More than 550 Christian leaders from 51 nations have arrived in Israel for a major gathering of international faith leaders, culminating this week in Awake Jerusalem, a night of music, prayer and solidarity at Jerusalem’s Tower of David.
ynet Global will broadcast Awake Jerusalem live on October 3 on its website and social media channels, bringing the event to audiences in Israel and around the world.
The concert is part of a 10-day delegation organized by Eagles’ Wings and led by its founder and president, Bishop Robert Stearns. Taking place during Sukkot and in the days leading up to the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the visit brings Christian leaders, dignitaries and officials to Israel for meetings, briefings and encounters with Israelis directly affected by the past three years.
For Stearns, who has been coming to Israel since 1992, this visit feels markedly different. “I feel that nationally there is a greater sense in the nation of dependence on God for help, and a spiritual component that has renewed,” he said on an interview ahead of the events. But he said the change he sees is not only spiritual. He has also noticed Israelis taking greater personal responsibility for explaining their country and experiences to the outside world.
Stearns recalled having lunch with three Israeli businessmen who had nothing to do with politics, yet each was thinking about what role he could play in Israel’s struggle over international public opinion. Israelis, he said, understand the military battles being fought by the IDF, but increasingly recognize another arena as well: what he describes as an “eighth front” - the battle over Israel’s story. “I sense a tremendous level of personal responsibility that Israelis are taking for telling the story and being a ‘shaliach’, a messenger,” he said.
‘Come and see for themselves’
That idea lies at the heart of the Eagles’ Wings delegation.
Among those participating are senior Christian leaders whose churches and networks collectively reach tens of millions of people worldwide, including Bishop Dr. David A. Sobrepeña, founder and senior pastor of Word of Hope Christian Church in the Philippines; Rev. Ricardo Castillo Medina, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God in Costa Rica and president of the World Hispanic Assemblies of God; and Brazil’s Rev. Dr. Reinaldo dos Santos.
(Photo: Eagles’ Wings)
Delegations from Kenya and Nigeria are also participating. They include Kenya’s First Lady Rachel Ruto; Ogiame Atuwatse III and Olori Atuwatse III of Nigeria’s Warri Kingdom; and Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa.
Stearns said the delegation represents networks reaching some 100 million people globally. “We are here to pray. But to act,” he said. “We are not just here to sing. We are here to become educated, empowered, and go back to our nations.”
During their stay, delegates are scheduled to meet Israeli leaders, IDF and Foreign Ministry officials, faith leaders, returned hostages and bereaved families. Strategic briefings are also intended to give participants a deeper understanding of Israel’s security challenges and the impact of the past three years.
Stearns believes there is still a significant gap between the support Israel receives from evangelical Christians and Israelis’ understanding of that community. “There’s very little bridge of connection,” he said, noting that Israelis sometimes approach evangelical support with uncertainty or suspicion.
His answer is direct engagement. Eagles’ Wings says it has brought some 45,000 people to Israel over the years, including thousands of pastors and influencers. Stearns said that when participants are asked afterward about the most memorable part of their visit, the answer is often surprisingly simple: Shabbat. “When we saw women lighting candles, fathers blessing sons and daughters, when we saw the phones go off, traffic die down, and the beauty and power of the simplicity of family and friends coming together,” he said, describing what visitors tell his organization.
Such experiences, he argues, can have more impact than political arguments. He recalled speaking recently with a German businessman visiting Israel for the first time. His reaction, Stearns said, was straightforward: “This place is nothing like the media says.”
“That’s just a human being experiencing the land,” Stearns said. “Israel tells its own story.”
Prayer - followed by action
Asked what prayer can accomplish at a time of war, division and rising antisemitism, Stearns said prayer without tangible action is insufficient. “Prayer is everything. And prayer must have with it action,” he said, citing the Bible’s teaching that “faith without action is dead.”
“We must pray, but we must become the answer to the prayer that we are praying.” For Stearns, that means participants returning home better equipped to speak about Israel, confront antisemitism and engage their own communities.
He also sees the current moment as an opportunity to deepen Christian-Jewish relations while acknowledging the real differences between the two faiths. “We have genuine theological differences, and they should be respected, mutually,” he said. “But we are united in 95 percent in our view, and we must build this gesher for the sake of humanity, so there is a brighter future.”
Music from the Tower of David
That bridge will take a musical form on October 3. Awake Jerusalem will bring Christian artists from around the world to the Tower of David for an evening centered on Jerusalem, faith and solidarity with Israel.
According to Stearns, public interest was immediate. “We opened to sell tickets, and we sold out in four hours. Gone,” he said. The vision, he explained, is deliberately youthful and joyful, using music to rise “above the noise” at a moment dominated by conflict and political division.
(Photo: Eagles’ Wings)
“David was not only a warrior, he was also a musician,” Stearns said. “So the City of David should put the music” at the center. He hopes Awake Jerusalem will continue to grow, with ambitions for an even larger event at Sultan’s Pool next year.
Engaging younger Christians is becoming an increasingly important part of that effort. Stearns said Eagles’ Wings recently brought 100 college students to Israel, part of a broader attempt to expose a new generation to the country beyond what they encounter through social media, campus activism and international news coverage.
Many evangelical Christians grow up with a strong connection to the biblical Israel, he said, but often know far less about the complexities of the modern state and the conflict surrounding it.
Bringing them to Israel allows them to encounter that reality themselves. “You shape people’s views by telling stories,” Stearns said. “Israel and the land of Israel tell a story that the nations can learn from.”
For Stearns, the events of the coming days are part of something larger than a single delegation or concert. After more than three decades of bringing Christians to Israel, he believes the challenge now is turning affinity into meaningful relationships, and relationships into action. “It’s time for tachles,” he said, using the Hebrew and Yiddish expression for getting down to practical matters. “We have to stand together shoulder to shoulder.”
And on October 3, that message will begin with music in the heart of Jerusalem.
ynet Global will broadcast Awake Jerusalem live from the Tower of David on October 3 on our website and across its social media channels.