Our Vision
God is at work in the hearts of the people of Israel. The Gospel of Jesus is radically changing lives and bringing God's people together across all boundaries. Middle East Ministries aims to reach the lost, strengthen those who believe, and passionately serve God and his creation.
History and Purpose
Middle East Ministries (Light to Israel) began in 1995 with the hope of bringing God's message of reconciliation to all of the children of Abraham, the Jewish people as well as the Arab people, in the Holy Land.
Middle East Ministries is committed to building a strong community of believers in Jesus as Messiah. Our purpose is to make disciples who will establish Home Fellowships in Israel and the Middle East that impacts the nations.
In addition to our ministry in Israel and the Middle East, we also believe Christians who understand and appreciate the Jewish heritage of their faith will become burdened to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem." To that end, we provide programs and messages which help Christians understand the Jewish roots of their faith and the prophetic plan of God for Israel's future.
CORE VALUES
Teaching
the Scriptures
Loving
People
Passion
for Prayer
Developing Partners for God's Purposes
What We Believe
Stories
Ivan
Ivan came to faith in his early twenties in the Ukraine. Drugs and alcohol were a big part of his life style. When he came to know the Lord he and his wife radically changed. Ivan knew he was Jewish but didn’t know much about Judaism. When the former Soviet Union crumbled his family emigrated to Israel. Ivan is an artist and he established a stain glass window business. His main clients were synagogues! He joined a Messianic Congregation and volunteered to help needy Russian Jews that were addicts. As he grew in his faith God called him to lead an organization that rescues men out of addictions into freedom in the Messiah. Middle East Ministries partners with this rescue ministry and aids Ivan in forming Biblical Communities where former addicts can grow and serve.
Avraham and Chanan
Avraham first contacted us three years ago. Avraham asked for a book about messianic prophecy after reading some articles online. We spoke with him by phone shortly after we sent the first book. Avraham was originally born in Morocco, but immigrated with his family at a young age. Although some of his family is Orthodox, he has an openness to Jesus. After our initial contact he was open to reading more, so we sent him two more extensive books on the subject. Over the next several months his sister and daughter both passed away. During this period we had less contact with Avraham.
Last year our contact was renewed and we were able to study with him over the phone a number of times. He was having difficulty understanding the biblical prophecies, partly because the Hebrew can be difficult to understand and partly because of typical preconceived notions about the Messiah. After further study he confirmed that he thinks the prophecies in the Hebrew Bible speak about Jesus. Recently we were able to meet Avraham near his home. We couldn’t actually visit him at home because his wife is Orthodox and is totally opposed to the Gospel. He spoke to us about his desire to meet with others to learn more about Jesus. We are now trying to connect Avraham with Chanan. Chanan lives in the same small desert city. Chanan is a believer in Jesus who has little fellowship as there is no congregation in his city or nearby. Unlike Avraham, Chanan lives alone and is very open to meeting and studying together. So often social and spiritual pressures intimidate and isolate individuals who need to be meeting with others. Please pray that Avraham and Chanan would connect in the near future and have a fruitful time of study and fellowship.
Our Staff
Daniel Harder
Chairman of the Board
Daniel is a church planter at heart having served for 28 years in Bogota, Colombia, planting churches and developing a church-planting network in Latin America. Since 2011, he has led Middle East Ministries with a focus on starting home congregations and training house church leaders in Israel to bless all the children of Abraham for
the glory of God.
Mike Harder
Vice Chairman
Mike is the Pastor of Kairos, a worship gathering at Brentwood Baptist in Nashville Tennessee focused on the preaching of scripture, corporate worship, and discipleship. He received his MDIV at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursing his Ph.D. in applied theology at Southeastern Seminary. He planted and pastored The Gospel Church for 14 years in Nashville TN. He has written two Bible Studies, Jaded and In Transit, through Lifeway Publishing.
Bert Wicks
Bert has been committed to ministries focused on Israel for many years. He has served in church leadership as a Lead Elder. Professionally, he has been an executive in the energy industry. He brings his love for God and his administrative gifts in service to further MEM’s Great Commission goals.
Bill Bertsche
Bill is the Executive Pastor at The Moody Church in Chicago, IL. He joined the staff of the church in October, 1994 after a year teaching in Nigeria and an internship at College Church in Wheaton. He received a B.A. from Biola University in 1988; an M. Div. from The Master’s Seminary in 1991; and a Th. M. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1993. He completed the Doctor of Ministry program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 2012. Bill’s primary responsibility as Executive Pastor is to oversee the ministries and the ministers of the church. He has held this position since 2012 and is grateful to the Lord to serve with such a gifted and godly staff. Bill and his wife, Carmé, have been married since 1996 and have four children: Hannah, Jonathan, Michael, and Elena.
Mario Mammina
Mario Mammina has lived, worked, and traveled internationally for over a decade, coordinating trips and guiding hundreds of people on educational tours, leadership training, and mission trips around the globe. Mario works full-time for Voss Lighting as missions director for the company and branch manager of two branches, one located in Lincoln and one in Omaha. On the side, Mario is the founder of the publishing company, Automatic Ministries, and is an author, speaker, and trainer. He coordinates missions for multiple organizations centered around the Gospel and discipleship. His passion is to share the gospel and make disciples through one-on-one and small-group facilitating in his local church in Lincoln, NE, where he lives with his wife and two sons.
Nick Tidwell
Nick serves as the Executive Pastor of First Baptist Church in Gallatin, TN and has done so since January 2017. Nick holds a B.B.A. from Stephen F. Austin State University, a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, and a M.A. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has practiced law since 2005 and founded the Christian legal aid ministry, Compassionate Counsel, in 2011. He and his wife have three children.
Nick has experienced the transformative power of the Gospel in his own life, and he desires to equip Christ-followers to live out the Gospel daily as they make disciple-makers in their homes, communities, and to the ends of the earth.
Phil Kuo, MD
: Phil serves as secretary for MEM, with a focus on communication and donor engagement. He practices Internal Medicine in Nashville, TN and enjoys writing and playing piano. He is honored to serve in MEM, eagerly expecting the fulfillment of Isaiah 19:23-25, Romans 11:15, and Romans 11:26.
Contact Us
Mailing
Middle East Ministries
PO Box 41687
Nashville, TN 37204
Phone
630.605.4865
Middle East Ministries is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.