A Note from Pastor Wes: A Strategic Trip to Israel
Next week marks Israel’s 70th anniversary as a country.
Next week Israel will also celebrate Shavuot (Pentecost). This is a Jewish festival celebrating the Law being given to Moses at Mount Sinai. It is also the Christian celebration of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the first followers of Jesus as described in Acts 2.
And Next week Pam and I will be in Jerusalem attending Alignment Roundtable Consultation. We are honored to have been invited to this small but significant gathering of friends and partners of Tikkun International, an organization of Messianic ministries (Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah.)
Through the years Wellspring, and I personally, have been developing relationships that are part of or intersect both the organizations and the convictions of the Tikkun International family of ministries. For instance, Ariel Blumenthal is a leader at Revive Israel, one of the Tikkun International organizations. He is a Jewish believer from West Hartford, and moved to Israel many years ago to join Revive. He is also one of Wellspring’s supported missionaries. He is a good friend of Pastor Rick and mine, and he and his family will be visiting Wellspring this summer. Gateways Beyond International, the ministry we are connected with in Cyprus, is also a Tikkun International organization. Matthew Rudolph, who ministers at Wellspring as part of the Breath of Heaven meetings, is on the Tikkun board. And there are even more connections.
In one of my frequent conversations with Ariel, he felt it was strategic to invite us to represent Wellspring and be part of this select group and consultation. I agree. Last year in our sermon series on I. D., we saw how we are called to be an apostolic house and resource center, a prophetic voice, and pioneers for the kingdom. This Alignment Roundtable Consultation is a strategic opportunity to partner with other kingdom-minded organizations.
The messianic movement is an unprecedented move of God blossoming in our lifetime. This gathering, relational in nature and pioneering in vision, seeks to grab the coattails of this movement and harness the kingdom opportunity and potential impact that is uniquely before us. The fact that we’re gathering during the 70th anniversary week and during the Shavuot/Pentecost festival stirs our spirits with anticipation.
Please pray for Pam and I, that we will carry a Wellspring anointing that continues to interweave with these other ministries. Pray that we will bring a blessing through our growing and meaningful relationships. Please pray for Israel and God’s purposes for this nation and the people. Pray for Ariel Blumenthal and his family as they minister to the Jewish believers in the land. Pray that as we gather and give God something to work with, he moves powerfully upon all of us. And please pray that we will be able to carry home what we receive and experience.
Shalom,
Pastor Wes