January 2003
Shalom Friends!
We hope your year has gotten off to a good start. In our area, we have plenty of winter. At this time especially we appreciate the warmth of our houses, and our families and friends. Warmest wishes for your winter days too!
The Life and Land of Jesus: Study trip to Israel, March 12-24
This
is a last reminder about the study trip to Israel March 12 - 23 called,
"The Life and Land of Jesus". If you have felt a pull
that the Lord may have put in your heart, think about it once more.
Right now we are slightly under the number we need to have a minimum
to go. We have to make the decision soon, so you have been thinking
about it and just put off contacting us, we need to know by the end
of this week! Please email us (egrc@egrc.net) or call us (616) 355-2200
if you are seriously interested in coming along. The price is $1995
out of New York, and En-Gedi will be coordinating flights out of Grand
Rapids, MI.
Once again, the trip is co-sponsored by En-Gedi and Emmaus Educational
Services. The instructor will be Dr. Steven Notley, scholar on
the first century Jewish context of the gospels, who coordinated travel
and study at biblical sites for Jerusalem University College in Israel
for several years.
Here is a statement from the online brochure about it:
Program Emphasis: The Emmaus program is designed as a study-program centered upon Jesus’ ministry and the Gospel message within the landscape, culture and context of New Testament Judea and Galilee. In addition to formal lecture times, numerous discussions will take place during travel times while on the bus and at various sites. The focus and design of the Emmaus program is threefold. (1) To visit key sites associated with Jesus’ ministry and the Apostles’ ministry within present-day Israel (2) To expose you to relevant historical, cultural, religious, literary, and rabbinic elements in an effort to synthesize first century AD thought and practice that will allow you to better understand and appreciate the context of biblical messages and discourses. (3) To build a bridge of understanding between Jesus’ ministry and the Jewish, Rabbinic and Roman reactions of acceptance or rejection of his message.
Dr. Notley has written a statement about
travel considerations given the current middle east climate, available
at either website. His years of experience in Israel have alleviated
our own concerns, and all of En-Gedi's staff are going. Although we
believe it is fine to go right now, if world events make it at all risky,
we will cancel the trip and refund all money. Much more information
is available at our Israel Trip information page and at http://www.emmausonline.net.
You may register either by using the online ordering area or by sending
a deposit ($200) to En-Gedi or Emmaus Educational Services along with
the completed application.
Dead
Sea Scrolls at the Van Andel Museum - Grand Rapids, MI
Our readers in the western Michigan area have a rare opportunity to
see one of the most important discoveries in archaeology of all time.
Why are they so important? For one, they include many copies of books
of the Bible that are over 1000 years older than any known manuscript
before them. They have much information to say about one of the groups,
the Essenes, that was a major religious movement of Jesus' time. And
the reflect on the time of Christ, clarifying many details about His
world, that help in bringing the Bible alive to us.
The Van Andel Museum is hosting an exhibition between February 16 and
June 1, with an enormous number of well-known speakers giving seminars
during that time. It is rare that the scrolls come to the US, so the
importance of this opportunity can't be overstated. We encourage you
to go see them, and attend some of the outstanding seminars. See their
website for more details:
http://www.grmuseum.org/exhibits/dead_sea_scrolls/index.htm
En-Gedi will be working on planning some group trips to the museum. Keep checking our next newsletters for more information. We will also be adding some links and articles to our site for those interested in reading more.
Weekend with Dwight Pryor: February 27 - March 1
Many
will remember the seminars last spring with Dwight Pryor, President
of the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies. Mr. Pryor is an internationally-respected
speaker who has been invited to give seminars in England, Germany, Australia,
Malaysia, South Africa and Israel. He has amazing wisdom about Hebraic
studies. We are honored that he wants to come again to the West Michigan
area. Dwight and Keren Pryor will be here, February 27 - March 1, 2003. For
more information about any of these seminars, contact us at egrc@egrc.net
or (616) 355-2200.
We hope that if you can't come to anything else, that you will join
us for our next Fellowship Dinner, Friday, February 28th, at 6:30
PM, where Dwight and Keren will be speaking about The Sabbath
and the Healing of the Soul. This will be a special treat. It will
be a Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner, and we will light candles and celebrate
some of the rich, beautiful traditions of the Friday evening Shabbat.
And, it will be a potluck dinner this year, to allow us to share our
cooking with each other. All we ask is that you PLEASE RSVP! We anticipate
a lot of folks, and we have a limited number of seats. Please give the
names of each guest so that we can make nametags. Details are below.
Please also think about joining us for an extended day of study with
Dwight on Saturday, March 1, as we talk about the greatest commandment,
as Jesus said, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is your God, the Lord alone.
Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and
all of your mind and all of your strength." (Mark 12:29-30) The
title of the seminar will be, "GOD AND GOD ALONE - The Heritage,
Implications and Applications of Israel's Shema for the New Testament
Church". Details are below.
En-Gedi Pastor's Breakfast
Thursday, February 27, 2003
En-Gedi sponsors a breakfast series for
pastors and seminarians with the goal of exploring the cultural background
of the Bible and sharing it with congregations. We intend this as a
way that they can discuss the implications of the Jewish culture on
biblical interpretation and how to introduce people to the culture of
Jesus. The breakfast will be from 7:30 to 9 AM at
Zeeland Community Center,
14 S Church St, Zeeland, MI (Next to the Zeeland Library)
If you are a pastor, pastoral intern, or are in seminary and would like to attend, please email us at egrc@egrc.net, or contact us at (616) 355-2200, to register beforehand.
Dwight will give a presentation entitled:
Israel's
Shema, The Torah's Monotheism,
And the Deity of Jesus
Note: Because of this special opportunity, we have arranged that for those who are able to stay, a longer discussion session will follow from 9:15 to 10:30 AM. Also, please note the date - the 27th, rather than the 28th, announced earlier.
Fellowship
Dinner with Dwight & Keren Pryor
6:30 PM, Friday, February 28, 2003
Once
again this year we will take part in the wonderful Jewish tradition
of the Friday Evening Shabbat dinner with Dwight and Keren Pryor. This
year, however, instead of catering and charging admission, we would
like you to bring a dish to pass, to share some community with
each other by sharing your cooking! We will provide table service, beverages,
challah bread and juice. After dinner, Dwight and Keren will be giving
a talk entitled,
The Sabbath and the Healing of the Soul
Location: Zeeland Community Center, 14 S Church St, Zeeland, MI
To attend we just ask that you RSVP by emailing egrc@egrc.net with the number and each of the names of the persons coming. There is no fee - offering baskets will be around. Seating will be limited - sign up soon.
Saturday Workshop:
9:30 AM - 3 PM, March 1, 2003
GOD AND GOD ALONE
The Heritage, Implications and Applications of Israel's Shema for the New Testament Church
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He replied by quoting the Shema, "Hear O Israel, the Lord is your God, the Lord alone. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and all of your mind and all of your strength." What does this creed, so central to Judaism, mean to us as Christians?
Zeeland Community Center, 14 S Church St, Zeeland, MI .
There will be three 90 minute sessions. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Preregistration is required. The fee for the day-long session with Dwight: $50/person, $85/couple. Proceeds will go to support Dwight's ministry and travel expenses. Seating will be limited. Pre-register by using our Online Resource Center. Please give each person's name, address and phone and email.
En-Gedi
Class Update: Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Yeshua
En-Gedi is currently teaching
a series as part of a women's Bible study at Christ Memorial Church,
called Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Yeshua, in which we
study Jesus' words in the context of Hislife and times, 
and
see how hearing them in His first century Jewish context makes them
more powerful to us.
About 150 women have joined us, and it has been a rich and wonderful time. We already have learned about what was expected of disciples in Jesus' first century culture, and learned some of the wonderful traditions that Jesus and Paul used in prayer. We hope to teach this series again to a mixed audience. Click here for details about the series topics.
Computer Seminar for Pastors and Church Staff
En-Gedi uses computers a lot in our ministry,
especially when we give seminars using digital slides. We have found
that many churches are gaining the technology, but it is a struggle
to find training, especially in a context of ministry. Because of this,
we are looking forward to hosting a interactive computer seminar for
pastors and church staff on
Thursday,
February 6, 2003
at the Zeeland Community Center. It will focus on using computers in ministry - especially making Powerpoint presentations, including where to find images for sermons and Bible teaching. There will be 4 sessions throughout the day. You may choose to come to some of them or all of them. The cost is $20 / session or $75 for the day. Bruce Okkema, our executive director, will be teaching. He is a computer networking specialist, a website designer, and has made many Powerpoint presentations for En-Gedi's seminars.
The sessions will be as follows:
8:00 - 10:00 Technology / Internet / Email & Outlook
10:30 - 12:30: Digital Images, Scanning, Image Editing
1:30 - 3:30 PowerPoint® Beginner & Advanced
4:00 - 5:30 As much individual help as time will allow
You will have opportunity to learn many new techniques both basic and advanced, as well as ask questions and learn from others. There has been strong interest in this, so please mail us the completed enrollment card below or sign-up online by clicking here. (Please use the quantity for number of persons. Note - you do not need to use a password in the ordering center - that is for returning customers who do not want to re-enter their information.)
May you be warm and blessed in the chilly January weather!
Lois Tverberg, Director
Bruce Okkema, Executive Director
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The En-Gedi Resource Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is solely dependent on your tax-deductible contributions. We very much appreciate your support.