In the 1980s, a significant number of Jewish people across the Lower Mainland, came to believe that Yeshua was the Messiah. Whether through dreams, visions, or simple realization of that fact, a community of Jewish believers was born. Every month, they would meet in the home of Elie and Judith Nessim, at 4249 Osler Street, just one block from Congregation Beth Israel. This fellowship resulted in growing self-awareness, and learning that other groups of Jewish believers around the world were forming their own congregations, ideas began to form. Alan Gilman led the way to a large degree, setting for the rationale for a Messianic Jewish congregation.
About this time, Ben Alpert of Chosen People Ministries passed through the city and seeing the notable number of Jewish believers excitedly proposed that Chosen People Ministries could establish a Messianic congregation in the city. The Jewish believers of Vancouver were not impressed by the idea that a Jewish believer from the United States would propose co-opting what was clearly a Canadian, Vancouver, movement. They were not about to become the 51st state! Unwittingly, Ben Alpert was being used of the Lord. This reaction was a big part of the reason that Zion Messianic Fellowship (ZMF) was formed, becoming an organization that the Messianic Jewish believers of Vancouver themselves established for their own purposes.
In 1985, Alan and Robin Gilman started a home-based congregation in South Vancouver, under the auspices of ZMF. When they moved back to Montreal in 1986, Elie and Judith Nessim continued the meetings in their home at 4249 Osler Street. Initially a very small group, over time the weekly meeting began to grow, and took on the (initially temporary) name Kehillath Tsion. Within a few years the congregation was meeting in the firehall in Marpole, and later at Quilchena Chapel, at 33rd and Arbutus. Elie and Judith were greatly helped in this work by Lionel and Sylvia Leslie, who became full partners in the congregation’s leadership.
Elie and Judith were greatly helped in this work by Lionel and Sylvia Leslie, who became full partners in the congregation’s leadership. The Leslie family continue to be mainstays of Kehilat Tsion to this very day.
By the turn of the century, Kehilat Tsion was meeting at Cascades Chapel on Boundary Road, and by 2015 Elie no longer had the strength to actively lead and teach. It was at that time that Daniel Nessim returned to the area, having served with Chosen People Ministries for over ten years in England, with his wife and youngest son. In a natural process, Daniel assumed the leadership of the congregation. One of the first steps Daniel took in leadership was to establish a building fund. In those years Pastor Al Runge, a Jewish believer from Brooklyn, and influential Alliance Church pastor, helped in the preaching. Even more so, much-loved Rich Carruthers, while not Jewish, provided excellent teaching and great pastoral care for the congregants until 2020 when he and his wife retired and moved to the USA.
Subsequent to Rich’s departure, Marty Shoub joined the leadership of Kehilat Tsion. This was a great help to the congregation, steadying it after the 2019 Covid epidemic. Today Kehilat Tsion has its own synagogue at 4195 Knight Street and seems to be entering a new, exciting phase of life as it continues to be a light for Messiah Yeshua in Vancouver, and to support Jewish believers in Yeshua in their faith and life in Him.
The future looks bright!