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Arab, Jewish youth in harmony in Christ

By Botrus Mansour
Nazareth, Israel

Israel is a land marked by hostility and violence between Arabs and Jews, but a ministry called King’s Kids brings together Christian Arabs and Messianic Jewish children in an atmosphere of respect and acceptance.

King’s Kids began eight years ago in Israel when independent Swiss missionaries, Raymond and Sophie Perret, brought to Israel a group of Swiss and German youngsters. Their aim: to start a summer camp with Arabs and Messianic believers in Christ. The camp was three weeks of training, worship, praise, Bible studies and performance rehearsal.

In 1995 the group joined with House of Light, a ministry run by Anis and Nawal Barhoum in Shefaamr village near Nazareth that focuses on rebuilding broken families. In summer 1999 a camp was held on land owned by House of Light. That’s when a mostly Messianic German group joined King’s Kids in Jerusalem.

The Barhoums’ 18-year-old daughter Rajaa explained the King’s Kids mission in Israel: “In small action groups, we go out and tell the world about the secret of our unity although we come from two enemy nations. People find it so hard to believe that such a thing could ever happen, but our living testimony for them speaks of the wonderful love of Jesus and his blood reconciling all who believe in him,” she said.

The aim of King’s Kids is to get youngsters strong in the Lord. Fifty youths meet year-round in two groups to learn how to get closer to the Lord and how to develop a closer relationship with him. Those who are mature move to an outreach of faith, love and compassion through praise and worship, Bible studies, games, pantomimes and drama in hospitals, rest homes, orphanages, schools, churches and sometimes on the streets. “We take an Arabic or English worship song mainly, and we learn choreographs and then we perform them in our concerts,” Barhoum said.

King’s Kids teams are in almost every European country and other parts of the world, though outside Israel the ministry is not specifically tailored for Jews and Arabs. Last summer some 30 Messianic Jews and Arab Christians ages 13 to 19 traveled to Romania to join a King’s Kids team there.

“We learn how to accept one another and respect one another, looking at all the good qualities we can find in each other, and praying that we would all change so we can become more like Jesus-in our speech, life, love, faith and purity,” Barhoum said.

As for audience response to ministry, “Many times through the performances youngsters are interested to join the team, and when they do it is a life-changing experience for them,” she said. “We do talk to many others, but we do not always stick around long enough to see the change in those people’s lives. We leave them in the care of a church or a pastor at the place where we performed.”

For more information, visit or e-mail: holight@netvision. net.il