Norfolk Hebrew conference makes big impact

2010: The original vision for Call to Prayer’s Tabernacle became a reality this summer, when they hosted their first Hebrew Roots conference, and 26 delegates came and camped around the Tabernacle at Ashill.

 

On the first morning of the conference the wind had been almost gale-force so, disappointingly, the first guests arrived to a skeletal Tabernacle: outer court furled, no gates, no door – though the Cross was starkly visible against a grey sky.

 

By Saturday, the weather had changed; a number of day visitors arrived and all were greatly blessed by Jill Gower’s teaching on the Ancient Wedding and the Bride, along with three ‘brides’ dressed in wedding gowns from Samaria, Ramallah and Bethlehem. As Jill says, ‘As we unveil the roots of our faith, opening up culture and tradition, all backed by the Word of God, we come into a deeper understanding of the plans and purposes of God especially through His Son, Jesus our Lord’.

 

The conference speakers were Jill Gower and Tristan McDonald; Tristan has been a lifelong collector of biblical memorabilia, and those he brought along added great visual impact to his teaching. These were not museum pieces, though; Tristan opened our eyes to deeper meaning in many familiar subjects, such as the Shepherd and the High Priest, and delegates were drawn deeper into his teaching as they acted out these roles in magnificent costumes. And far from merely theorising about the New Jerusalem and the end times, he challenged us strongly about how we are living our lives today. Jill spoke for us all when she said, ‘It was a privilege to have Tristan with us, and his wealth of knowledge and visual aids added so much to the whole’.

 

On Saturday afternoon a group of 12 New Jerusalem Dancers arrived; on the dot of 3pm, as they were about to start their presentation in the outer court, the heavens opened! The only place to perform was in the Tabernacle, so everyone crammed in, the youngest member, aged 9, blew the shofar and the restricted space did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm, energy and inspiration of the dancers, whose presentation was educational as well as visually exciting. Following this, with rain replaced by sunshine, many joined in communal worship in dance, which was a new and moving experience for most of us.

 

Nobody fully ‘gets’ the Tabernacle until they see it, so for every newcomer it is to some extent a venture of faith. But none were disappointed: their eyes were opened to many deeper truths as they were again reminded that ‘The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed’. One visitor, Valerie, told us afterwards, ‘Since I have been home I feel
strangely different – I have visited the Throne Room at the Hebrew Roots Conference and will never be the same again.’

Another participant, Michelle, on reflecting upon the Conference later, said, ‘I came away with a strong sense of hope and encouragement. And I greatly enjoyed the fellowship.’ The fellowship was indeed very good; as Annabel Valentine, Call to Prayer’s Administrator, remarked, ‘By the grace of God it was an enriching and most enjoyable time of fellowship, revelation and above all His presence’.

 

Call to Prayer felt very much that this was just a beginning. Many who were there believe the Tabernacle has a far bigger future than we can begin to imagine, and a small group of people came forward offering to be the first ‘Levites’. C2P is beginning to gather Levites to be a regular and committed part of this work, without which it will not be able to grow; anyone who is interested should contact Lorie Lain-Rogers at lorie@call2prayer.co.uk or on 01508 480613.