“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but become an example of the faithful – in speech, in conduct, in love, in faithfulness, and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12

Threefold Vision – Nurturing the Future Generation

Our threefold vision for investing in the future generation is a dynamic ongoing discipleship outreach. It is a comprehensive approach to discipleship, addressing three vital stages in the lives of young people in Israel – high school, military service, and post-military life & career. It all simply started by seeing an immense need in these areas, and doing what we could to address it. Investing in the future generation of believers in Israel means investing in the future of this great country!

STAGE 1: YOUTH GROUP

The first stage is a youth group called “NerYah” (Light of God). The NerYah youth group was birthed from recognizing the need for discipling youth in the Land. In the initial years, the group formed organically as a small group of students seeking to grow in their faith and now after many years, God has helped us to grow in number and vision as we have seen the needs of the youth develop over time. It is amazing to see how this group that started from 4 youth has grown into a group of 95, as well as two full-time staff and numerous young adult volunteers to oversee the group! The NerYah group is comprised of high school aged youth from various congregations in Jerusalem, who meet weekly for fellowship, worship, and the study of God’s Word through one-on-one discipleship and in small group settings. Living in a culture that is ignorant of and often hostile to their faith, it is vital that the youth have a place to be encouraged and supported in their faith with other believers their age and to receive discipleship and guidance from excellent young adult leaders.

The leaders also meet with the youth who are graduating and enlisting in their compulsory military service as practical preparation for everything they will face during their service. Even the method of teaching in NerYah has matured in recent years to studying in-depth the books of the Bible with a systematic lesson plan throughout the year. During each summer, the youth meet regularly, sometimes even daily to worship, pray and study the Word of God together. We also provide a youth recreation center in which a number of games and resources empower the students to enjoy healthy and frequent fellowship with one another throughout the year, any time of the week.
Finally, the youth also learn to put their faith into practice through organized volunteer service projects that the leaders arrange throughout the year, as well as preparing care packages for our believing soldiers’ outreach.

STAGE 2: ARMY SERVICE

The second stage of the three-fold vision came into place in 2009 to provide much needed support and love for the believers during their army service. Here in Israel it is mandatory for every young man and woman to join the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). The army is one of the most challenging seasons in the life of believers. The loneliness, being away from home, being separated from the Body of Believers, dealing with the harsh reality of this world, and sometimes even war can cause our soldiers to take their eyes off the LORD. We recognized a huge need to provide a safe place for our soldiers to meet, to share their struggles without the fear of being judged, and feel God’s unconditional love for them regardless of the challenges they face. Today we serve about 40 soldiers in this outreach. We hold bi-weekly meetings where we pray, worship together, and offer teachings that challenge the soldiers to get into the Word of God as they seek a fresh understanding in light of the unique challenges that they face during this defining period in their lives. One-on-one counseling is also available to the soldiers as needed. Also, for those times when the soldiers are on duty, we send care packages a few times a year to bless them with thoughtful gifts and notes, and to let them know we’re thinking of them and supporting them in prayer.

STAGE 3: CHANGING THE WORLD

The third and final stage of our threefold vision began with Moran’s desire to provide our post-military youth with scholarships to study at university or a trade school in order to earn a profession. Not only would they be a godly influence to those in their workplace, but they would also earn an honest, respectful income to support their families and the local Body of Believers, which in turn, will help Israel to fulfill her call to be a blessing to the nations. Today, the HFI staff has turned it into something beyond the original vision! Aside from scholarships, we also provide regular one-on-one guidance in a variety of areas including personal, spiritual and professional matters. It is an incredible blessing to see these young people who have been with us since age 14 becoming mature and strong believers; we look forward to see how they will grow to be effective leaders and game changers in Israeli society!