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Pastor and co-founder of Kehilat HaCarmel (Carmel Assembly)
Executive Director of Carmel Communications, Carmel Ministry Center, and Carmel School of Ministry
Founder of Asia Center, a ministry to Asian Christians
Board of Directors of Church Growth International
Education: bachelor's degree in Economics, Tufts University; Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, Christ for the Nations; and a Master of Divinity, ACTS
Several months after his best friend's death in 1973, Peter's girlfriend of Jewish descent, Rita, went to a coffeehouse in Santa Fe, N.M., called Shalom. There she heard a young Jewish "hippie's" story about his life changing encounter with Jesus as his Messiah. That night Rita went through a deep heart change and accepted Jesus as her Messiah, too. Peter noticed the immediate, radical change in Rita's life and prayed to become God's servant.
Soon after this, Peter and Rita were married, and Peter's desire to become involved in ministry led him to go to two years of seminary at Christ for the Nations. From this earliest point of their conversion to Christianity, God had already put Israel in Peter and Rita's hearts. Also, their contacts at Christ for the Nations had strong ties to Israel. While Peter was going to seminary, he also worked in the computer industry. Both of these paths led them to Japan in the 1980s.
CALL TO ISRAEL
For five years in Tokyo, Peter helped assemble an international congregation and served as associate pastor, yet Peter and Rita always knew they would live and work in Israel. As a result of Rita's Jewish heritage, they were invited to come to Israel as new immigrants and become citizens. In 1987 they moved to Israel with their 2-year-old daughter. They had the vision to establish a congregation in Haifa that would benefit both Jews and gentiles, and they began to gather with a handful of believers near their home for prayer and fellowship. In 1990 they met David and Karen Davis. The Davises moved from Jerusalem to Haifa to start a drug rehabilitation center called Beit Nitzachon, or "House of Victory." In 1991 the Davises asked Peter and Rita to help them pastor the congregation that began out of the rehabilitation center. This congregation became Kehilat HaCarmel (Carmel Assembly), where they all continue to minister.
GOD'S TSUNAMI
A key message Peter wants to share is the incredible significance of Israel as a nation. The existence of Israel alone is the fulfillment of God's Word. It testifies to God's covenant and proves His promises are true. Bible believers should be enlightened to God's fulfillment of His promises and His Word through His chosen people, the Jews. Israel exists because God purposed it this way, and Israel was chosen to be a blessing for all nations. Peter wants to help impart the significance of Israel as a nation and the vision for the prophetic purpose of Israel (Romans 11:25-26). The only hope of real peace in Israel is Jews and Arabs worshipping and ministering together in the land.
At Kehilat HaCarmel, Arab and Israeli pastors work together side by side. The foundational vision of this congregation is the idea of "one new man," Jews, Arabs, and other gentiles worshipping together in the unity of the Holy Spirit. The church has also planted two completely Arabic speaking congregations.
Beit Nitzachon has also shown fruits of its labors. An Israeli drug addict went through the rehabilitation program and succeeded. Later, a militant Arab who was trained for suicide bombings enrolled in the drug rehabilitation program. The recovered Israeli helped the Arab through his rehabilitation, and both became friends.
Peter's latest book, God's Tsunami, tells of God's move throughout the earth. A tsunami is a very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake. Peter says "God's Tsunami," is the move of the gospel expanding in a westward direction. From the time of the Apostle Paul, Peter shows that God directed Paul to preach the gospel to the west. Peter chronicles how the gospel has moved west into Europe and has been moving steadily westward to this day. Though Paul's ministry only took him as far as Rome, the gospel has continued to spread to Europe, then to America. From there it moved to Asia (the 10/40 window) and will circle back to Israel - where it all started, will be the "end of the line" in the western sweep of world evangelization. Jerusalem is God's chosen place for the return of the Messiah. This message is described in Scripture. The passage Peter references is Romans 11:25, where Israel's revival will follow the fullness of God's harvest among all nations and is the chief requirement for Christ's return.
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