Bishop Robert Stearns of Eagles’ Wings Ministries visited The Friends of Zion Heritage Center and Museum (FOZ) in Jerusalem on a solidarity mission with over 30 young pastors from America and Great Britain.
CEO of Friends of Zion Museum, Mr. Daniel Voiczek, presented Stearns with the prestigious Jerusalem Award in recognition of his ceaseless efforts to strengthen understanding and amity between Israel and the Christian community. “For the past 30 years, Bishop Stearns has become a vital bridge in the global Jewish-Christian conversation. He teaches Christians the importance of the Jewish roots of their faith, the necessity of combating antisemitism and the profound need for Christians to stand with the Jewish people and the State of Israel.” Voiczek commended Stearns and the delegation of pastors, saying, "We all need to be brave and stand with the truth, saying, ‘Here am I' as you dear pastors are doing. Continue to stand firm in the current war of good versus evil and say loudly: We stand with Israel.”
The Jerusalem Award is reserved for Christian leaders who have a special bond with Jerusalem.
Bishop Robert Stearns remarked, "I am honored to receive this prestigious award and to join the story of Christian Friends of Zion. I will cherish and treasure this award, and I dedicate it to the memory of our hero, Arnon Zmora, z”l. Zmora is the soldier who passed away from wounds suffered in the rescue operation of the four Israeli hostages. “All Israel is rejoicing at the rescue of the 4 hostages, even as we pray for the freedom of those still in captivity. But as Israel rejoices, the Zmora family weeps. I dedicate this award to the honor of Arnon Zmora”.
Stearns continued, "My prayer is that we would walk in the spirit of Mike Evans who started Friends of Zion, saying, “Hineni - Here am I." I dream of the day when there are thousands upon thousands of Christian leaders worldwide who will form a functional wall of support and strength to the Jewish people, saying, ‘We will not be silent!’ That they will say as Ruth to Naomi, 'Where you go we will go, where you lodge we will lodge. Your people will be our people.Your God will be our God.’”
Bishop Stearns expounded on the purpose of the delegation, saying, “One of our core strategic missions is to identify emerging Evangelical pastors and provide them a memorable experience in the Holy Land, where they engage directly with the Jewish people, immersing themselves in their stories first hand rather than as mere headlines. It combats the media myths and misconceptions.”
Friends of Zion founder, Dr. Mike Evans, commented on Bishop Stearns: “Robert Stearns is the founder of Eagles’ Wings, a pro-Israel organization that has greatly blessed the State of Israel. He is one of the top Evangelical leaders of America supporting the State of Israel. It’s my honor to award you, Robert, as the founder of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, as well as for your efforts over the years building bridges of solidarity and friendship between Christians and Israel, bringing tens of thousands of believers to the Holy Land.”
Pastor Micah Wood of Eagles’ Wings described his own transformation on one of these journeys: “Before coming to Israel, I was antagonistic toward the Jewish state. Now, I’ve joined Eagles’ Wings full-time to facilitate positive engagement from Christians toward Israel. Through meaningful experiences, these pastors go from passive observers to passionate advocates.”
Dr. Mike Evans is a number one best-selling author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee for his lifelong dedication to combating anti-Semitism. He founded The Friends of Zion Heritage Center in 2015 in Israel’s capital city, as a Zionist platform fighting against anti-Semitism and The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. FOZ actively bolsters awareness for the historial support of Christian Friends of Israel. Their advanced media center holds dozens of events, programs and press conferences to further the vision of the FOZ Museum.