Melbourne Gatherings

In 2008, C4I started regular gatherings of people who wanted to meet to show support for Israel, to learn more about God's heart and plan for Israel, to worship and most importantly to pray for Israel and the Jewish people. These meetings are held once every 3-4 months

Here is a quick look at these gatherings of 2008:

Thurs May 29th - our first - 7pm
Venue: St Mary's Anglican, Caulfield
Sharing that night was Felicity Hodson (director's wife of C4I Aust) and Katie Stucken (co-ordinator of Isreality - the youth arm of C4I) and Judy McComb (Melb co-ordinator). They presented the vision of C4I Australia, International and Melbourne - who we are and what we believe God is calling us to do in Australia. We had a powerful time of worship and intercession - led into by a music visual prayer diary - showing pictures of current day Israel and what the Jewish people are facing. A number of people came from all different denominations, all seeking to find out how to stand for Israel in these times. The night ended with a time of supper and fellowship with like-minded people.

Thurs Sept 4th - 7pm
Venue: St Mary's Anglican
With greater numbers, we settled in for a wonderful night yet again of worship to the God of Israel, to prayer for Israel and its people - again with music and pictures to give a clear picture of what the Israelis are facing. Part of that presentation was a short film found on a Jewish website (http://www.aish.com/movies) that is well worth looking at - showing how the people of Sderot, Israel have 15 seconds to get to shelter from the bombs coming out of Gaza. In light of the recent war in Gaza, this short film has even greater relevance. Our special guest for the evening was a Jewish lady - Miriam Suss - who is the CEO of the United Israel Appeal Victoria (http://www.uiavic.org). She shared of her Holocaust surviving family, her life as a Jew and the amazing things of the land of Israel and its people. On a personal note, she spoke of living in Caulfield most of her life, walking past the Anglican church where the meeting took place many times but this being her first time to enter in and mix with Christian people. It was a special time for us all. When asked by one person what can Christians do to help the Jewish people, she shared this profound yet simple statement - "visit the land and see for yourself".

Thurs Dec 4th - Special Jewish Event
In conjunction with the Zionish Council of Victoria (http://www.zcv.org.au) over 40 Christians gathered for a full day of joining with parts of the Jewish community in a very special day. It was divided into 3 parts and people came to whatever part they could come to. It was wonderful to see many new people come to this C4I gathering and such a wide range of ages and denominations.

1. Holocaust Museum: 2.00-4.00pm
With a personal guide called Max - a Holocaust survivor himself - our group were escorted around the museum, being shown graphic and haunting films, pictures, models and stories - all so we cannot forget or deny what was done to the Jewish people. The guide himself was very touched and surprised to see a group of Christians who loved Israel, especially in light of the church's stand in the Holocaust at the time - it was a very moving time for him and for us. Our special moment for me personally (Judy McComb) was being asked to light a candle in memory of those lives taken during the Holocaust. A special time of prayer was to follow.

2. Jewish Synagogue: 4.15-5.15pm
Our group was privilege to a very special and rare opportunity to enter an modern orthodox Jewish synagogue - the Mizrachi Synagogue in Caulfield. Our guide and speaker was Dr Peter Foot - an actual member of that synagogue - sharing on Judaism Jewish life and the synagogue itself. It was an amazing and educating experience for all who attended, being shown how many of the symbols and furniture in the church represented the Jewish temple. The centre picture below shows the curtain of the Holy of Holies with an embroided flame. Dr Foot was very generous with question time and the group took advantage of this rare opportunity! Many had shared this was the highlight of their day.

3. Israeli meal and speaker - 5.30-7.30pm
We ventured on for dinner at the Beth Weizmann Community centre in Caulfield - a building operated by the Zionist council which houses 20 Jewish organisations. Each year, over 800 events and meetings are held in the meeting, conference and auditorium facilities of the Centre with over 30,000 people in attendance. We partook of a typical light Israeli meal - falafels of course - followed by a talk on Israeli life by Dana Car-Zuri (see centre photo below) - a young Israeli woman (28) just out from Israel for two years to work with the Jewish youth of Melbourne. Her enthusiasm and passion for Israel was very contagious. She in turn was very moved and overwhelmed to learn of Christians who love Israel. The night finished with a time of worship, prayer and a recap of the day and the impact that it would have on our lives. We are very grateful to the Zionist Council for partnering with us for this event - we have made new friends.