Thomas and I had the privilege to visit our first church this past Saturday morning. Our first attempt a couple weeks ago didn’t go so well as living in a foreign country it’s rare you find things on the first try.
Kehilat HaCarmel is a Messianic Christian church located on the top of Mount Carmel that began worshiping together in 1991 and now resides in a new facility built entirely by volunteers in 1998. Kehilat HaCarmel is located in the Mediterranean coastal city of Haifa and because of its unique location at the highest point on Mount Carmel it offers panoramic views of the city and the surrounding countryside. Since the weather here is warm the majority of the year, the church is built with large patio’s surrounding the outer walls of the church isles. This allows for the church to open the large garage style doors and have member/visitors sit out on the patio to worship during the service. It really creates a special atmosphere, with its openness and fresh air. With this being said you can only imagine where Thomas and I chose to sit J.
Our worship service is translated into four different languages; Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Russian. Really a multicultural church experience! It’s almost impossible to describe the feeling of worship; I wish everyone had the chance to experience it for themselves. Interesting note: Because of the diversity of people groups and languages here in Israel, the pastor has to stop every few sentences and allow a translator to relay his message to the Hebrew congregation. Also the praise music is entirely in Hebrew. We like this, as we often recognize the songs, and then learn to sing them in Hebrew along with everyone else; an incredible feeling. One song in particular that we have caught on to really well and I would like to share is called Kadosh Atah ( You are Holy). This has been a favorite as Thomas and I play it several times a day and sing a long at home! For those of you wishing to hear it, here is the link-
Directly below the video there is an option to click on “show more” which will allow you to see the words if you want to learn and sing along as well. This song is beautifully sung and I must admit I get chills every time I listen to this song in the stillness of our Lord.
Kehilat HaCarmel provides humanitarian aid through delivering food packages to needy families from all backgrounds, and running a clothing distribution center. They also seek to help the local and surrounding people by providing a shelter located just below the church (100 yards) for domestic abuse, crisis pregnancies, and severe economic situations. Just recently, Kehilat HaCarmel has been open to refugees from Darfur, southern Sudan, and Eritrea who have suffered the horrors of war and genocide, and are seeking refuge. Many of the women come pregnant and with young children as their husbands are imprisoned in their own countries or here in Israel. They also care for children who were forcefully separated from their parents while crossing the border from Egypt. (Information provided by Kehilat HaCarmel website) Those seeking to learn more about this church we are currently visiting I have attached the link for you below.
Since arriving in Israel I have been enjoying my time relaxing, working out, and hanging out with my Thomas. I have been soaking up every minute of this experience, realizing that this is an opportunity of a life time! However this past Saturday at Kehilat HaCarmel the Lord may have opened up another opportunity for me. While here in Israel I’m planning to start volunteering at the women’s shelter/ African refugee camp. I have always had a desire to work with orphans and this opportunity presented itself in the midst of seeking the Lords will for me while here. I see this as a way God may use me and I’m so excited to see his plan in this and what he has in store for me this year as I allow him to move in my life. Please be in prayer for me as I start my first day this coming Sunday, October 9th.
I’ll post pictures of the church and area soon. I didn’t have my camera with me last week.
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