Michael Wodlinger
R E S O U R C E S
Michael Wodlinger is a Jewish believer who was raised in a Jewish home in Toronto. His grandparents immigrated to Canada from the Ukraine in the late 1800s.
Michael Wodlinger has been a professional educator for over 50 years, as teacher, administrator, researcher, author, consultant and counsellor. He has a Masters of Theological Study in Spiritual Formation at Tyndale Seminary, Toronto, a Masters degree from the University of Toronto, in Educational Theory and a Doctorate from the University of Alberta.
Michael has been working with educators in industry, health services, education, and churches. Prior to his retirement, Michael was employed as Associate Professor of Education and Director of University Research at Nipissing University, Ontario. An author of several books on adult education, reflective practice, effective mentoring and numerous other publications, Michael has focused his professional activities on critical thinking, decision making and mentoring skills.
Michael came to faith in Messiah Jesus later in life. Intrigued by the changes in his wife, Chantal, when she first came to faith, Michael’s curiosity and the gentle ministry of dear friends eventually brought him to the Lord. A Chosen People Ministries staff member had the privilege of praying with him when Michael decided to trust in the Lord.
Michael began his latest phase of career and ministry by serving with Chosen People Ministries in Toronto, Winnipeg and most recently Quebec where Michael and Chantal create and broadcast monthly Bible Studies and weekly Devotions through their website: www.heartformessiah.org, You Tube and Facebook. Michael and Chantal are active in the community, volunteering and sharing the Gospel. Michael and Chantal are currently discipling a small group of adult Believers and their children who are discovering their Hebraic roots.
Charles Hopkin
R E S O U R C E S
Born and raised in Tanzania, the Land of Mount Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park, Charles attended a Roman Catholic boarding school and Agricultural College where he specialized in irrigation.
In 1983 in Dar es Salaam, Charles attended a Bible study; his life would never be the same. When the leader taught from Jeremiah 17:1-5 and Psalm 1, Charles totally surrendered to God and was transformed.
After Charles and Joan were married, the Lord God led them to pioneer an English service in their local congregation. From this an Ethiopian and another ethnic congregation were started.
Meanwhile, they joined Youth With A Mission (YWAM), working in England, Kenya, Uganda and Canada. They attended the Discipleship Training School, Basic Leadership School and School of Community Counselling. They also served as house staff, school staff and as leaders of small teams in Kenya and Tanzania. Charles led prayer teams from Tanzania to Israel and to other cities in Africa.
While in Tanzania, Charles served in a variety of ways, including ministering with other Christian organizations, at a juvenile detention centre, an orphanage, in private and government-run schools.
Charles has studied with Bible Study Fellowship International and has completed some Messianic Yeshiva studies.
Despite the fact that he has a Jewish heritage, Charles grew up without knowing anything about it – although he was always rooting for Israel. A visit to Jerusalem’s Kotel (Western or Wailing Wall) during the Fall Feasts of 1998 was a turning point in his life. He felt Isaiah 11:11-12 become a reality in his life.
Eventually God called Charles and Joan to Canada – the Land of Immigrants. Charles has been on staff with Chosen People Ministries (Canada) since 2008. He and Joan live and serve in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
We are saddened to report that Joan Hopkin passed into the presence of her Lord on Saturday, May 18, 2019. Details here.
Anna Bortsova
R E S O U R C E S
Anna was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her father coached a Soviet Olympics team and her mother taught English as a Second Language.
After Anna married Vladimir Bortsov, they lived and worked in Kazakhstan, one of the southern former Soviet republics.
In 1991, both Vladimir and Anna accepted the Lord. Vladimir followed the call of God to go into full-time ministry, quitting his job as an airline pilot. Anna continued working as a teacher and translator. They planted a church in Almaty, Kazakhstan; many people were reached for the Lord.
In 1998, Vladimir began to sense God’s call to go to Canada. They decided to test his leading to see if it was true. They went to Moscow and applied for independent immigration to Canada. Their immigration was approved on the same day, without an interview!
When they came to Canada in 1999, they first settled in Hamilton, but moved to Toronto a few years later as it became clearer that the Lord was calling them to minister in North York, where the majority of Russian Jewish people live.
The population of Russian immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area is about 200.000 people; 65% of them are Jewish! This group of immigrants has been overlooked for many years, so the need to reach out to them is great.
At this time, Anna ministers at Chosen People Ministries with a focus on discipleship and ministry to women and in the area of evangelism.
Marcello Araujo
R E S O U R C E S
Marcello Araujo was born and raised in a Jewish family in Ecuador, South America.
As he grew up, this nice Jewish boy became a political activist who wanted to change the world through Marxism.
