“We always seek to enrich the life of the church and to
Shabbat service at a Messianic congregation in Germany
4 GERMANY
Although the Jewish population in Germany was virtually
nonexistent from the end of World War II until the early
1990s, there are now more than 200,000 Jewish people there.
Most of these are Russian immigrants.
In response to this significant demographic
development, Vladimir Pikman, a young believer from
Kiev, and his wife, Inna, began a ministry in Berlin in 1995.
Shortly thereafter, Horst Stresow, a longtime supporter
and friend of the Jewish people, joined Vladimir and Inna
in formally establishing Beit Sar Shalom, Chosen People
Ministries’ branch in Germany.
In 2006, the Mission fulfilled a long-held dream to have a
Messianic center in Berlin when Chosen People Ministries
acquired a facility just ten minutes away from where Adolf
Hitler and his generals formulated “The Final Solution” for
the extermination of the Jewish people.
Chosen People Ministries’ work in Berlin continues to be
anchored by the Messianic congregation there, which meets
in the new facility. In addition to regular Sabbath services,
there are also weekly Bible studies, an active youth group,
and well-attended special events, particularly during the
High Holidays and Passover.
Chosen People Ministries has established a presence in a
number of other important German cities including Munich,
Düsseldorf, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Potsdam, Würzburg,
Aachen, and Osnabrück.
18 The Chosen People | JULY 2019
5 FRANCE
The Jewish population in France is the highest in Europe
with about 600,000 people, and Chosen People Ministries
has had a presence there for more than eighty years. Now
the Mission’s work is being guided by Guy Athia, who joined
Chosen People Ministries in 2002. Among the activities
taking place are Messianic worship services, special events
and the publication of the “Berger d’Israël” (Shepherd
of Israel) magazine, which reaches a wide audience. He
coordinates the outreach of Chosen People Ministries in
France through the association: Centre Messianique: Oeuvres
Auprès du Peuple d’Israël (Messianic Center: Ministries to
the People of Israel). The ministry is quite active in visitation
and Bible distribution, and a new Messianic congregation was
started in Paris in the fall of 2018.
6 RUSSIA
There are still more than a half million Jewish people living
throughout Russia, with the main community in Moscow.
We have two Messianic congregations in Moscow that are
affiliated with our ministry. Our vision is threefold: training
leaders for successful ministry; planting new Messianic congregations
throughout Russia; and helping Russian Christians
share the gospel with their Jewish friends.
7 UKRAINE
The Jewish population in Ukraine is presently the fifth largest
in the world with about 300,000 people. Sadly, Jewish life in