Important Update! Significant News to report!

Dear Prayer Partners,

Jason and Janice Rose

We are really excited to share some incredibly amazing news! This update is a bit longer than usual, but our big news is here at the beginning! 

We are incredibly blessed by your prayerful support of our ministry. God has truly expanded and stretched us, as we have grown into the ministers that we are today. Through that growth, the Lord also expanded the team of people that minister alongside us. When we relocated to Israel in 2015, Mitch Glaser (President of Chosen People Ministries) asked us to start a Messianic Center in Ramat Gan. We had previously started a Messianic Center in South Tel Aviv, but the area grew dangerous over time. Although we loved the facility, we were renting it and that provided a measure of instability. It was certainly what we needed at the time. We learned a lot. The center in Ramat Gan was the fruit of our education. We learned a lot about what worked and what didn't and that certain ministry programs should be in separate facilities and that is exactly what we did.

Our current Ministry Center

When we started our Ramat Gan Messianic Center we had learned a lot already, but a new Ministry Center in a new location needed a new vision, new strategy and we needed to rebuild our community from scratch. Tel Aviv is a very transient city and most of the people who came in the past no longer lived in Tel Aviv. 

We had a slow start. It took us a whole year and several failed contract negotiations until we finally found a landlord that would rent us a facility. There was a lot of discrimination because we believe in Yeshua (Jesus). But we succeeded and began operating. At first, we were just three staff working out of the Messianic Center full-time. Initially our events were modest but good quality. As word spread our attendance began to grow. We are now a staff of seven and we have outgrown our facility.  We have had to start using signup sheets to ensure that we don't go over our capacity for nearly all of our public activities. We have been packed at almost all of our events in the last few years.

This is a great problem to have, but what is the solution?

Chosen People Ministries has decided that it is time for us to have a Permanent Home. NO MORE RENTING will mean more stability. There is an ideal facility located very close to our current ministry center. It is two and half times larger than our current rented facility. We will be able to have more classrooms and even more events, some at the same time! This facility will enhance and magnify our ministry. The property is brand new and unfinished. This is they way they sell commercial property in Israel, so that the new owner can tailor it exactly to their needs. It has no walls, no floors and no ceiling! 

Looking at the picture below is kind of like looking a newborn baby. You have to imagine what it will look like in the future by imagining it's potential. There is a lot of work ahead of us to get this unfinished property looking beautiful, but with the Lord's help, it will come together wonderfully. Well an architect will also be part of the equation!

The Upstairs Meeting Hall

So does that mean you guys have bought a new facility? The simple answer is 

YES!  We have purchased it. 

But that doesn't mean we don't need help to pay for it... By God's grace we were able to put the money down to purchase the building, but we still need to raise a significant amount. Janice and I are not in charge of the fundraising for the purchase and renovation, but we are being asked to make appearances and interviews for this purpose.  After all, no one knows the need as well as those of us doing ministry from the center. All that being said, we are not asking for donations, but if you feel like the Lord is laying this on your heart, then by all means, pray about it and in the near future, we will send out further information about how you can contribute. As sort of an official announcement by Chosen People Ministries, Jason and our colleague Robynne are going to interviewed on December 15th during a virtual event to raise awareness of the need!  It would be awesome if you were able to join!  It will be 2 am for Jason when he gets online, but a reasonable time for you, at 7pm EST. Follow this link to learn more about the online event called: GOOD  NEWS FROM TEL AVIV

So, although Jason is not in charge of the fundraising for the building, he has had a lot of other responsibilities related to the building, like finding the facility (it took a year) and all of the very detailed due diligence. You may have noticed that we haven't sent out an update like this since August.  That is because since August, we have been blessedly busy. Between running our regular ministry schedule, dealing the the search, negotiations and due diligence on the new facility and taking a class at the graduate studies level (CPM's Feinberg program), we really have had our hands full!  Thank you so much for keep us in your prayers.  We were not really at liberty to share this news publicly until all the documents were signed and the keys in our hands. Jason Got the KEYs Yesterday!!! By God's grace, the facility is ours!!! PRAISE the LORD!  

