Chosen People Ministries
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Chosen People Ministries, was founded as the Brownsville Mission to the Jews in 1894 by Leopold Cohn, a Jew who converted to Christianity. The ministry was later relocated and became the Williamsburg Mission to the Jews until 1924. From 1924 until 1984 it was known as the "American Board of Missions to the Jews". Since then it has been known by its current name, Chosen People Ministries, Inc. It is an evangelistic organization of Messianic Judaism.
History of Chosen People Ministries
Leopold Cohn
Chosen People Ministries was founded by a man named Leopold Cohn. The official biography of Cohn is found at the website of Chosen People Ministries [1], but this account is disputed.
The official website claims that Leopold Cohn was raised as an Orthodox Jew and spent years in rabbinic study. This study, particularly of certain portions of Scripture, led Leopold Cohn to seek more knowledge about the Messiah. The missionary site claims Cohn searched the Scriptures and questioned other rabbis, but still found no satisfactory answers. The website goes on to claim that a teacher (rabbi) advised Cohn to go to America where, he said, people knew more about Real Judaism.
This is contested by Jews who claim that Leopold Cohn was a pseudonym of a Jewish Hungarian bartender whose real name was Isaac Leib Joszovics who was not raised Orthodox and never studied to be a Rabbi. The Jewish sources claim that Isaac Leib Joszovics was a thief who ran away from the police after forging a will to steal some property from someone who'd died. [2] and [3]. The book states:
"The mission's antagonists drew a different biographical sketch. Cohn's real name, they argued, was Itsak Leib Joszovics. Orphaned at an early age, he received little education, and upon marriage and settling in his wife's hometwon, he became an inn- or saloon keeper rather than a rabbi. The Hungarian authorities, the alternative biography says, charged him and his brother-in-law with forging the deed of a dead peasant's farm. Joszovics (alias Cohn) fled. There after, one's assertion of Cohn's true identity and the biographical account one chooses to adopt have typically reflected one's standing not only toward Cohn the person, but also toward his mission as a whole, and at times, toward the movement to evangelize the Jews at large. For his supporters he was the former rabbi he claimed to have been. For Jewish antagonists, and at times non-Jews, he symbolized all that was wrong with the movement to evangelize the Jews." (page 29).
Whether or not Cohn was a rabbi from Hungaria or a thief from Hungary who changed his name, he did have a criminal record in New York:
New York court records and find the many court cases Cohn had!
Abraham Feinberg vs Leopold Cohn (1910) Sheffield vs Leopold Cohn (1913) People vs Neuowich & Spievacque (1913) Neuowich vs Cohn (1913) Spievacque vs Cohn (1917) Neuowich vs Cohn (1917) [4] and [5]
Chosen People Ministries
The ministry was founded in 1894 by Leopold Cohn and is currently incorporated in New York, New York. It's specific emphasis is to convert the Jewish people to Christianity. The ministry engages in missionary, religious and relief activities in relation to the Jewish people and to local churches.
1. Missionary evangelism - One of the goals of the ministry is to plant missionaries in areas of high Jewish concentration. By following the lead of the Holy Spirit, the missionaries then engage in street evangelism, visitation, hosting Bible Studies, and other activities - including planting of congregations. 2. Church Ministries - The ministry arranges for missionaries and representatives to hold church meetings, with emphasis on discipling believers in the importance of bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ "to the Jew first" (Rom. 1:16) and observing the Biblical Holy Days as the Lord intended. 3. Literature and Media - The ministry currently produces and distributes various literature (tracts, pamphlets, books), music (tapes, CDs), and videotapes. The intent of these materials is to evangelize the Jewish people and to disciple believers in the delicate art of introducing the Messiah to the Jewish people.
This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. It is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) who states its total revenue is $7,645,273. [6]
Recent Controversy
Recently Chosen People Ministries acquired a former funeral home in the heart of an Orthodox Jewish community located in Flatbush, NY. The purpose is to act as a base from which to try to convert Orthodox Jews.
This acquisition has sparked controversy and has been reported on by many news sources including the New York Daily News:
"Jewish leaders angry over Chosen People Ministries' Messianic outpost." (October 11, 2010).
Current Ministry
Chosen People Ministries is a member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, the Christian Stewardship Association, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association of North America. Headquarters are in New York City.
