Church's Ministry Among Jewish People facts for kids
The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People (CMJ) is a Christian group that helps Jewish people. It is part of the Anglican Church, which is a type of Christian church. CMJ was started in 1809 to share the Christian faith and support Jewish communities. It was first known as the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews.
How It Started
CMJ began in the early 1800s. Important Anglican Christian leaders wanted to share Christianity with Jewish people. Some of these leaders were part of a group called the Clapham Sect, like William Wilberforce. In 1809, they formed the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews. People often called it the London Jews' Society.
The society had several main goals:
- To share the message of Jesus with Jewish people first, and then with others.
- To help Christians understand the Jewish roots of their faith.
- To support Jewish people returning to the Land of Israel.
- To encourage Jewish people who believed in Jesus.
The society first worked with poor Jewish immigrants in East London. Soon, their work grew to Europe, South America, Africa, and Palestine. In 1811, they set up a center in east London called Palestine Place. This center had a school, a training college, and a church. In 1813, a group of Jewish people who believed in Jesus started meeting there. This was one of the first groups of its kind.
The London Jews Society was the first group like it to work all over the world. In 1836, they sent two people to Jerusalem. They opened a clinic that gave free medical help. By 1844, this clinic became a hospital with 24 beds.
At its busiest time, the society had over 250 workers. They helped create the job of Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem in 1841. The first bishop was one of their own workers, Michael Solomon Alexander. The society also helped build Christ Church, Jerusalem. This church, finished in 1849, is the oldest Protestant church in the Middle East.
In 1863, the society bought land outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. In 1897, they opened another hospital there. Today, this building is the Anglican International School Jerusalem. CMJ still runs this school.
By 1914, the society was very large and active. It had groups across the British Isles and Canada. It had 199 workers at 52 locations around the world. These workers included clergy, doctors, teachers, and more. Many of them were Jewish people who had become Christians. Since it started, the society had baptized about 5,000 Jewish people.
Over the years, the society changed its name several times. This was to reflect new ways of thinking about their work. It became The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People in 1995.
The old records of the society are kept at the Bodleian Library in Oxford and University College London.
What They Do Now
CMJ is one of the ten official mission groups of the Church of England. It has offices in many countries. These include the United Kingdom, Israel, Ireland, France, the US, Canada, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Australia.
In 2009, the organization celebrated its 200th birthday. They held special church services across the United Kingdom.
Challenges and Views
CMJ's focus on sharing Christianity with Jewish people sometimes causes problems. Some in the Jewish community feel this work harms good relations between Jewish and Christian people. For example, a Jewish leader named Rabbi Shmuel Arkush has asked for CMJ to be closed.
In 1992, George Carey became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in 150 years to not be a patron of CMJ. This means he chose not to officially support the group. Jewish leaders praised this decision. The Archbishop felt that CMJ's missionary work was not good for relations between different faiths.
CMJ has also often supported the idea of a Jewish state in the Holy Land. This view is called Restorationism. They believed in this idea even before the modern Zionist movement began. CMJ supported the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. They continue to speak out in favor of Israel. This has led to some criticism from people like Stephen Sizer.
Another issue has been the relationship between CMJ and the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem. The Bishop does not have control over Christ Church, Jerusalem. This is because Christ Church belongs to CMJ, which is an independent Anglican group. Many bishops have not agreed with CMJ's goal of sharing the gospel with the Jewish community.
See also
- Christian Restorationism
- Christian Zionism
- Christian Zionism in the United Kingdom
- Christianity and Judaism
- Christianity in the 19th century
- Evangelism
- Evangelicalism
- Hebrew Christian Movement
- Jewish Christians
- Mission (Christian)
- Percy Charles Edward d'Erf Wheeler
