Bridgebuilder Spotlight: Dr. Victoria Sarvadi
Little by little, over the past few decades but growing more and more over the past few years, a community of activists in the Christian-Jewish engagement space has developed, with people reaching out to each other to promote fraternity and humanitarian projects in and between the Christian and Jewish communities.
In 2020, the organization I run, Root Source, together with friends at Israel365, initiated Bridgebuilders: Top Activists in Christian-Jewish Engagement, honoring seventy of these trailblazers.
In this monthly column, we focus on one of these leaders, share an interview with her or him, hear how they got to where they are today, learn about some of their projects, and consider what God is doing with regard to Jewish-Christian relations.
We encourage you to reply! Leave a comment below or send us an email at bridgebuilders@root-source.com.
This month’s bridgebuilders: Dr. Victoria Sarvadi from The Nathaniel Foundation, McKinney, TX, USA
What is the main focus of your activities today?
I am providing education on the first-century teachings and traditions of Yeshua to Christians who are disillusioned with Greco-Roman Christianity.
How long have you been doing that?
In different forms since 1998 (ministry, classes, books, developing curriculum, etc.).
What are some of the successful related programs or projects that you have done this year and in past years?
Our foundation has underwritten several major colloquia as well as smaller symposiums in order for Christian and Jewish scholars and leaders to discover commonalities and cohesiveness. We also take Christians to Israel for 1st-century study tours. I teach Bible college-level courses and provide other classes (such as Hebrew) in our Educational center in McKinney.
How did you get to where you are today?
After a death experience in 1978, I haven’t been able to ignore spiritual things. I began to get more involved in church and Bible studies. I went to Bible College and earned my doctorate in 2005 in First-Century Judaism/Christianity. I’ve written and published my memoir, as well as been featured as a regular contributor in other publications and on various Christian television and radio programs.
What is your “testimony”?
I was brought up in the Lutheran faith. In 1978, I actually had a death experience in the ICU after a liver disorder developed during the latter stages of pregnancy. While doctors worked feverishly to save my life, I had an encounter with an angel. That confrontation catapulted me into a fervent search for the Word of God and His desires for my life. Not long afterward, my husband and I moved on from attending the high liturgical Lutheran faith to a more evangelical expression of Christianity. As we studied, we began to realize that the faith of Jesus seemed quite different than the modern Christianity that developed over the millennia in the nations. We began to explore all the resources that could educate us more about the genesis of Christianity. We met scholars, read tons of books from knowledgeable authors, attended classes, and I eventually went to Bible College specializing in Hebraic understanding. When the company my husband founded went public in 1997, we founded the Nathaniel Foundation for the purpose of funding educational projects to teach Christians the roots of the faith and to provide humanitarian aid to the land of Israel and the Jewish people.
What do you think God is doing with regard to Jewish-Christian relations?
I believe He has done supernatural work in the hearts of many Bible-believing Christians, directing them to the original faith of Yeshua before it was Latinized and paganized in the Gentile nations. He has caused many to love the Torah, the Jewish people, as well as His Land, Israel. I also believe God has done a providential thing within the hearts and minds of some of the Jewish community as they see these “Israel-loving Christians” in a new light and now have aspirations to share their traditions and Torah understanding with them. He has prompted desires and opportunities for both groups to share their commonalities as they work together, shoulder to shoulder, for the common good of both communities, Israel and the nations.
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