Chosen People Ministries has staff in 12 countries around the world and starts Messianic Centers and congregations as the main focus of their work. Other activities include:
Evangelism and Discipleship
"Go therefore and make disciples" (Matthew 28:19) is still a biblical imperative. Throughout the world, Chosen People Ministries proclaims the Gospel and nurtures both new and mature believers so that they will grow in the Lord and use their gifts for His glory.
Messianic Centers
Messianic centers are focal points for ministry of all types. In addition to evangelism and discipleship, they provide a setting for worship, Bible study, spiritual counseling and practical help. Seekers find a welcoming environment at the Messianic centers that can lead to new life through the power of the Gospel.
Messianic Congregations
It isn't always easy for Jewish people to fit into churches. Jewish believers sometimes face rejection by their families, and they especially need the fellowship of those with a similar story. Messianic congregations satisfy this need, and also lift up a witness in the community that Jesus is Lord and one can be Jewish and believe in Him.
Equipping the Local Church for Jewish Evangelism
Chosen People Ministries has a wide variety of special presentations, such as "Messiah in the Passover," designed to help the church gain a greater appreciation of its Jewish roots. Chosen People Ministries also organizes conferences that offer churches and learning institutions a chance to cosponsor well-publicized major outreach programs designed to reach a broad range of Jewish and Gentile community members.
Publications
Chosen People Ministries offers monthly and quarterly publications on topics of interest to church members and Jewish readers. The monthly newsletter, The Chosen People, provides updates regarding the various developments and prayer concerns vital to the Mission. A wide variety of books, tracts, videos, tapes, DVDs and CDs are available at Chosen People Ministries' online store.
Ministry through the World Wide Web
Web technology has enabled Chosen People Ministries to reach a multitude of online seekers. The website receives many "hits" from those searching for spiritual answers and from believers wanting information. The site offers educational and evangelistic articles, challenging Bible studies, a catalog of Messianic resources and even recipes! Chosen People Ministries staff members also follow-up with seekers who make contact through email and are sometimes able to lead them to a decision to come to faith.
Volunteer and Short-term Missions Opportunities
Chosen People Ministries has a number of volunteer opportunities for people of all ages. For example, the Summer Training and Evangelism Program (STEP), which is held in Chicago and New York City, prepares volunteers through specialized classes to share the Gospel with Jewish people. Together with Chosen People Ministries' staff members, team members go out and put what they have learned into practice.
Summer Internships
Chosen People Ministries is committed to the ongoing development of future ministers who are presently in undergraduate and graduate schools. Chosen People Ministries has a number of internship programs that provide opportunities for students to complete their studies and include focuses in areas like intern missionary work, youth ministry, children's ministry, film, publishing, accounting, web development, office management and much more.
eXperience Israel
Chosen People Ministries has a deep interest in involving young people in evangelistic work. eXperience Israel is a two-week mission trip geared specifically for young people ages 18 to 30.
Outreach Israel
Outreach Israel attendees will feel the heartbeat of Israel and the pulse of the people as they meet and share their testimonies with Israelis, both believers and not-yet believers. Those on Outreach Israel will live at the Messianic center and interact daily with our Israeli staff, as the program weaves together outreach, worshipping at local congregations, service projects, children's and youth camps, and travel.
"See Israel through Jewish Eyes" Holy Land Tours
Chosen People Ministries conducts tours to the Holy Land each year. For many, these deeply enriching, faith-building and informative trips are the realization of a life's dream to walk in the footsteps of the Messiah.
Full-time Missionary Opportunities
God calls some people into full-time ministry with Chosen People Ministries. A sincere heart for reaching Jewish people with the Gospel is the first requirement to serve as a full-time worker, particularly in light of the biblical mandate to bring the Gospel "to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).
It is the sincere desire of Chosen People Ministries to share the Gospel with the Jewish people in ways that are challenging and compelling. We always seek to enrich the life of the church and to minister to other members of the Body of Messiah.
External links
- ^ [url=http://www.chosenpeople.com/main/index.php/about-us/history]
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Cohn_%28Messianic_clergyman%29
- ^ Evangelizing the chosen people: missions to the Jews in America, by Yaakov Shalom Ariel, published in 2000
- ^ Encyclopaedia judaica: Volume 10
- ^ The Strange Story of Dr. Cohn and Mr. Joszovics", published in New York, 1918 by one Colonel Alexander S. Bacon
- ^ Ministry Watch [url=http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/chosen-people-ministries.aspx]
- ^ New York Daily News [url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/10/11/2010-10-11_an_unorthodox_ministry_jewish_leaders_angry_over_messianic_outpost.html#ixzz12AaL3jGA]