Pastor Walt traveled to Israel on a United Jewish Federation Solidarity Mission trip together with Baptist and Methodist pastors, Rabbi Richard Hammerman who personally extended the invitation for him to attend, and congregants of B’Nai Israel. This was the first Federation Mission originating from New Jersey. The trip was quite fruitful and camaraderie developed between the Jews and Christians. Pastor Walt was able to facilitate an understanding with the Jews that we were not nominal Christians, and that we abhorred such historical atrocities as were perpetrated on their people in the name of the ‘church’ during the Crusades. As he visited with victims of terrorism at a local hospital and an absorption center that helps assimilate Jewish immigrants from Argentina, Russia and Ukraine into Israeli culture, Pastor Walt was able to identify with the psychological plight of the people. He also visited the Jordan River and the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus preached.

Recently, Pastor Walt and The Church of Grace and Peace have had a strengthening of their relationship with the Jewish community after he preached a message titled, ‘Solidarity with Israel.’ One of our congregants gave the tape of this message to a co-worker who is on the Jewish Federation Council. The man was so impressed with the content of the message that at their council meeting he recommended listening to the message on the tape rather than their usual Torah reading. As a result, Jewish friends and rabbis requested more than 30 copies of the tape, in addition to a request for Pastor Walt to submit articles for two separate Jewish newspapers, including The Jewish Voice with a circulation of between 65,000-70,000.

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