SBMF News

Shalom to all. “The grace of the Adonai Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, and the love of Elohim, and the fellowship of the Ruach HaKodesh, be with you all.”

Arise, bless the L-rd your G-d forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise! " You alone are the L-rd. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You. "You are the L-rd G-d, who chose Abram and brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name Abraham. "You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him ao give him the land of the Canaanite, of the Hittite and the Amorite, of the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite — To give it to his descendants. And You have fulfilled Your promise, for You are righteous. [Nehemiah 9:5-8 NASU]

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. [Hebrews 10:23-25 KJV]

We pray that all is well with you. G-d is so good. Be healthy, be safe, be blessed, be found in Yeshua Ha'Mashiach.

News From Ruth, Our Sister Missionary In Russia

Our vision is to see Russian Jews gathered into Messianic congregations being a light to the nations.

1. Praise be to God who does above and beyond what we could ask or imagine. This week of activities with the English club members was absolutely wonderful-far above my expectations. We had a total of 30 Russians participate in our activities. Some were able to participate just once and others nearly every time. It was a great opportunity to get to know people in a more relaxed English setting than our English club. Some people really seemed to connect with Joe and want to keep in touch with him. I hope that they will keep up those relationships. I asked you to pray that God would bring some Jewish people to our group and He did. 2 of my Jewish friends from Hebrew class attended the English club on Sunday and one of them came to our activity on Monday and brought along a Jewish friend. I spent a lot of time with her and hope to get to know her better. Joe taught our lesson on Sunday night and did a great job. He told the group about his experience in Liberia , which I think was very interesting for them. Most of them, like many of us, knew very little about this small African country.

2. On Saturday we attended a Messianic congregation and then afterwards a group of 4 of us went to Red Square to hand out tracts and share our faith with others. It was a very busy place and we were able to pass out 1250 tracts in the course of 30 minutes. We didn’t get a chance to talk to people (except to give directions) but God’s Word was put in the hands of more than a thousand people. Please pray that God’s word will not return to Him void.

3. On Sunday Joe and I and 2 other friends attended a Christmas service at a Baptist church. I didn’t get to attend a Christmas service on Dec. 25^th so I was excited to be there. It was a beautiful service with a children’s program, bell choir, many special choir numbers and 4 (yes 4 ) sermons. Usually they have 2 30 minute sermons but this time they had 4 that were 10-15 minutes long. It was a long but really wonderful service that we all enjoyed.

4. Yesterday, Wed. Jan. 10^th, Joe and I and 2 other friends had a chance to visit the State Duma (equivalent to the US congress building) on a private tour with one of my English club members who works there. It was a very interesting tour. Joe particularly enjoyed going into the Communist party offices and getting some of their literature. And the people who worked in the office thought it was great to have Americans come in there. We were not convinced to change our political views but it was interesting and a good opportunity to silently pray in the place where laws of this country are formulated and discussed.

5. I am so grateful that God brought Joe here to minister with me this week. He is such a blessing. I am also so grateful for Masha, a Russian who served as Joe’s translator, tour guide and friend this week. Thanks Masha. I also praise God for the Gilbert family who hosted Joe all week. I know Joe really enjoyed being there and playing with their kids and I heard that the kids really enjoyed him also. I am once again awestruck by how well God works all things out for His glory and that His plans are always best.

1. This afternoon, Jan. 11^th, Joe flies to the Philippines . Please pray that he will have a safe trip, that someone will meet him at the airport in Manila and that he will get a few days to rest before starting his classes. Please pray for his family also as they adjust to Joe being away as well as making some major changes in their lives.

2. I also fly out of Moscow today, Jan. 11^th. I leave here at 7:00 in the evening and arrive in Johannesburg at 9:40 Friday morning (2 hour time change). So it is a long flight. Please pray that I will be able to sleep some on the flight and that I will have a restful time in South Africa .

3. Pray that it will truly be a vacation and that I won’t have to be concerned about any work while I am gone. There are several Jewish people that I have stayed in contact with since I left South Africa . Please pray that I will have the chance to get together with some of them while I am there.

4. I will have limited access to e-mail while I am gone so I look forward to connecting with all of you again after Jan. 26^th when I return. Thank you so much for your prayers that have carried me through these very busy days.

1. Thank you all so much for your prayers for my time in South Africa . I don’t remember ever having a better vacation. God richly blessed me from the very beginning to the end. On the long flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg I was bumped up to business class and got to enjoy all those perks. The best part of all was having a seat that reclined so that I could sleep a good part of the 10 hour flight. My luggage arrived with me and my friends, Richard and Vera were at the airport to greet me. The weather was warm and sunny, with a few thunderstorms the first few days I was there. I did my best to soak up as much sunshine and warmth as I could, to carry me though the rest of our winter.

2. By far and away the best part of my trip was being able to reconnect with friends there. In Johannesburg I was hosted by some American colleagues who graciously gave me lifts wherever I needed to go. I attended my former church’s Sunday service and Wed. Bible study. I attended a prayer meeting for Jewish evangelism, and got to share there. I attended my former Messianic congregation and was able to share there also. And in between church services I got to visit my many friends in Joberg, including a couple of Jewish friends who are not believers yet. And if you know me, you know that I also had to fit in some time for shopping also.

3. My time in Cape Town was too short but very sweet. A South African friend hosted me there and was a wonderful chauffer, tour guide and most important friend. She is involved in ministry to the Jewish people also so we have lots in common and really enjoyed our time together. I got to see all my favorite sites in Cape Town , which is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I also got to visit with some other friends there. A huge thank you to all of my friends in Johannesburg and Cape Town who made my time there so very special.

4. My trip home was long but safe and uneventful. No business class this time but I did manage to get some sleep on the plane. My luggage also arrived on the same plane, which is not something that I ever take for granted. The day before I arrived home Moscow got it’s first real snow of the season so I didn’t miss much winter. Amazingly enough it has not been too hard to adjust to the cold temperatures. The last two days have been sunny, which makes a huge difference.

5. My cats, Ariela and Dodi were very glad to see me and of course I was glad to see them too. Ariela has been very clingy since I returned. I guess she doesn’t want me to go away again and I promised her that I won’t for at least a few months.

1. As you can imagine, I have lots of things to catch up on and many projects that I need to get busy with this week. Please pray that God will help me to use my time well and to accomplish those things that He wants me to. If you sent me an e-mail while I was gone please be patient as I try to catch up with my correspondence.

2. English club starts again tonight (Jan. 28^th). Please pray that many will come, including our Jewish friends. It seems that the group has outgrown my apartment and has become overwhelmingly non-Jewish. This week I hope to meet with the other leaders of the club to make some decisions about how to resolve some of these issues. Please pray for wisdom and creativity as we meet together.

3. My friend Rachel, who has been helping with the English club will be leaving Moscow soon and moving to a small city in Siberia . I will be very sad to see her leave as she has become a good friend as well as a great ministry partner. She, on the other hand, is very excited about finally getting to start her new ministry. Please pray for her as she closes out things here and prepares to move. She will be teaching our English club tonight.

4. Please pray for the many people that I was able to visit in South Africa who have health issues, family issues, transition issues, etc. Also please pray for the salvation of the Jewish people that I was able to visit-namely Tali, Esme, David, Charlie, Beryl and Henia.

God is good all the time. All the time God is good. I am attaching a photo of me enjoying the sun in South Africa . Thanks once again for your prayers that carried me through.

Messianic Times is going to do a story on the radio show - should be in next issue.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support as we engage the enemy together pulling down the Jericho walls. Donna and I have been extremely busy as we start off this new year of 2007. We have invested and talked with Jewish people on a regular basis; attended vital meetings at the Jewish Community Center and tried to keep the day-to-day concerns of the Jewish community.

We attended the funeral of the father of one of our Jewish friends. As we looked out over the crowd of friends and loved ones, our hearts understood why the Lord wept over Jerusalem. There were so many good people without Christ. The fields are ripe and it is time for a rich harvest. So, please continue to pray for our upcoming August 2007 evangelistic campaign. We intend to reach as many Jews as possible for the Lord’s Kingdom in the metro-Detroit communities. We still need volunteers and team leaders for this significant effort. Another outreach in our program this year is our “Messianic Leadership Conference in “Black and White”. There will be leaders invited to bridge the gap between both of these communities. We will come together on key issues and develop special evangelistic projects.

Currently we are working with volunteers and team leaders which involve training, training and more training. As you can see, we have a full plate which does not leave much time for fundraising. This is a ministry all by itself. Perhaps, this is where you can be an advocate for us by letting people know who we are, what we do and how they may be involved in this unique ministry. We suggest that they visit our website at www.shalom.com.

We are excited to say that we are involved in an historical first with Congregation Shema Yisrael. This local Messianic congregation is celebrating Black History Month. The event will be held on the morning of February 10, at 10:30 a.m. The morning will be filled with praise, worship and special speakers from various black churches in the metro-Detroit area. We have invited media coverage to tape this event. It is awesome how the Lord has caused all of these things to come together.

Finally, our dear friend, mentor, and brother in Christ, Albert Nessim went home to be with the Lord this month. Albert was and will always be a beloved Jewish believer who touched so many with his gentle and wise spirit. We will surely miss him. Please pray for his darling wife, Ruth and family as they continue the work in Israel that God has called them to.

Shalom Ministries has a new web site Please take a look at this site and see how Brother John can help. Here is the link: http://www.shalomministry.com/

Brother John has a new brochure to send out with speaking topics. Please contact him if you are interested in having him come and speak at your Church or Congregation.

Ministry & Outreach News from Hal and Esther Garrett, First Baptist Church Hardy, Cherokee Village, AR.

A special Thanks to everyone who prayed for us while we were in Israel and to everyone who contributed funds for our trip and to each member of our team for being true servants of our L-rd by giving of themselves to serve Him.

Thank you Arkansas Baptist Foundation for your support and prayers. May G-d Bless each of you and our work with His people Israel.

Six people from across the Northeast Arkansas left Memphis on November 4, 2006. They traveled to Tel Aviv and after spending one night at Baptist Village, they rented a van and drove to Kibbutz Elifaz; which is about 15 miles North of Eilat, on the Red Sea. The men put a new rope on the courtyard curtains and on the Tabernacle cover. They took down all the inner curtains and hung new ones after the ladies sewed over 120 meters of fabric. They painted 36 cherubim, 37 inches tall, on each one. New entry curtains were made and they painted gold leaf on the Arc of the Covenant, Menorah, Incense Alter, and the Show Bread Alter.

There was two days of tour. Two days in the Old City and two nights in Tiberius. The team arrived home November 22, 2006.

Ministry Report and blessings from Rabbi Richard Geiger, Valley of Blessing, Greensboro, NC.

Prayer Requests Continued:

We are praying for another location to worship.

We are praying for a member to step up to serve as treasurer,

We are praying for increased giving,

We are praying for speaking opportunities coming up (especially with an Arab congregation).

We have been led to a person who will lead us through incorporation.

The SBMF Annual meeting will be coming up soon in San Antonio, TX. We recommend that you contact the SBC Lodging Agency for reservations.

Faxed reservations should be faxed to the SBC Housing Bureau at 210-207-6702.

Email: sahousing@sanantoniovisit.com
Mailed reservations should be mailed to SBC Housing Bureau at:
203 S. St. Mary’s,
2nd Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205.

We will again look into childcare for the times that we have meetings. There may be some of you who would like to attend but you need help with your children. Please let us know if you have childcare needs for these meetings. Please let us know if any of your young adults that are attending would like to work with the children as serving ones.

We have tentative plans in the works. As of this date we are scheduled to meet Saturday for Yeshiva and Business meetings. We are praying that a Messianic Congregation in the area will help us with worship music and a place to meet on Erev Shabbat (Friday Evening) for corporate worship. If you know of a congregation in the San Antonio, TX. area please contact me via e-mail. We will be contacting the local SBC associations in the San Antonio area in hopes to find a congregation who will give us hospitality for Friday evening Erev Shabbat celebration.

The dates for our meetings are scheduled for June 8th, 9th & 10th, 2006. Many of the brothers and sisters wish to attend the SBC Pastors Conference that starts Sunday evening. We plan to have Davidic Worship Dance training on Sunday afternoon.

Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four of them. The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they moved. As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Whenever those went, these went; and whenever those stood still, these stood still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. [Ezekiel 1:15-21]

We are on the move. We are speaking to two wonderful speakers. Baruch HaShem Yeshua. As soon as we can we will give you some information about the speakers.

We do want to thank the SBC Convention Relations Staff and the NAMB as they help us with arrangements for our meetings and supply the room for our meetings. They have been such a blessing to us. Please lift them up in your prayers as they work hard to make the SBC Annual Meeting and all of the associated events a wonderful experience for all who attend.

Please Pray: We are praying that we will be sponsored by NAMB to have a booth in the Convention Center this year. We would like to let our SBC Brothers and Sisters know who we are and how we can help them in this race we run together. This would be a great chance for us to work with NAMB in illustrating to the SBC Brothers and Sisters, how we can help as an arm of NAMB. We do not know if NAMB can help us with this booth. We are in prayer with an expectation of answered prayer.

And all things you ask in prayer , believing, you will receive. [Matthew 21:22]

We are looking forward to seeing you at the 2007 SBMF Annual Meetings. Unless we hear the Shofar sound and a call from above, "Come up here". Then we look forward to seeing you up there.

I pray that the L-rd shines His Light on you. I pray that He leads you to the Truth in Yeshua. Be strong, be healthy, be safe, be found in Yeshua.

Please continue to pray for our dear brother Aslam (our NAMB rep.) and his family. Aslam's daughter was involved in an accident in November and she was injured severely. Please lift her up in your prayers. Also lift the Aslam and his family up in your prayers.

Please continue to lift Rav. Jay Fielding and his wife Michele, in your prayers as they started a new Messianic Jewish Congregation in Marietta, GA.

Adat Shalom in Dallas, TX. (Rabbi Robin Rose) has a new web page. Please continue to pray for this new web presence to have a great effect on those who are seeking.

Please continue to lift up Shalom Ministries (Pastor John Denson) as their new web presence illustrates their ministry to those who need to know.

Please keep praying for the ministry of Today With G-d. Translators and financial support is needed to bring the message to those in nations who speak in different tongues.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters who are working all over this world in missions service. Our Brothers and Sisters in the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board and all the missionaries, all over the world.

Please pray for Brother John Denson and myself as we work to secure a solid ministry and evangelism partnership with our Brothers and Sisters in the SBC African American Fellowship.

Please pray for Vice President Jay Isbell, myself and the SBMF Executive Board, as we work with Aslam Masih and the North American Mission Board, to make your SBMF more resourceful to you in your ministries.

Again Please Pray: We are praying that we will be able to be sponsored by NAMB so we can have a booth in the Convention Center this year. We would like to let our SBC Brothers and Sisters know who we are and how we can help them in this race we run together, leading the nations and our Jewish kinsman to Yeshua.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of G-d unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of G-d revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. [Rom 1:16-17 KJV]

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, G-d blessed forever. Amen. [Romans 9:1-5 NASU]

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. [Matt 28:19-20 NASU]

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. [Rom 10:12-13 NIV]

News From Ruth, Our Sister Missionary In Russia

Check out the below SBMF recommended Messianic ministries for details of .