About Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism - LIJE

For more information, visit the LIJE website at: www.lutheransonline.com/lije

In October 1993 the Florida-Georgia District, with the help of mission planter Rev. Bruce Lieske, established the District's first mission to the Jews, called "Apple of His Eye/FL-GA." This mission became self-supporting and was released to Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism (LIJE) on January 1, 1998, thus becoming LIJE's first "branch." In January 2000 Apple of His Eye/FL-GA began new work on Gulf Coast Florida, under the direction of Mr. Robert Reed, Evangelist to the Jews -working out of Tampa, FL. The success of Apple of His Eye/FL-GA inspired LIJE to establish a second "branch" in April of 2001 in Michigan, called "LIJE/Michigan" with the intent of bringing the Gospel to the some 100,000 Jewish people in the Detroit area.

Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism, apart from deaf and Bible translation work, was the first LCMS cross-cultural mission organization to be formed in recent years. It was established in November 1981 in response to a request from the LCMS "Committee for Witnessing to Jewish People." We believed at the time that a mission organization would attract an ever-growing number of Lutherans to partner with us to bring Messiah Jesus to the Jewish people, and that an independent LCMS mission to the Jews could become self-funding. Rev. Bruce Lieske was elected as its part-time Executive Director and has served since that time.

In the past 20 years LIJE has developed many materials that facilitate Gospel sharing, has conducted workshops, Messianic Passover seders and oneg Shabbats at various congregations. Its newsletter, The Burning Bush, a free newsletter, is currently published monthly and is mailed out to approximately 8,700 people. LIJE is a Recognized Service Organization of the LCMS, with a covenant relationship to the LCMS Evangelism Ministry, Board for Congregational Services. It is a non-profit agency with IRS 501(c) (3) status.

Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism, and its two branches, work cooperatively with another LCMS Jewish mission organization, "The Apple of His Eye Mission Society," founded in 1996 in St. Louis. This group emphasizes street evangelism, and also works with Synod's Board for Mission Services to establish Messianic congregations.

The major focus of Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism is to establish Messianic Friendship groups in cooperation with LCMS congregations. Messianic Friendship groups are small, home Bible study groups that study Messianic prophecy, our Jewish heritage as Christians, and which develop personal witnessing skills for sharing the Gospel with Jewish people. Most Jewish people come to faith, not through the efforts of missionaries or evangelists, but through friendships and personal relationships with individual Christians.

The vision of Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism is to see 180 Messianic Friendship groups affiliated with LCMS congregations by the year 2010. We currently have 11 groups in Florida and two in Michigan.

Mission Statement

"The mission of LIJE is to effectively communicate the Gospel to Jewish people and to integrate Jewish believers into the Body of Messiah such that their Jewish identity is affirmed and honored."