{"id":644759,"date":"2026-10-13T04:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T04:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/644759\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T04:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T04:08:14","slug":"from-jerusalem-to-the-world-550-christian-leaders-carry-israels-oct-7-stories-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/644759\/","title":{"rendered":"From Jerusalem to the world: 550 Christian leaders carry Israel\u2019s Oct. 7 stories home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bishop<\/a>\"Bishop<\/p>\n

Bishop Robert Stearns, founder and president of Eagles\u2019 Wings <\/p>\n

(Photo: Dudu Koren)<\/p>\n

The gathering, organized by Friends of Zion founder Dr. Mike Evans<\/a> in partnership with Sylvan Adams, president of World Jewish Congress Israel, brought together approximately 2,000 participants, including released hostages, bereaved families, wounded Israelis and international supporters of Israel. It also formed the centerpiece of a 24-hour broadcast connecting communities around the world.<\/p>\n

For Stearns, the delegation’s participation was about more than showing support at a public event. It was an opportunity to build lasting relationships between Christian leaders and the Israelis whose lives had been transformed by the attacks and their aftermath.<\/p>\n

\u201cOctober 7 reminded us that genuine friendship is not measured by what we say when times are easy, but by whether we show up when times are hard,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cTrue friendship means coming close, listening, and refusing to walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bishop<\/a>\"Bishop<\/p>\n

Bishop Robert Stearns. The gathering was part of a 10-day Eagles\u2019 Wings delegation that brought more than 550 Christian leaders from 51 nations to Israel <\/p>\n

(Photo: Dudu Koren)<\/p>\n

He emphasized that the relationships formed during the visit should continue long after the delegation’s departure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want Christian leaders who come to Israel to build real relationships with real people \u2014 relationships that endure long after they return home. Then they can speak not merely from information, but from personal experience, and stand with people they now know as friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many participants, the visit offered an opportunity to understand Israel beyond the images and reports they had encountered in their home countries.<\/p>\n

Dr. Gibson Anduvate of Kenya said meeting families affected by October 7 had given the delegation a more personal understanding of the events.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Kenyans and as Christians, we understand the importance of standing with people in difficult times,\u201d he said. \u201cComing to Israel and meeting families affected by October 7 has made this much more personal for us. We will return to Kenya with the stories we have heard and with a deeper understanding of what Israelis have experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>\"The<\/p>\n

The gathering brought together approximately 2,000 participants <\/p>\n

(Photo: Dudu Koren)<\/p>\n

Rev. Dr. Reinaldo Dos Santos of Brazil similarly described the responsibility that comes with hearing firsthand accounts of loss and survival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stories we hear here are deeply personal,\u201d he said. \u201cMeeting people who have lived through October 7 and its aftermath gives us a responsibility to remember what they have told us and to share those experiences when we return to Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Dos Santos, visiting Israel also carried a religious significance rooted in the connection between Christian faith and the land of the Bible.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Brazilian Christians, coming to Israel is an opportunity to connect our faith with the land where the biblical story took place,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing here also allows us to hear directly from Israeli families and understand what they have experienced rather than viewing these events only from afar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishop David Sobrepena of the Philippines expressed a similar sentiment.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>\"The<\/p>\n

The Christian delegation was one part of a much larger international initiative marking three years since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023 <\/p>\n

(Photo: Dudu Koren)<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Christians in the Philippines, the opportunity to come here and pray in Jerusalem is deeply meaningful,\u201d he said. \u201cWe also come to listen to the people of Israel and to carry their stories back to the churches and communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stearns said these encounters were central to the delegation’s purpose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen these leaders return to their churches, they will not be speaking only about what they have seen on a screen,\u201d he said. \u201cThey will have met people, heard their stories and walked through places that have been at the center of what Israel has experienced since October 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the visiting dignitaries was His Royal Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, the Olu of Warri, a traditional monarch from Nigeria, who spoke about the ability of Jerusalem to bring together people from different cultures and backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the religious and ethnic diversity of his own country, he said that communities often focus on what separates them rather than what they share.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>\"From<\/p>\n

From left: Olori Ivie Atuwatse III, Ogiame Atuwatse III, the Olu of Warri, President Isaac Herzog and Bishop Robert Stearns during a meeting at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem <\/p>\n

