Wales, Home of Past Great Revivals, Makes "Extraordinary"  Stand for Israel

Charles Gardner : Jul 5, 2017
Israel Today

"We are all worried by the manifestation of hatred against Jews and Israel by a minority in Europe who are becoming more vocal and aggressive. So we felt this would be a fun and novel way to express support for God's chosen people. The route winds along the beautiful mountainsides of North Wales which have been an area where regular prayer for Israel has been carried out over the past 20 years." -Pastor Mike Fryer

(Wales)—[Israel Today] An eight-kilometer run along a beautiful Welsh mountain range is being staged as a demonstration of support for Israel. (Photo: a view of the lake beside the town of Bala, on the edge of the Snowdonia range in North Wales/credit: Charles Gardner/via Israel Today)

Organized by the Father's House Congregation in North Wales, the five-mile trail will take place on Sunday August 6th, and an Israeli flag will be hoisted on the mountain as part of the event.

The exact location is being withheld for security reasons, but participants who have registered an interest will be informed nearer the time.

Sponsors are encouraged to back competitors with a view to benefiting various organizations in the Holy Land. And a walk along an alternative shorter route will also be available for those with less stamina.

The event is being held as part of a weekend gathering at Father's House—in Shotton, Deeside—including prayer, worship and teaching.

This extraordinary show of support for Israel comes in response to the persistent rise in anti-Semitism here in Britain along with the obvious ongoing political and military threats faced by the Jewish state.

"We are all worried by the manifestation of hatred against Jews and Israel by a minority in Europe who are becoming more vocal and aggressive," explained Father's House pastor Mike Fryer. "So we felt this would be a fun and novel way to express support for God's chosen people. The route winds along the beautiful mountainsides of North Wales which have been an area where regular prayer for Israel has been carried out over the past 20 years.

"We are hoping to welcome folk from as many areas of the UK as possible, and even from other countries, to join us in this expression of love. We want to make it very clear how much support Israel really does have here in the nations." [For more details, call Mike on +44 (0)1244 823378]

Wales has in the past blessed the nations through awesome revivals of Christianity whose influence has spread throughout the globe.

In the midst of one of those Holy Spirit outpourings, at the turn of the 19th century, a 15-year-old girl called Mary Jones, having saved up for six long years so she could afford to buy a (Welsh) Bible, trekked 26 miles across perilous mountain tracks in order to make her precious purchase.

Inspired by her endeavors, Rev Thomas Charles and his colleagues founded the British and Foreign Bible Society (now known simply as Bible Society), which has since printed and distributed millions of Bibles in hundreds of languages throughout the world!

Clearly, Welsh people have placed a great value on God's Word over the centuries—so it is not surprising that Christians among them should express such love for the God of Israel, and the people to whom he has promised "everlasting love." (Jeremiah 31.3)

Meanwhile a grim picture of the predicament of UK Jews has been presented in a recent Jerusalem Post article by Isi Leibler.

Calling on them to seriously consider making aliyah in light of the surge of support for Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn—a 'friend of Hamas'—he says the threat to their well-being and safety may be worse than at any time since 1656, when Jews returned to the country following their expulsion in 1290.

He said the "indifference of a substantial proportion of the electorate who voted for an overtly anti-Semitic leader must surely switch on a clear red light for British Jews."

He added: "The anti-Israel rhetoric has reached unprecedented levels both in street demonstrations and at the universities, where many Jewish students seek to disguise their Jewish identity and in some cases even display hostility to Israel to curry favor."

It is indeed a shocking thing to consider that, despite nearly 70 years of sovereignty and thousands of years of being connected to the Holy Land, Israel is still trying to 'prove' its right to exist there.