San Diego, California, March 5-7, 2012

About 80 participants from all over North America came together in San Diego for the 2012 LCJE-North America conference from March 5-7.

For more background on the 2012 LCJE-NA conference go to: www.lcje-na.org

Theme: Jewish Evangelism in the Shadow of the Holocaust
Music: Marty Goetz
Banquet speaker: Melody Green (Last Days Ministries)

Contact : Gary Hedrick

Click here to link to the Papers

Regarding the conference, here is an excerpt from the "From the Coordinator" column in the LCJE Bulletin (May 2012):

"Jewish Evangelism in the Shadow of the Holocaust" was the theme of the LCJE North America annual conference held in March in San Diego, California, under the able guidance of area coordinator Gary Hedrick, his wonderful staff, Kathi Graham, and numerous others. The conference included many fine papers and presentations that examined various aspects of the Holocaust and Jewish evangelism, including many moving stories of Jewish believers during that terrible time, some of whose testimonies have remained largely unknown.

In many ways, that conference theme mirrors much of Jewish evangelism during the latter half of the 20th century and the beginning of this one - the need to respond to the Holocaust and also, in many cases, to engage the widespread Jewish secularism that has sometimes resulted.

As I noted at the San Diego conference, one notable example of this attitude is self-proclaimed Jewish atheist and 1979 Nobel laureate in physics Steven Weinberg, who once wrote: "Remembrance of the Holocaust leaves me unsympathetic to attempt to justify the ways of God to man.... If there is a God that has special plans for humans, then he has taken very great pains to hide his concern for us."

Weinberg's challenge tears at our hearts. We cry out with the prophet Isaiah, who wrote, "Truly You are a God Who hides Himself, O God of Israel, Savior." (45:15). Yes, He does hide Himself, but He has also revealed Himself as Savior, and that has made all the difference.

That is both our message and our hope.

For the salvation of Israel. Jim Melnick, International Coordinator, LCJE

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