John & Elah West

John, Elah and their four boys are an Israeli family. God has put this venture on their hearts after years of praying for the body of Messiah in Israel. They have served in leadership in the local body for over 15 years as house group leaders, youth leaders, preaching, translation, discipleship and prayer ministries. John speaks three languages of Israel and Elah is gifted in teaching, organizing events and song writing. Elah has written over 30 songs for worship in Hebrew and has been on many worship teams. They know what it is like to be rejected by family because of their faith in Jesus and what it is like to be reconciled after years of prayer and love. John and Elah are raising their sons in the faith according to Biblical family values. They have seen people attracted to the faith because of the simple purity of the family as the character of these boys develops.

Passion:

The West’s have a passion for the local church to thrive and be a powerful, godly influence in the community, nation and world by having her people empowered for works of ministry in areas of giftedness and passion.

Divine Design:

God has uniquely created John with strengths in the areas of leadership, apostleship (going cross-culture), teaching and faith. He has a knack for languages and understanding cultural situations. John also benefits a team with his ability to unify all the ideas, talents and personalities of each member into a single purpose. John has compelling vision to see beyond the way things are to a preferred, attainable future. Elah has been gifted with teaching, leadership and hospitality. She has a sensitive spirit that enables her to reach deeply into people’s lives and lead them to a real and living relationship with God. Elah has a passion to experience God and worship Him in all His majesty and kindness. She has the tendency to bring people along with her as she does this.

Ministry Effectiveness:

Here are just three examples of people from diverse backgrounds that were directly impacted by the West’s ministry: Sasha (A Russian) is a master guitar player. He left the former USSR and moved to Israel not knowing anyone. As a quiet and insecure new believer he came to live with John and was mentored. Today he is a mature believer and leading worship in a church on the northern border of Israel. Galit (An Israeli) was diagnosed with “Borderline Personality”, after an 8 week course John taught, she discovered her gifts of faith and evangelism. John and Elah encouraged her to share her faith with her neighbors and she re-gained tremendous control of her life! Lorna (A Dane) was a shy, melencholy artist. When she discovered her talent can be used for legitimate ministry, she joined the worship team and her joy increased exponentially!

Convergence:

All of the West’s gifts, talents and experiences have come together to foster this house church movement. Salt of the Earth was birthed in prayer as John and Elah began to see the state of dysfunction in the Messianic congregations of Israel. Healthy leadership is needed as the church in Israel moves into its second generation. Israel is an immigrant nation and John’s apostolic gifting and vast travel experience help him bridge many cultural gaps. Elah was born and raised as a secular Jew in Israel and understands what it takes for such a person to make that bold step of faith and believe in Jesus. Strong, clear teaching with trust and integrity must be employed to cut through all the pain and fears of Israel and bring a message of comfort and hope. An unshakable faith in God’s goodness and His everlasting love are foundational to the West’s care for people and passion that the local church is the hope for Israel and the world.