ICEJ為其全球領導人舉辦有影響力的會議 ICEJ hosts impactful conference for its global leaders

Event Type: 
Preaching/Talk
Date: 
17/05/2023(Wednesday) PM 04:15

ICEJ hosts impactful conference for its global leaders

Published on: 16.5.2023
By: Annaliese Johnson
delegates from fiji, australia, and honduras

Last week, the ICEJ welcomed many of our national directors and other global representatives to Jerusalem for our annual International Leadership Conference (ILC). There was great anticipation as some 30 leaders from 18 nations arrived in person and another 130 delegates from 50 nations joined us online. The global gathering took place while Israel was weathering a five-day rocket war with an Iranian-backed terror militia in Gaza, so it gave those attending in person a better sense of what Israelis face during such times of tension and conflict.

This year’s ILC gathering featured Bible teachings, current affairs briefings, ministry updates, and fellowship with other representatives, plus a special bus excursion to interesting sites in the Jerusalem hills in lieu of a planned outing near the Gaza border, which had been declared a closed military zone.

Throughout the conference, the attendees were encouraged by the messages and ministry reports. ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler welcomed the delegates by drawing from Judges 5:2, which describes how the Lord was pleased when the leaders of Israel led and the people willingly offered themselves in pursuing God’s purposes. He added that when his predecessor Malcolm Hedding started the ILC meetings two decades ago, the main purpose was to equip our global network of leaders from the Word of God, and that aim is now more important than ever.

One main theme running through the conference sessions was that God still reigns today among the nations. Dr. Mojmir Kallus, Vice President for International Affairs, recalled the founding of the Christian Embassy in 1980 after the last 13 national embassies left Jerusalem for Tel Aviv, and added that expectations are now rising in the city as more nations are coming back to Jerusalem, including the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo. From the ends of the earth, ICEJ-Fiji National Director Mikaele Mudreilagi and staff member Fine Ditoka also eagerly updated the gathering about the Fijian government’s intended plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

Another key topic was God’s love for the people of Israel, and for believers worldwide. ICEJ Board Chairman Ingolf Ellßel urged our global representatives to heed the words of Jesus in John 13:34 to love one another as He loved His disciples. He explained that this commandment means we are first called to build close relationships within our movement.
On a similar note, Rania Sayegh, an Arab Christian who heads a prayer house in Nazareth, spoke about how Jesus gave her a love for His Jewish family and a burden to pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on Israel and on the nations of the earth.

In the final evening session, seven candidates were given certificates for completing the ICEJ leadership course, including representatives from Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hong Kong, Serbia and Uzbekistan. Aleksandar from Serbia passionately shared the biblical principles behind Christian Zionism and encouraged everyone to have a love for all the peoples in the Land of Israel, whether Jewish, Arab, Druze or Bedouin.

The ILC culminated with a fascinating excursion to the Jerusalem hills, where delegates were briefed on the security situation, toured the site of a popular Bible story, visited both a youth camp and a mental hospital in the Jerusalem Forest, and learned more about the renewed cooperation between ICEJ and the Jewish National Fund (JNF).

The bus tour started in Nes Harim, where JNF has a youth camp for special-needs children and immigrant families who require extra support upon arrival in Israel. At this camp, teams of educators make the place a home for children who are blind, deaf, or have other disabilities. The forested hills and wooden cabins give campers a real sense of being back in nature.

The next stop was the JNF’s British Park, where the biblical site of Tel Azeka is located. The group first received a security briefing from Yoav Limor on the Gaza conflict off in the distant background. A veteran military reporter now with Channel 12 TV news, Limor explained how the Gazan people are kept in a future-less environment by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. “In each round of fighting, these Iranian proxy militias shoot rockets toward Israel seeking to indiscriminately kill as many civilians as possible, while the IDF aims to take away as many assets as possible from the enemy to prevent future attacks and allow Israeli communities to enjoy quiet for as long as possible,” he explained.

The security briefing had added significance in that it was delivered on the slopes of Tel Azeka, an ancient hilltop fortress overlooking the Elah Valley where David slew Goliath, as recounted in 1 Samuel 17.

The day tour ended with a visit to the Eitanim Psychiatric Hospital and then the nearby Scrolls of Fire monument. The surrounding area is home to a beautiful forest planted by the JNF in the Jerusalem hills where patients regularly can go out in the fresh air as part of their treatment. But the mental health center recently was engulfed by an out-of-control wildfire that swept through the surrounding forests two years ago. The courageous staff had to evacuate some 145 patients at the last minute by private cars because the flames were too dangerous even for the IDF helicopters sent to airlift them out. Thankfully, the hospital campus was miraculously untouched, and the patients and staff were able to return to the center within a few days.

As the ILC gathering drew to a close, delegates wished each other well and chattered about the impact the conference had on them. Referencing the motivational messages from various speakers, one national director exclaimed this was the best ICEJ leadership conference he has experienced in ten years. Other attendees felt a strong attachment to the forests and locations connected to the ICEJ’s revived partnership with JNF.

In his final remarks to the conference, Dr Bühler proclaimed from Psalm 97:1 that, “The Lord reigns. Let the earth rejoice!”

