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A FRANKLIN PARTY!

ing in the wrong direction. Some of
them might die in sin and go to Hell.
We should really tell them, you know?"
Brathwaite knows this will be a
long-term process. Four months later
she still hasn't summoned the courage
to approach her clients. "I don't know
what to say to them;' she says in a
worried tone.
Still, inspired by the Passover pre-
sentation, she plans to call Joseph and
ask her how to move forward.

Growing Ranks

Anyone who has encountered street
evangelists with their cartoon broad-
sides knows that Christian efforts to
win Jewish souls are nothing new. Yet
the evangelical movement's numbers
have swelled of late, with much of its
work happening off the streets.
"Missions to Jews have become
more sophisticated and better funded,"
says Amy-Jill Levine, a professor of
New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt
University.
Hundreds of organizations now
exist to persuade Jews that their salva-
tion depends on accepting Jesus as
Messiah. Many of these groups are
connected through a network of orga-
nizations with media- and Internet-
savvy staffs, as well as well-oiled fund-
raising operations.
While Catholics and mainline
Protestants have eschewed the prac-
tice, some of the largest evangelical
denominations — Southern Baptists,
Assemblies of God, Missouri-Synod
Lutherans — have stepped up their
conversion efforts. Independent mis-
sions have been on the upswing, too.
Last year, Jews for Jesus completed
a five-year tour called "Behold Your
God" that brought its message to
53 cities worldwide. Chosen People
Ministries saw its income grow by 31
percent, to $7.9 million, between 2003
and 2006.
The Phoenix-based Jewish Voice
Ministries International says that
since 1993 it has drawn 500,000 peo-
ple to festivals and concerts aimed at
evangelizing Jews in Eastern Europe,
South America and India.
Messianic congregations, which
combine Christian faith with Jewish
identity and ritual, also have mush-
roomed. Some call themselves syna-
gogues and incorporate such practices
as bar mitzvah and circumcision.
JTA research turned up more than
300 such congregations in the United
States; the Association of Messianic
Congregations puts the figure at 438.
Yet there are no well-established

Granting chic rents wishes is what ou
Franklin staff does best! Our themed celebration

methods to track the movement,
which is diffuse and sometimes oper-
ates underground, experts say. Jews
for Judaism, an anti-missionary group,
follows 900 organizations in North
America alone and calculates that
$250 million annually is spent around
the world. Estimates of the number of
Jewish-born Christians and self-iden-
tified Messianic Jews worldwide range
from 60,000 to 275,000.
Messianic "synagogues" blend
Jewish liturgy with a Christian mes-
sage. Last fall, 1,000 people attended a
fundraiser for a new Messianic center
in Berlin launched by the Chosen
People Ministries and aimed at reach-
ing Russian immigrants.

Torah Studies, Kosher Food

Many of these congregations sponsor
Torah studies, b'nai mitzvot, klezmer
concerts, kosher food pantries,
Shabbat dinners, singles gatherings
and Hebrew schools. They encourage
Jewish-born members to maintain
their identities and participate in
events sponsored by the larger Jewish
community. They call Jesus by the
Hebrew name "Yeshua," and the New
Testament "B'rit Chadashah." They
welcome interfaith couples.
Michael L. Brown, a prolific speaker
on the evangelism circuit, says
Messianic congregations serve one
primary purpose.
"We're not here to recover our
Jewishness," says Brown, president of
ICN Ministries in Harrisburg, N.C.
"We're not here to teach Christians
how to recover their Jewish roots.
We're here to send a message to the
Jewish community about Jesus."
Brown believes that this congrega-
tional approach produces more "last-
ing fruit" than missionary blitzes like
Jews for Jesus' 53-city "Behold Your
God" campaign.
The goal, movement leaders say, is
to create an atmosphere where Jews
feel more receptive to a Christ-cen-
tered theology.
Evangelists call this "contextual-
ization," presenting the Gospel in a
cultural format that welcomes poten-
tial converts. In Muslim countries,
Christian missionaries sometimes
fast during Ramadan, prostrate them-
selves during prayer and refer to their
churches as "Jesus mosques."
To Jewish watchdogs this goes
beyond old-fashioned "witnessing," or
sharing of faith. They say it smacks
of fraud: the use of familiar practices
and symbols to lure people away from
their faith.

allow children to cersonalize their partg with their favorite characters
and games.

Aratiomtuar.,

Go on a wild adventure
up a 26 foot inflatable
rock mountain and
through obstacles in our
72 foot obstade course!

SWIM PARTIES

Enjoy our beautiful indoor pool
on your child's special day!

Contact one of our
Celebration Specialists to
book your all-inclusive
party package today!

Dance the night away at our
Rockin' Dance Party!

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Glamour Girl Makeover P

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n c .L

29633 Franklin Road Southfield, NH 48034 14.8.352.S-137 www.FranklinClub.coin

01330500

November 22 .2007

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