MEDIA ADVISORY -- A group of more than a dozen influential pastors from America, Canada, and the United Kingdom, led by Bishop Robert Stearns and Eagles' Wings, returned to their home countries on Friday after a powerful 4-day Mission of Solidarity with the Jewish state.
It was the first known Christian Pastors Solidarity Mission to Israel since the atrocities that took place on October 7th.
During the timely mission, the group of leaders had the opportunity to see first-hand the devastation that the Jewish people experienced in the attacks unleashed against them two months ago. During a visit to Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel, just a few miles from the Gaza border, the group saw the ransacked homes of the community that was brutally destroyed by Hamas. Escorted by IDF officers, they spoke with family members of hostages who are still being held in Gaza.
In addition, the group visited the city of Sderot, another site of the October 7th attacks, speaking with Mayor Alon Davidi about the grave challenges their community is still facing.
The pastors also met with Ambassador Danny Danon, a member of Knesset and the former representative of Israel to the UN, expressing the support and prayers of Christians around the world for the State of Israel in this difficult period of time.
The group brought significant donations for humanitarian assistance, which were given to key efforts in Israel -- supporting displaced Israeli families, strengthening the work of emergency medical responders, and providing food supplies to soldiers on the frontlines and those in need through the Abraham's Bread Feeding Centers.
"There are absolutely no words for the horrors against Israel that we are now witnesses of after this trip. It is time for Christians to courageously stand with Israel like never before. ‘Never again' is now," Bishop Stearns said.
The pastors who attended were bolstered in their determination to garner support from their constituents on behalf of Israel in the days to come.
Despite the ongoing war, Pastor Juan Rivera of Victory Church in Youngtown, Ohio, is already continuing plans to return to Israel with members of his congregation in 2024. He added, "As soon as the doors open for tours back in Israel, one of the greatest things that we can do in this critical moment is to stand with Israel by taking this trip of a lifetime."
This Pastors Mission will stand as an unequivocal statement of solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people. It is also an extension of the urgent work of Eagles' Wings and the Israel Christian Nexus to train the Christian church worldwide on the vital and moral imperative of standing with Israel and against antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Eagles' Wings is a global movement advancing three strategic mandates: actively praying and working for a just and lasting peace for Jerusalem and all her inhabitants, renewing spiritual community, and building bridges of friendship across cultural divides.Learn more at www.eagleswings.org
