Church Is Never Boring in Israel!

Even though I have lived in Israel for over thirty-five years, I am not completely fluent in Hebrew. Too much of my time has been spent in an English environment -- with David, at work, and with English-speaking friends. While it is true that no non-native speaker ever reaches total fluently in his or her second language, I am certainly far from where I should be in Hebrew. But I have not given up. I continue making progress in learning the language. Towards that end, I am taking a Hebrew class at the Israel College of the Bible in Jerusalem.

My Hebrew teacher, Bert Schlossberg, usually drills the class on grammar, and also gives us opportunities for reading and speaking. Occasionally, he will devote the class period to conversation about a subject of high interest. This week the topic for discussion was: What is unique about the worship services of the congregations we attend in Israel compared with those of the congregations we attended in our countries of origin?

Class participants gave almost as many responses as there are congregations in the land. In the Jerusalem area, for example, there are more than ten congregations or groups of believers. Some worship services are conducted in Hebrew, some in English, Russian, Arabic or other languages. Although all focus on Jesus as Lord and Savior, each congregation incorporates Jewish traditions according to its aims and goals. A few congregations attempt to keep their services close to synagogue traditions. Some celebrate the biblical feasts, while others simply mention these feasts in passing. Many congregations assemble on Saturday morning, since Sunday, the first day of the Jewish week, is a workday.

David and I attend services at the Narkis Street Congregation on Saturday mornings. Located on the west side of Jerusalem, and originally called "The Baptist House," this was the congregation that was founded and led by the late Robert Lindsey.

Our congregation's Saturday-morning worship service begins with a combination of traditional hymns and contemporary choruses. Usually, there is at least one song in Hebrew, often followed by a song in Arabic. Then, the pastor, Charles Kopp, recognizes visitors from various countries of the world -- we have a lot of visitors from abroad! An important part of the service is the reciting, in unison, of a verse from the Parashah (the weekly portion from the Torah that is read in synagogues), followed by the congregational singing and recitation in Hebrew of Deuteronomy 6:4-9:

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (JPS)

We conclude this recitation with the words, "Ve-ahavta lereyacha kamocha" ("Love your fellow as yourself"; Lev. 19:18; cf. Lk. 10:27).

Pastor Kopp frequently shares his pulpit with the congregation's many gifted teachers and preachers, and on occasion with local and visiting pastors. (The congregation provides simultaneous translation into German for German-speaking guests.)

This exceptional congregation donates about forty percent of its offerings to the needs of others. Our outreach projects include support for former Southern Lebanese Christians and their families who fled to Israel three years ago when the Israeli army withdrew from Southern Lebanon.

Besides the Saturday morning English service, the facilities at Narkis Street accommodate three other services: a service conducted in Russian on Friday evenings, a service conducted in Hebrew on Saturday evenings; and a Baptist service conducted in English on Sunday mornings.

Christ Church, a Church of England property at Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, also has various groups using their facilities throughout the week, including a thriving Romanian congregation made up of Romanians who work in Israel.

King of Kings Congregation, founded by Canadian Pentecostals, meets on Sunday evenings at Jerusalem's YMCA-West. This service is especially convenient for people who do not have their own private transportation and cannot get to Saturday services -- public buses do not run on Saturday in Jerusalem.

There are also Ethiopian and Korean congregations that meet in Jerusalem.

The uniqueness of congregations in Israel is that regardless of diverse cultural and denominational backgrounds, we share a common bond of fellowship because of our love for the Lord, and this unites us as one body.