Trinity Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C., in collaboration with Ralph Sexton Ministries, recently hosted “A Night for Israel.” A moving service was followed by a telethon that raised more than $300,000 for Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical system. The whole evening was broadcast on television and radio and livestreamed on multiple platforms, reaching hundreds of thousands of people across the southeast.
Senior Pastor Winston Parrish of Trinity Baptist and his grandfather, Pastor Emeritus Ralph Sexton, Jr., founder of Ralph Sexton Ministries, had been in Israel just six days before the October 7 attack. Sexton has visited Israel 58 times, using his Bible to lead tours of the country that inspires his faith and his life. Parrish has followed his footsteps through Israel and takes groups himself, having now gone 13 times. Both leaders have a deep love for Israel.
“Israel is home,” was Parrish’s message. “Home is supposed to be free from violent attacks by mass terrorists. Home is supposed to be free from rocket fire, free from RPGs and smoldering gas cans thrown into your living room. Home isn’t supposed to be like this.”
Sharing this love of Israel, participants gathering in person and those watching from afar gave enough to sponsor a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulance, a Life Support Ambulance, and a Medicycle for MDA.
The emergency vehicles are built in the U.S. Due to the urgent need caused by war, they are being flown to Israel instead of shipped by sea. At least a dozen MDA ambulances have been destroyed or damaged beyond use. Three emergency medical workers were murdered while working to save lives, and eight others have been killed in combat. Others have been wounded as they continue to save lives under fire.
As the ground war with Hamas in Gaza intensifies, new reports continue to come in of Israeli soldiers killed in combat. Rockets continue to flow out of Gaza and from Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon.
“Magen David Adom is constantly on the move, responding to every rocket siren,” said Parrish. “Before the ministry, I served with Buncombe County Emergency Services as a paramedic and firefighter for 11 years. I have a deep appreciation for the commitment of MDA’s paramedics and EMTs, who are being deployed around the clock.
“MDA teams are pulling the wounded out of rubble, from homes, even picking up people from the side of the road whose bodies are filled with shrapnel and administering lifesaving care.
“This seems almost unimaginable,” Parrish continued. “What is certain is that the brave men and women of Magen David Adom cannot give up, and they cannot run out of medical supplies.”
Prior to this event, Trinity Baptist and Ralph Sexton Ministries had sponsored two Life Support Ambulances, a Mobile Intensive Care Unit ambulance, and a Medicycle for MDA, which were fully funded by donor dollars. Pastors Parrish and Sexton and others from Trinity Baptist dedicated their latest ambulance in Jerusalem last December.
“The ministry’s support of four vehicles over the years has provided medical treatment to more than 30,000 Israelis,” said Yoni Yagodovsky, MDA’s director of international relations, during the event.
“You can’t imagine what it means to us. You are our partners for life. Thanks to all of you, we are able to reach out to people in need, help them, reassure their families, and do the best we can,” he said.
For more information about the event, visit www.tbcasheville.org or www.ralphsextonministries.com.
About Magen David Adom
MDA is Israel’s emergency medical service and ambulance provider. It answers every emergency call for help, trains and dispatches paramedics and EMTs, maintains the nation’s blood supply, and responds to disasters worldwide. Right now, resources are being gathered from around the globe to support MDA’s efforts in saving lives during this unprecedented time of war in Israel. For more information or to give, visit www.savinglivesinisrael.org.
To learn how your church could host “A Night for Israel” or to arrange interviews with MDA representatives and paramedics, email Gwen Adams, public relations manager, at gwen@infinityconcepts.com or text or call her at 724.936.1120. You can also contact Clem Boyd, director of public relations, at clem@infinityconcepts.com or text or call him at 724.930.4003.