“Jewish Roots Journey: Memoirs of a Mizpah” is a chronicle of Nancy Petrey’s exploration of the Jewish roots of the church, and the deeper understanding she came to of scripture, church history and the history of modern Israel through intensive study and travel.
On Thursday, July 19, the former Columbian will attend a book signing at Broadacres United Methodist Church, 618 31st Ave. N. in Columbus, from 10 a.m. until noon.
Petrey, who currently lives in Luverne, Ala., came to know the Golden Triangle well during her 11 years living in Columbus. Her husband, Curtis Petrey, was pastor of Central United Methodist Church before founding, in 1991, Golden Triangle Trinity Church, an interdenominational church between Columbus and Starkville.
Nancy Petrey was motivated, in part, to record her narrative in “Jewish Roots Journey” (Energion Publications, 2012) by her numerous trips to Israel.
“I’ve had so many exciting and some very dangerous experiences in Israel during times of uprising and other events,” she said Wednesday via phone. “I wanted to leave this message for my children because I feel I have a call as a mizpah, a watchtower, to pass on what God has given me.”
Book chapters like “Give Me Back My Money,” “Wild Rides,” and “Colorful Characters” will entertain. Others, such as “Prayer, Persecution and Suicide Bombers,” will inform and hopefully inspire.
“I think there are a lot of good teaching nuggets in it,” remarked Petrey, who holds a master’s degree in Jewish studies, learned to speak Hebrew, and did volunteer work in Israel.
She hopes Christian readers will be challenged to dig deeper, to “take up their responsibilities as believers, including praying for the peace of Jerusalem.”
“I hope to keep the church informed about what is going on in Israel and to concern myself with how the Lord leads me to teach the church about its Jewish roots,” she said.
The public is invited to the book signing. For more information, contact Susan Adams at 662-329-3269.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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