History

Congregation Shemen Sasson was founded by John and Dariel Myers in 1992. It was during that year that John, Dariel and five of their six children began having family worship meetings in the living room of their hillside apartment in the Judean village of En Kerem, birthplace of John the Baptist and currently a neighborhood in the southwestern section of Jerusalem. Every Saturday morning the Myers family would gather to sing a few worship songs and study the Bible together. As news of their small family gathering spread, friends, neighbors, and others from the Jerusalem area began to join them. In those early days, John provided the teaching and Dariel provided a hot meal after each meeting for all who attended. From its very beginning and continuing to the present, Shemen Sasson's family atmosphere has been full of life, attracting many young people.

Shemen Sasson has continued to grow throughout the years. In 1997, after it outgrew the Myers' second apartment in En Kerem, the congregation began having weekly meetings in a historic church building on Prophet Street in Jerusalem, built during the Ottoman era. Life groups were formed during this time to maintain an intimate family atmosphere in the expanding congregation. These groups have continued to gather weekly in various homes to share bible teaching, prayer, food, and fellowship. In 2004 the growing congregation moved into its current home, a commercial building in the heart of Jerusalem's central business district. The top floor of this building houses the sanctuary and classrooms for children's ministry. An outreach center and staff offices are located on the second floor. In recent years, Shemen Sasson has experienced increasingly rapid growth and has been blessed to see many Israelis receive Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah. Though its numbers have significantly increased, Shemen Sasson has continued to maintain a warm, loving, life-giving family atmosphere. Shemen Sasson is also known for its dynamic praise and worship and solid Bible teaching.