Wayne and Carolyn Carson graduated from Florida Bible College. They were willing
to go anywhere and ended up in St. Louis. Their missionary call solidified in Jewish
missions and they were employed by the Midwest Messianic Center.
Moishe Rosen, who later founded “Jews for Jesus” happened to be coming through town
during the interviewing process and was able to persuade the Director of the Midwest
Messianic Center to send the Carsons up to New York City for a six month training
program. This was during the time that Moishe was experimenting with the new evangelism
tactics that would later characterize the "Jews for Jesus" organization. The Carsons
were taught to be even more cross-cultural in New York than they had become growing
up in Miami. Moishe had them read Jewish books, attend synagogue regularly and hang
out with Jewish people. Their zeal for witnessing, that was nurtured at Florida Bible
College, found a radical flexibility under the tutelage of Moishe. Many creative
alternatives like passing out broadsides, preaching on the streets, and passing out
“broadsides” at in public demonstrations and parades were tried. They would do anything
to communicate the gospel message.
That bold enthusiasm came to St. Louis with them! A Thursday night youth meeting
called "Kibbutz" really took off and became the focal point of their week. At Kibbutz
you would find high school age hippies and some straight laced types all sitting
in a room together singing about Jesus. Electric guitars and drums were "in" at the
time and God provided abundantly. The music was excellent and it drew people, but
this meeting also offered a concise, clear, and exciting presentation of the gospel
message every week. That fact was the real drawing card! Kibbutz was the place that
you brought your friends to hear the gospel. Over one hundred people went to Florida
Bible College from the Kibbutz ministry in St. Louis. Thousands came through and
heard the good news of the Savior. The presupposition underlying the ministry was
that "the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to all who believe, to the Jew
first and also to the Greek". (Romans 1:16). As it happened in the first century,
many Gentiles were coming to faith as well. Praise God!
