Jewish Population
600,000
Mike Cohen
Associate West Coast Regional Director
Chosen People MinistriesLos Angeles
The Los Angeles branch engages in campus outreach, online follow up, and small group fellowships. We seek to minister to the Jewish community as well as equip other believers to do the same. Our focus includes youth camps, college ministry, evangelism, and discipleship. Our heart is to teach, train, and raise up the next generation. We also delight in speaking about our ministry with the greater body of Messiah and the greater Jewish community.
Staff Serving
4
STAFF
Jon and Tiffanie Davidsen
Missionary
Chosen People MinistriesVOLUNTEERS
History of Jewish Work:
Chosen People Ministries has had a presence in Los Angeles since the mid-1930s when a group of believers reached out to Joseph Hoffman Cohn and the board of directors for help and resources. The board agreed to provide resources to establish a gospel center. Chosen People Ministries also decided to help with leadership and recruitment. Beginning with Elias Zimmerman in the 1930s, contining up to the 1970s with Dan Goldberg, and now, beginning in the 1990s, with Mike and Lisa Cohen, Chosen People Ministries has sought to make a strong presence in the second-largest Jewish community in the United States. We do so by establishing gospel-oriented messages in a context Jewish people can understand and to which they will respond.
Orange County
The Orange County branch and its activities use the local Messianic congregation (which happens to sit next door to a large Chabad synagogue) as their base of operations. Additionally, our missionaries are active in preaching, discipleship, and organizing many local events to reach Jewish people in the area.
Jewish Population
80,000
Staff Serving
2
STAFF
Larry Feldman
West Coast Regional Director
Chosen People MinistriesHistory of Jewish Work:
Robert and Althea Miller worked in Orange County serving the Lord through evangelism, discipleship, and follow up. They were also involved with their local church and other ministries, teaching about Jewish evangelism and outreach. Bill and Edith Freeman were also involved in a similar ministry, hosting Bible studies with Gentile believers wanting to learn how to win their Jewish friends to Jesus. Since 1997, Larry and Fran Feldman have been working with Messianic congregations and local churches doing Jewish evangelism and discipleship. They have planted a Messianic congregation in Irvine, CA, which has been growing spiritually and discipling Jewish and Gentile believers while also reaching many unsaved Jewish and Gentile people for the Lord.
Riverside County
Jewish Population
80,000
Staff Serving
2
STAFF
Joseph Ryan
Missionary
Chosen People Ministries
Brian Crawford
Missionary
Chosen People MinistriesSan Diego
Chose People Ministries’ San Diego branch works in partnership with local Messianic congregations.
Jewish Population
90,000
Staff Serving
2
STAFF
Tony Savarese
Missionary
Chosen People MinistriesVOLUNTEERS
- Wendy Scott (San Diego, CA)
History of Jewish Work:
The work in San Diego began in 1958 with Kenneth Reeves. Over the years, the ministry has been blessed with great volunteers and remained in contact with local congregations.
Phoenix
Our Phoenix branch emphasizes Jewish evangelism, discipleship of Jewish believers, and the education of local churches, specifically concerning speaking with Jewish non-believers about Jesus. Evangelism encompasses regular outreaches—many surrounding the feasts of the Lord—one-on-one meetings, and weekly Bible studies with groups of Jewish seekers.
Much of our work is focused on reaching Jewish people in the neighboring retirement communities by holding classes, Bible studies, and holiday events. Cathy Wilson has begun a podcast called Feasting, which combines both cooking and Bible instruction.
Jewish Population
120,000
Staff Serving
1
STAFF
Cathy Wilson
Missionary
Chosen People MinistriesVOLUNTEERS
- Linda Hart (Englewood, CO)
History of Jewish Work:
Sidney Stern began the work in Phoenix in the mid-1970s. In the early 1990s, Jewish ministry in Arizona was established through a Sunday school class and a monthly Messianic fellowship at Scottsdale Bible Church. From this relationship came outreaches, Bible studies, and more than fifty volunteers to assist Chosen People Ministries with the work there.
