Gospel buses take hundreds of Jews to follow footsteps of Jesus
In recent years, GCMM’s Israel ministry has worked together with Israeli congregations to organize “Gospel bus trips” to various areas of Israel. While New Testament sites such as Capernaum, Tabgha, and the Mount of Transfiguration are familiar to Christian tourists, for many Jews these destinations are surprisingly unfamiliar. The goal of the Gospel buses is to change that.
A day trip that can change a life
Our partners in Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Jerusalem have realized that day-long excursions are a natural and warm way to introduce Jews to their own Messiah, Jesus.
The trips are attended particularly by Russian-speaking immigrants. Over the past few years, several hundred have already had the opportunity to hear the message of the Gospel.
During the excursions:
- visits are made to biblical sites
- spiritual literature is distributed
- videos produced by IRR-TV are shown
- faith is discussed in a relaxed atmosphere
Often the day culminates in an evening concert, where many make a personal decision to follow Jesus.
Connections don’t end with the excursion
Ministry doesn’t end with the bus ride. Interested participants are also kept in touch with afterward: they are visited in their homes, invited to small groups and to Alpha-type courses where questions of faith can be explored more deeply. In this way, a single-day trip grows into a longer spiritual journey.
New found Joy in Ruth’s eyes
Our partner in Jerusalem, Aviel Sela, has seen the fruit of this gospel bus excursion ministry. He shares a testimony about the life change:
“Ruth is an elderly Jewish woman whom we met a couple of years ago. She is originally from Ukraine and moved to Israel in 1995. Spiritual matters interested her from the beginning, because her son is a very religious Jew.
Ruth joined our Alev Tev group, a small group similar to an Alpha course, in 2023. In recent months, I noticed a change in her demeanour—and the sparkle of joy that had appeared in her eyes.
When I asked her what her thoughts were about Jesus, she said she had come to understand during the course that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah. She had read all the literature she had received, and through it, she gave her life to Jesus.”
Ruth’s story is one among many. It’s a reminder that every encounter and personal interaction with a Gospel bus team member in sharing Christ’s love is so important.
Prayer request
Let us pray that through this work, more and more Jews would find a genuine connection to Israel’s Savior, and that the Gospel buses could continue to transport people not only to historical sites, but also into life-changing faith.