Day one (Tuesday, May 3) of the 2022 Leadership Gathering: Prov. 3:6 says “In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path” … Well, we made our agenda, but Yah had other plans for us today. Part of being a family is having “shared stories”. Today we shared time in praise and worship followed by members sharing their stories and praying for one another. Various topics surfaced in our discussions that we feel will be important for us to consider when we get to reviewing the Articles of Declaration and Bylaws. Members also discussed the future of Family Reunions, Regional Gatherings, and National Summits. It was reaffirmed that these are very important for our growing family. Three past Elder Chairs (Mark and Polly Webb, John and Joie Conrad, and Ed and Wendy Boring) were recognized for their leadership by planting of trees in the Judea and Samaria area of Israel (part of the Greening Israel project).
Day two (Wednesday, May 4) of the 2022 Leadership Gathering: after several more “shared stories” and prayer covering, members reviewed the Articles of Declaration that were adopted at the 2016 Tampa Summit. After careful review, the members have asked the Elders to draft language for a couple of edits on the document. They also felt it was imperative for the leadership of B’ney Yosef North America to affirm that Jerusalem is the City of our King, repent/renounce creating roadblocks (and the roadblocks of our ancestors), and recognize the need to create signposts for directions to Jerusalem. This was followed by corporate prayer, repentance, and supplication. Additionally, members discussed the viability of creating a network of Affiliated congregations/home groups – not to grow BYNA but to grow Yah’s work.
Day three (Thursday, May 5) of the 2022 Leadership Gathering: the men traveled out to Growing in Torah to see their facility and hear about their ministry. The women, meanwhile, spent time together sharing concerns and praying for one another. When we reconvened after lunch we wrapped up our “story sharing”. We then spent time reviewing the Bylaws and making some needed changes to them so that they reflect what we are actually doing. We continued our discussion on Affiliations and decided to do a “beta” test. Members also reviewed the Mishpocha document and felt that a video should be created explaining what we are trying to accomplish with the document. Three elders were tasked with creating a video that will be housed on the website along with the document. Members noted that next spring (2023) will be the seventh anniversary of B’ney Yosef North America and suggested planning a Summit that would also include approval of the changes to the Articles of Declaration and kicking off Affiliations. The evening concluded with protocol gift-giving, shofar blowing, and a time of worship with the congregants from Word of Truth, whose facility we used for our gathering.
