PARTICIPATORS

Rabbi BJ Harris
Come To Jerusalem
Rabbi BJ Harris is a Messianic Jewish Believer in Jesus. He was born in New York City and grew  up in South Carolina. He began to write music in college and entered the folk music scene in New Orleans, New York, Chicago, and elsewhere in the early 1970s. He met his Messiah in 1978 through the efforts of Gentile believers who prayed for and witnessed to him gently, diligently, and sacrificially in spite of anger, rejection, ridicule, and discouragement.

BJ was co-founder and co-leader of Beth Shofar, Messianic Congregation in South Carolina. He later helped start an international Christian ministry to support Israel and educate Christians in their Scriptural relationship to Israel and the Jewish People. Rabbi BJ is also a Psalmist and a Worshiper, he has composed and produced a number of songs and travels to various Churches and Messianic Congregations ministering in song. One of his most popular songs is “Come To Jerusalem”. Rabbi Harris has a Prophetic Music Ministry and on Tuesday Ministers at the Charleston House of Prayer (CHOP), downtown Charleston. Rabbi BJ Harris travels to and from Israel as the ALMIGHTY calls HIM to go. He holds membership with the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (MJAA) where he attend Yeshiva classes in Hebraic/Judaic Studies.

Marty Goetz
Psalmist
Marty Goetz has been called a modern day psalmist. His songs are scriptures beautifully set to music, leaving listeners spiritually moved, inspired and educated. With melodic and fresh acoustical/classic arrangements, Marty Goetz has the ability to lead you into a place of true intimacy with God.

In 1965, when thirteen year-old MARTY GOETZ stood at the bimah of Cleveland’s Temple on the Heights for his Bar-mitzvah and solemnly sang the ancient words of the Torah, no one — least of all Marty — could have envisioned that some twenty years later he would be singing to God, this time as a featured performer at Billy Graham’s Rally in Central Park.

As half of ‘Bert & Marty’, he sang at clubs and dinner theaters around Pittsburgh while studying English at Carnegie Mellon University. There was even a non-singing guest appearance on ‘Mister Rogers’ as Smokey Bear.

After graduation, he and Bert set out for New York City, determined, as Marty remembers, ‘to give it two weeks to become a star or I’d go back to Cleveland and the family furniture business.’ Just one week later, Marty and Bert found themselves performing at hotels in the Catskill Mountains. At the end of the summer they were named ‘Best New Act of 1974’.

Then Bert found Jesus. Horrified at his partner’s born again experience, Marty broke up the act and returned to New York City. He worked steadily as a songwriter and cabaret entertainer until 1978, when he shifted his ambitions from Broadway to Pop and moved to Los Angeles.

Provoked by the increasing numbers of born-agains in his life, he began reading the Bible, ‘looking for loopholes’. A few short weeks later, sitting alone one night on a friend’s balcony, looking down on the lights of Sunset Boulevard, he realized with certainty that ‘the Jesus of the New Testament was the Messiah my people have been longing for’.

Within a year, Marty began performing with Debby Boone and soon began to establish himself as a strong and passionate voice for Messianic believers within the church.

He has ministered before congregations as diverse as Jack Hayford’s Church on the Way, Greg Laurie’s Harvest Christian Fellowship and Harvest Crusades, Coral Gables Presbyterian, Chicago’s Moody Church, David Wilkerson’s Times Square Church. Ministries such as Focus on the Family, Insight For Living, TBN, Promise Keepers, Billy Graham Training Center/The Cove and CBN have invited Marty to come and share his musical gifts and talents.

Marty has been recording music steadily since 1985, and today lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee with his wife Jennifer. They recently celebrated the marriage of their one and only daughter, Misha Goetz to Joshua Hoyt. A wonderful young man!

For more information contact:

Marty Goetz Ministries, Inc.
martygoetz@earthlink.net
615-661-4564

Want to hear the latest scoop on Marty?
See our recent Newsletter!

Carolyn Marshall
Ahavat YESHUA Messianic Congregation
Carolyn Marshall was born of the late Rev. Annie M. Woodridge, (Mother Dear) and the late Joseph Woodridge, Sr. in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is the ninth child of eleven siblings and has a twin brother. She is married to Eugene L. Marshall, II and has 4 children, 12 grandchildren and 4 ½ great grand children (one on the way). 

