Congregation Avodat Yisrael is a
Messianic Jewish community that:
Provides a setting to explore Messianic faith and life for
Jews, non-Jews, and intermarried couples through offering
a diversity of expression in worship and practice.
Spirituality
The Messiah offers an experience of God that elevates
spirituality, family life, and community life to the
highest levels of enjoyment, fruitfulness, and enrichment.
As a Messianic community, we emphasize how the teaching of
Scripture, including the Messianic Covenant, reveals the
God of Israel as the God of compassion, hope, and
redemption. The community is encouraged to sense the
presence of God, the power of prayer, and the manifestation
of God through worship, study, and service. Consonant with
expressions of spirituality in the Jewish community and the
larger body of Messiah, an experiential engagement with God
is modeled. In relationship with God, the contours of
spiritual life are discovered through commandment, prayer,
and counsel.
Prayer
Essential to Congregation Avodat Yisrael's existence and
growth is prayer. Through community prayer in weekly
worship and daily personal prayer, leaders and members
will participate in a holistic ministry of intercession
for their community and their world. These times of prayer
also function as times for the community to discern God's
leading for the congregation. Educational programs
addressing personal and communal spiritual disciplines are
offered throughout the year to nurture a spiritually vital
and prayerful congregation.
Intermarriage
The intermarriage rate is growing and has passed 50%.
Intermarried couples with a Jewish spouse tend to be
religiously undecided and open to trying each other's faith
tradition, with many expressing a desire for their children
to experience the teachings of Yeshua. For a growing number
of intermarried couples, Congregation Avodat Yisrael
provides an opportunity for spiritual exploration
in a familiar cultural setting. The Jewish spouse does not
have to give up their traditions and heritage as they would
in a typical Gentile-oriented church. The Christian spouse
does not have to give up Jesus as they would in a
traditional synagogue.
In addition to intermarriage, a number of converging
demographic statistics demonstrates an increasing openness
to spiritual exploration. The Jewish community represents a
diverse people group reflecting high degrees of
assimilation to American culture and changing interests in
religious expression. Only 25% of Jewish people in the
United States are affiliated with any religious community.
Altogether, out of the 400,000 Jewish people who live in
the greater Philadelphia area, about 300,000
are religiously unaffiliated and many are exploring a
variety of faith traditions. Congregation Avodat Yisrael
provides an additional spiritual option to many
non-practicing and non-religious Jews, and intermarried
couples.
|
