As Gentile Christians, we owe the Jewish people a great debt (Rom 15:27). We must stand with Israel, the Jewish people, and the Messianic Community in Israel and worldwide.
Wayne and Bonnie are called to help believers walk this path of reconciliation, healing, and support.
Specifically, Wayne and Bonnie are Emissaries for Israel, the Messianic Jewish Community, and Toward Jerusalem Council II.
Bonnie volunteered on a Kibbutz with a group from “Christ for the Nations” for three years in her twenties.
Wayne was a local-church elder at Shady Grove Church from 1988-1996 where he became burdened with a “to the Jew first” (Rom. 1:16) conviction.
Together they were sent out with Valentin and Tatyana Sviontek in 1996 to support the festival outreaches of Jonathan Bernis and Jewish Voice Ministries. Their assigned mission was to start a Bible college in the Former Soviet Union to train Jewish believers and those called to Jewish ministry. Representing a coalition of Messianic Jewish leaders, the first Messianic Jewish Bible Institute (MJBI) was birthed in Odessa, Ukraine. Over the following years, multiple MJBIs were started in other countries, including the accredited graduate and undergraduate programs for Messianic Jewish Studies at The King’s University, founded by Pastor Jack Hayford.
Wayne is a founding member of TJC2 being deeply impacted by the vision in 1995. He has served on TJC2’s International Leadership Council since. He also is their North American Director working closely with Executive General Secretary, Rabbi Marty Waldman.
TJC2 focuses on Jewish and Gentile reconciliation, fighting antisemitism, restoring Jewish believers’ place in the Church, and preparing for Yeshua’s return, with core practices including intercession for the “one new man” (Ephesians 2), prayer against replacement theology, and supporting Jewish and Arab believers in Israel and the Mideast, often involving communal prayer, diplomatic journeys, and affirming commitments like the “Seven Affirmations.”
From 2014 to 2026, Wayne oversaw various Jewish Ministries at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX, as a pastor.
In 2020, the MJBI became the Gateway Center for Israel under Nic Lesmeister’s leadership and now David Blease’s.
Bonnie is a gifted writer and author of “Shabbat: A Gift of Time,” and “A Roadmap to Joy: Find Your Way in a World of Discontent.”
Wayne loves to encourage God’s people and to teach His Word specifically related to the Church and the Jewish people, the priority of “first things,” the importance of the Land of Israel, and the significance of the ancient peoples of the Bible.
Wayne holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas (College Teaching), an M.A. from Oklahoma State University (Speech Communication), and a B.A. from Abilene Christian University (Biblical Studies). He has also done graduate work at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Preaching) and The University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem (Biblical Geography).
Together, Wayne and Bonnie have developed broad and deep friendships with Jewish and Christian leaders, and churches and ministries for more than 40 years.
The ministry assignment God has given them in this season is to serve a number of Jewish initiatives and churches with whom they are in relationship.
The joy of Wayne’s and Bonnie’s lives is their daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren.