About

Founder and President, Kim Frolander

I began my journey to understanding Israel in 2006 by attending a small group study and then taking a "field trip" to the land. The Lord captured my heart for His people and His land in the those 10 days. A few months later, I moved to Jerusalem as a volunteer worship leader and accounting clerk with Christian Friends of Israel and International House of Prayer's Succat Hallel.

Upon returning home in 2009, I had so much new knowledge that I didn't want to lose floating around in my brain. I also wanted an easy way to share the exciting news that God isn't through with Israel. So, I began researching more details and writing a book that would help me teach on Israel, prophecy, history, the Feasts of the Lord, and how Jew and Gentile will be united as the One New Man as God's plan unfolds in the earth in the Last Days. The first book went over well, so two more developed to bring further understanding. (The resources page provides a fairly comprehensive bibliography of my sources and recommendations.)

It is my greatest joy to see Christians understand Biblical principles they've been missing when they finally understand how Israel fits together with this thing we call "church" in the Kingdom of God.

For five years, I gathered groups to learn in seminars and weekly small groups, celebrated the Feasts of the Lord, and led trips to Israel under the umbrella of Inverness Vineyard Church in Birmingham, Alabama (my home church since 1995 and served 3 years on staff there). Now, though I am still an active member at Inverness Vineyard, I have launched a new para-church ministry so that The Ruth Israel Initiative can become a self-sustaining entity. 

The name Ruth was chosen as part of this ministry's name because of the beautiful allegory contained in the story of Ruth and Naomi. Going beyond the scriptural account of an actual event, in this story the older Naomi also represents Israel while the younger Ruth represents the Church. (Download my notes on this teaching here). Their symbiotic relationship teaches us how we are to be joined together. 

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The Vision

Our short-term vision is to be a resource for individuals and churches to learn about how God designed Israel and the Church to fit together in the Kingdom of God now and as the Last Days approach. We want prioritize our live availability and resources to Vineyard Churches because they are "our tribe," however, (and a big however it is!), we are available to any Christian believers in Jesus who want to learn more about "this Israel thing" and take a Spiritual Journey to the Holy Land in which Key spiritual practices are modeled and can be "tried on for size and fit"  and we engage travelers in questions to facilitate spiritual relationship growth.
In order to accomplish that, four books are currently available. We host an annual weekend seminar.  We plan pilgrimage trips for first-timers with priority given to Vineyard pastors that connect to Vineyard distinctives (deep worship, personal prophecy, hearing from the Lord, spiritual formation exercises, and imaginative prayer) and try to keep those prices as low as possible while still keeping the group size comfortable and accessible. The goal of every trip is to introduce people to the locations of the Bible they've read about and thus build a stronger friendship with Jesus through experiencing His Word. People take this depth home and Bible reading is never the same! Video and print teachings, resource links to reputable and timely news, and a FAQ section are available here. 

Our long-term vision includes providing partial scholarships to help smaller-congregation U.S. pastors get to experience Israel in its fullness, and providing shorter summer family trips to Israel.

God is doing a miraculous move in our day and time: reviving the dry bones and spirit of Israel that you can see in the birth of the Messianic movement around the world and in the Land of Israel. He is inviting us to get in on it by first understanding who the Jewish People are and their appointed place in the Kingdom of God, then getting to know them to build reconciliation, trust, and support between the Church and Israel.

We welcome you to get in on the ground floor of The Ruth Israel Initiative!  Sign up and donate today!

The Ruth Israel Initiative is based out of Birmingham, Alabama. Shoot me an email to see if anyone on our Board of Directors is available to talk to your group! Or organize a customized trip to the Land for your group of 10-40 people, and we'll help you get ready to go, spiritually and culturally.

Let us know if you have any questions about us by contacting us!