BIO OF THE SCHNEIERS

    In 1973, in their last year of law school at George Washington University, David & Leslye Schneier placed their trust in Yeshua as Messiah, after several years of searching for truth as "hippie law students." They immediately became involved with Beth Messiah Congregation in its first year, meeting in Manny Brotman's basement in Rockville, MD. Both David and Leslye worked as lawyers in the DC-Maryland area.

 

The transformation from D.C. lawyer to Odessa Messianic Rabbi came as a result of working with Russian Jewish immigrants in the U.S. and seeing their spiritual hunger and openness to Yeshua. In 1995 they went with Hear O Israel Ministries to Odessa, Ukraine to work with an outreach Jewish music and dance festival. Following the outreach, they helped plant Gateway to Zion Congregation in Odessa and David and Leslye have lead that congregation since 1996.

         In 2005, their Odessa congregation birthed daughter congregations, one called Beth El in the nearby port of Ilychusk, and a Messianic Arabic congregation (in Odessa) led by a Syrian former Muslim who came to faith in Gateway to Zion six years earlier.

    The main vision of Gateway to Zion is to reach Jewish people with the good news of Yeshua, to disciple those who put their trust in Him, to serve the poor and to raise up worship and praise that will capture the hearts of the Ukrainian people. The Odessa congregation is specifically involved in aid to Holocaust survivors, orphans, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, the sick and the poor. They also have developed teaching/training courses for Messianic congregations and churches about the Jewish roots of the faith and the common destiny of the Jewish people and the nations.

  With the opening of the Messianic Arabic congregation in Odessa they have expanded their vision to actively reach out to Arabic and other Muslim peoples with the gospel and to train them in the Word including their family and destiny relationship with the Jewish people and Israel.

   The Schneiers moved to France in September, 2007 to help establish a Messianic Jewish movement there. France has the third largest Jewish population in the world (600,000) and only two Messianic congregations. It also has Europe’s largest Muslim population (6 million). They are working with the Messianic leaders of France and pastors of churches who are open to the Gospel from a Jewish perspective including leaders of Arabic ministries there. The Schneiers will continue to be senior leaders of Gateway to Zion congregation that they established in Odessa while they minister in France. Finally, David was elected in July of 2007 to the Steering Committee of the International Association of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues (“IAMCS”) which is responsible for many congregations in the US, Canada, Europe, Israel and throughout the world.

         The Schneiers have four children and nine grandchildren. If you are interested in knowing more about their ministry and congregations you can e-mail them at Schneiers@aol.com. In 2006 the Schneiers joined Glory of Zion International Ministries, Inc. Correspondence and contributions (payable to “Glory of Zion Int’l Ministries, Inc.) can be sent to: The Schneiers, c/o Glory of Zion Int’l Ministries, Inc., PO Box 1601, Denton, TX 76202-1601. Please include a note that your tax deductible gift is for “The Schneiers” in order for our ministry to receive your donation.