Adar - Nisan 5764

ALL KINDS OF STUFF!

It has been a very busy time since our last regular newsletter: conferences and meetings in San Antonio, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Pasadena; besides the usual ministry activities here in the Tampa Bay area. These were highly productive and beneficial times. However, right after returning from Pasadena several weeks ago, we were given quite a shock.

Patrice was informed that the position she has held at the local college is being terminated—she has worked at the college for the better part of the past five years—and there is no other position open for her there. This position has been the source of our family health insurance, as well the major means we have used to help finance Seth through college. (Seth has a couple of years left.) So obviously, this is a very serious matter for Patrice and for us all. Your prayers on this matter are greatly appreciated!

Atlanta was the site of the annual conference of the Evangelical Theological Society. At the conference, John presented a paper “A Rabbi Looks at Jesus; Jesus through Jewish Eyes.” Afterward, a faculty member at a major Christian college said: “It was the best paper at the conference!” Another comment came from a well-known author and scholar. He remarked: “Everyone loved it; you should publish it.” [Note: you can find the article on our website www.menorahministries.com.]

Speaking of publishing reminds us of another recent encounter. Ryan is a college student who occasionally visits our Messianic synagogue. We talked several weeks ago, shortly after he returned from a large national conference for college students (the Urbana conference) over the Christmas break. He had attended several workshops at the conference. At one, he had picked up a packet of materials for sharing Yeshua’s message with Jewish students. As he was flipping through the packet, he saw the name “John Fischer” on one piece and took note of it. [It was the booklet we publish called “L’chaim.”] As he was packing to return home, he packed away all the material he had collected at the conference. At the last minute he decided to keep out “L’chaim.” On his way home, he had to spend some time at the airport. So, while he was waiting for his flight, he was looking at “L’chaim” once again. Now, he had “happened” to sit next to a couple in the waiting lounge. The woman looked over and noticed the Hebrew title on the front cover, and asked Ryan about the booklet. It turned out that the couple was Jewish, so they had a very good conversation about its contents (God’s plan of atonement through Yeshua, as described by the Jewish Scriptures). The couple was so interested that they asked Ryan for the booklet. Naturally we replaced Ryan’s copy of “L’chaim” when he came home! :-)

From another “horizon,” for over a year we have had a working relationship with a ministry serving God in the Ukraine, where Patrice’s grandparents came from. As a result, we have been able to cooperate on several projects. The most recent was an interview about Yeshua and Messianic Judaism. That interview appeared last month in the newsletter “Jews, Christians and the Word of God,” which was sent to over 1000 Russian subscribers!

One final note. There has been a lot of commotion over the release of the movie “The Passion of the Christ.” As a result, in March, we will be leading a seminar on the movie and the issues it raises. This could be an excellent opportunity and open door into our community. Do keep us in prayer! [By the way, the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (U.M.J.C.) made an excellent public statement on the movie. You can read the U.M.J.C. statement at the synagogue website: www.ohrchadash.org.]

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and contributions. By them, you help make the efforts we’ve described, and the continuation of this vital ministry, possible.

John and Patrice

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