(Photo: Dudu Koren)<\/p>\n

\u201cNigeria is a very diverse nation: There are many tribes, many cultures, a couple of religions, but sometimes people are very focused on the division,\u201d he said. \u201cBut if we all yield ourselves, we can produce a really beautiful tapestry. That’s the appeal that Jerusalem has. There is so much more that unites than divides.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nigerian monarch said the visit also presented an opportunity for African leaders to develop their own understanding of Israel and share it with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur presence here is an opportunity to build relationships and to understand Israel through direct experience,\u201d he said. \u201cAs African leaders, we can bring what we learn here back to our own communities and continue the conversation from a place of firsthand knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, a Nigerian Christian leader associated with Throne Room Trust in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, spoke of his commitment to standing with Israel in the face of continuing security threats.<\/p>\n

For Kure, however, the most lasting impression came not from the speeches or public ceremonies but from the people he met.<\/p>\n

\"Olu<\/a>\"Olu<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat stayed with me most was not a speech or a statistic, but meeting people whose lives were changed on October 7,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you hear their stories in person, you understand why being here matters. We will take those stories home with us and share them with our churches and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The delegation’s visit also included Awake Jerusalem, a gathering at the Tower of David that brought Christian artists and leaders from around the world together for an evening of worship, music and prayer.<\/p>\n

The event opened with the Shema, one of Judaism’s central prayers, and featured musicians from several countries. At one point, members of the international delegation sounded shofars, traditional Jewish ritual horns, together in communal prayer.<\/p>\n

The setting carried particular meaning for participants who viewed Jerusalem as both a place of biblical history and a living center of faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came to Jerusalem to worship and pray, but also to stand together as Christians from many nations,\u201d Stearns said. \u201cThere is something very different about praying for Israel when you are here among the people and in the land itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"For<\/a>\"For<\/p>\n

For the visiting Christian leaders, the journey was an expression of faith and solidarity <\/p>\n

(Photo: Dudu Koren)<\/p>\n

Apostle Daps Dalyop Gwom, one of the participating Christian leaders and artists, spoke about the connection between praying for Jerusalem and seeking healing in communities around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo seek the peace of Jerusalem is to align my heart with God’s longing for the world,\u201d he said. \u201cI cannot separate her streets from the streets of my own city, nor her tears from the tears of my own people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cMy prayer is that forgiveness would flow like a river, and that enemies would discover they are neighbors. For where forgiveness flows, peace takes root, and where peace takes root, nations can heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

His words reflected a recurring theme among participants: that solidarity with Israel could coexist with a broader message of reconciliation and healing across national and religious boundaries.<\/p>\n

The Christian delegation was one part of a much larger international initiative marking three years since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

Friends of Zion founder Mike Evans, who organized the central solidarity gathering, previously told ynet Global that his objective was to reassure Israelis that they had not been abandoned by the international community.<\/p>\n

\"'To<\/a>\"'To<\/p>\n

‘To seek the peace of Jerusalem is to align my heart with God’s longing for the world’ <\/p>\n

(Photo: Dudu Koren)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re trying to show them that the world is with you,\u201d Evans said. \u201cYou’re not alone. You have many friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Friends of Zion initiative involved communities in more than 120 countries, Stearns’ delegation represented a separate gathering of Christian leaders from 51 nations who traveled to Israel in person.<\/p>\n

For Stearns, the significance of bringing such a diverse group together lay not only in their presence in Jerusalem but in the influence they could have after returning to their respective countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 550 leaders from 51 nations represents a remarkable gathering of the global Christian community,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have come from very different countries and backgrounds, but they share a desire to understand Israel firsthand and to build relationships with its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the delegation prepared to carry its experiences back to churches and communities across the world, its leaders emphasized that the stories they had heard in Israel would not remain confined to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

For the visiting Christian leaders, the journey was an expression of faith and solidarity. For the Israelis they encountered, it offered the possibility that their experiences of October 7 and its aftermath would be heard by audiences far beyond Israel’s borders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bishop Robert Stearns, founder and president of Eagles\u2019 Wings (Photo: Dudu Koren) The gathering, organized by Friends of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":644760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":["post-644759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=644759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/644759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/644760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=644759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=644759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=644759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}