For those of you wondering... it comes with a few parking spaces for our staff, which is a huge blessing!!! 

The Ground Floor

So how will this really affect our ministry going forward? For Jason, it means that for the next year, he will be wearing two hats: Director of the Messianic Center and the Renovation Director. It will be a busy year!  It also means that we will have to go between two buildings! The good news is that they are right across the street from one another!  Isn't that amazing!

The new facility has two floors. The ground level will house our classrooms, office and Cafe Zone.  Upstairs will house our meeting hall. The new facility will have enough space for all of our staff to work from the center.  At the moment, we only have one very small office, with two desks and a small kids room for 10 kids.  The new facility will have office space for four staff plus an open are with work zones.  We hope to have three multipurpose classrooms and an upgraded Cafe Zone.  The new facility will enable us to host larger events and more of them, with more people, and serve families much better.  We will be able to have smaller meetings simultaneously.

So how far along are the renovations?

We just got the keys! Normally a purchase like this in Israel takes six months on average from the start of negotiations until closing. We bought it in two months. This means that we are still interviewing architects. We have a long road ahead of us and the renovations will take time, but it will be an exciting journey! Some have estimated that the renovations will take more than a year because of material shortages, we hope it will be faster.

So what ELSE is going on?

Zula Lodge, New Zealand

We have some exciting ministry going on in: New Zealand, Brazil and Japan!  What do these locations have to do with us?  The simple answer is that these are countries where Israelis like to visit after their army service. Chosen People Ministries has staff in all of these locations (or we will have staff soon) and we also have youth hostels and guest houses in New Zealand and Brazil that host these Israeli backpackers, typically for free. As a result, we have sent teams of volunteers to these areas to minister. We have been sending volunteers to work with our New Zealand staff for years. Our current group of volunteers will  be on the ground there for the next several months.  In Japan, we have recently opened a new branch of Chosen People Ministries in Japan and my colleague David will be overseeing the outreach there. A guest house for Israeli backpackers just opened and it is already booked solid for the next several months!

We have had a lot of great conversations lately with non-believers. I don't have the stories yet from our staff on the trails in New Zealand and Brazil, however, I know that they have been having great conversations every day and almost all day long! We do have stories from our ministry here in Israel. One of our staff is leading Bible Studies with non-believers and another recent told me about two people coming to faith recently through Bible studies. The latter met years ago while backpacking in New Zealand! Because of the slowdown caused by the pandemic, they finally took the time to consider Yeshua (Jesus). They sat with our staff member, who met them on the trails in New Zealand and studied the Bible together. Then separately, they each made the decision to follow the Lord. God is amazing! Lately, when sharing with Israelis, I have been taking some of material that I learned in my masters level apologetics class and combining it with some things I learned in my Bachelors and tour guiding course. This strategy focuses on showing Israelis history from a Israeli Jewish believer's perspective. The goal is to cause them to think about the claims of Yeshua and his Messiahship in their historical context and this gives Him a level of authority.  What I'm trying to overcome with this strategy is that many Israelis falsely believe that modern Judaism is the same today as it was at mount Sinai and that Christianity is a kind of new offshoot. This is of course obvious to anyone who takes a moment to think about it, but most Israelis have never stopped for a moment to consider it. The truth is that Christianity came before modern Judaism. To get to this point, I explain the timing. Jesus came between 2BC and 30AD roughly. Most of the New Testament was written, arguably, by 95AD. The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD.  So the teaching ministry of Jesus, his disciples and most of the New Testament came before the destruction of the temple. This is the point that really hits home. While the temple was in operation, it was the center of Judaism, and run by the priests not the pharisees.  The Pharisees had their followers among the people, but they lacked authority in Judaism, except for the few that sat on the Sanhedrin. This latter point is something that usually catches them by surprise but its obvious once they think about it. By the time I've gotten to this point, in my explanation, I have typically made headway and they start asking very engaging questions. From here, the conversation can go anywhere, and often does. By this point we have overcome several barriers to the Gospel. The big one is probably that rather than viewing Jesus as many Israelis do, as some fictitious character created by a fake wannabe religion, they are now thinking about the claims of Jesus as a historical figure who came with authority.  The last dialog I had about this, last week, rabbit trailed into whether or not I believed in a literal exodus from Egypt. I love how he ended the conversation when he said, "you have giving me some things to think about, that I though I knew but didn't." You can pray for the amazing people we have spoken with lately that God would bring them to a saving knowledge that Yeshua is the Messiah. 