She provides out reach ministries through Mother Dear’s Community Center where she has served for over 30 years in various capacities. She served as the executive director from 2009 – 2011 and now volunteers to continue the work that her mother, the late Rev. Annie M. Woodridge (Mother Dear), started over 50 years ago. Her ministry consists of feeding the poor and the needy. She and her husband Eugene along with other volunteers, pick up, deliver and distribute food commodities to hundreds of individuals in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. During the holiday season, Carolyn prepares and delivers hot meals to over 300 homebound seniors and homeless individuals in Washington, D.C., and more than 200 turkeys and food bags are distributed to hundreds of needy families each Thanksgiving.

Her most passionate ministry is overseeing a Christian based summer camp that is also run through Mother Dear’s. It’s focus is a mentoring program for at-risk-youth. Each year, the camp theme is Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” The Word of God is taught daily as well as bible study and praise and worship music and dance workshops.

She attends Ahavat Yeshua Messianic Jewish Congregation in Washington D.C. under the leadership of Pastor Ralph E. Finley where she is preparing to become a Biblical Counselor. She loves to sing praises and dance before the Lord and her only goal and desire in life is to serve.

David Craig
Ahavat YESHUA Messianic Congregation
David Craig was the 3rd of 4 boys, born in a 5 year period to Jim & Margie Craig. Eventually, they had 6 children in ten years. His heritage is Irish, Scottish, and a wee bit of English and Welsh.

He accepted the Lord at a tender age, at a local Methodist Church. He “backslid” in his later teens and early twenties, but was re-acquainted with Him through his association with a Messianic Jewish supervisor. He began attending Beth Messiah Congregation because he didn’t know any other born-again believers. The Lord used him to bring Elaine Axilrod to Beth Messiah and to Himself. David and Elaine were married there.

David studied violin in elementary school, taught himself guitar and drums as a teen, and studied voice at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, MD. Shortly after he joined Beth Messiah, the worship team needed a bass player. So, he bought a bass and taught himself to play. David has worked with many worship leaders, most notably Paul Wilbur and Marc Chopinsky. Recently, he’s been holding the bass line at Ahavat Yeshua in D.C.

Isaac Craig
Their son Isaac Craig exhibited musical talent from an early age. He is largely self-taught on guitar, bass, piano (keyboard) and drums. In High School, he discovered a love for Choral Music and was invited to join the Chamber Singers (in addition to Concert Choir.) He has had additional vocal training at Montgomery College. He grew up at Beth Messiah, but has had years of experience leading worship in both Messianic Jewish and non-denominational church settings. Recently, he has been well-received as part of “Guest Worship,” which provides substitute worship leaders as needed to both non-denominational and mainline churches.

Isaac occasionally steps in at Ahavat Yeshua with his musical gifting, but primarily blesses the Congregation with his capabilities as a sound technician.

Sam Craig
Their son Samuel Craig also grew up at Beth Messiah, but began playing guitar and singing when most of Gaithersburg Church of the Nazarene youth group worship team was college-bound. While on a Missions Trip to Honduras, the Lord revealed to him that music would be a large part of God’s call on his life. After high school, he went to the Honor Academy (Teen Mania Ministries.) He received formal music training and also helped to train others in the School of Worship there. He also gained experience leading worship at various events on campus. Since returning to MD, he has helped lead worship at events for the youth at Church of the Nazarene, and regularly participates on the worship team at Ahavat Yeshua.

While at Teen Mania Ministries, it was discovered that Sam also had a gift for voice acting. Even since returning to MD, he has been called upon numerous times to provide voice-overs for videos for their “Acquire the Fire” outreach events, with Isaac handling sound production.

Nonyem Baker
Daughter’s of Deborah Ministry

Nonyem Baker is a native Washingtonian and at birth was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy, spastic paraplegia. She has never let this physical disability discourage her from seeking the will of the ALMIGHTY for her life, if any thing it has strengthened her walk with HIM.

Ms. Baker is a graduated of Pine Manor College in Chestnut, Hill Massachusetts where she became the second president of the colleges first prayer group called Shekinah. In her tenure as President, Ms. Baker started a campus Bible Study and organized outreach evangelism and the schools first gospel extravaganza called “Gospel Explosion.”

