HOME Exploring Congregation Avodat Yisrael
Thank you for entering my page! Right now, you are probably searching to find out more about Jewish beliefs in Jesus. Perhaps, you are questioning your faith, and are looking at different options. Are you curious about Messianic Judaism? Are you in Philadelphia? Congregation Avodat Yisrael is a Messianic congregation in Philadelphia looking to attract Jews to its organization. However, you may be shocked to find out that it is not a Jewish group at all, but a part of the Presbyterian Church of America! I will prove this, providing links each time so that you can see all of the information. Who's Really in Charge?
Avodat Yisrael presents itself as a Jewish organization. In its Vision statement, it says: "Avodat Yisrael serves the wider Jewish community as a center for the spiritual growth and development of individuals and families.
A Messianic Congregation is a place where Jewish people and those who support them can experience Jewish community life. Without losing Jewish identity or giving up cherished and meaningful traditions, members seek maturity in their knowledge of G-d."
Here is the link to the quotes, the quotes come from the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth paragraphs:
Click Here Sounds great, right? No loss of identity, serving the community...Avodat Yisrael sounds like a great Jewish group. Here is the part that they left out in their vision statement. The quotes come from the Associated Press, as published in The Detroit News: "A new congregation with a cantor and readings from the Torah opened in this Philadelphia suburb for the High Holy Days -- but it was a church for Messianic Jews established by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and it has local Jewish leaders upset...The Presbytery of Philadelphia has pledged $145,000 to support Congregation Avodat Yisrael for five years, while the Pennsylvania Synod kicked in $75,000 and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) promised $125,000.
Clearly, Congregation Avodat Yisrael is not about staying Jewish, but is a fully-funded Christian group out to convert Jews! Here is the link to the article, the quotes come from the first and sixth paragraphs:
Click Here The Presbytery of Philadelphia (Editor's Note: Presbyterian organizational bodies are often referred to as "Presbytery") is clear that Avodat Yisrael is part of its organization. In fact, on their web-site, we can find their voting on Avodat Yisrael, ensuring that they follow the Presbyterian beliefs and worship: "2. The following motion was made concerning the Presbytery’s messianic new church development, Avodat Israel:
That the Presbytery instruct the Moderator to appoint an administrative commission to oversee the pro-posed governance and worship of Avodat Israel, as provided for in Book of Order G-9.0503a(2), to assure its compliance with the Book of Order and the Directory for Worship and to assure its intention faithfully and openly to represent the Reformed theological tradition of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A motion to postpone a vote on this motion until the November stated meeting was defeated by show of hands. Thereafter the motion was approved by a show of hands."
I do not think we can get more obvious than this. Avodat Yisrael is as far from being a Jewish group as you can possibly be. Here is the link to the quote. It is point 2 under "New Business", which is the fourth section from the bottom of the page:
Click Here Not only that, but here is a quote showing that the Presbyterian Church chose the Avodat Yisrael leadership "4. Received a report from the Presbytery Moderator that, in accordance with powers delegated by the Presbytery, he had completed the work of appointing an administrative commission for Avodat Yisrael. The following persons have agreed to serve:
Ministers: William Borror, Moderator, Sue Ebersberger, Louise Shoemaker, Mark Wallace
Elders: Eric Greenhow (Wayne), Willa Powell (Oak Lane), Polly Schaller (Flourtown)
Note: Ms. Schaller has subsequently withdrawn from the Commission.
