4V,
This section is sponsored by
Pastor Jack Gibson of
• Congregation Shaari...y Zedek of Oakland County
• Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
Canton explains baptism
at the Jordan River.
Photo by Vivian Henoch
Black evangelicals
and Jews bond on
mission to Israel.
Keri Guten Cohen
Story Development Editor
A
Jerusalem
men!
Whether pronounced "ah-
main" or "a-men," the word
became a frequent refrain among the 27
members of a groundbreaking mission of
Jews and black evangelicals from Metro
Detroit who toured Israel together Jan. 8-
17.
Sponsored by the Jewish Community
Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit
(JCRC) and the Redford-based Fellowship
of Israel and Black America (FIBA), the
mission's goal was to share a love of Israel
in its 60th anniversary year and to build
bridges between Detroit's Jews and black
evangelical Christians whose steadfast sup-
port of Israel is rooted in the Bible.
Beginning in Tiberias, on the shores of
the Sea of Galilee where Jesus spread his
teachings, the group visited sites especially
significant to the evangelicals. At many
stops, FIBA founder Pastor Glenn Plummer
of Ambassadors for Christ Church in
Redford, remembered for speaking pas-
Al2
February 21 • 2008
Staff photo by Ken Guten Cohen
sionately to Jewish groups in support of
Israel during the second Lebanon War,
embellished the guide's historical perspec-
tive with biblical overlays that helped the
Jewish participants understand the reli-
gious significance for the Christians.
Among the evangelicals, the excitement
of walking the very land that Jesus walked
was palpable — and contagious.
"It's very enriching to me:' said Pastor
Jack Gibson of Disciples of Christ Church
in Canton. "This is my first time in the
Holy Land. To actually see with my eyes
and experience what I teach about every
week is awesome. To share this experience
with God's people, my Jewish brothers and
sisters, is more than I bargained for. Jews
and Christians together in Israel is the
opportunity of a lifetime for anybody:'
Jewish participants, who made up half
the group, also were enriched. Their initial
restraint and a sense of being outsiders
looking in soon gave way to a shared joy
as the evangelicals basked in the history
that came alive for them. At times, you
could almost see the biblical scenarios so
important to them shimmering in the sun-
shine or skimming the calm Sea of Galilee
waters.
Jewish missions seldom begin in
Tiberias, a region rich in significance for
Christians, but beginning there set a high-
energy, spiritual tone that helped the group
bond. For the evangelicals, whose faith is
so close to the surface, tears flowed easily
Pastor Glenn Plummer at peace on the
Sea of Galilee.
and emotions were heightened. Jewish par-
ticipants, inspired by this visible outpour-
ing of love for Israel, realized they were
seeing the Jewish homeland through differ-
ent yet surprisingly similar eyes.
Singing and dancing erupted spontane-
ously at certain points. On a wooden boat
in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, both
Christians and Jews danced a lively hora
and then hugged exhaustedly as the music
ended.
Perhaps a pinnacle experience of the
first few days was witnessing five evan-
gelical participants being baptized in the
frigid Jordan River outside Tiberias.
Reborn a Christian only months before,
Randy Harris of Detroit said he was ready
to cast out his many sins. As he entered
the water, he focused not on the cold, but
on affirming his faith hi Jesus. As Pastor
Gibson baptized him by dipping him
backward in the water, he rose with his
hand upraised, jubilant and buoyant. As
he passed the group on his way to change
clothes, he received warm hugs from all
and "mazel toys" from his new Jewish
friends. The high he experienced then only
continued to build as if he were looking at
Israel with new dedication.
Vivian Dykes of Detroit also entered
the waters, emerging with such passion
that she began briefly to speak in tongues.
Later, she candidly answered questions
from Jewish participants about the experi-
ence, why it happens and what it means to
her.
That sharing continued back and forth
as Jews explained what certain sites meant
to them and how they celebrate family tra-
ditions and holidays.
As the group gathered in a circle to
welcome Shabbat, Micki Grossman of
Farmington Hills prefaced her explanation
by saying, "Coming here after the baptisms
in the Jordan River to light the Shabbat
candles cemented the trip, the friendships
we made and the total experience we're
privileged to be part of"
That feeling was echoed by Ken Market
of Canada, one of two white evangelicals
on the trip, who said, "It does your heart
good to see us learn with such happiness
and friendship."