The group became very influential in the lives of the college administration and students; praying for them as they requested and seeing the ALMIGHTY perform signs, wonders and miracles as HE answered their prayers. While at Pine Manor, one of the administrators came to the group to request prayer for a young man who attempted to committ suicide by shooting himself in the head. He had been in a coma for several months with no signs of life and the decision was made to “pull the plug.” The group prayed. About a week later the members of the prayer group found out that the young man came out of the coma, got out of bed and begin to walk around as if nothing happened. The prayer group also was made aware that the administrator had gone to the hospital and prayed for the young man in his room on exactly the same day and at the same time when this miracle occurred.

While at Pine Manor Nonyem received her call to deliverance ministry. Ms. Baker travels the East coast evangelizing and doing one on one ministry with children and adults alike in the areas of deliverance, prophetic and apostolic ministry.

Nonyem has a very strong burden and calling to stir up the gifts, purposes and calling in today’s children and young adults. She has been actively involved in children’s ministry, since 2005. She incorporated the River of Life Christian Ministry Training Academy in Washington, DC, 2005, coordinator of children’s ministry for the Doers of the Word Conference, Roslyn, VA, 2006, assistant lead teacher for the children’s ministry at Remnant Worship Center, formerly located in Fort Washington, MD, and coordinated and organized the “Out Cry” Youth Conference, Charlotte, NC, 2009, Purim Celebration, River Church, Charleston, SC, 2009, and children’s ministry for Praise and Worship Conference, Charleston, SC, 2014.  She has also authored several books,  children, young girls and women.  Aka Newel Beginnings.  

Joshua House Resource Book For Youth Ministry Teacher
For teachers in children or youth ministry. The lessons in this book will enhance the spiritual lives of your children.Teaching them at a young age to apply scripture to every facet of their life.

The Rose Curriculum This curriculum is designed to teach women to exemplify the proper demeanor as a woman of God.This curriculum is perfect for ministry with Young Women,Girls,Women in Prison and other women’s ministry.

ARRIVE NOTEBOOK This Notebook is use with the arrive curriculum.It is useful to keep track of assignments,projects,individual task or quizzes.

Arrive This book is designed to help girls and women alike transition into real womanhood God’s way. It will usher them into being the woman God desires them to be. Found on lulu.com

A QUICK PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BEGINNING ANY MINISTRY. This book is for those who have a call to start ministries But need a starting point.

Women of Virtue Women’s Ministry Curriculum for those breaking free from sexual sin.

Ms. Baker prophetic gifts has made room for her. When the ALMIGHTY speaks through her she is accurate. She serves as a mentor to those seeking to know their purposes and calling that God has for them. She is the Founder of the Daughters of Deborah’s Ministry.  The purpose of the ministry is to edify and stir-up the giftings in other women so that they, too, can move forward in GOD’s Kingdom work. It gives women a platform to share with other women the giftings that GOD has given them to reach the lost.

Iris Woodridge
Come To Jerusalem Ministry,                        

In 1998, I was driving around playing messianic music in my car, not knowing what messianic music was, rejoicing and dancing in the streets of Washington, DC, saying “Jubilee!”   I even had my sister-in-law, who worked with me at Mother Dear’s Community Center, located on Florida Avenue in DC, saying the same thing.    This was the year of “Jubilee”  for the Nation of Israel.  I had gotten some “Jubilee” buttons from the Israeli Embassy because they were celebrating this year.  For weeks this was my  “freedom call.” I did not know what the ALMIGHTY was doing in my sister-in-law as she bellowed out “Jubilee” , but HE sure was doing something in me and I did not know it!  

One night, during the year of  “Jubilee”,  I told  a minster friend of mine  that I was tired of the emotional pain of heartbreak and she told to me to call out to the ALMIGHTY for Deliverance.  I did!   I went to sleep on the couch shortly after the conversation and had a dream that  I was standing on the side watching a lot of warfare going on and I heard the name OvadYAH. It is the name of a prophet in the Bible and it means “Servant or Worshipper of YAH”.   When I got up the next morning, I had the fear of GOD in me.  I had a Jacob experience,   I knew that YAHWEH was surely  in my dream. I stood up and said, “I have children, I do not want to die and go to hell and  burn.”  That was it!  HE had me.  I did a 360 degree.  I surrendered my life completely to HIM and  rededicated my life to YESHUA (JESUS). The weekend after Mother’s, 1998,  I got filled with the HOLY SPIRIT standing in the St. Ann’s Cathedral Church, which was housed in the Mental Health Center on Spring Road, NW.   (I later found out that the place where we held our services in this building was a former synagogue.  The building itself was a former residence for Jewish people and the synagogue was located on the lower floor). The church had been in the building since, I believe, 1975 or 1977.  

