On Sunday, Hagee Ministries held its 40th annual Night to Honor Israel at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, not all speakers were able to attend in person. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President Mike Pence sent written remarks. Ambassador of Bahrain to the US Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Ambassador of Israel to the US Ron Dermer, Ambassador of the US to Israel David Friedman, Senator Ted Cruz, and founder of Hagee Ministries and Christians United for Israel (CUFI) founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee all addressed the audience via video message.
Consul General of Israel to the Southwest Gilad Katz, Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg of San Antonio’s Congregation Rodfei Sholom, and Cornerstone Church Lead Pastor Matt Hagee delivered remarks live at the event during which $1.4 million was distributed to Israeli and Jewish charities.
In his message, Pastor John Hagee discussed several topics including the importance of Christian support for Israel, the inherent anti-Semitism of the movement to Boycott, Divest from and Sanction (BDS) Israel and the Abraham Accords.
“Today, because of the bravery of the leaders of the UAE and Bahrain, the resolve of the President of United States and the Jewish people’s unwavering commitment to peace, moderate Arab nations are lining up to normalize their relationships with Israel,” he said.
In a message from his office in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote, “I thank Pastor John Hagee and all of your celebrating Israel. I deeply appreciate your prayers, your support and your solidarity.”
In his letter addressing event participants the Vice President wrote, “Thanks to the visionary work of my good friend Pastor John Hagee and Christians United for Israel, you’ve brought countless Christians and Jews together in solidarity with Israel.”
Dermer echoed this gratitude in his video greeting, opening and closing his remarks by crediting and thanking Pastor Hagee for the pastor’s work bringing Jews and Christians together.
“We need you to continue to stand by our side as we work to ensure that Israel has a future of security, prosperity and peace,” Dermer said.
Dermer also discussed Israel’s military, economic and diplomatic strength and the importance of the US-Israel relationship, noting, “The story of Israel has really been the story of peace through strength… the foundation of our national strength has been the relationship between Israel and the United States.”
Al Khalifa spoke of the importance of coexistence in the region as well as the threats to Middle Eastern stability.
“There is evil in this world and we and our allies have to stand united against it,” he said. “Wherever you look in the Middle East and you find trouble you consistently find the Iranian regime behind it.”
Cruz discussed the host of historic events that have taken place in the region recently, from US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital to the Abraham Accords. Cruz also devoted a portion of his remarks to the Iranian threat as well as the cooperation between the US and Israel in the fight against the coronavirus.
“We must all remain vigilant in standing with our friends and allies in Israel,” he said.
At the event’s conclusion, Hagee Ministries distributed $1.4 million in donations to Israeli and Jewish charities. The following organizations received support:
Afikim Family Enrichment Association, American Friends of the International Young Israel Movement, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Bikur V’Ezras Cholim, Galilee Medical Center, Just One Life, Koby Mandell Foundation, Nefesh B’Nefesh, Ohr Torah Stone, Save a Child’s Heart, Shurat HaDin, and the Women’s International Zionist Organization.
“Forty years ago we made history as Jews and Christians came together to celebrate the first Night To Honor Israel. Today, as history is being made with Arabs and Israelis coming together in peace and harmony, we are deeply humbled to have heard from such a wide array of speakers including His Excellency the Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States,” said Pastor Matt Hagee.
Since holding its first Night to Honor Israel, Hagee Ministries has donated more than $100 million to Israeli and Jewish charities.
Hagee Ministries is an international Christian Evangelical Ministry led by Pastors John and Matt Hagee. John Hagee is the founder and senior pastor of Cornerstone Church, a non-denominational evangelical church with more than 22,000 active members and is the founder and Chairman of Christians United for Israel, the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization. Matt Hagee serves as the Lead Pastor of Cornerstone Church and is the sixth generation in the Hagee family to carry the mantle of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to America and the nations of the world.
