Ministry Focus
In our day there has been a surge of Jewish people coming to faith in Jesus as their Jewish Messiah and Savior. They have a continuing affection for Jewish life and culture, while at the same time affirming Jesus as Lord and Messiah. The Baleston family of New Jersey is typical of this movement within the Jewish community. Mottel was born into a Jewish home in Brooklyn, New York and attended Jewish and public schools there. All four of his grandparents were born into Orthodox Jewish homes in Eastern Europe at the turn of the century. Mottel is the Director of the Messengers Messianic Jewish Outreach of New Jersey, a ministry of Missions Door. Messengers carries on a work of sharing Messiah Jesus within the Jewish community and leading people to faith. There are over a quarter million Jewish people in the northern New Jersey area. The ministry has experienced active opposition. Educating Christians concerning the Hebrew roots of faith in Messiah and communicating with Jewish friends is also part of their work. Mottel is a graduate of Northeastern Bible College and has done extensive study and course work at Biblical Theological Seminary of Pennsylvania and Ulpan Beit HaAm of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. The Balestons have been used by the Lord to lead many Jewish people to faith in Messiah Jesus. Many other new Jewish believers have been discipled through the fellowships and Bible studies they have conducted. Many of these Jewish believers are now serving in local churches. Over the last decade Mottel was privileged to baptize fourteen Jewish believers. In addition to his work with Messengers, Mottel also served as the Leader or Assoc. Leader of a Messianic Congregation in New Jersey for 15 years. He has spoken at churches and taught at conferences in Israel, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, Italy and throughout the United States.
Faith Story
Mottel came to faith in Messiah as a result of a search for spiritual truth. After a careful reading of the Messianic prophecies of the Jewish Bible, it was evident to him that only Jesus had fulfilled these. Mottel was led to faith by Vincent Morgan, another Missions Door missionary. Mottel's story of coming to faith is available in books and online video. Deborah was also born in Brooklyn, into a Sephardic Jewish family which had come to America from the Middle East two generations earlier. For several years she attended an Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva (Day School) in New York. She came to faith in Messiah Jesus also through an examination of the Jewish Bible prophecies shown to her by Vincent Morgan.
WAYS TO SUPPORT
Mottel and Deborah by making a financial donation using a Credit Card or by Direct Debit (ACH).
Learn more about where this ministry happens
In colorful communities and along scenic highways, diverse people and landscapes span coast to coast
Iconic American traditions include Thanksgiving dinner, jazz music and the Super Bowl. They meld with eclectic examples of multicultural heritage: numerous local Chinatowns, family-owned taquerias and even cowboy boots, which originated among the nomadic Huns of eastern Europe.
The nation's landscape shows just as many contrasts — sandy beaches and rocky coastlines, open plains and vast deserts, rugged mountains and winding canyons, and abundant rivers and lakes.
The ideals of life and liberty that founded the United States have made the country one of the world's most prosperous, though not without dark chapters and present troubles. Crime, discrimination and ethics violations make regular headlines, and many people live below the national poverty level.
Families view education as essential to the pursuit of happiness, if not also a path to wealth and power for the most ambitious. Yet Americans also demonstrate a charitable spirit of generosity toward neighbors and nations in need.
Freedom of religion grants opportunity for all faiths, but Christianity holds particular influence in country's history and daily life.
Your participation with Missions Door supports ministry in the United States among college students, including many international students, in collaboration local churches. It also enables social outreach, church planting and leadership development in a wide variety of communities — among Native Americans and other cultural groups, and in urban and suburban settings where growing and changing demographics create new opportunities for the Gospel.
Cultural Snapshot
Aside from the Native American, Native Hawaiian and Native Alaskan populations, nearly all Americans and their ancestors immigrated to the United States.
Faith Fact
In a 2013 survey, 56% of Americans said that religion played a "very important role in their lives” — a larger number than any other wealthy nation.
Country Profile
Population: 320 million
Major Religions: 47% Protestant, 23% unaffiliated, 21% Catholic, 6% other
Languages: 82% English, 11% Spanish, various others
Literacy: 99%
Poverty: 16%
Ministry service area:
Specialized Ministries
Ministry location:
New Jersey, New York, United States