History in First Person: Marcia Lebhar

Secondly, and simultaneously, t he Lord seemed to be clearly calling the Western church to invest in African , Asian and South American theological education in non-traditional ways. I had the decidedly unique task of persuading American Anglican church leaders to invest in sending international leader s to Israel for Shoresh study. The Lord blessed that effort and some of our first global Shoresh participants were then Bishop Henry Orombi of Uganda and Archbishop E mmanuel Kolini of Rwanda , both of whom brought back their priests on subsequent visits. Kenyan clergy followed, and deep relationships were fostered among church leaders. Shoresh leaders and teachers were invited to spea k about Jewish roots and Jewish witness on several continents. Our ministry calling was Teaching Jewish Roots, Reaching Jewish People.  

There were no photos of a Chilean Jewish grandmother recognizing Jesus as her Messiah and committing her life to him in the presence of her family after one Shoresh USA conference in Santiago.  

There were no recordings of seemingly random initial phone calls with Steve Engstrom of Zion , Illinois, or Linda Cohen at Trinity School for Ministry in Pennsylvania, but both eventually responded to a call to the CMJ work in Israel . They profoundly strengthened both the Shoresh study ministry there, and its connection to the American church. And b oth were in place at a crucial moment a few years later.  

So too, was David Pileggi. During his tenure as Shoresh Study Tours director in Jerusalem, the American board was ably led by Bill Bugg, Dr. Bill Blackburn, Rev. John Rodgers, and Bruce Newell, among many others . They marshaled support for David’s studies at Hebrew University ; he was ordained in Uganda by then Archbishop Henry Orombi and later called as rector of Christ Church Jerusalem.  

In the meantime, orthodox Episcopal leaders were organizing for what would eventually become the ACNA. There were a series of four conferences , called First Promise gatherings , designed to strengthen American relationships and resolve. Perhaps because many of the leaders were Shoresh study participants, and perhaps because I was the only lay woman leading a mission society at that time, I had the privilege of speaking at all four events .  

The twin groundswells of passion for Jewish roots study and awareness of the critical role of global Christian leaders had shaped our work and prepared the CMJ ministries in many countries to encourage that historic ev ent. On the day when a thousand bishops , clergy and leadership from many nations , assembled on the Mount of Olives, only a few of us remembered the small beginnings… the days of putting together a newsletter on our dining room table while children played underneath it… the days when we could barely breathe financially… before our incredible staff and budget grew… the days of the American board traveling tirelessly with us, making our case, the case for the priority of Jewish roots understanding and witness.  

Our teaching ministry in the US was built solidly on the foundation of Shoresh study in Israel. When the second Intifada raged through Israel in 2000 , it virtually put an end to our participation in Shoresh Study Tours for a long season. A calendar of almost 40 trips had to be cancelled and the ministry rethought. At that time our efforts were divided between the Israel work and teaching in the US, and I had been director for almost a decade. The board divided, with one half reorganizing to continue to support the Israel work, and the other to focus on teaching in the US church. Cheryl Gonzales, who had served on staff with us for several years as an able teacher, took over as the next US director and continued the focus on domestic teaching. It was back to small beginnings, but no moment of obedience is insignificant, and the Lord’s call to remember his works fuel ed us for the day s ahead .  

^{Marcia Lebhar has been actively involved in lay ministry since her college years with organizations like FOCUS and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, but first as a discipler of the saints under her own roof. She is married to Bishop Neil Lebhar and they have four children and eight grandchildren. Her books The Bare Branch and The Story of Benjamin’s Bread are available on Amazon. Learn more at thebarebranch.com.}