ICEJ為其全球領導人舉辦有影響力的會議
發表於:16.5.2023
作者:安娜莉絲·約翰遜

來自斐濟、澳大利亞和洪都拉斯的代表

上週,ICEJ 歡迎我們的許多國家主任和其他全球代表來到耶路撒冷參加我們的年度國際領袖大會 (ILC)。 來自18個國家的約30位領導人親臨現場,另外還有來自50個國家的130名代表在線加入我們的行列,引起了極大的期待。全球集會是在以色列與加沙的伊朗支持的恐怖民兵組織進行為期五天的火箭戰爭時舉行的,因此它讓那些親自參加的人更好地了解以色列人在這種緊張和衝突時期所面臨的情況。

今年的ILC聚會包括聖經教導、時事簡報、事工更新和與其他代表的團契,以及前往耶路撒冷山區有趣景點的特別巴士遊覽,以代替計劃在加沙邊境附近進行的郊遊,該邊境已被宣布關閉軍事區。

在整個會議期間,與會者都被信息和事工報告所鼓舞。ICE總裁尤根布勒博士引用士師記5章 2節來歡迎代表們,這節經文描述了當以色列領袖帶領人們自願獻身追求神的旨意時,神是多麼的喜悅。他補充說,當他的前任馬爾金海錠牧師二十年前開始ILC會議時,主要目的是用上帝的話語裝備我們的全球領袖網絡,而這個目標現在比以往任何時候都更加重要。
貫穿會議的一個主題是上帝今天仍然在萬國中掌權。ICEJ國際事務副總裁Mojmir Kallus博士回顧了 1980年在最後13個國家大使館離開耶路撒冷前往特拉維夫之後耶路撒冷基督徒大使館的成立,並補充說隨著越來越多的國家返回耶路撒冷,該市的期望正在上升,包括美國、危地馬拉、洪都拉斯和科索沃。來自地極的ICEJ-斐濟國家主任 Mikaele Mudreilagi 和工作人員 Fine Ditoka 也熱切地向聚會更新了斐濟政府計劃在耶路撒冷開設大使館的計劃。

另一個關鍵主題是上帝對以色列人民和全世界信徒的愛。ICEJ董事會主席Ingolf Ellßel敦促我們的全球代表聽從耶穌在約翰福音13章34節中所說的話,要彼此相愛,就像祂愛祂的門徒一樣。他解釋說,這條誡命意味著我們首先被要求在我們的運動中建立密切的關係。

同樣,拉尼婭·薩耶格 (Rania Sayegh) 是一位阿拉伯基督徒,她是拿撒勒一家祈禱室的負責人,她談到耶穌如何給了她對祂的猶太家庭的愛,以及她為祈求聖靈澆灌以色列和列國的負擔。

在晚上的最後一場會議上,七名候選人獲得了完成 ICEJ 領導力課程的證書,其中包括來自阿塞拜疆、捷克共和國、格魯吉亞、香港、塞爾維亞和烏茲別克斯坦的代表。來自塞爾維亞的亞歷山大熱情地分享了基督教猶太復國主義背後的聖經原則,並鼓勵每個人都熱愛以色列土地上的所有民族,無論是猶太人、阿拉伯人、德魯茲人還是貝都因人。

ILC 的高潮是對耶路撒冷山區的精彩遊覽,代表們在那裡聽取了有關安全情況的簡報,參觀了一個流行的聖經故事的地點,參觀了耶路撒冷森林中的青年營和精神病院,並更多地了解了更新後的 ICEJ 與猶太國家基金會 (JNF) 之間的合作。

巴士之旅從內斯哈里姆開始,JNF在那里為有特殊需要的兒童和移民家庭開設了一個青年營,他們在抵達以色列後需要額外支持。 在這個營地,教育工作者團隊將這個地方變成了照顧視障人士、聽障人士或其他傷健兒童的家。森林覆蓋的山丘和木屋讓露營者真正感受到回歸大自然的感覺。

下一站是JNF的英國公園,Tel Azeka的聖經遺址就位於此。該小組首先收到了Yoav Limor關於遠處背景中加沙沖突的安全簡報。作為一名資深軍事記者,現在在12頻道電視新聞工作,利莫爾解釋了哈馬斯和巴勒斯坦伊斯蘭聖戰組織如何將加沙人民留在一個沒有未來的環境中。「在每一輪戰鬥中,這些伊朗代理民兵向以色列發射火箭彈,試圖不分青紅皂白地殺死盡可能多的平民,而以色列國防軍的目標是從敵人手中奪走盡可能多的資產,以防止未來的襲擊,並讓以色列社區享受盡可能長時間保持安靜,」他解釋道。

安全簡報增加了意義,因為它是在Tel Azeka的山坡上進行的,這是一座古老的山頂堡壘,俯瞰著 大衛殺死歌利亞Elah 山谷,如撒母耳記上17章所述。

一日遊以參觀 Eitanim 精神病院和附近的火捲軸紀念碑而告終。周邊地區是 JNF 在耶路撒冷山區種植的美麗森林的所在地,作為治療的一部分,患者可以定期外出呼吸新鮮空氣。但精神衛生中心最近被兩年前席捲周圍森林的失控野火所吞沒。勇敢的工作人員不得不在最後一刻用私家車疏散約 145名患者,因為即使以色列國防軍派出的直升機將他們空運出去,火焰也太危險了。值得慶幸的是,醫院園區神蹟般地完好無損,患者和工作人員能夠在幾天內返回中心。
隨著 ILC 會議接近尾聲,代表們互相祝願並談論會議對他們的影響。引用來自不同演講者的激勵信息,一位國家主任驚呼這是他十年來經歷過的最好的ICEJ領導力會議。 其他與會者對與ICEJ與 JNF恢復夥伴關係相關的森林和地點有著強烈的依戀感。

在他對會議的最後發言中,尤根布勒博士從詩篇 97:1 中宣告說:「耶和華作王!願地快樂!願眾海島歡喜!」