History of Good News for Israel
Good News for Israel was founded by the disciples of Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824); a carpenter, lay clergy, and founder of the great Norwegian “Hauge Revival,” which eventually led to the founding of The Zion Society for Israel in 1878 and later renamed Good News for Israel in 1975.
Hans has been called the Martin Luther of Norway. God used him to dramatically transform the spiritual landscape of Scandinavian Europe and America. He emphasized the importance of people reading the scriptures for themselves. During a prayer revival, the followers felt inspired to start an evangelical outreach to the Jewish community called The Zion Society for Israel.
The first branch office was opened in Chicago and, eventually another was opened in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, the Chicago branch was forced to close during the Great Depression. They sent missionaries to Israel and to Russia. They also supported missionaries in New York, to share the Good News with the thousands of Jewish people flooding into America.
In 2016, Good News for Israel merged with a 122-year- old Jewish mission organization called Chosen People Ministries. Together we have over 240 years of history reaching out to the Jewish people. We are located in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, which has the largest Jewish population in the Twin Cities.
