King of Glory Jerusalem Marks Rosh Hashanah and 21 Years of Ministry
A spirit of deep worship and spiritual renewal filled King of Glory Jerusalem as the Messianic congregation welcomed Rosh Hashanah (5787) and celebrated the 21st anniversary of its founding in Jerusalem. The festive gathering drew members and guests from around the world – ministers from the United States, China, Ukraine, and beyond.
Opening the celebration, founding pastor Oren Lev Ari looked back on the ministry’s earliest days. Despite his own doubts at the time, he recalled, God had made it unmistakably clear that Israel’s capital was where he was meant to serve. Everything the congregation had built over two decades, he declared, was only the beginning of a much greater journey – and the coming year would be marked by extraordinary grace and a fresh wave of gospel proclamation. Setting the tone in prayer for the day ahead, he read from Scripture:
“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.” (Psalm 65:11)
Pastor Shmuel Smadja then delivered the keynote message. Reflecting on the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets (Zichron Teruah) against the backdrop of recent hardship, he reminded the congregation that the shofar’s deepest purpose is to turn believers’ eyes to the Lord even in the darkest of times. He grounded his message in the words of the Psalmist:
“Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.” (Psalm 89:15)
He unpacked the shofar’s prophetic significance layer by layer: a call to spiritual battle, paired with a summons for the congregation to press forward with confidence – and beyond that, a proclamation of the Messiah’s reign in believers’ hearts, rising finally into a shout of victorious praise. On the Day of Judgment traditionally associated with Rosh Hashanah, Pastor Smadja stressed, believers stand justified not by their own righteousness or by keeping the law, but solely through the atoning sacrifice of Messiah Yeshua.
A high point of the gathering was the ordination of elders for the congregation’s daughter churches. Pastor Roman Samoylovich, Rabbi Boris Grisenko, and Pastor Oleg Vilinsky each offered words of spiritual blessing to those being ordained. Young Yonatan Lev Ari added a musical tribute, performing a classical piece on piano.
The delegation from China, led by Sister Julia, brought a message overflowing with love for Israel and a deep sense of unity in the body of Messiah. She reminded the congregation that believers from every nation are grafted into one olive root, and called for a renewed, round-the-clock watch of prayer over the Holy City – echoing the words of Isaiah’s prophecy:
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night… And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)
Kirk Dubois, of Rhema Bible College and founder of Harvest International, carried the theme further. Together with Pastor Howard, he encouraged the congregation to hold fast to hope for the future, reminding them that despite the weight of present circumstances, the promise of a last-days outpouring is being fulfilled even now:
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh.” (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28)
The celebration closed with an especially deep time of prayer from the pastors and ministers over everyone gathered. Pastor Oren Lev Ari brought the day to a close with heartfelt thanks to every congregation present, and above all to the Jerusalem ministry team, for their faithfulness, labor, and dedication. The pastors laid hands on every brother and sister, praying for renewed strength, healing, and an overflow of God’s grace in each person’s life. King of Glory Jerusalem steps into this new season with fresh vision and unwavering faith, bound together by one heart and a deep confidence in the Lord’s faithfulness.
