Israel's 61st Birthday Celebration
Psalm 98:3
Israeli Flags
Holocaust
Memorial
Day
The
7 Species of
Food in
Israel
Birthday Cake
Greetings
From
Jerusalem
Photos &
Memorabilia
from Israel
The
Biblical
Borders of
Israel
Biblical
Borders
MAP
Adopt-A-City
For Prayer
Shofar
Sounding
Lighting
Shabbat
Candles
"Kadosh"
Dance
Blessings
Over the
Bread & Wine
Praise & Worship
Israeli
Folk Dance
Speakers
Doug
Curtis
Steve
"Peace Of
Jerusalem"
Dance
Oneg
Israel in
Scripture
An Evening Honoring Israel
Psalm 98:3
He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
The Old City Walls of Jerusalem and the Eastern Gate
Beith Yeshua gathered on Friday, April 24, 2009 to celebrate Israel's Independence Day. Israel became a re-born nation on May 14, 1948 - corresponding with 05 Iyar 5708 on the Jewish Calendar. The 5th of Iyar corresponds with April 29, 2009 on the Gregorian Calendar.
Beit Yeshua has remembered and celebrated Israel's birthday previously but this was the first year that we had celebrated in the spacious Family Life Center at Covenant.
The core group of Beit Yeshua gathered in Covenant's Family Life Center the day before Celebration to setup numerous exhibits and displays.
Guest begin arriving for our 61st Birthday Celebration
We had a 12 inch by 18 inch Israeli flag to give to each family
as well as a bumper sticker that said "I love Israel"
Holocaust Memorial Day was Tuesday, April 21st, so we had planned a large exhibit in remembrance of the 6 million Jews who died in that tragedy of world history.
Display boards with photos from the Holocaust
Christi created a display that included slides from her 2008 European trip to the concentration camps of Poland and Germany as well as numerous books, photos and other publications. Christi also provided these photo frames of the Holocaust
As part of the birthday celebration, guests were encouraged to bring snacks that included the 7-Species of Food that grow in Israel. This display was created to teach guest what those 7 species are: (1) Wheat, (2) Barley, (3) Olives, (4) Grapes, (5) Pomegranates, (6) Figs, and (7) Dates.
Deuteronomy 8:6-8
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and (grape) vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil, and (date) honey;
Food tables also showed examples of the 7-Species
What birthday celebration would be complete without a birthday cake?
"Greetings From Jerusalem", in Charlotte, provided a product table of Bibles, books, CDs, DVDs, shofars, tallits, menorahs, greeting cards, Shabbat Candles, T-shirts and other merchandise. All proceed from the Greetings From Jerusalem product table went to VISION FOR Israel, the humanitarian-aid organization based in Jerusalem.
We created a display of photos and memorabilia from our trip to Israel
Doug shows rocks, coins, water from the Dead Sea and carob from a tree in Jerusalem
There was a display showing the geographical history of modern Israel as well as a map displaying the Biblical borders of Israel.
3/4ths of Palestine is given to Jordan on 25 May 1946
Israel becomes a nation on 14 May 1948 and immediately all their Arab neighbors went to war with them intending to "drive them into the sea". Miraculously by the hand of God, Israel prevailed. They were again attacked in 1967 (The 6-Day War) and once again prevailed. The end of the 6-Day War saw them in possession of the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai, the Golan Heights and Jerusalem. As part of the peace process they relinquished all of the Sinai for the promise of peace.
Genesis 15:18
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt (the Nile River) to the great river, the Euphrates."Deuteronomy 11:24
Every place where you set your foot will be yours: Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the western sea (the Mediterranean Sea).Biblical borders of Israel
When we celebrated Israel's 60th Birthday in 2008, Carolyn suggested that we Adopt-A-City for prayer over the next year. We were all pleasantly surprised how much God taught us over the year about our various cities in Israel and the people living there.
Adopt-A-City for Prayer Exhibit
Travel-Style Brochures for about 50 cities were created as well as a map locating all of the cities. A separate wall chart listed the cities, told where they were located, and listed facts about the city.
One side of the Sderot Adopt-A-City for Prayer brochure
The 61st Birthday Celebration began with the sounding of the shofarot
Susan lights Shabbat candles
The Machol Dancers (the combined dancers from Beit Yeshua and Covenant)
provided a dance performance to the song "Kadosh (Holy)" by Paul Wilbur
Paul says the blessings over the bread and wine (grape juice)
Baruch Atah Adonai,
Eloheinu melech ha'olam,
Hamotzi lechem minhaaretz.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
Who brings forth bread from the earth.Baruch Atah Adonai,
Eloheinu melech ha'olam,
Bore p'ri hagafen.
Blessed are You, O Lord our God,
King of the universe,
Who creates the fruit of the vine.
We sang "The Star Spangled Banner" and "Hatikvah"
There was a time of praise, worship and Israeli Folk Dance
Speakers for the evening included Doug, Curtis ...
... and our good friend Steve from VISION FOR ISRAEL in Charlotte
At the end of the evening, we were able to present VISION FOR ISRAEL with an offering of over $1100. VISION FOR ISRAEL is a humanitarian aid ministry in Israel founded by Barry & Batya Segal. If you'd like to partner with them in any of the following projects, (1) Emergency Medical Supplies, (2) Terrorist Victims' Fund, (3) Lonely Soldiers, (4) Pack to School, (5) Welcome Baskets, and (6) The Joseph Storehouse, you can contact them at:
Vision For Israel
Charlotte, NC 28241Email: info@visionforisrael.com
Website: www.visionforisrael.com
Bill & Doug led the group in prayer for Israel
The Machol Dancers concluded the evening by dancing to the song,
"(Pray for the) Peace of Jerusalem" by Kirk Dearman
The evening concludes with a time of Oneg - "food & fellowship"
Genesis 12:2-4
I will make you (Israel) into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."Genesis 15:18
On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates"
Genesis 17:7-8
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.Ezekiel 37:4-5, 11, 12, 14
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: Behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And (I) shall put my spirit in your, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.Zechariah 2:8
For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you (Israel), toucheth the apple of His eye.Romans 11:1-2, 11
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I (Paul) also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall, salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Psalm 132:13-14
For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it.
2 Kings 21:7
In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever.
