Shalom Hebraic Christian Congregation Shcc Of Kingwood Texas

SHCC News Shalom Volume 1 Number 1

804 Russell Palmer Rd.

Kingwood, Texas 77339

Website: www.shcc.cc March, 2006

Rabbi Jesus By Jim Becka In the middle of one of my high school class discussions a student made the comment that Jesus was not Jewish. “That’s what my mother told me,” she said. Our view of Jesus has been founded on 2,000 years of Papal edicts and rabbinical teachings. Some Christian leaders have included anti-Semitism in their Bible studies while rabbis have encouraged followers to avoid the segments of the Tanakh making reference to the Messiah. “I thought I was becoming a gentile when I accepted Jesus,” said Rabbi Mort Petrushansky, who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. “But when I began a Bible study with a Christian group, many of the things coming out of the Christian Bible were Jewish ideas. I couldn’t figure out what was going on.” Christians and Jews have given their own slants to the promises of God. Though God’s covenant with Jews was to be eternal, many Christian leaders teach that Christianity is a replacement for Judaism. And, though God told Abraham that he (Abraham) would impact the world, many Jewish groups focus on maintaining small congregations closed to outsiders. Neither is correct. Petrushansky, a staff member from Kingwood’s Shalom Hebraic Christian Congregation says the barriers Jews and Christians have constructed over the past 2,000 years are coming down. “It’s hard to deny that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in the Tanakh. You just have to examine the prophesies ,” said Petrushansky.”

Rabbi Petrushansky (Above) says the teachings in the New Testament are based on Jewish ideas. Since the reestablishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Jewish acceptance of Jesus has expanded. The Jerusalem Post stated in a 1997 issue that more Jews have accepted Jesus in the past 20 years than the previous 2,000 years. “Our purpose of SHCC is to provide an honest context for meaningful relationships between Christians and Jews,” said SHCC Pastor Bron Barkley, M.A., D.Min. “We are a Christian Church in doctrine (we believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the

Continued on Page 2 See Rabbi Jesus

The SHCC congregation meets Saturday mornings north of Houston in Kingwood. Services includes teachings from the New Testament and the Torah by Rabbi Daniel Schnaider (Right), singing/dancing (Left) and fellowship with a diverse community.

Rabbi Jesus Continued from Page 1.

Pastor Barkley

only-begotten Son of God, born of the virgin as prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 and Genesis 3:15 - see Luke 1-2, therefore “God with us” - see John 1; we also believe that He is King Messiah - see 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 2; et al). Yet our calling is to seek to embody the truth that in Messiah Jesus, Jew and Non-Jew are made One in spirit. See Ephesians 2:15; Romans 9-11; Acts 15.

traveled and ministered together, and recorded several albums on the Benson Record label, Milk & Honey. “What an incredible time this was for my life,” Paul says. “But the call to bring the Gospel back to the Jewish community grew stronger and stronger in my heart.”

“We respect both the Synagogue and Church in all their authentic forms,” said Barkley. “both contemporary and historic, and we do not seek to harm either, but rather to help both in their pursuit of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father, as we understand Biblical truth, of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. We welcome any person who desires to worship with us and to explore the Jewish character of the Christian faith and the meaning of that in terms of practical living.”

Paul Wilbur Makes A Joyful Noise His music brings worship and excitement. The crowd gathered at the Nathaniel Center Feb. 26, were not disappointed to hear Paul Wilbur, fresh from South America where he had been ministering. The world’s opera stages were the ambition of a determined young Wilbur. A passion for the arts, music, and teaching took him from under graduate school in Cleveland, Ohio across the Atlantic to study in Milan, Italy. There he was instructed in vocal technique, Italian, and higher-opera by some of Europe’s most skilled mentors. It on a fishing trip that Wilbur was introduced to his Messiah. The day was March 26, 1977. “In the next several weeks I began to understand the truth of II Corinthians 5:17 that says, ‘If any man is in the Messiah, he is a new creation’”. Together with their friend Ed Kerr they formed the popular contemporary Christian group Harvest. They Shalom is a monthly publication of Shalom Hebraic Christian Congregation. Address all comments to: Jim Becka, Editor, 804 Russell Palmer, Kingwood, TX 77339 (Or, [email protected]).

After nearly five years Paul yielded to this call and moved his small family to the Washington DC area and a fledgling Messianic congregation. “For two years I worked odd jobs and found part-time work to pay the bills until the Lord brought together three Jewish men and called them Israel’s Hope. We traveled and ministered together for more than eight years recording several albums on the Maranatha! record label.”

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Today Paul’s ministry is as worldwide as his music. “God’s grace is truly amazing,” Pauls says, “as we have ministered in more than thirty nations, recorded in three languages, and have witnessed thousands set free by Messiah empowered worship and praise.”

SHCC Expands to Television

Wilbur Ministers to SHCC

Rozalie Jerome

Pastor Bron Barkley, a familiar name in the Houston area because of radio programs, will be appearing, along with other SHCC staff on Kingwood CableVision. The program will feature Sabbath services from the Nathaniel Center. Rozalie Jerome, producer of The Crossover, a cable television program seen throughout the Houston area, will serve as producer.