US Pastors, Leaders Tour: “You Are Not Alone, Israel”

Pastors and leaders bless israel on tour

US Pastors, Leaders’ Tour: “You Are Not Alone, Israel”

By John Vedder, ICEJ Church Relations Coordinator

“Why are you here?” was the question Israelis repeatedly asked us. Our group’s response was always similar: “Because we wanted to see for ourselves what Israel is facing and tell you that you are not alone. There are Christians in the United States that love and support you.”

In September the ICEJ USA took a group of 15 pastors and leaders to Israel on a solidarity mission to stand with the nation of Israel and tell them that we are with them. While we spent some of our time taking the group to important biblical sites throughout Jerusalem and central Israel, we also prioritized blessing the communities of the Gaza envelope attacked on October 7.

US Pastors and Leaders Bless Israel

One way we blessed the people of the land was by picking avocados for the community of Nir Oz, which lost 25 percent of its members in one day. The survivors are currently living in a hotel far away from their homes, which are still unlivable—a result of October 7—and are not able to harvest the fields as they usually would. Our container of avocados went directly to help feed this community.

Pastor Dean Haun teaches ICEJ tour participants at the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem.

Harvest of avocados that the ICEJ tour participants picked — Pastor Dean Haun teaches ICEJ tour participants at the Western Wall (Kotel) in Jerusalem.

As we traveled throughout Israel, we opened the Bible to read about God’s everlasting covenant and great love for the people of the land.

However, partway through the trip, our plans changed as Hezbollah began shooting rockets further into the country, even as low as the Sea of Galilee, Haifa, and the Jezreel Valley. We were forced to stay in Jerusalem an extra couple of days but made the most of it by visiting some sites many had never been to before. We loved on shop and restaurant owners and anyone the Lord sent across our paths. It was our mission to be a comfort and blessing to as many as we could (Isaiah 40). We understood that while we would come home with memories of our own, the purpose was to stand with Israel in her greatest time of need.

We heard many times from Israelis that they did not realize so many Christian leaders in America cared for them. This group of pastors directly represented over 3,500 churches spread out across the United States, and we stood on behalf of these churches and many more that stand with Israel.

As we began the trip, we prayed that the Lord would go before us, walk with us, and be our rear guard. We found that the Lord did all of this—and much more. This trip has impacted not only this group of pastors but will change the congregations and communities that they represent for decades to come.

As the Jewish people are searching across the world to see who will stand with them, now is the time for pastors and leaders to boldly love and support the people of Israel. In years past the church has been silent. This generation will not be. We are honored to stand publicly in our support of Israel.