The Church of Israel is located in rural southwestern Missouri at the edge of the Ozark Plateau. These rolling hills still retain much of the raw appeal the pioneers once encountered when exploring this area centuries ago.  The church grounds are located near the bank of the Osage River at the historic site of an early trading fort.  Church of Israel parishioners have found that the peaceful setting fits the family-focused lifestyle, and revel in the God-given natural beauty of the surrounding countryside.

A newcomer might inquire as to how the Church of Israel came to be.  And what, precisely, is the Church of Israel?  The answer to that question lies decades back, in 1941, when a small group of families ventured off into Colorado, and then Missouri, to form an independent Christian Church.  These men and women felt the powerful urging of the Holy Spirit to return to the unfettered truth of God's Holy Word.  They settled in a quiet, rural location fit to sustain a new community whose established intent  was to worship God in the way the Spirit moved them, consistent with the dictates of Scripture.  A simple way of life built upon Bible truth was the objective of that early congregation, as the Church of Israel took root in Vernon County.

As time moved on, Pastor Jesse Cruse was ready to pass on his mantle as steward of the flock.   The Church Board selected Daniel Gayman to take the reins of leadership and lead the small congregation here at Halley's Bluff.  Pastor Gayman was then, and has continued to be, a devoted student of Bible truth and has dedicated his life to unselfishly serving God both here in Missouri and in meetings throughout our great Nation. 

Locally, the Church of Israel has now grown into a sizeable congregation, necessitating the move into an expanded Sanctuary.  Formal Worship services are held every Sabbath morning in this beautifully appointed House of God.  The Church also conducts mid-week services on Wednesday evenings and hosts monthly New Moon gatherings.

Additionally, the local congregation maintains a campground, the purpose of which is to facilitate visitors who gather for appointed Feast Days; this includes several dormitory buildings that feature sleeping quarters, bathrooms, and kitchens, as well as an RV campground with hookups, and a central dining hall.  The annual Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles are all celebrated on the Church grounds.  Festival keepers from across the nation and from countries abroad find a hearty welcome when they arrive to keep the commanded Festivals of God.

Every summer, the Church of Israel hosts a Bible Camp, providing youth with an opportunity to experience edifying Biblical truth mixed with a hearty dose of sporting competition and fun, wholesome activities.  For our adult population, we maintain the Missionary and Literature  Room, our bookstore, which stocks nearly one thousand rare book titles, along with miscellaneous items of interest.  Additionally, the Church sponsors an Audio Ministry that mails preselected, relevant sermons to families around the globe.  Finally, daily prayer requests and counseling, the highest calling of any ministerial body, are an ever-present priority to which our ministers are devoted.

If you have any questions or just want to chat, contact us; we would love to hear from you!

8/21/2018- The calendar is marching relentlessly onward and that means we here at COI are preparing for our upcoming September festivals.  The first observance of a high holy day lands on September 9th, and that is the Feast of Trumpets, Ethanim.  Next comes the solemn feastday known as the Day of Atonement, also a high holy day and a day of fasting and prayer, on September 18th.  Shortly following that, from September 23-30, we will be hosting our much-anticipated Feast of Tabernacles, which will feature morning and evening services, communal meals provided by the local congregation, and free lodging.  We urge you to make this year's commanded feastdays a priority in your life, to the very best of your ability.  Call today to reserve your room.

4/19/2018 -  The Feast of Passover has officially come and gone, and we can honestly report that by all measures it was a success. We were truly  honored to host this decade’s legitimatly record-breaking number of visitors! While the weather vacillated between hot and cold per your typical, finicky Missouri spring, everyone managed to keep their cool and focus on warm adoration and praise of the one true LORD in whose name we convened. It took many hands and the sacrifice of innumerable man-hours to make observing this festival possible, so on behalf of all at COI, we are grateful to the many people who put their lives on hold to attend and also are  thankful for those who worked tirelessly to make this annual event a meaningful one. May our Father in heaven continue to bring forth a harvest of blessings from the lessons learned and the Christian fellowship shared in the intervening months, until we meet again  at  

the Feast of Tabernacles.

3/30/2018 - We here at COI have been busily preparing to celebrate Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread 2018!  That day is very nearly upon us, and it all happens at our local church on March 31st-April 6th.  Where will you celebrate this ancient High Holy Day?  Feel free to join us at 5:30 p.m. for our Communion service.
 

3/13/2018 - Take a moment from your busy day to check out this new piece written by our very own Pastor Dan Gayman as an excoriating response to the Parkland shooting.  He holds back nothing in diagnosing the root of the violent epidemic we face in our divided nation, and pleads for all who have ears to hear to act decisivly per his insightful warning.

2/09/2018 - Preparations for our annual Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread, March 30th-April 6th, are well under way here at COI! How will you celebrate this appointed festival of the LORD?  Join us!  Call or email today to reserve your housing. 

10/01/2017 - We here at COI are very excited to be able to host a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, October 3rd through the 10th, for all Gospel of the Kingdom believers per Leviticus 23:33-36.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

09/26/2017 - The season of High Holy days continues, with the Day of Atonement fast approaching!  This upcoming Thursday, September 28th, is the appointed day of fasting and prayer as found in Leviticus chapter 23, verses 26-28:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.

09/17/2017 -

God's holy, specially anointed feast days are specifically enumerated as occasions He expects His believers to observe.  This upcoming Tuesday, September 19th, is one such day--the Feast of Trumpets.  Numbers 29:1--"And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you."

Leviticus 23:24--"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying,  In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation."

Join us in honor of the Day of Trumpets, Tuesday morning at 9:30. 

08/17/2017 - 

For those of our followers who have expressed an interest in accessing our sermons--breaking news!  Just this month we launched a brand new youtube channel featuring a variety of sermons by our own Pastor Dan Gayman, which you can listen to at your leisure by simply clicking here!  It is our hope that this new venue with a fresh selection of sermons will serve to both broaden our scope and also enhance your personal walk with Jesus Christ.