Dear Praying Friends,

We are facing a situation that has great need of prayer. We have not written of this before because we had felt that it would surely resolve itself. Perhaps we were naive and underestimated the enemy’s determination to harm us; but we are at a point that we need God to intervene.

The municipal tax structure makes provision for houses of prayer to receive exemptions from paying city taxes. This was our status in Tel Aviv for several years. Each year an inspector would come and check the facilities to verify that the activities justified the exemption. At the start of what was to be our last year in Tel Aviv, for no apparent reason, with our having made no change in anything, the city canceled our exemption. We appealed the ruling and presented our case with the help of the lawyer we engaged at that time. We brought personal testimony and several affidavits attesting to the fact that we were indeed a prayer center and that nothing had changed to warrant the cancellation of the exemption. Much to our surprise, our appeal was denied. However, they agreed to give us an exemption for the Tabernacle and intercession room, excluding the space used for accommodations. This reduced our tax debt to about $40,000.

By this time we had already moved from Tel Aviv to the Judean hills and engaged a believing lawyer from Jerusalem. Our new attorney found a provision in the law that specifically granted a 66% exemption for sleeping accommodations serving spiritual pilgrims coming to pray. We presented this to the city and they refused to consider it on the grounds that we should have brought this fact up at the start. (Our first lawyer had not been aware of the regulation.)

At this point, our only legal recourse is to sue the city for rendering an unjust determination. There is, however, one other avenue to explore which we will take on Wednesday morning, August 1st. This meeting cannot be scheduled in advance, but we must go to the Tel Aviv municipality, take a number and wait in line for an opportunity to plead for mercy. They have the ability to reduce the debt to a minimum symbolic amount. We will explain who we are, what we did, and what happened and pray the Lord will give us someone’s heart. We do not know what the Lord is doing, but we will follow where the Spirit leads. Perhaps this is all for the salvation of a city clerk.

 

So on Wednesday morning at 8:30, Arni, Michael, Yonit, and our believing lawyer will go to the Tel Aviv municipality.  Michael and Yonit will pray outside while the rest are inside.

 

Please pray with us for the Lord to be glorified and His will manifested in our lives and ministry.