I ministered my Trial Sermon in March, 2000, at St. Ann’s Cathedral, Washington, DC,  the day after my father was buried. I was instructed by the HOLY SPIRIT to leave St. Ann’s shortly after and hold services at Mother Dear’s Community Center where I worked.  I did.  

On the evening of Friday, October 13, 2000,  I started services, on Sukkot. I did not know what Sukkot was. That next day, I, by the leading of the HOLY SPIRIT, attended a Conservative Synagogue called Tiferet Israel Congregation.    A month later, November, I was lead by the RUACH of YAH to go back.  While sitting in service, the HOLY SPIRIT spoke from the ceiling and said Messianic. I looked up and  said, “Ok youwant me to be a messianic Jew”  2001, I attended  Beth MESSIAH, in Rockville, MD. When Beth MESSIAH moved, the HOLY SPIRIT sent me to Ahavat YESHUA , in Washington, DC. Before going to Ahavat,  I was sent to visit the congregation of an orthodox rabbi friend of mine who owned the Jewish bookstore that I frequented. At  the synagogue persuaded me to stay and eat. There was a Bar Mitzvah Celebration that Shabbat.  He then introduced me to his rabbi, as a “Devote Woman.” I was surprised when He said that.  He is now deceased.  (We would have many good conversations about spiritual things and about the signs and wonders YAH would perform at the Community Center. )  The HOLY SPIRIT also was sent back to the Tiferet Israel and then I went to Ahavat YESHUA, January 2002. ( In 2011, I went back to find a nondenominational church conducting Friday night and Sunday services out of the main sanctuary of Tiferet. ) I also attended  King of the Nations, in Rockville, MD, on Sundays.  

I continue to have service at the Community Center on Friday nights. We taught the Hebraic Roots to  inmates who were being transitioned back into society and the Church by inviting them to celebrate the Feasts Days with us there at the Center.  During every service  the HOLY SPIRIT would do signs and wonders.  On Yom Kippur, one year, there was a young man who had no regards for the Feasts of the ALMIGHTY, he was slouched in a chair asleep, and got  awaken by a slap on the  leg and my electric menorah that I used forever and had stopped the  working,  three days before the Feast, came on.  One Passover Seder while my sister was taking pictures, the ALMIGHTY showed up in a beautiful array of colors and she was so astounded she could not take the picture.  The ALMIGHTY , during our services, would show up to do what HE did best, deliver, heal, and save. It was awesome!!!

Around 2004 or 2005, hands were layed on me and I was commissioned to the Nation’s Capital, Washington, DC,  by three pastors, Mohebi (Iranian), Tom (American, his wife was Jewish), Guy (one of the pastors of Immanuel Church) at a Moving Together meeting held at Immanuel Church in Silver Spring, MD. They were sending me to the world and did not know it.  Washington is the Nation’s Capital, it interacts with the world.  2007, attended a Sunday service at a Lutheran and a woman fell ill and turned blue, I believing in the Name of YESHUA the MESSIAH I could raise the dead.  Prayed inthe spirit and rebuked the spirit of death in the Name of YESHUA the MESSIAH and she was raised up to health again.  The pastor did not stop preaching, other pastors came and observed for a bit, went back to their stations and the people undisturbed continued to direct there attendtion to the leader who was talking.  It was  ironic because the pastor’s sermon was about the miracles of YESHUA the MESSIAH.  

In April, 2010, I sent to Israel, by the ALMIGHTY, I really did not want to go.  There was alot of spiritual warfare going on. August 2010, commissioned to do a conference in Charleston, and spoke after the conference and told me to stay in Charleston.  I have been back and forth between Washington, DC and Charleston, SC doing the work of an Emissary. 

The work is great and the fields are white to harvest.    The ALMIGHTY has moved me quickly, taught me much and is still training and prunning me.   My deepest desire is to have all of the MOST HIGH.  I say to HIM what Isaiah said to Him in Isaiah 6, “Here I am, send me.”  I hold fast to Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:19 

and Psalms 51:13

…I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.

While taking Hebrew at Ahavat, I was given the name Amana  which means, “Faithful”.  You put the name Amana with OvadYAH and get the English names that read this  “Faithful Servant/Worshipper of YAH.”