Ever hear of a real Jewish group having its board chosen by a church? How about ministers being in charge of a real synagogue? I thought not! Here is the link to this quote, it is point 4 under "REPORTS FOR INFORMATION", sub-section "At its meeting on November 11, 2003, the Council:", about two-thirds down the page:
Click Here So who else is giving Congregation Avodat Yisrael money? Well, according to The Presbyterian Outlook, it is the evangelical group Outreach Foundation, the Trinity Synod and the General Assembly Council’s Mission Development Resources Committee are all giving them money. Would any of these groups support a real Jewish group? Of course not! Again, here is the link to the proof, the information is in the 19th paragraph:
Click Here There is no question about it. There is nothing Jewish about Congregation Avodat Yisrael, it is a Christian church group designed to target the Jewish people. The Leader
The leader of Congregation Avodat Yisrael is Andrew Sparks. Here is what Avodat Yisrael says about him on their website: "Andrew Sparks is the spiritual leader of Congregation Avodat Yisrael, a new Messianic congregation of the Greater Philadelphia area. He holds a post-graduate degree from Yale University in Hebrew Bible, and has written extensively in the areas of Judaism and Christianity. He also serves Jewish and Christian communities as Executive Director of Messiah Now, a non-profit organization for Jewish-Christian relations and is Editor-in-Chief of Kesher, the academic journal of the Messianic Movement...
As a Messianic Jew, Sparks has worked extensively with the Presbyterian Church (USA), the fourth largest American denomination, in Jewish service and relations. His vision includes helping interfaith couples in their spiritual journey and fostering greater unity between Jews and Christians.
Here is the link to the quote:
Click Here
Again, Avodat Yisrael leaves out a ton of information about Andrew Sparks, that anyone considering the organization should know. Andrew Sparks is an ORDAINED PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER! Here is a link to The Detroit News article that was referenced before, the information is in the fifth paragraph:
Click Here Would a Presbyterian minister lead a real Jewish group? Of course not! In fact, Reverend Sparks is less than honest about his background. Jerome Marcus interviewed Reverend Sparks, in an article in the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Marcus found that Sparks lied about his upbringing. According to Mr. Marcus: "And just who is Mr. Sparks? He says that his mother was born a Jew and that her parents took him to a Conservative synagogue in Ellenville, N.Y., for the major Jewish holidays when he was young (the late 1970s and 1980s). As a child, he says, he studied at his synagogue's Hebrew school. Indeed, he claims to remain good friends with the rabbi there, though he refused to tell me name of the man or the shul, to avoid, he said, embarrassing both.
But it turns out that, although Mr. Sparks's mother was indeed Jewish, there hasn't been a Conservative synagogue or Hebrew school in Ellenville during Mr. Sparks's lifetime, according to an Orthodox rabbi who has lived in the area for several decades. When I pressed Mr. Sparks about this, he seemed uncomfortable and ended the line of questioning."
So, Reverend Sparks lies to make himself sound more legitimate! Here is a link to the article, the quote is from the second and third paragraphs from the bottom, though the whole article is worth reading:
Click Here Reverend Sparks was also a guest presenter at The Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism, at their 19th annual conference in 2002. The Lausanne Consultation is an evangelical Christian group designed to convert Jews. This is the introduction to the Lausanne Covenant, which is the credo of the Lausanne Consultation: "We, members of the Church of Jesus Christ, from more than 150 nations, participants in the International Congress on World Evangelization at Lausanne, praise God for his great salvation and rejoice in the fellowship he has given us with himself and with each other. We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our failures and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization. We believe the Gospel is God's good news for the whole world, and we are determined by his grace to obey Christ's commission to proclaim it to all mankind and to make disciples of every nation. We desire, therefore, to affirm our faith and our resolve, and to make public our covenant.
