Wednesday, April 2, 2003 Greetings Brethren, The new moon of the first month of the biblical year was seen in many locations the reports follow. Also the barley in Israel was confirmed to be mature enough to be parched for the wave sheaf offering. Together they are the two signs of Yahweh's blessings that signal the start of the Biblical year and the count to Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the first of three pilgrim feasts that we are to go to the place where Yahweh places his name. Over the years I have come to understand that Yahweh's name is now in His people and where two or three are gathered to serve Him the spirit of Yahweh is also active. Although we look forward to one day returning to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh as written in Ezekiel and Zechariah we are now spread over a broad landscape that the Jews have come to call Diaspora. It is a great blessing to gather before Yahweh during these blessed feasts. I would like invite you of behalf of Elder Frank Brown, the Meyer family, and the brethren in the North Carolina area to a Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread meeting in Ashville, North Carolina. The meeting will be held in the Fairfield Inn Conference Room, across from the Asheville Airport on Hwy. 280. Take Exit 9 off Interstate 26 (Airport exit). Elder Frank Brown will be officiating the Passover ceremony on April 16th at 6:00 PM with a pitch-in meal. If possible I encourage you to keep Passover as a family. Elder Frank is going to help with this in the Passover ceremony by walking through with each participant the parts of the Seder that are appropriate to the believers in Messiah. The Passover as recorded in Exodus 12 was kept as a family and today there is a great importance on building the family's relationship with Yahweh and Yahshua through the keeping of the feasts. The training of our children starts with our example to them just as Yahshua provided the pattern by which we are to live. Thursday, April 17, at 10:30 AM, we will meet for the first High Day of Unleavened Bread. There will be a pitch-in meal at 12:30 PM, and an afternoon service at about 2:30 PM. Basically a pitch-in meal involves bring a covered dish or two with unleavened ingredients. As a refreshment of what leavening is in food products and other items, it includes baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), baking powder, cream of tarter, and yeast. Be careful though some items that claim to be Kosher for Passover contain leavening. Chametz is a general term for all food and drink made from wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt or their derivatives, which are forbidden on Passover because it is leavened. Even a food that contains only a trace of chametz is prohibited and must be removed from our homes. (Reference for Chametz) Matzah (Strong's number 4682) is the Hebrew term for unleavened bread while Chametz (Strong's number 2557, leaven) is not limited to bread. All leavening has to be removed before the end of the fourteenth which is referred to as the preparation day. No leaven is to be eaten with the Passover nor for the seven days of the feast. Dates for the upcoming Passover and Feast of Weeks: | Passover (lamb was sacrificed) | | April 16, 2003 | | Feast of Unleavened Bread | April 17-23, 2003 | | Wave Sheaf Offering | April 18, 2003 | | Feast of Weeks | June 6, 2003 |
April 16th at sunset until April17th at sunset, April 22nd at sunset until April 23rd at sunset, and June 5th at sunset until June 6th at sunset are holy days and are to be kept as a Sabbath. I pray that you have a blessed feast and a safe journey. May Yahweh through Messiah Yahshua rid our spiritual lives of the doctrine of wickedness through these feasts so that we may grow stronger in truth. Yahweh Bless, James A. Meyer Abib Report from Jerusalem, IsraelAbib Found!
On Sunday March 30, 2003 an Abib Search was carried out in the Northern Negev in the area of Ofakim (west of Gaza). Abib was found in large quantities. Some plots checked were over 90% Abib. Other fields were mostly Abib with scattered stalks having already reached the harvest-ready stage. This confirms that there will be harvest-ready barley fields in two weeks time during Feast of Unleavened Bread. The upcoming new moon on Thursday night will be the beginning of the new biblical year.
Rosh Hashannah Sameach (Happy New Year)!
Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel New Moon ReportsRocheport, MissouriJim - Greetings in Yahshua's Holy Name. We are calling to report a sighting of the new moon of the first month at approx. 6:45 and a cloudy sky. Many people say it. Hope you saw it too. I'm heading back to the back to get something to eat. E G.G. Frystown, PennsylvaniaHi Jim... Alex Jay here at Frystown. Katie and our daughter Lydia both saw the moon tonight, very thin and hard to see. Definitely a first night moon. Happy New Year! Shalom, Alex Fulton, MissouriHi Jim & Laura,
We saw the New Moon tonight at 7 p.m. It was very thin, but I am sure it will get brighter as the evening progresses.
Happy New Year!
Denny & Donna Bitterman Venus, TexasJim,
Three of my sons spotted the New Moon Crescent around 7:15 this evening here in the Venus, Texas area.
Yours in Messiah,
Gary McDaniel and Family Richmond, IndianaThe new moon was visible here in Richmond, IN. from 7:32 pm thru 7:51 pm EST. I was standing in the middle of a cornfield on a blue-sky evening. May Yahweh bless you and keep you. Happy New Year...
Scott Sweet Clarksville, ArkansasJim,
My wife, Jo, and I saw the New Moon of the First Month (Abib) at 7:10 PM, CST, near Clarksville, Arkansas. It was very faint but clearly visible at about 12 degrees.
Shalom,
Frank Sand Springs, OklahomaBrother James and Family,
Happy New Year! We, My wife Gaynell and I, saw the very slim sliver of the New Moon from Sand Springs, Oklahoma just about dark tonight in spite of clouds building in the West.
In YAHshua,
Arkie Lebanon, IndianaShabbat Shalom Bro. Meyer!! HalleluYah! We indeed saw the New Moon Crescent at 7:30 pm in Lebanon Indiana. It was indeed very faint and very low but we did see it! We did have some clouds but the crescent was just above them and we thank Father Yahweh for placing it where it could be seen this evening, as it started the New Year Abib! May everyone have a blessed New Moon Sabbath and a glorious and beautiful Passover and Unleavened Bread! Those that saw the new crescent was: Bro. Warren Smith, his wife Sue, their son Warren Allen, Mary Rogers and her son Damien, also in Lebanon, Indiana. Loveland, ColoradoShalom to all. On 4/2/03 the moon was very visible to the eye and was seen by Kevin Bitterman in Loveland Colorado.
Yahweh bless! Cisco, TexasI and my daughters Ri and Asya saw the new moon tonight at 7:12 p.m. Thanks for sharing the reports. Danville, VirginiaHi Brother James,
Sorry, the new moon crescent was NOT seen in Danville, Virginia under clear skies.
Shalom,
Berry Texas Hill CountryTX Hill Country near LBJ Ranch--low clouds which moved in about sunset thickened preventing any possibility of verifying the new moon from this location-----Shalom!....Daniel |