I like to think of my self as Amana OvadYAH, Faithful Servant/Worshipper of YAH. 

Elaine Craig
Ahavat YESHUA Messianic Congregation

My mother is a refugee from Nazi Germany, my father a first generation American (his father a refugee from Besarabia, his mother from Germany.) I have two sisters, six and eight years older than me. I was raised in a nominally Jewish home. We attended a Reform Synagogue until I was twelve. Her parents were steadfastly Orthodox until they died; his were Conservative. Neither of my parents had much religious conviction – their Jewish identity was primarily as part of a people, to whom my father especially was extremely loyal. When both my sisters were off at college, I steadfastly resisted going to synagogue until my parents (hardly motivated to go themselves) relented.

I don’t remember a time before I started dancing. My sisters studied ballet, and my mother arranged for them to teach beginning ballet to neighborhood children. At three years old, I was one of their pupils. I began having ballet lessons from a true ballerina when I was 6. I learned square dance in third grade and my first Israeli folk dance, Mayim, when I was 9. At 10, I lacked the physical ability to go “en pointe” in ballet, and lost interest, but was quite intrigued by the dances teenagers did to popular songs. I had some modern dance instruction, and became quite intrigued with folk dance: International, Israeli, and American Contra dancing.

While in my 20’s, I became a believer in Messiah Yeshua at a Messianic Jewish Congregation. Connie Shishkoff had learned Israeli style dances to praise and worship songs and taught them to certain dancers. Sid Roth was one of the founding members, and an elder at Beth Messiah. One day, Sid Roth brought two employees (Paul Wilbur and Marc Chopinsky) to downtown D.C. with him to make music, draw a crowd, to whom he was going to preach the Gospel. As they began to play and sing, I realized I knew a dance to the song. I asked the Lord if I should dance. He said, “I made you a dancing fool, go make a fool of yourself for me!” I have sought to be faithful to do so ever since.

On occasion, Connie had me assist her in teaching the dances to others. When Paul and Marc, joined by Rene Bloch, formed “Israel’s Hope,” there were many new songs needing dances. I was blessed to be one of the “Israel’s Hope” dancers. I had the joy of sharing this form of praise and worship with groups that were previously unfamiliar with it, working with musicians and dancers dedicated to worshipping in Spirit and truth, as well as collaborating to choreograph the dances we were performing. It was a rare privilege and a sound foundation for praise and worship dance.

Later, Linda Quickle worked extensively with the dancers at Beth Messiah, bringing added dimensions of focus on technique, philosophy, and modesty. Michael Murnane, a classically trained ballet dancer, gave oversight and occasionally worked with us also. My understanding of dance as warfare and desire for it to be an expression of wholehearted devotion to Him is rooted in their training.

The Lord used Mieke Clincy to bring to light the tension between having a group of trained dancers, performing carefully choreographed sequences to praise and worship songs, versus having very simple steps that anyone could quickly pick up (and easily adapted to a variety of songs) so that dance could be more inclusive. While I have surrendered “being bored” by elementary choreography to the ability of anyone who desires to participate, I maintain there is nothing quite like dancing steps that match what the lyrics express to praise and worship music. It remains my passion.

Leaders of WORSHIP 

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MESSAGE OF SALVATION

If you are reading this page and get to this point, everything else before this message is irrelevant because your Soul (nonbeliever and/or a believer in a backslidden state, or nominal believer) might be at Stake. Read this part carefully because if the ALMIGHTY GOD is tugging at your heart drawing you to HIMSELF, Now is the Time to Surrender All and Repeat this Prayer.

YAHWEH GOD, Romans 10:9-10 says, “if you ( I) confess with your mouth that JESUS is Lord and believe in your(my) heart that GOD raised HIM from the dead, you (I) will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (unless one is (I am ) born of water and the SPIRIT, (Born Again) he (I) cannot enter the Kingdom of GOD. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the SPIRIT is SPIRIT. ‘You [I] must be born again. …born of the SPIRIT” John 3:5-7) .SPIRIT of YESHUA (JESUS) come and dwell in me and abide with me forever and recreate my spirit so that I can be a new creation, old things are passed away and all things are made new.

I TRUST YOU, YAH !!!

IN THE NAME OF YESHUA(JESUS) THE MESSIAH (CHRIST)

This is a faithful Word.

(If you prayed this prayer please send us your testimony of Praise)