By: David Parsons, ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman

The Christian Embassy held its annual International Leadership Conference in Helsinki in early June, with ICEJ-Finland national director Jani Salokangas and his team organising and hosting the yearly gathering of our global network of national leaders. Some 60 representatives from over 20 countries attended in person, while a similar number joined the proceedings online. The Finnish branch was marking the 40^th anniversary since its founding by Dr. Ulla Järvilehto in 1984, and it was extra special to celebrate this milestone with our many faithful Finnish Christian supporters.

The ILC gathering was held in the beautiful new Hotel Maria, and the itinerary included a tour of the national Parliament building, a visit to the city’s main Jewish synagogue, a boat ride around Helsinki harbour, and a 40^th anniversary concert in the city’s unique “Rock Church”. The 40^th gala event was attended by over 600 guests and featured the Israeli ambassador to Finland and an array of gifted musical artists, as well as a tribute to the four successive national directors of our Finnish branch – Dr. Ulla Järvilehto, Rev. Juha Ketola, Kari Niemi and Jani Salokangas. Among its many accomplishments, the ICEJ’s Finnish branch has faithfully supported our Homecare nursing program for elderly and disabled immigrants in Israel, and assisted over 25,000 Russian Jews in making Aliyah to Israel through Finland.

During the business sessions of the ILC, the leadership addressed the serious issues facing Israel and our ministry in this difficult time of war. ICEJ President Dr. Jürgen Bühler described how Israel has been changed by the current conflict, noting that there is much national grief over the remaining hostages and the losses on the battlefield, but also a turning to God and a sense of unity among the ordinary people. He also spoke about the need to explain to Evangelical believers the traditional Christian concept of a “just war” in relation to Israel’s rightful struggle to defend itself against sheer evil and terror.

ICEJ Board Chairman Rev. Ingolf Ellßel reminded everyone that the conflict raging around Israel is at heart a “spiritual battle”, and he issued a challenge that our international movement must understand this fight against rampant antisemitism is not against people but against principalities and powers of darkness, citing Ephesians 6:12.

“Our real challenge is to learn to minister on another level. We can handle things in the Kingdom of God, of course, but we mostly have to deal with people, who are just humans that act and think based on what they see in the natural,” said Ellßel. “We know through the secret of prayer, the eyes of their hearts can be opened. With the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we will see even the hills come down and the valleys come up, because He will go with us.”

The Jerusalem leadership also brought along a special guest from Israel who had a deep impact on the ILC conference. Ilan Isaacson serves as security chief for the Eshkol Regional Council, a collective of 33 farming communities along the Gaza border who took the brunt of the Hamas terror invasion last October 7, including the massacres at Kibbutz Be’eri and Nir Oz, and the Nova music festival near Re’im. He recounted the long and terrifying events of that day, and how he fought to save as many lives as he could. His courageous actions were an inspiration to us all.

The final order of business was to honour Rev. Malcolm Hedding, the ICEJ’s former Executive Director, for his more than four decades of service to the ministry. Malcolm was stepping down from the Board of Trustees and governing Association, ending any official position with the ICEJ, though he graciously promised to remain alongside the Christian Embassy to offer encouragement to others now leading the ministry forward.

“A good leader is one who has enthusiastic followers that embrace the vision or person that he represents, and we represent Jesus of Nazareth,” said Hedding, who served as Chaplain on the Jerusalem staff in the 1980s, as Executive Director from 2000 to 2011, and as a Board member and international spokesman ever since.

Drawing from Ecclesiastes 7:8, he added that “if leadership is given to a movement that God has called, then its end should be better than it began.”

“This ministry is a special and peculiar gift from heaven,” Hedding assured. “It came down in a moment of time where God strategically brought things together, brought people together, and initiated by the power of the Holy Spirit this very unique ministry… and this ministry is bigger than all of us.”

“God calls us to faithfulness and significance. He wants your life to be significant in the time that He has given you in this ministry,” he concluded.

Every delegate left the leadership conference renewed in their commitment to comfort and support Israel in this difficult hour, just as the Christian Embassy was called to do.