15 Seconds For Life: How One California Church Stands with Israel (Video)
“Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalm 34:3)
(Photo: Mendy Hechtman/Flash90)
In Stockton, California, a church by the name of “The Congregation of Zion” is showing their support for Israel in more than just their name. During a recent anniversary celebration, commemorating 10 years of leadership by their Pastors Dumisani and Valerie Washington, the church attached the “Red Alert Israel” application to loud speakers. In the event that a siren would sound during the service, the parishioners would all exit the room to “bomb shelter”’ in the lobby or recreational hall to show their solidarity with the people of Israel. In many communities located near the Gaza Strip, Israelis only have 15 seconds to make to to a bomb shelter during an incoming rocket attack.
In a one-on-one ‘Q and A’ with Breaking Israel News, Pastor Dumisani talked to us about the inspiration behind the symbolic event:
1: Who came up with the idea to exit during the color red siren in support of Israel?
It was my idea to perform a mock evacuation. My wife and I discussed it after using the ‘Red Alert: Israel’ app at home with our family. Last weekend was our 10th anniversary celebration as pastors of our congregation. Our special guest speaker was my good friend and Eastern Region Coordinator for Christians United for Israel (CUFI), Pastor Victor Styrsky. Our congregation stands with Israel and the Jewish people, and I felt it was a good way to demonstrate our support during this crisis with Hamas.
2: What have been the reactions from the community to it?
Reaction within our congregation is very positive. Again, we embrace the biblical mandate to stand with Israel, so everyone was more than willing to participate in the exercise. Reaction from our Israeli and Jewish friends has been overwhelming. Hundreds of people have exposed their thanks and appreciation after seeing the video.
Honestly, it was never my intention to record the evacuation. It was mainly for our congregation to express solidarity with Israel amongst ourselves – reaffirming our commitment. But an Israeli friend asked me to record it, so we did. I never expected such an outpouring of gratitude from our Israeli brothers and sisters.
3: How did it affect the ceremony last week, and does it occur other times as well?
The church service was enhanced by our evacuation. The siren went off as Pastor Victor was delivering his sermon on David (“It takes sheep to make a king”). It was a powerful message of encouragement to our community as I take on more of an international role in Israel advocacy (I am the director of Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel). I will also be working even more closely with CUFI in the very near future. When the alarm sounded we all stood up exited into the lobby and rec hall (our ‘bomb shelters’). I had already given instructions at the beginning of the service. After a few moments, we returned to our seats, and Pastor Victor resumed his message without a hitch.
The alarm sounded several more times throughout the service at which point we simply paused and prayed. We prayed for Israel, the innocent people of Gaza suffering because of Hamas’, our Christian (and Muslim) brothers and sisters throughout the Middle East being slaughtered and persecuted because of jihad against them…we asked God to intervene on behalf of His people.
4: Can you tell us a bit about you community and why it is so expressive in their support of Israel?
The Congregation of Zion is a ‘Hebrew roots’ Christian church. We observe the Shabbat, keep the feasts, and embrace the Jewish origins of our faith. I founded the community in April 2004 (at Passover). My wife and I were officially installed as pastors on July 11, 2004.
I have been a supporter of Israel all my young adult life, but only publicly (or politically) over the past 3 years. In Zion, we teach the biblical principle of Christians standing with Israel (Genesis 12.3, Psalm 122.6, Isaiah 62.1). This does not mean we are unconcerned for the plight of the Palestinian people. We just understand that Palestinian suffering is primarily the result of their despotic rulers.
6: What application are you using to signal the siren?
I learned of the ‘Red Alert” Israel’ app from a friend and colleague with CUFI, Deb Campbell. She posted it on her Facebook wall. My wife Valerie and our children all downloaded it on our iPhones. The default sound is like a car or elevator signal. But, under settings, the ‘Siren 1′ is an actual siren. It is quite disturbing to hear, knowing that it means missiles are incoming from Gaza, targeting Israeli civilians. We allowed the siren to notify us all night long at home.
7: Have you ever been to Israel, with or without members of the community, and what were some of the experiences you’ve had here?
I visited in Israel December 2012 with a group of pastors. The trip was sponsored by CUFI. It was an amazing time; something I wanted to do since I was a young adult. No other congregation members have visited Israel yet, but they will soon.
Update: One can see from the above that the Congregation of Zion community has a real connection to Israel and that they are not afraid of letting the world know about it. Pastor Valerie Washington, wife of Pastor Dumisani, said recently on her Facebook wall:
“Today, someone called my husband a “[@$#& ] Jew Lover”. I’m supposing that they meant that to be an insult (seeing as how they put a curse word in front of the term), but in reality they were speaking the truth – minus the cursing, of course. Think about it – Jesus was Jewish. Doesn’t that make all Christians “Jew Lovers”?”
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