Last month, we held our annual Messianic Conference, Simcha (Joy) - which was absolutely amazing! Over 260 people from all over the Northeast of the United States converged on a retreat center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for a three-day weekend full of Messianic fellowship and fun. Out of the 260 conference attendees, there were about fifty young adults from age 18-35, so we were part of a pretty large contingent. Spiritually speaking, it was an incredible weekend!

The speakers were Dr. Mitch Glaser, president of Chosen People Ministries, and Dennis K., a Chosen People Ministries worker in Israel. Worship was led by Grammy-nominated Dove-award-winning artist Steve Wiggins. In addition to the main sessions, there were also many workshops about a range of topics, as well as free time in which people played games, sports, relaxed and had a good time.

Dr. Mitch Glaser focused on the theme "Israel’s Glorious Future through the Book of Isaiah." He examined what God proclaimed through Isaiah in light of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah. Dennis K. spoke about the growing community of Jewish believers in Israel and what Chosen People Ministries is doing in Israel to further this work.

Jewish believers Jenni G. and Ryan K. led the teen program, which focused on the words of Yeshua in the book of John. Jenni and Ryan helped the teens understand Yeshua’s words better by looking at their, and by considering the Old Testament Scriptures to which Yeshua referred. The teens also had workshops in which they had fun learning about comedic improvisation.

There was also a large number of Russian Jewish people from New York City, who had their own sessions conducted in Russian. A few of these people who came did so as a result of going through a drug rehabilitation program with Chosen People Ministries workers in New York.

As a result of all of the fellowship and relationship building, six Jewish people - four Russians and two Americans - came to faith in Yeshua the Messiah! They were touched by the teachings of the week and by the love and acceptance radiating from the believers present. This is one of the main purposes of a conference like this! It is wonderful, for example, to see an 89-year-old woman finally recognize that her Messiah had come and died for her.

It was a fantastic and fruitful Simcha Messianic Conference. Please join Chosen People Ministries in praying for more weekends and conferences like this in the future.

Contributed by Ryan K.