Trinity Baptist Church in Asheville, N.C., in collaboration with Ralph Sexton Ministries, recently hosted “A Night for Israel.” A 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.
“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.”
The money raised during the telethon was enough to sponsor a Mobile Intensive Care Unit Ambulance, and a Life Support Ambulance.
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 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.