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Tikvah Israel was founded by the late Rev. Louis Sakolsky, a Jewish believer,
and his wife, Carol, in 1990 where Denise was the Worship Leader and Eric
was the Assistant Pastor and sound technician. Through the years,
Tikvah has been held in various churches, hotels, and concert halls
throughout the Tampa Bay area, teaching the Body of Christ to
discover and embrace their Hebrew Roots as it pertains to their praise and worship
and their understanding of the Father and the Word of God, especially the Torah.
Under Shepherd's Heart Ministries, Tikvah Israel now meets every Friday night
in Dunedin, Florida on Main Street! See our calendar for details.
... encouraging the Church to better
understand its Hebrew roots ...
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Pastor Lou's beginnings . . .
Lou Sakolsky grew up in
Baltimore as a Jew and didn't have much use for Christians. He
once wrote . . .
"Christians!? I didn't want to have
anything to do with Christians. They were the cause of all my
problems. They were the ones who called me 'Kike' and
'Christ-killer'. I couldn't understand Christians at
all."
Lou carried an inner turmoil into
adulthood. There was no peace inside him. The distrust
of Christians softened enough so that he could fall in love and
marry Carol, who was Presbyterian, and have his Catholic
mother-in-law move in with them!
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There was the discussion about what to do
with the kids. It was a typical scenario in the mixed
marriage, particularly between the Jewish male and the Gentile
female. He said, "The boys will be Jewish, the girls it
doesn't matter -- they can be Presbyterian. When they grow up,
they'll marry and their name will change anyway!" Through the
years he laughed at the memory.
AND THEN THINGS CHANGED!
All that changed
when Lou became a Christian - or, as he puts it, "a completed Jew, a
follower of Christ." Lou had heard of the Messianic movement
and went to a service at the Hebrew Christian Church on Liberty
Road. The minister was Theodore Klein, who spoke of how Christ
destroys the wall between Jews and Gentiles, or people of different
denominations. To Lou it was a revelation! He found
that the words and ceremonies are not as important as the Spirit we
all share.
Lou gave himself
over to this new faith. He was a Christian with zeal.
But as the years passed, and leadership in his church changed, he
eventually found himself just going through the motions like many
other people do who call themselves Christians. Lou's
observation was . . . "They go to
church on Sunday and they put money in the collection, but there's
no real commitment. They need something to jolt them!"
LOU WAS JOLTED BY A HEART ATTACK
At the age of 40, Lou went
into cardiac arrest while taking a stress test at the
hospital. He recalled, "I was snuffed, just like that!
All the work, all the worry - for what? Zap, just like that
you're gone!"
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The heart
attack brought Lou back to Jesus. He said, "My heart attack was the
best thing that ever happened to me, because now I am a happy man."
No longer did people give Lou a hard time about being a Jew.
Instead, they gave him a hard time about being a fanatic for Christ!
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Pastor Lou's life . . .
Lou and Carol
brought up their three children in Maryland and then moved to
Brandenton, Florida and later to Clearwater. It was in
Clearwater that Eric and Denise met Lou and
Carol and became a part of the Friday night services
of Tikvah Israel. The ministry of Tikvah Israel has
reached Jews and Gentiles of almost every denominational
background.
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In 1994, Eric and Denise, through
Shepherd's Heart Ministries, Inc., assisted Lou and Carol in setting
up their own non-profit ministry, Christians United for the Holy
Land, Inc. Under their new covering, Lou and Carol
took numerous humanitarian trips to Israel and
delivered gifts to the needy Messianic Jews and Palestinian
Christians. Many churches and individual supporters helped
make these trips possible.
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Pastor Lou's homegoing . . .
On Father's Day, June 20, 1999, Pastor
Louis Sakolsky went home to be with the Lord. As a Jewish
believer in Yeshua, Pastor Lou was a very precious brother in the
Lord, and he touched many lives with his zeal and passion for God
and the things of the Spirit. The cry of Lou's heart was
for the Church to be awakened to their Jewish roots and to see the
need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and have a heart for
Israel. He wrote . . . |
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"What should motivate a Christian to pray
for Israel as a country? Our motivation should come from the fact
that Scripture admonishes us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and
by implication, the State of Israel. We must pray that the spritual
eyes of the Jews would be opened to the truth of The Messiah as
revealed in Scripture. We must also pray that the Nation of Israel
would realize that it was the Hand of God that helped them regain
the Land and to rebuild and prosper in their efforts. Nevertheless,
we see Israel as a people beloved by God - so beloved that He
promises blessings to those who bless Israel." (Genesis 12:2-3)
Pastor Lou's legacy . . .
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Tikvah and Pastor Lou were two words
that always went hand in hand. He was a man who blessed
our lives by introducing us to the Jewish roots of Jesus Christ
over ten years ago. One of our first visits to Tikvah was
when our daughter Lisa, then age eleven, was invited by Denise to
sing. From that night on, we develped a hunger and a thirst to
learn more about the Jewish roots of our Christian
faith. After only going to Tikvah a few times, Dan
was diagnosed with a fatal blood disorder. God used the faith
of Pastor Lou and others at Tikvah to pray for Dan to receive his
healing. When Lou prayed over Dan, we knew Dan was
going to be fine. Watching many people receive healing
at Tikvah has been awesome, as well as seeing others being delivered
from bondage. Each time Pastor Lou was under the
anointing, all we had to do was stand near him and God's
presence would touch our spirits. We will always remember how
much he loved to praise and worship the Lord. He was a true
servant of God and will certainly be
missed.
Dan and Maryann Behrend
I truly thank God for letting me
meet Pastor Lou. God used him to bring me into a deeper love
and understanding of Israel and the Hebrew people. Through
Tikvah Israel, I learned the meaning of worshipping in Spirit and in
Truth. Nowhere have I ever been able to worship so openly and
freely. The ministry of Tikvah and Pastor Lou have been a
tremendous blessing to me. A blessing that I thank God for and
will never forget as long as I live. And because
Pastor Lou was a believer in Yeshua, I know beyond a shadow of a
doubt that I will have the privilege of being with him again in
God's Kingdom. Thank You, Lord!
Frank J. LaPorta
*Note: After graduating from the Brownsville Bible
School, Frank and his wife, Carol, now serve in the Land
of Israel.
Pastor Lou will be so missed. He
gave so much love and wisdom, always moving through the Holy
Spirit. May God bless and keep Carol and the family in the
love of Yeshua. Praise God for His
goodness.
Barbara Brenner
I remember when my sister was dying
back in 1990, Lou and Carol prayed for her. She passed away
with joy in her spirit. It brought me comfort at a sad
time. Lou also encouraged me to attend CCTC
(Countryside Christian Training Center). I learned so much and
developed into a stronger Christian. I also remember the Seder
we had at the church. It was a memorable experience. Lou
had so much faith. I know he affected many by this
faith. It brought me through some hard times. As the
Word teaches, God delivers us out of our trials. God richly
blessed me by knowing Pastor Lou.
Janice Sowa
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