Hon. Ofek of the Consulate General of Israel in New York graces MSNY's "Bless Israel Night"

May 14, 2006 New York, NY -- In 1948, the people of Israel miraculously became a nation once again. Last May 14, Morning Star New York commemorated Israeli Independence Day with a special celebration hosted by Senior Pastor Ron & his wife, Lynette Lewis. Dubbed "Bless Israel Night," the event not only feted Israel's 58th year as a nation. The night also opened a major door for MSNY to begin seriously building bridges with one of New York City's most important cultures - the Jewish people.

New York City is a world capital of Jewish culture. More than 1.4 million Jewish people live in NYC - more than twice as high as the Jewish population in Jerusalem, the largest city in Israel.

The night was a humble yet promising beginning of reconciliation between the multi-ethnic members of MSNY and the Jewish people. Many of the congregation's members brought their Jewish friends and colleagues, and were especially pleased to receive the Consul for Public Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in New York, Amir Ofek, who graciously replied to the invitation.

Hon. Ofek graciously complemented the MSNY congregation saying, he believed 'MSNY was raised by God to be a blessing to the Jewish people.' Other special guests included Paul Wilbur of Wilbur Ministries, who rendered two songs, and Rice Broocks of Every Nation Ministries. George Blumenthal of Blumenthal LLC also celebrated with MSNY, as he shared about some recent archaeological findings in Israel, while Robert Stearns of Christians United for Israel spoke on practical ways to bless the people of Israel.

For many of the Jewish guests, it was their first time to be in a Christian gathering, and they were "blown away" by the warm response they received. During the event, pastoral staff and members of the congregation led by Lewis, also born to a Jewish family, expressed their gratitude to the nation of Israel. Christians owe a great debt to the Jewish people, as the people of Israel have greatly contributed to the formation of the foundations of the Christian faith and heritage.

The Bible clearly states in Genesis 12:3 that those who bless the Jewish people will themselves be blessed. Yet throughout history, the Church has tragically opted to preach against the Jewish people, and to stand by as they have been persecuted.

A major conclusion after this special evening is that the most powerful tool to build a bridge to the Jewish people is to bless them by demonstrating true love, as exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ, himself a Jew. At Morning Star New York, the pastoral team has always been called to reach multi-ethnic cultures. MSNY's "Bless Israel Night" was just the first step in a long journey towards the reconciliation of many cultures to the nation of Israel.

The Lewises listening to Blumenthal sharing about the most recently found archaeological artifacts in the land of Israel; Blumenthal who grew up persecuted for being Jewish, felt warmly received by MSNY-his first time visiting a Christian congregation