It is obvious that they are a Christian missionary group who want to convert the Jewish people! A real Jewish leader would never join them. They are not about making "Jewish-Christian" relations, but converting Jews. Here are the links to the proofs; This is the link to the Lausanne Covenant, the quote is from the first paragraph:
Click Here This second link is to the conference where he is listed. Reverend Sparks is under Tuesday, May 12 at 11 a.m.:
Click Here How about Messiah Now , a "non-profit organization for Jewish-Christian relations" that Reverend Sparks runs? In reality, it is a evangelical Presybterian group designed to convert Jews to Christian beliefs. Who is this information from? Why, the Outreach Foundation, the same organization that funds Avodat Yisrael. Here is a link to the proof, Messiah Now is the second organization listed:
Click Here So we have even more proof that Reverend Sparks and Congregation Avodat Yisrael are lacking in honesty in presenting themselves. In the end, the evidence is obvious. Avodat Yisrael is a Presbyterian ministry desgined to convert Jews! Internal Disagreement
Congregation Avodat Yisrael is not without controversy within the Presbyterian movement. Many in the movement are against the organization. The Presbytery of Hudson River has challenged the Presbyterian church about Avodat Yisrael, stating: "The Presbyterian Church (USA) is committed to “make joyous witness to persons of other faiths in the spirit ofrespect, openness and honesty and has implemented a policy encouraging the formation of new churches around distinct ethnicand cultural identities. In respect to our Jewish brothers and sisters, their ethnic and cultural distinctiveness are historically andtheologically inseparable from their religious identity. “Messianic Judaism,” by self-definition, therefore, syncretizes twotheological identities, thereby imperiling the integrity of both Judaism and Christianity. Paul and the early church were clear that the covenant established by God with Sarah and Abraham was not supercededby the coming of Christ, “…for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29); yet misunderstanding of thiscentral New Testament truth has led to horrible injustices by Christians toward Jews. In recent times, Presbyterians have joined with Roman Catholics and other Christians in acknowledging the church’srole in fostering anti-semitism, and in accepting responsibility and making amends for the wrongs that have been committed.In 1987, the study document by our General Assembly, “A Theological Understanding of the Relationship between Christiansand Jews,” calls us to engage one another in ways that promote peace, understanding and justice while simultaneously honoringthe distinctive blessings entrusted to each community. Therefore, we view the launching of Avodat Yisrael by the Presbytery ofPhiladelphia, with endorsement and financial support by the synod of the Trinity, as calling into question the basic understanding of the relationship between Presbyterians and Jews."
In fact they are bringing this challenge to the Presbyterian Church's 2004 annual meeting! Here is a link to the quote, it is on page 31, Item 06-09 of the Presbyterian Church's Assembly Committee on Ecunemical and Interfaith Relations 2004 conference business page:
Click Here The Presbyterians of Hudson River are clearly very upset at the actions of their Philadelphia brothers! The Presbytery of New York City agrees with the Presbytery of Hudson River. Here is a link to the New York City Presbyterians, the same quote is on the bottom of the third page (Please note that the page is in PDF format. Your computer must be able to read PDF documents to access the page):
Click Here Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus There are many reasons why Jews do not accept Jesus, and the links below are some of the better explanations on this topic. Of course, if you have questions that are not covered on the links, you can always e-mail me with your questions. An Answer from Rabbi Stuart Federow Click Here
An Answer from Rabbi Shraga Simmons Click Here Ask the Rabbi from Ohr Somayach Click Here An Answer from Rabbi Tovia Singer Click Here Countermissionary Counseling
There are a number of groups that provide Countermissionary Counseling. Here are links to a few of them:
Jews for Judaism Alternatively, you can call them at 1-800-4PROOF1 with general questions about missionary claims.
Torah Atlanta
Outreach Judaism
Torah Life and Living Great Sites, Priceless Information
Here are a number of great sites that counter missionaries and explain the differences in belief between Judaism and Christianity, including addressing the Biblical verses that missionaries try to use against the Jews and explaining why the missionaries are incorrect. For the most in-depth analysis of verse by verse questions, go to Messiah Truth (sections on Counter-Missionary: Multi-media training [this can be read without being "multi-media"], Knowing Your Orchard and Judaism's Answer), Jews for Judaism (in their Reference Section (please note that the Isaiah topics tend to be under "Suffering Servant" part of the "Proof Text" section) and the Q & A section of Outreach Judaism. Messiah Page Messiah Truth Jews for Judaism Outreach Judaism Counter Missionary Reference Torah Atlanta Messianic Verses in Tanach Kosher Judaism Escape From Counterfeit Judaism Talking to Kids About Missionaries
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