December 1993 Personal Letter

Shalom, Dear Friend,

Greetings in the Messiah! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Steve Ger. Zola asked if I wouldn’t mind writing to you about the state of our ministry and some of the exciting plans we have for the coming year.

I am a Jewish believer and have served this ministry for several years while completing my degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. As a staff theologian, I have enjoyed talking with many of you on the telephone over the past two years, answering your Bible questions and just getting to know you personally. It has also been my pleasure to pour over your heartfelt letters to our ministry and to correspond with you. Many have responded to my monthly column in the Levitt Letter, and I appreciate all of your input and opinions.

At this time of the year, as our attention turns toward the greatest gift ever given, God’s gift of His Son to the world, I want to extend a hearty thank-you for the gifts you have given to this ministry. I’m not referring exclusively to your financial support — which is much needed and appreciated — but also to the many other ways you shower us with your love. I’m thinking of the hundreds of phone calls which come in each month, some to ask for information but many to just voice appreciation and support for Zola and the staff, to offer prayer, to thank us for doing a specific series of programs, etc. And the volume of letters we receive, many written to offer an encouraging word. Zola’s staff works hard, believe me, and when we receive letters such as these, our hearts rejoice!

Speaking of hard work, Zola and the television crew have just returned from Israel with some incredible footage and interviews! If you have been enjoying our Tell It On the Mountains series, filmed on location in the Holy Land, you will love what we are following up with in our next series of programs! Ever since Zola began the television program fifteen years ago this December, his commitment has been to present the message of the Bible in an intellectually relevant and visually compelling way. I humbly submit that our programs this year have accomplished those goals for our viewers.

And it is also no secret that Zola’s heart has always been for Israel and the Jewish people. Zola will continue to be a voice for the Jewish people (sometimes it feels like a lone voice!) in Israel and around the world. We do this not for our sake because we ourselves are Jewish, or because of the Jewish people’s merit. No, we continue to be advocates for Israel and the Jewish people because they are important to God. They are God’s Covenant people. We will not shirk our responsibility to them. Nor will we evade our obligation to our fellow believers who have rights to the facts the secular media obscure. With the new peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, unprecedented opportunities have opened up for vital new TV programs that we never could have dreamed of. I am thrilled to be a part of Zola’s ministry team at this crucial moment in history!

One of the more profound and rewarding aspects of our ministry is our correspondence course The Institute of Jewish Christian Studies. This twelve-course series deals with the Jewish roots of our Christian faith, introductions to the Old and New Testaments, prophesy, Israel and many more compelling areas. It is one of my responsibilities to grade the tests mailed in from our students. Many hundreds of our supporters have graduated with diplomas from our Institute. Let me offer heartfelt congratulations to this year’s bumper crop of graduates — we are very proud of all your hard work and its glorification of our Lord. Please accept this open invitation to enroll in the institute — come one and come all! Please send for a free Institute brochure; it will be delightful to get to know you.

I would be remiss if I neglected to mention one of the most rewarding aspects of our ministry. These are our four annual tours to Israel. I have led seven tours with Zola, and each one has been more exciting than the one before. I have so enjoyed walking where Jesus walked with our pilgrims, making the kind of lifelong relationships that are only possible in the land of our Lord. Thank you, all who have been with us this year to Israel, Greece, Turkey and Germany! Come again — we miss you! If you have never been to Israel, I urge you to come with us this March, June or September. You will never read your Bible the same way again!

Let me conclude by mentioning how wonderful our Lord has been to us this year. This has been a challenging year for our ministry. As you know, our primary cable network, the Family Channel, has raised our rates by $1000.00 per week above what they charged last year. That’s more than $50,000.00 extra this year that we have had to come up with. Additionally, our program is unavailable to thousands of loyal viewers because a number of cable stations have dropped our Christian networks altogether. For example, my parents living in New Jersey, used to watch Zola Levitt Presents every Saturday night but can no longer pick up our show on any channel! Add to this loss of viewership a tough economic year for everyone and the expected barrage of Satanic mischief, and you can understand why we need your help now more than ever before.

Fortunately, we live by faith and not by sight. The Lord who owns the cattle on a thousand hills has continued to faithfully provide for this ministry’s needs through the generosity of supporters like you. I know that some of our people make donations to our ministry until it hurts and realize that this year’s financial pie has thinner slices than in years past. And I thank God for your generosity. Please know that every hard-earned dollar lovingly entrusted to our stewardship goes immediately into God’s work.

Thank you for the grace you have extended to us and our ministry. This is a small organization, but a dedicated one: dedicated to the service of our King and Messiah. And Zola, the staff and I thank you in advance for your continued support. We appreciate, love and pray for you always. May you have a warm and blessed Christmas, filled with the glow of God’s love and goodness!

In His love,

Steve Ger
Staff Theologian

P.S. from Zola:

While I usually write the year-end letters myself, I have been receiving assistance from our staff during my recent illness.

Steve’s message above was so complete and so heartening that I wouldn’t change a word of it. I did want to add certain emphases of my own.

First, above all ours is a witnessing ministry. I can’t tell you how many letters, thousands of letters, over the years have acknowledged our part in salvations, rededications, renewed church attendance, Bible reading and all the rest. Our message, scriptural as it is, does not return void, and our powerful testimony about the Holy Land is faith building for many.

And that is my second point. Our voice for Israel is needed now as never before. At a time when church denominations, Christian publications and even evangelical seminaries are turning away from the Holy Land, we really mean to stand as watchmen on the wall. Israel is in difficult straits and needs every friend she can get. We mean to examine the Holy Land with even a more intensive light. Is this peace agreement true or false? Is the time of the end approaching or not? Is our redemption really drawing nigh?

Thirdly, I must personally ask for more of your help. While the times are bad for many, we have to accomplish more than ever, at higher prices than ever. I was shocked recently to learn that we are supported primarily by only three percent of our audience! No wonder we have to air at late hours, and no wonder we have to run so many repeat programs. If you are one of that vast majority that follows our newsletter and wishes us well but never supports us financially, would you please catch up with us at this important time? I have been going through some heart trouble lately, and I have asked for your prayers. It has reminded me that I am not going to last forever, and there is so much to be done. Frankly nothing would lift my spirits more at a crucial time than the kind of prayer and financial support that would allow this ministry to buckle down to its real work–witnessing, defending Israel and teaching the signs of the end.

Thank you and God bless.

Your messenger,

P.P.S. Our Israel tour departs December 12. Please call Karen immediately at (214) 690-1876 if you’d like to join us.