God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble were the first words of scripture read to a capacity filled auditorium and balcony at the Christian Missionary Alliance Church gathering for prayer over the ashes of recent fire in their building.

The corner stone of this building was laid in 1906 and was dedicated with the vision to be a center of gospel outreach to the Middle East. The Israel College of the Bible, founded by King of Kings Ministry, recently moved to Netanya after renting these church facilities for the past seven years.

The positioning of this church is right on the border of the main Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem, and as the fire broke hundreds from the Orthodox community were gathered.

On October 29th, with 10 people sleeping in the guest rooms on the lower floor of the Church, unusual noises were heard around the outside of the building, and by 0100 the lower back rooms of the building were fully on fire. The residents woke up to rooms filled with smoke and began to crawl their way out of the building gasping for life and fresh air. Neighbors called the Fire Department: The Christian Missionary Alliance Church is burning.

Saturday evening November 6th, Jews, Arabs and international believers as representative of the Messianic Body in the Land gathered in the auditorium still filled with smoke residue air. The chairs, although already cleaned after the fire still required removing off the fire residue before sitting.

A profound sense of the Father in heaven's delight began to fill the atmosphere as from the ashes and devastation the sweet incense of unity in worship and prayer filled auditorium.

The gathering that night represented so many places in Israel where persecution of the Messianic Body, their persons and properties had been violated like this one. A fresh depth of understanding that the Lord was drawing us and trusting the Body in Israel with a new walking in the ‘Fellowship of His sufferings" through which He will "give them beauty for ashes" and bring forth the Power of His resurrection.

As we all leaned into His grace together and viewed the ashes of the building there were such hearts of gratefulness that no lives were lost, however, a brooding sense that worse is yet to come. As an international in Israel I was overwhelmed to have the privilege to walk with Messianic Body at this time and see such a depth of rivers of grace poured out in their lives and hear their cry arise for the Lord to baptize them with His love for their enemies.

Humbled in prayer
Hilda Chen.