMENDOUS SUCCESS OF THE FELLOWSHIP'S FIRST NATIONWIDE "Day of Prayer and Solidarity with Israel" last October has established this event as an indispensable part of our Stand for Israel campaign: Our challenge now is to build on this success and rally even more churches and individual Christians to support Israel during our second annual "Day of Prayer" on October 26, 2003. While Fellowship partner churches regularly include prayer for Israel in their services, this nationwide focus allows us to make other churches aware of the biblical mandate to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6). The Bible also teaches that those who bless Israel will themselves be blessed (Genesis 12:3). "It is in this spirit," said Rabbi Eckstein, "that we deeply believe individual Christians and committed churches can make a difference and play a critical role in strengthening Israel." FOCUSED SUPPORT "We were overwhelmed by the response of Christians and churches across America to our fist day of focused prayer and support for Israel," Rabbi Eckstein also noted. "Our initial hope was that one million Christians would commit to pray for Israel's peace on that day. "But when that day arrived, over 5 million people in more than 16,000 churches across America united in prayer for Israel! These friends prayed for peace in the Holy Land, protection on Israel's people, and wisdom for her leaders. "We are trusting that this year's 'Day of Prayer for Israel' will again bring together millions of Christians who believe in the power of prayer and understand how much Israel needs the ongoing support of her friends in America." PLAN AHEAD We encourage you and your church to begin planning now to take part in the 2003 "Day of Prayer for Israel" on October 26. The Fellowship has some very exciting resources available free of charge to your church to help your members learn more about the Jewish roots of their faith and give them specific prayer requests for Israel and the Jewish People. These resources include a free subscription to our new series of bulletin inserts entitled "The Jewish Roots of Christianity." Your church may order these full-color inserts by faxing The Fellowship at 312-641-7201, or sending an E-mail to [International Fellowship of Christians and Jews] church@ifcj.org. |