With many of our Israeli and international friends, the Jerusalem Channel will participate  in the First Global Prayer for Israel and Virtual Pilgrimage October 10  beginning live at 8 a.m. US Eastern time, 1 p.m. UK time and 3:00 p.m. Israel time and continue for 12 hours.
Prayers will begin in Australia and go to Alaska in twelve hours, in multiple languages. Registration is free and the timetable of the broadcasting of the event in the nations of the world will be available at the Genesis 123 Foundation’s Facebook page, https://fb.me/e/6E15iHYwt.
This unique event brings together thousands of people from dozens of nations, across many time zones for prayer and worship for Israel. The support is so widespread that some participants are joining from Islamic countries with which Israel does not have diplomatic relations, but where the faith of the participants overrides the dominant religion and politics that prevent formal ties.
Countless people around the world will also be invited to share their prayers in writing that will be placed in the cracks of the Western Wall because the global pandemic prevents people from bringing their prayers to Israel in person!
Hosted by the Genesis 123 Foundation, the significance of the date of the event cannot be understated. October 10 coincides with the end of the Biblical festival of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, one of three pilgrimage holidays in the Torah. This is the first time that Jews and Christians can celebrate this festival together virtually, on a grassroots level, from all four corners of the world. The date also coincides with the celebration of Simchat Torah, the conclusion of the annual cycle of reading the Torah through Deuteronomy, and then beginning again in the Book of Genesis. In Jewish communities around the world, this is a festive day where people literally go out into the streets, singing and dancing with the Torah scrolls from their synagogues. But because of the coronavirus, they will be in lockdown. This virtual event will help to make up the difference!
Christine Darg, Genesis 123 Foundation board member and founder of the Jerusalem Channel, noted that this event is “truly cutting edge and unique because Jews and Christians do not typically celebrate Simchat Torah together. Most Christians connected to the Biblical calendar and its appointed Festivals are familiar with Sukkot, but this program takes them a step further, literally celebrating the Biblical foundation that Jews and Christians share in the Torah, along with the Biblical festivals.”
We pray that you WILL SHARE the links below for people to follow live on Facebook and YouTube where the full program will take place.  You can also host a Watch Party with these while you are participating and for the entire 12 hour program, but first you need to follow/subscribe to the links here before you do.
Finally, we are committed to the Virtual Pilgrimage concept where we will print and bring prayers to place in the cracks of the Western Wall.  The only way we can be sure that the prayers are able to pe received and printed are through our web site, that does request a donation of as little as $1.  the link to that is here, however we also are encouraging people to send their prayers in the chat of the Facebook and YouTube, and if we CAN download and print those as well, we will do so. https://genesis123.co/donatetest/
It is also noteworthy that some of the participants will be in countries where Christianity is not tolerated, or in which it’s actually dangerous to be a Christian overtly. Nevertheless, they are so strong in their faith and in their support for Israel that they are determined to participate as they understand the blessings, they will receive by blessing Israel.
In addition to prayers and worship being brought by major Christian leaders from the nations, a distinguished line up of Jewish participants will share what it means to them that Christians around the world are expressing their love and support for Israel through prayer and in other material ways.
We cannot forget that Jesus was an observant Jew in the Land who celebrated the pilgrimage festivals, and worshipped and preached in the Temple. Understanding what the festivals mean to Jews and how they are still observed today, two thousand years after Jesus lived and observed them, adds another dimension for Christians in how Jesus lived and their own faith.
Some of the teachings to be shared highlight how water features in the Sukkot celebration. It’s the festival known for the water libations Biblically, but also the date on the calendar that Jewish prayer pivots from praying for dew to nourish the Land in the summer months, to rain filling its lakes and aquifers in the winter months. When Jews pray for rain, it’s according to the distinct rainy and dry seasons in the Land of Israel which was very tied to agriculture in Biblical times, and remains so today.
In a year marked by the extremes of droughts and fires on one hand, and floods and hurricanes on the other hand, participants will also be encouraged to pray for rain or the cessation of rain in the regions of the world where countless damage to property, destruction of food sources, and loss of life, create a hazard, thanking God who causes the rain to fall, and praying that it should be only as a blessing.
As a grassroots event, individuals are invited to participate and of course encouraged to share this opportunity with friends and loved ones. Registration is free. People are also invited to “nominate” their pastors and worship leaders to participate as well. For information, to nominate a pastor, or to become a sponsor please contact the Genesis 123 Foundation at [email protected].
The Genesis 123 Foundation is a non-profit whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians with Israel in ways that are new, unique, and meaningful. It has piloted other innovative programs such as RunforZion.com around running in Jerusalem, and VersesforZion.com which connect children with the Land and the People though biblical text.
What is your prayer for Israel?