The Rock of Israel English Service |
WHO WE ARE
Rock of Israel is a New Covenant congregation where Jews and Non-Jews are learning to love one another in Jesus. Our focus is on sound Biblical worship, teaching, community, service and outreach.
We at Rock of Israel respond to the Messiah Jesus by gathering together weekly to hear His word preached and jointly worshiping Him. We meet together in our homes during the week for study, spiritual growth, and practical application of Messianic community.
We began as a Russian speaking immigrant congregation with many English speakers also participating. Now we also have an English ministry.
We at Rock of Israel are an imperfect people, but we seek to grow in God's ways as he helps us. We invite you to come and be a part of what God is doing.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
First we believe someone, not just something! We at Rock of Israel desire to really know the Living Creator rather than just follow man-made religion. We are not against tradition, but we believe it is better to believe God than man, and so our only absolute authority is God's Word. His Word has come to us in the both parts of the Bible, the Hebrew scriptures and the New Covenant promised 600 hundred years before it was written by the Hebrew prophet Jeremiah, chapter 31:
Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says the LORD; but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the LORD; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.
The story of God's creation of man, the tragic fall of humanity, God's promises to save a people for himself, and the coming of Messiah are the themes of the Hebrew Bible --the New Covenant completes the story. All human corruption and the evil crimes of history have come because of man's rebellion against his Creator and the resulting hatred of man against man. The Triune God sent His unique Son, the Messiah, to save a people from all nations for himself. This message of God's mercy, love, and forgiveness is going to all nations, "to the Jew first, and also to the gentile." (Romans 1:16) Entrance into Messiah's Kingdom, the community of God's Covenant of Grace, is offered people of every nation, race, tribe, social class and gender.
Messiah gives new life to all who believe and turn to God. He brings mercy to sinful people who trust in him. Through faith we are rescued from the curse we all deserve because of our sin. Messiah brought the ultimate and final sacrifice to pay for his people's sins and eternal life through his resurrection. We believe we cannot boast except in God's mercy! The Messiah came to obey the eternal Father and to become the head of a new restored and blessed humanity made up of people of all nations living in freedom as God's children in a worshipful community of brotherly care. We seek the empowerment of God's Holy Spirit to express this new community as we await Messiah's return.
(The leadership of Rock of Israel subscribe to the Westminster Standards as an accurate representation of Biblical doctrine.)
MEMBERSHIP
We believe God calls his people into a Covenant Community. Just as a husband and wife are bound together in marriage by both heartfelt love and a formal commitment, so also God's people are bound to him through not only heartfelt love but also a formal commitment. All who wish to join are welcomed into our fellowship upon a credible confession of faith as witnessed by the elders, agreement to our congregational order and receiving the New Covenant rite of initiation symbolizing washing from our sins and union with Messiah. (If this has already been administered elsewhere, that is also accepted.) Encouragement in the covenant comes through fellowship in the word, prayer, and the Lord's supper, our New Covenant Passover celebration.
If you are interested in joining see one of the elders.
TIME AND PLACE
We meet in the Fellowship Hall of Bethesda Presbyterian Church (entrance from the back) located at 808 Red Lion Rd. (between Bustleton Ave. and Veree Rd.) in Northeast Philadelphia.
Oneg (Fellowship Supper): Fridays 6:45 pm
Service: Fridays 7:03pm
Shabbat School classes are provided for children.
Fellowship groups meet throughout the week.
OUR STAFF
Pastor: Ilya Berdichevsky
Ilya is a Russian Jewish immigrant from Odessa, Ukraine, fluent in Russian and English. He has served for several years with congregations in Brooklyn, Virginia, and Orlando. Ilya is an ordained minister who earned Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando in 2001. He is married to Pnina who in turn serves as operations coordinator for the congregation. Ilya and Pnina have a beautiful daughter named Lana and a son named Oren.
Pastor: Fred Klett
While studying at Johns Hopkins University, Fred's life was changed by the Messiah. He earned his Master's degree from Westminster Theological Seminary and now directs CHAIM, an organization committed to reaching out to the Jewish community, as well as teaching Christians about Jewish issues. He is also on several seminary faculties (Westminster East and West and Reformed Theological Seminary). Fred and his wife Jean were married in 1978, and have been blessed with three children.
Rock of Israel (Mailing address)
7242 Calvert Street
Philadelphia, PA 19149
Phone (215) 576-7325
Web site: www.rockofisrael.com
Email: chaim@chaim.org