The Israel Field Report presented at the 62nd General Conference Session on July 6, 2025, highlighted the diversity of the church in Israel and the growth in projects and initiatives by church members and pastors in spite of war. 

“We are fully aware that the context in which we operate makes our field a unique territory. In a highly divided society, with tall walls of separation between ethnic and religious groups, it is not easy to proclaim Jesus Christ as the universal solution to the problems of our planet,” the report revealed.

The report opened with some short statements from church members. They made reference to the various working fields of the territory and gave a warm greeting from the “land of the Bible.” 

Also emphasized early in the video report was the importance of continuing the work of the church in that particular region, with references to the work of the apostles and Jesus in that very place. With that, there is much division between ethnic and religious groups in Israel today, which brings up great challenges in reaching communities with the gospel. 

Statistics and Baptisms 

The secretary of the Israel Field, Oleg Elkine, reported that as of 2025, the church has 860 members and friends across 21 congregations, who collectively speak eight languages. During the past three years there have been 75 baptisms in the churches of the field.

One baptism was mentioned in particular, the story of Zoriana, who insisted on making her covenant with the Lord in the Jordan River before she moved to Canada. Her baptism was originally scheduled for Saturday (Sabbath), October 7, 2023, but she decided to move it up and got baptized earlier. It was only after the beginning of the war in Israel that she realized that if she had not moved up the date, she would not have been able to get baptized.

Translation of Books into Hebrew 

One aspect of mission work, literature ministry, that was neglected in the past has been changed by Shalom David. With his efforts and generous donations, this pastor has managed to translate and distribute a significant amount of Adventist literature in Hebrew since 2022. The publishing team is also working on translating the Sabbath School lessons for adults and youth. With the help of Safeliz publishing house in Spain, the field published 80,000 copies of Ellen G. White’s book Steps to Christ in eight languages. 

Pathfinders and Young Adults 

The youth department led by Gerardo Farias and Dara Doroshenko is working toward bringing the diverse group of young Adventists of Israel together in Jesus. The department organizes four youth events each year in different locations, and one youth camp. There is also a very active group of Pathfinder leaders organizing meetings and events at their local clubs, and one major camp on Passover every year. The Pathfinders also attended the TED Pathfinder Camporee in Hungary in 2023. 

Opening of a Wellness Center 

In such hard times of worry and stress, the heath department director Ilona Grizan started sharing the message of health. She began to work with displaced people who were evacuated from their homes, and later expanded her outreach to include those directly involved in the conflict. Andrei Borz, a local pastor, helped her ministry and provided assistance. Eventually the project expanded and there is now a working wellness center, which has provided physical and emotional help to many in distress. Also worthy of mention is that, with the support of Katia Reinert of Adventist Health Ministries at the GC, material for helping with addiction recovery was translated into Hebrew and published. 

New Areas, New Projects 

The Israel Field has managed to maintain its existing congregations, but beyond that, to open four new ones in the span of three years. That is thanks to the work and initiative of members of the church and not always as an initiative of the field. Church members in several cities have organized Hebrew lessons and excursions of biblical sites for Adventist and non-Adventist guests, which has led to forming new groups.

Message of Peace through Media

The report mentioned the focus of the Israel Field on mission through media. This year, with the support of Hope Channel International, several programs have been recorded in a variety of languages spoken in that territory. As for the Arabic community, thanks to Adventist World Radio, a radio studio in Nazareth is producing programs in Arabic and growing the Adventist group in Nazareth, led by Wisam Ali. 

A New Way to People’s Hearts

The Israel Field has found a new way to reach people with the gospel, especially in times of need. Not through books or campaigns but through compassion projects, of which there are six overall.

One of them, the project of Haifa United led by local pastor Sergey Greg, means the church is open six days a week. People can contact a counselor, receive instructions for how to diminish stress, attend a clothing bank available to all, express their needs to someone, and so on. The group also organized events outside of church that were attended by more than 150 non-Adventists. 

From the report of the field it seems that the Israel church strives to spread the message of peace and the gospel of the Lord in all circumstances. Through challenges like the great diversity of the community and their conflicts and the struggles of war, the church strives to stand together and continue to preach about Jesus. 

For more coverage of the 2025 General Conference Session, including live updates, interviews, and delegate stories, visit adventist.news and follow ANN on social media.