1997 to 2001 - Messengers Messianic Fellowship

MESSENGERS OF THE NEW COVENANT was originally established in New Jersey in 1940. When Mottel Baleston arrived in 1983 to direct the ministry, a time of increased activity began and an outreach center in downtown Montclair NJ was leased. We started a Friday evening Messianic Fellowship in September 1983. Those times resulted in many Jewish people coming to Messiah and growing in their faith. A vibrant fellowship continued there for 15 years.

In late 1997 the ministry of "MESSENGERS" and Mottel & Deborah Baleston became enlarged as Mottel was asked to also serve as Messianic Rabbi/Pastor at "Beth Messiah", a Messianic Congregation in Livingston, New Jersey, where the majority of the members at that time were Jewish believers in Yeshua. The Congregation is sound in doctrine and is effective at communicating the Good News of Messiah Yeshua to the Jewish community. During this time we were leading the Messengers Messianic Fellowship meetings on Friday evenings in Montclair, and had been for 14 years. Mottel led both groups for a full year, eventually bringing our group from Montclair & merging them into Beth Messiah Congregation.
   The Congregation was down in numbers as a result of a rocky year without full time leadership, and some there had actually considered closing. Mottel agreed to come as Interim in September 1997, seeking to build the Congregation back up to the place where they could call a full time leader. When we arrived, there were between 18 and 22 adults who were committed.
   We saw the Lord bless in those years, many long hours were spent leading out in front and working behind the scenes.
Mottel taught the Scriptures in an expository manner in the main service each week, teaching through the instruction to the believers. We moved from a problematic Steering Committee to a truly Biblical group of Elders, we began small group Bible Studies and exercised congregational discipline. When we hired a full time Rabbi/Pastor in June 2001, our numbers had really grown ! We had doubled to 42 very committed adults plus 25 kids!!
   Through those years of leading Beth Messiah part-time we continued to do outreach, and each summer Mottel taught for 3 weeks at the Ariel Ministries Summer Discipleship Program in northern New York State. It was originally designed for Jewish believers but is now open to all. Years ago this program was vital to our spiritual growth as young believers and so it is a privilege to teach there alongside Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, noted Messianic Bible Teacher, and to have new believers we work with attending. Families from our Messengers Ministry and from Beth Messiah Congregation attended during those years. The program entails over 5 hours of classes per day at the Bible College level, 5 days a week, so the students are serious. Mottel taught one class per day, did counseling and led worship.

Note: Due to privacy & security issues, this public web page does not show all the aspects of our activities. This page shows photos from the time Mottel started to lead Beth Messiah, in 1997, until mid 2001 when we found and hired a full-time leader.

Beth Messiah kids present a song at Hanukkah 1998

Baby Naming & Family Dedication 1998

Labor Day Picnic 1998

Kids in the Congregation, November 1998. Every one of these girls has a parent who is a Jewish believer and who was active in our congregation. The girls were fully involved in our Shabbat School and served in various congregational ministries as teens.

Now all in their 20's, every one of them has since served in Summer Ministries or Internships, three of them are currently in full time ministry.

Each Summer Mottel teaches for 3 weeks at Messianic Summer Discipleship Program at Camp Shoshanah, arranged by Ariel Ministries. Over twenty years ago this program was vital to our early spiritual growth and so it is a privilege to teach there and to have new believers we work with attending. The program was originally limited to Jewish believers but is now open to all. Many of the Jewish believers there have come to faith in recent years. Although it looks like a relaxed Camp setting, the program entails 5 hours of classes per day at the Bible College level, so the students tend to be serious. An encouraging trend the past few years is the increased presence of a younger group of new believers in their 20’s. The program averages about 80 adult students over several weeks, and over the years many who were initially discipled here went on to full time Jewish outreach ministry, including myself. Mottel teaches 15 hours of classes each summer, and shared the leadership & counseling tasks. The other instructors include Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, an internationally known Bible Teacher and Author, as well as other doctrinally sound men.

Mottel with some of the students at Ariel Summer Bible School 1998

We were grateful for committed students

Mottel with members of our New Jersey congregation, students at
the Ariel Summer Bible School 2001. During these years the
sound teaching here helped strengthen & grow our congregation.

Lunch at the Ariel Bible Discipleship program at Camp Shoshanah

These 4 Jewish believers served in worship during most of 1997 - 2001

At left, Mottel co-led the music for a time. (remember when a rainbow just meant a rainbow!)

Worship Service at Beth Messiah Congregation, circa 1999

Our High Holy Day Services were packed!
Here's our Rosh HaShanah 1999 Kiddush.

Music Team late 1999

After the Service, We Nosh ! - 1999

Hanukah 1999

Mottel Baleston with Torah Scroll

Messianic Jewish Succot Celebration, New Jersey
Succot / Feast Feast of Tabernacles 2000.
Here we are noshing outside our Succah.

Messianic Jewish Purim Celebration, New Jersey
Beth Messiah Kids in their Purim Costumes 2000
(Book of Esther)

Messiah in the Passover Seder 2000. Two Jewish men who
attended came to faith within a year.

Messianic Jewish Bar Mitzvah, New Jersey
A double Bar-Mitzvah in June 2000 was a great blessing.
Beth Messiah saw 4 young people present
themselves for Bar/Bat Mitzvah in the year 2000!

Messianic Jewish Congregation, New Jersey NJ
Mazel Tov Daniel & Jeremy. You did a great
job on your Haftarah portions

The painting party of Summer 2000 turned our dingy pastel green meeting room to white. We had over a dozen participate, incl Jeff & Joe

The beginning of Jacob 'helping',
at the end the paint was on him!

Ladies get ready to Paint !!

In 2000 we organized a group of folks from Beth Messiah to
help make lunch for a local homeless program.

When the photographer approached, Rabbi Jan & Rabbi Mottel pretended to be in a heated theological discussion. Alas, we couldn't keep a straight face. The event was Messianic Praise Day 2000, held at Zaraphath and co-sponsored by Beth Messiah, Beth Zion and 2 other groups. Mottel & Jan spoke to the crowd of 200 people, and our full music team from Beth Messiah led in praise & music.