What a blessing it was to have not just Sam, but also his charming and gifted wife, Miriam, fly cross-country to minister at Ben David Messianic Jewish Congregation in Orange, California over the weekend of September 16 -18, 2011. It began with a delightful Erev Shabbat dinner together in which Bonnie and I were able to bring them both up to speed on what’s going on at our congregation and where the challenges areas are that could use some help. The fact that the four of us all share not only a strong desire to see healthy Messianic congregations grow and flourish but also personal commitments to achieve that goal stimulated conversations which were both relevant and practical. Were it not for ministry commitments that began early the following morning, we could easily have talked all night.

On Shabbat morning, Sam presented a message to the congregation entitled “Identifying His House,” based on scripture from Isaiah 56. Sam explained that unless our homes are characterized by prayer and godliness, we will have nothing of lasting value to bring to our congregations and communities, an important lesson that we all needed to hear. Sam also emphasized the need to employ an outreach to all people but in a way that would make sense to the Jewish community, a balanced approach to which all Messianic congregations should strive.  After the Oneg that followed the service, Miriam taught a large group of women about “Personalizing the Prophetic Significance of the Jewish Wedding,” a presentation described as “entertaining, yet sobering,” and something which “was sufficient to challenge even the most seasoned believer to re-examine how they are preparing for our Bridegroom’s return.” Miriam ended her presentation by leading a few worship songs which were later described as sounding like “a chorus of angels in heaven.” The teaching so stimulated the women that they are now planning on continuing on in future meetings to listen via the web to the other messages that Miriam has already taught on this subject.

 While that was in progress, Sam met with the men to discuss issues that men deal with, and he brought a godly, no-nonsense, biblical approach to the questions and problems that were raised. I truly think that hearts were touched, and hopefully lives changed, in some pivotal areas for many of the men who were there.

As if that wasn’t enough ministry, Sam and Miriam then went out to dinner with a group of the Ben David leadership team where we got a chance to hear back from them, and discuss, their observations on critical issues within our congregation. The following morning, we were joined for breakfast by another one of our elders who then had a chance to dialogue on additional ministry ideas; as a direct result of that conversation, we are now praying about starting a leadership discipleship program specifically aimed at raising up and training willing, mature, committed believers for future leadership roles in the congregation.
 In summary, it was a great weekend packed with ministry discussions and suggestions for which we are very grateful. Thank you, Sam and Miriam!