Week Six of counting the Omer is Sunday evening, May 18, through Saturday evening, May 24.

The emphasis for our sixth week is renewal in the Spirit among our brother and sister followers of Messiah experiencing persecution, wherever they may be.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Rev 7:17 ESV)

Following Leviticus 23:15–17, we count the weeks from our deliverance from Egypt to our encounter with Adonai on Mt Sinai — the period from the resurrection of Messiah to the outpouring of the Spirit on Shavuot (Acts 2).

Counting the Omer culminates on Shavuot, June 1–3, with two big events: 

  • An all-night online Scripture study, Tikkun Leil Shavuot, with gifted teachers and leaders from the UMJC and beyond. DETAILS BELOW

  • A special gift in remembrance of the Temple offering of Leviticus 23:17. One half of this year's offering goes to support the ongoing ministry of the Union, with the other half going to Messianic Jewish humanitarian efforts in Israel and Ukraine. It's an opportunity to add tzedakah (charitable giving) as an exclamation point to our prayers!

Join us for our annual, all-night study

Presentations will be about 40 minutes in length, followed by 10-15 min of Q&A. Times notes are EDT.

  • 9PM Rabbi Russ Resnik - Sinai, the Spirit, and Messianic Judaism 2.1

    Russ Resnik is a veteran rabbi, teacher, counselor, and writer, past Executive Director (1999-2016) and current Rabbinic Counsel of the UMJC. As a writer, Russ contributes regularly to Messianic Jewish publications and websites and is the author of several books on Torah and biblical studies, including an upcoming major commentary on the Gospel of Mark. 

  • 10PM Rabbi Dr. Stuart Dauermann - Another Comforter: The Ruach

    Rabbi Stuart Dauermann, holds an MA and PhD in Intercultural Studies. A multi-media communicator, he focuses on increasing understanding and improving communication at the intersection where the Jewish and Christian worlds encounter each other and the Jewish Jesus, and focusing on a Messianic Jewish vision for serving the Jewish people's tomorrow today.

  • 11PM Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach - Joel 3

    Rabbi Dr. Joshua Brumbach is Senior Rabbi of Congregation Simchat Yisrael in West Haven, CT; Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Messianic Jewish Theological Institute, and Adjunct Faculty at The King's University. 

  • 12AM Rabbi Barney Kasdan - The Jewish context of the first century Pentecost

    Rabbi Barney Kasdan is the current President of the UMJC and leads Kehilat Ariel Messianic Synagogue in San Diego, California. He is also author of five books including his latest commentary "Acts of the Emissaries: The Early History of the Yeshua Movement."

  • 1AM Melissa Moskowitz - Rejuvenation and the 3 Rs

    Melissa Moskowitz is a doctoral student in Jewish Studies at Spertus Institute. Her ministry philosophy is twofold: 1) if it's not fun, I'm probably not going to want to do it, so I look to inject fun into
    ministry, family and relationships; 2) I may not know how to do something, but if I just show up, God will meet me. But I have to first show up.

  • 2AM Dr. Brandon Bruning - Shavuot, 2nd Temple Period in the Dead Sea Scrolls

    B.E. Bruning sojourns in "Olam hazZoom" with synagogues, study groups, and friends across the Union, though he resides in Indiana. Brandon (PhD, Univ. Notre Dame) teaches English, Hebrew, and Greek at Anderson University and researches the texts and communities that shaped each other in ancient Judaism, especially the scribes who shaped and reshaped the book of Exodus. 

  • 3AM Dr. Jeffrey Seif - Where do we go from here?: Reflections on Organizational Renewal