When is Jason Coming to the USA? 

We came to Alabama as a family in the Fall, 2022. This was our first time leaving Israel since early 2020. The next two trips will be just Jason. 

Jason will be in Alabama from March 19th to April 2nd. He would love to meet up with you! He is still looking to fill his speaking schedule, so if you want your church to invite him, he is ready to start that conversation:  jrose@chosenpeople.com.  He is also interested in meeting people in small groups like Bible Studies, fellowships or just an Ice Cream Socials, coffee, Q&A with a missionary. We really like small group meetings because it provides a better chance to get to know you and for you to get to know us!

Jason will also be in Minnesota in from May 4th to May 8th. That weekend, he will be participating at a conference being held at Wooddale Church. He would love to see our Minnesotan friends that weekend! Although the schedule will be tight, let's find some time! As you know, Jason drinks coffee and tea, so let's make some appointments! Jason is available to speak in church meetings, but obviously, because it is a short visit, there are not many possibilities, but contact him and we can try and make something work.

Family Update.

On a walk at Tel Afek with the grandparents

Our ministry is a family effort, as you know and as such it is important to remember our children in your prayers!  Yonatan is doing quite well in his schooling. He started public school this Fall, while the rest of his brothers are still homeschooling. This was no easy decision, but it seems like the right fit for him.  He was accepted into a special music class at a local Junior High School (it's combined with a High School). The program has a strong emphasis on music theory. He and three of his brothers still have his current piano teacher, whom we all love. His love for music and writing music is contagious. He has written several worship songs and he is really developing musically.  He says that he loves music, but he would really like to study animation design. We enrolled him in a class but it was cancelled due to a lack of participation. We would appreciate your prayers for God's direction in this.

At the Sea of Galilee

Shimon is only 16 months younger than Yonatan and therefore his Bar Mitzvah is coming up in April. This is a huge milestone in Israeli culture. We are planning to hold a special Bar Mitzvah service in April and Lord willing. Jason's parents are planning to come to Israel for this. Pray that the Lord prepares Shimon's heart and mind for this rite of passage.

The other boys are doing well in their schooling. Gidon, loves learning and always has. In fact, he is very advanced for his age because he simply loves learning. He reads really well for a six year old! Shimon is strong in math and science. Benji is strong in languages. Eitan loves science and art!  They boys get along very well and love spending time with each other. They are writing a book together and making a board game. The four oldest all take piano lessons and Gidon will probably start next Fall. When we were in Alabama in the Fall, we decided to take the violin that belonged to Janice's mom.  A couple of the boys indicated that they are interested in learning violin.  We are considering it. 

They have really enjoyed their rollerskating class with our friend Sasha, who used to be a competitive hockey player.  As of last week, all five boys, including six year old Gidon are on inline skates. After learning their skating skills part of the lesson, they often batted around a puck for fun. This has grown more and more serious. Sasha now says that their skating skills are good enough to now focus on hockey skills, but for that we will need to get them safety equipment. Their coach recommended buying used equipment in America, since it is hard to find in Israel and seriously overpriced. Jason will probably be shopping for some used basic hockey equipment like pads and gloves for the boys in Minnesota when he visits in May. Please pray we find what we need for the boys. 

Final Thoughts!

We are so grateful for your prayerful support. Thank you for taking the time to read this update.  We know it is a bit longer than normal, but we hope it provides you with some good information about our ministry and how you can pray for us!

Blessings in Messiah,

Jason and Janice Rose