By Laurina Driesse and Marelinke van der Riet

This year, the Christian Embassy planned our annual International Leaders Conference (ILC) to coincide with two very important holidays in Israel: Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Terror Victims) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day). Amid the current war, the ILC’s timing last week was especially meant to allow the over 50 ICEJ global representatives in attendance to experience Israel’s unique transition from mourning those lost in defending the nation to rejoicing over restored Jewish sovereignty in their ancient homeland in 1948.

The opening evening featured a German Christian couple, Gideon and Nellie Bayer, sharing about the impact that their son Urija made as a believer serving in the Israeli army and how he died in battle in Gaza in late 2023.

“He had a very moving funeral,” explained his father Gideon. “Normally, a Christian is not buried in a cemetery of Jews, but they gave him a beautiful place to rest. It was the biggest funeral ever in Ma’alot. The schools were closed, and the students lined the street to salute the coffin.”

That evening, the ICEJ also honoured Deputy Aid Director Yudit Setz for 40 years of dedicated service to the ICEJ. “I have sailed with this ship for 40 years. I have worked with the most amazing people during those years. It is only through the grace of God that we are still sailing,” shared Yudit.

ICEJ Chairman Rev. Ingolf Ellßell also spoke on the Power of Praising God, reminding us of the importance of offering a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, especially in difficult circumstances.

“Our worship of God is more important than our circumstances,” he said. “Out of our praise to God, breakthrough comes.”

Ellßell shared a personal testimony of a problematic situation in which he found himself stranded alongside the road late at night in a freezing snowstorm. But he started praising God and suddenly a man came along to help him. By the end of the night, the man gave his life to the Lord. Ellßell stressed that because of the praise, the Holy Spirit was present to turn everything around.

The following day, our ICEJ national leaders headed south to the Gaza border region, and first visited the Nova festival site, which has become a memorial for those murdered and kidnapped during the terrorist invasion on 7 October 2023. We also toured Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit Israeli farming villages overrun by terrorists. The carnage of that day 18 months ago is still evident in the shattered windows and bullet-riddled walls among the 120 destroyed homes. Banners hang above the entrances to homes with photos of the residents who were brutally murdered inside. In fact, Kibbutz Be’eri suffered the loss of 132 residents either killed or kidnapped that fateful day. 

A youth activity center once stood at the heart of Kibbutz Be’eri, but it was seized by the Hamas terrorists as a command center on October 7 and had to be demolished. The ICEJ has now committed to completely rebuilding the youth center, which will provide the local children with meals, tutoring, group activities, and holiday camps. This will offer crucial services and stability as families from Be’eri return and rebuild their lives.

During our visit, the ICEJ delegation gathered with kibbutz leaders to break ground for the new youth center. We had the wonderful opportunity to write personal notes of blessings, which were placed in a box and buried in the ground at a corner of the new youth center. Our delegates also had the chance to fill the hole with scoops of cement during the ground-breaking ceremony.

Before returning to Jerusalem, the ILC participants visited an army base only tens of meters from the Gaza border fence which had been invaded by terrorists on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 13 soldiers. We heard a poignant personal account from an IDF commander concerning the events that transpired that day and how his unit rescued dozens of troops from the breached army camp. This was followed by a visit to an Iron Dome battery near Sderot and a briefing from an IDF spokeswoman on how the air defense system works.

That evening back in Jerusalem, we all stood in silence as the sound of a siren announced the beginning of Yom HaZikaron, when Israel remembers its fallen soldiers and terror victims.

During the evening meeting, a young Israeli pastor testified about his army call-up and serving in Gaza. “The only thing that really kept me was worship,” he said, adding that while walking through Gaza, he would declare that “every rooftop will proclaim the name of the Lord.”

ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler brought the main message that evening based on Romans 11: Ten Thoughts on the Olive Tree. “God is bringing the natural branches back into their own olive tree,” he said. “God is doing something amazing here in this Land.”

The next day there were more excellent teachings, starting with ICEJ Senior Vice President & Spokesman David Parsons, who talked about some of the Pitfalls of Christian Zionism. He cautioned that in drawing closer to Israel and the Jewish people, there can be many slippery slopes, such as Noahidism, the Ephraimite doctrine, and watering down the divinity of Jesus to make him more palatable to Jews.

Dr. Bühler also addressed the Theological Challenges of Christian Zionism, including Fulfillment theology and the New Perspective on Paul. “We have to rediscover what Jesus was preaching – it was a Jewish Gospel,” he stated.

The national leaders present, plus another 50 ICEJ global representatives who joined the ILC online, were encouraged as various branch directors shared strategies and success stories regarding their impact in their respective regions. ICEJ’s Prayer Coordinator, Joshua Gooding, also provided a remarkable update on the growth of the ICEJ’s Global Prayer Gathering, stating that prayer participants from 183 nations have faithfully joined the daily online Global Prayer Gathering. “Prayer is the engine from which everything else flows,” he said.

During this stage of the ILC, severe forest fires erupted in several regions of Israel, forcing some communities near Jerusalem to be evacuated. The delegation prayed for God to intervene, and miraculously the fires were contained overnight.

Suzette Hattingh brought the evening message, speaking on Destiny and all the things that can derail the calling, plan and purpose of God for your life. She based her message on Acts 23-28, involving Paul’s journey to Rome, and the obstacles, frustration, imprisonments, shipwrecks, and escape from death that he had to endure to fulfil God’s purpose.

Finally, the last day of the ILC on Yom HaAtzmaut, Dr. Bühler addressed the global rise of antisemitism, tracing its origins as far back as Esau and his jealous grandson Amalek. He emphasised, “In every generation, there is a challenge for the church to stand up for the Jewish people.”

Israeli attorney Calev Myers also discussed current issues, including antisemitism on U.S. campuses, the resilience of Israeli youth during wartime, and how Israelis are coping in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre. The morning concluded with David Parsons addressing the topic of advocacy for Israel, offering guidance on how to effectively defend the nation’s right and claim to Eretz Israel amid the global pressure of the two-state solution.

ICEJ Vice President of International Affairs Dr. Mojmir Kallus then recognised a number of students who had successfully completed our leadership development course.

On the final evening, Parsons delivered a powerful message on the theme for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles, “Ten From Every Nation,” taken from Zechariah 8:23. “You and I today are part of that righteous remnant attached to Israel which the prophet Zechariah foresaw centuries ago,” he declared. “I believe this prophetic passage is a fresh mandate for our ministry concerning the Feast, a fresh call to ascend to Jerusalem. God has something prophetic He wants to accomplish through us now, and it concerns the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ which Paul spoke about in Romans 11:25.”

Overall, it was a tremendous and memorable leadership conference which inspired our Jerusalem team and global representatives to accomplish even greater things for the Lord and for Israel in the days ahead.