August 2003
Shalom Friends!
Dr. Buth visited Michigan two years ago and was enthusiastically received by folks who enjoyed his seminars on Jesus' words in their cultural context. He also has developed innovative classes to teach biblical languages, and will be sharing one of those with us here as well.
Fellowship Dinner on Rosh Hashana, Friday, Sept. 26
En-Gedi
will be starting its year on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana! We will
host a Fellowship Dinner with Randall and Margret Buth on Friday, September
26th, at 6:30 PM. After a lovely meal together, Dr. Buth will explain
some of the traditions and significance of Rosh Hashana. The traditional
text read during this festival is Genesis 22, Abraham's near sacrifice
of Isaac
,
the perplexing story that foreshadows Christ. Dr. Buth will give a talk
after supper entitled:
Isaac,
the Sacrificial Son
What does this story mean?
Note: As is our tradition, the dinner will be potluck style, like the other En-Gedi Fellowship Dinners. We just ask you to bring a dish to share - we will provide tableware and beverages. There is no admission, but there are freewill offering baskets. It is not a fund-raiser, just an enjoyable evening to share food and learn together. We also ask that you RSVP by email (egrc@egrc.net) or phone (616) 355-2200 and give each of the names of those planning to come. Location: Zeeland Community Center, 14 S Church St., Zeeland, MI.
En-Gedi Workshop, Saturday, Sept. 27:
Jesus and the Rabbis
En-Gedi
will be holding a half-day workshop with Dr. Randall Buth on Saturday,
September 27 from 9 AM to 2 PM. He has written numerous articles in
regard to understanding Jesus within the Semitic languages and culture
of his day. Dr. Buth will discuss some sayings of Jesus and suggest
some explanations from first century rabbinic culture that shed new
light on his words. Some examples of topics he will discuss are:
Jesus, the Rabbis and the Kingdom - Jesus often used the phrase, "to enter the kingdom of heaven". What does it mean? "The kingdom of heaven" occurs many times in rabbinic literature but "to enter the kingdom of heaven" never appears. Why? Some texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls may give us an answer.
Do Christians need Rabbinic Literature to Study the New Testament? - What is the relationship between New Testament writers, rabbinic literature and the "stories and endless genealogies" of 1 Timothy 1:4? Some scholars and conservative Christians question the use of rabbinic literature. What is the discerning believer to do?
Jesus, Judgment and Salvation - Who then is saved? A discussion of the rabbinic context of the parable of the wheat and the tares, the judgment of the sheep and goats, and being "not far from the kingdom of God." What are Jesus' attitudes and his instructions for us and the church?
Time and Location: Saturday, September 27, 9 AM - 2 PM Zeeland Community Center, 14 S Church St., Zeeland, MI. We are asking a $45 donation to contribute toward Dr. Buth's travel expenses, and for coffee, snacks and lunch, which will be provided. Register Online by September 23rd to attend this excellent seminar, or call (616) 355-2200, or email egrc@egrc.net.
En-Gedi Class, October 6-10:
Hebrew for Beginners: A New Approach
The Bible is full of wordplays and poetic imagery that come through in translation, and even a limited knowledge of the language can unlock much of its beauty and power. We would like to invite you to take one week of evenings, October 6 - 10 to join us in studying Hebrew!
Hebrew
for Beginners: A New Approach is designed for the absolute beginner.
This course takes a new approach to learning Hebrew, using the latest
research in language learning, which finds that the most efficient methods
are also the most enjoyable. We will be immersed in Hebrew -- listening,
singing and praying in the language of the Bible Jesus read. Pastors
will also enjoy this refresher course.A
goal will be to say and act out, with comprehension, part of the Shema,
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, the "pledge of allegiance" that Jesus would
have said as an observant Jew.
The class will be at Zeeland Christian School, 334 W Central, Zeeland, MI, from 6:30 - 9:30 PM each night. For 15 hours of a very fun, effective Hebrew class, the cost is $90. If you would like more details or to sign up, visit this page.
Water from the Rock - New Series on Prayer
Today we are beginning a new month-long series in our daily devotional, Water from the Rock, that is on the website. We will be talking about prayer, and seeing what the scriptures and Jesus have to teach us about it. We will learn more about the style of prayers in Jesus' day and what His prayers and teachings about prayer meant to His first hearers. We hope that if you haven't seen the devotionals yet, you will check them out and become a regular reader. A link is at the top of the home page. If you want to read last month's articles on Hebrew words, see the link at the bottom of the Water from the Rock page.
We hope that this month, some of you will also consider writing about prayer, and allow us to share them with our readers. We even made a place to write an article and send it to us, if you are interested! Please join us in our walk in this way, or at least check the article each day when you turn on your computer.
News for Pastors
We are sending out a packet to pastors soon
with information about two study opportunities for them:
En-Gedi Fall Pastor's Breakfasts:
We will be having three meetings this fall:
First, the Directors of En-Gedi will be teaching on “Praying
as Jesus Prayed”, a favorite talk for many of our audiences. We
will look at the Shema and the rich prayer life that was a part of Jesus’
culture. The next month, Dr. Randall Buth will give a talk on
one of Jesus' key terms that has confused Christians for centuries -
the Kingdom of Heaven. He will discuss what we can learn from rabbinic
teaching, and new findings from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Last, we will
have Dr. Scott Carroll, who is known as the “Indiana Jones
of Cornerstone University”, a dynamic professor of biblical history
and archaeology, who will talk about the recent findings in archaeology
and how they impact pastors and people of faith. See
this page for
more details.
Thru Messiah's Eyes - Five Day Seminar with Dwight Pryor, March 8-13, 2004
We are also very excited about an event next March 8 - 13 – A “Haverim School of Discipleship” for pastors and Christian leaders with Dwight A. Pryor, President of the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies. This will be a five-day residential seminar at the Prince Conference Center in Grand Rapids. It is called Thru Messiah's Eyes, and it will be an in-depth look at many of the central issues of our faith and practice from the Hebraic perspective of Jesus. Joining Mr. Pryor will be Pastor Rob Bell and Dr. Timothy Brown, two other master communicators whose ministries have been enriched by Hebraic study. See this page for more information.
If you are a pastor or seminarian and do not currently receive information from En-Gedi, please use this form to sign up for our Pastor's updates.
Water Missions & Uganda
Many will remember that En-Gedi raised money for a "Living Water" purification unit to be sent to Mukono, Uganda last year. We achieved our goal, but are still waiting on the company to be ready to ship this purification system that can process 10,000 gallons a day. It will enable several thousand people to have clean, disease-free water instead of walking a mile each way to a dirty river to carry water by hand as they do now.
While we are waiting on the unit still, we are continuing to grow in our friendships with people over there. In just a couple days, the En-Gedi Director Lois Tverberg will be going to Uganda for 10 days to visit the clergy that we have gotten to know through their year of studying at the seminary in our area. This will be a new adventure, so please keep her in your prayers.
May the Lord give you rest during these last lovely days of summer --
Lois Tverberg, Director
Bruce Okkema, Executive Director
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En-Gedi Resource Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is
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