A delegation of 150 influential Christian women leaders – responsible for upwards of a combined million congregants and followers – are meeting with Israeli officials in an intensive ten-day tour of the Holy Land. While here, they will be building bridges between Christian and Israeli women in leadership. The group will also seek to bridge the gap between Israel and the African-American community during this groundbreaking visit to Israel
The participants of the educational “Women of the Bible Tour” are coming to Israel from America, Turks and Caicos, London, and the Bahamas in order to better understand the cultural, topographical, and historical contexts of the women in the Bible.
The tour was organized by Dr. Ruth Pauline Plummer, CEO of Covenant Daughters International and first lady to Israel of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) denomination. One goal of the delegation is to bridge the gap between the African-American community with the Jewish state by building relationships. Another goal is to highlight Dr. Martin Luther King’s support of Israel.
“This visit is designed to empower and mobilize women to study the Jewish roots of their faith, the lives of historical women of the Bible, and to connect with contemporary Israeli women. In developing this understanding and these relationships, we also combat antisemitism,” said Dr. Plummer.
Archbishop Ruth W. Smith and Mrs. Cathelean Steele are the honorary hosts of the educational tour. Smith is the archbishop of Light of The World Christian Tabernacle International Association, which has a membership of over 200,000. Steele is the first lady of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil-rights organization co-founded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“As First Lady of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Mrs. Cathelean Steele is here on behalf of African-American women who want to reinforce their love, commitment, and support for Israel and the definition King gave as it relates to Zionism,” Plummer said.
Another aim of the delegation is to bridge the gap between Israel and the African-American community and to highlight Dr. Martin Luther King’s support of Israel.
King’s wife, Coretta Scott King – the first first lady of the SCLC – carried on her husband’s fight for civil rights and also his support for Israel. King once called Israel “the great outposts of democracy in the world” and said that “we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist.”
“We want to equip women in Christian leadership to tell Israel’s story. Israel’s story encouraged our people the most during our times of despair,” Plummer said. “We must connect women to Israel and equip them to teach people about the God of Israel, His covenant to the people and His faithfulness to all mankind.”
