Chosen People Ministries (CPM) is a Christian nonprofit organization which engages in evangelism to Jews. It later supports development of congregations of adherents to Messianic Judaism, which it describes as "faith communities that stress the Jewish context of the Gospel of Jesus." It is headquartered in New York City.
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History
Leopold Cohn, a Hungarian immigrant to the United States who converted from Judaism to Christianity, founded the Brownsville Mission to the Jews in 1894. The Brownsville Mission was later relocated to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York and became the Williamsburg Mission to the Jews from 1897 until 1924. In 1897, the Williamsburg Mission headquarters housed a medical clinic, boys' club, Girl Scouts, and sewing and English classes, in addition to evening Gospel services
From 1924 until 1984 it was known as the American Board of Missions to the Jews. Since then it has been known by its current name, Chosen People Ministries.
Methods and locations
Chosen People Ministries has staff in 13 countries around the world, and starts Messianic Centers and congregations as the main focus of its work. It also plants missionaries and conducts evangelism in areas of high Jewish concentration, facilitates Church ministries, and produces evangelical literature and media. In Israel, the organization is also using media outreach in strong cooperation with the Israeli based ministry of ONE FOR ISRAEL
Midwood,Brooklyn. The New York location
In 2010, Chosen People Ministries attracted attention when it acquired a former funeral home in the heart of an Orthodox Jewish community located in Midwood, Brooklyn. This acquisition has sparked anger from the Jewish community in New York.
Charles L. Feinberg Center
Chosen People Ministries co-sponsors (with Talbot School of Theology) the Charles L. Feinberg Center as an accredited Master of Divinity program in Messianic Jewish Studies. The website explains that the program is designed to train Messianic congregational leaders, outreach workers and educators. It offers an accredited Master of Divinity and a 30-course Certificate in Messianic Jewish studies. Classes are held in New York City, though the summer program includes classes at Talbot's Los Angeles campus.
Church affiliations and memberships
Chosen People Ministries states that it is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, CrossGlobal Link, the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, the Christian Stewardship Association and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.