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In Loving Memory of Pastor Jess Gibson, Chairman of the International Board of Directors

On Monday night, January 6, Pastor Jess Gibson, Bridges for Peace’s beloved Chairman of the International Board of Directors, stepped from this world into eternity. His beloved wife, Paula, and his family were with him when he made his move to heaven.

There is no way to know how many lives have been touched, changed and made better because of Jess’s life and faithfulness to God.

Our hearts are saddened at his passing, but God gives us His peace—His shalom—letting us know that this is not the end. As God’s Word tells us, we do not sorrow as the world sorrows (1 Thess. 4:13). We have the blessed hope of eternity—yet at this time, our hearts are saddened that he is no longer with us.

Pastor Jess had a passion for God and His Word. He taught God’s Word faithfully and without compromise. That faithful teaching has impacted us all. He was a man who loved his wife and family deeply and showed all of us what it is to be a man who is committed to his loved ones. He also treasured his friends and poured faithfully into their lives.

Pastor Jess loved and supported Israel and stood steadfast in his commitment to blessing the Jewish state and people. His love was rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and because of that, his love never wavered. He spent decades teaching the truth about Israel based on the Word of God, and in doing so, raised up an army of prayer warriors willing to intercede for Israel and a multitude of believers eager to give to bless the Jewish state.

His love and commitment were evident in his actions. His trips to Israel were spent interacting and fellowshipping with the people—Bridges for Peace volunteers and Israelis alike. The needy children sponsored on our Feed a Child program held a special place in Pastor Jess’s heart, and he spent many a day pouring out his heart of love and blessing on them. Venture Church (formerly Cornerstone Word Church), where Pastor Jess served as founding pastor, also gives faithfully to Bridges for Peace’s work to bless Israel.

Pastor Jess planted, sowed and watered countless seeds planted into tens of thousands of lives—seeds of loving God’s Word, worshiping God with passion, kindness, joy, generosity and establishing the importance of Israel in the hearts and minds of thousands of Christians. These seeds will bear an abundant harvest for generations to come.

Goodbye to our beloved chairman. We will see you again one day. Forever loved, never forgotten.

To honor Pastor Jess’s legacy, Bridges for Peace is raising funds to donate a medicycle to help save lives in Israel. Pastor Jess loved his motorcycle and had tremendous respect for this Israeli invention: two- or three-wheeled scooters equipped like a standard ambulance with cardio pumps, defibrillators and all the other medical equipment necessary to save a life. These “mini ambulances” are small and maneuverable enough to weave in and out of stalled traffic and squeeze through narrow alleyways where normal vehicles can’t navigate. Medicycle paramedics can therefore reach the scene of an emergency within minutes to stabilize and prep the patient for transport to the hospital.