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By Dwight Cunkle For about four years, we have enjoyed a close relationship with the members of Rosh Pinah. We hardly think of RP as renting space in Covenant Life’s building, because we hold so much in common. We share office, storage, worship and even freezer space. In addition, we borrow all kinds of equipment from each other, including computers, fax and copy machines, and sound equipment. We’ve even planned, worked and contributed together in redecorating our building. It’s not unusual to find us simultaneously having rehearsals or meetings. Numerous times a year we hold joint worship services. And, as pastor of CLC, I have appreciated many prayer and fellowship times with their leaders. Rabbi Michael Weygant and I discovered that we even share a common interest in Chinese food, so we often pursue this important pleasure together. I think of the Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:14-22: Messiah has made the two one, creating in Himself, one new man out of the two | one body | through the cross by which He put to death their hostility | For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit |as the chief Through this relationship, our own congregation has been enriched with appreciation for our Jewish roots. We believe our experience together is but a foretaste of life and blessing ahead as Jew and Gentile realize our oneness in Messiah. It is our love for Him that unites us, as well as our passion to see His kingdom increasingly manifested to the kingdoms of this world. It’s not about doctrine or worship paradigms; it’s about our drinking of one Spirit and gathering together unto Him. This is an effective testimony to the world -when we love one another. I’ll mention two high points of our unity. One was a joyous wedding between members from both congregations. The other was the presentation this year of a cantata I wrote for a joint celebration of the Feast Of Tabernacles. We joined choirs, dancers; we ate together and dipped bread into the wine cup under the Sukkah; and we prayed and worshipped together, as a witness to the love and joy of reconciliation in Messiah. Although we’ve only journeyed a short while together, we sense a prophetic destiny to facilitate increasing goodwill and blessing between Messianics and Gentiles. Some of our intercessors have prayed for Rosh Pinah as our sister and other self. Though in identity we remain two families, in Messiah we are One House. |
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