Marcello studied drama and eventually formed a politically-oriented theatre troupe designed to spread the “good news” of the gospel according to Marx. However, in 1992, Marcello heard the true Good News and was transformed by his relationship with Jesus the Jewish Messiah.
Marcello has said, “I wanted to change the world through Marxism, not knowing that God wanted me to be part of His world-changing plan, by sharing His love and the true Gospel, the Gospel of life, the Gospel of Yeshua.”
Today, Marcello uses drama and other creative means to effectively communicate the Good News of Messiah to the lost sheep of Israel.
Chosen People Ministries (Canada) is pleased to have Marcello and his wife, Diana, on our team in the Greater Toronto Area. Together, they bring many years of ministry experience and a passion for Jewish evangelism.
Jorge & Marta Sedaca
R E S O U R C E S
Executive Director of Chosen People Ministries (Canada) since the fall of 2010, Jorge Sedaca brings vast experience in the areas of congregational planting, missions, leadership development, as well as teaching and preaching ministries.
Jorge was born in Spain and raised in Argentina, Uruguay and the USA. He is a second generation Jewish believer. His father, Victor Sedaca, was a pioneer in the Messianic movement in the US and Latin America. His brother, David, has been a well-known leader in the international Messianic movement and currently works with Chosen People Ministries in the US.
Although his first call to ministry was in the area of music and worship, Jorge ultimately surrendered to God’s call to preach and teach His Word, as well as to become a church planting missionary. In this capacity, he pastored in Argentina, Louisiana, and Michigan.
His passion to reach the lost sheep of Israel and educate the Gentile church to do the same has provided him with many opportunities to speak at conferences, seminars, and workshops in Latin America and North America.
Jorge has a Bachelor’s degree from the Buenos Aires Municipal Conservatory of Music (Argentina) and a Master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Texas). He is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry degree in Missions and Leadership Development from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Missouri).
Jorge and Marta Sedaca have three grown children, two granddaughters and a grandson (now with the Lord).
- Who Was the First Century Jesus?
This study takes a look at Biblical and extra-Biblical materials that give a fuller picture of the Jewish man, Jesus. Included are cultural, religious, leadership and Messianic characteristics of Jesus, the Son of God.
- Christmas Through Jewish Eyes
This message presents the story of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah and the Christmas story. It also includes similarities between the two and practical ways to use them when witnessing to Jewish people.
- Using Isaiah 53 in Evangelism
… is an overview of this traditional and powerful passage about the Suffering Servant, paying particular attention to its use by Philip in Acts 8. Lessons are drawn for personal evangelism encounters with Jewish and Gentile friends. - Why & How to Share the Gospel with the Jewish People
… will help Gentile Christians better understand the unique evangelistic needs of the Jewish people, including the Biblical mandate to reach out to God’s chosen people.
- Messiah in the Passover
… is a meaningful portrait of man’s redemption through Messiah as seen through the vehicle of the traditional Jewish Seder. This program demonstrates how Christ fulfills the eternal plan of salvation for all men and how He instituted the Lord’s Table at the last Passover He celebrated with His disciples. It can be a moving and challenging opportunity to invite people to receive Messiah Jesus as Saviour, Lord, and King. There are several ways to present this program: a simple demonstration with or without a communion service, a demonstration with congregational participation through the sampling of the ceremonial foods or a full banquet.
- The Fall Feasts of Israel
… An overview of the important fall feasts known as Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot.
- Additional Sermons on Individual Feasts
It Is Finished! (Yom Kippur); Adonai Yireh, the Lord Will Provide! (Rosh HaShanah); God Dwells With Us (Sukkot); For Such a Time as This (Purim); Lessons from Hanukkah (Hanukkah).
- The Shalom of God, Peace Within Ourselves
… explains the meaning of “shalom” from a Biblical perspective, presenting three human needs: knowing the God Who is peace, welcoming the Prince of peace and walking in the Spirit of peace.
- My Mission Journey with God
Jorge’s personal testimony, shared from the perspective of blessing the audience and helping listeners discover God’s plan for their lives.
- The Survival of God’s People
… is a message that unveils God’s faithful protection of Israel from Genesis to Revelation and continuing throughout history to our present day. Everyone learns that God can be trusted because He always keeps His word.
Jorge & Marta Sedaca
Executive Director of Chosen People Ministries (Canada) since the fall of 2010, Jorge Sedaca brings vast experience in the areas of congregational planting, missions, leadership development, as well as teaching and preaching ministries.
Jorge was born in Spain and raised in Argentina, Uruguay and the USA. He is a second generation Jewish believer. His father, Victor Sedaca, was a pioneer in the Messianic movement in the US and Latin America. His brother, David, has been a well-known leader in the international Messianic movement and currently works with Chosen People Ministries in the US.
Although his first call to ministry was in the area of music and worship, Jorge ultimately surrendered to God’s call to preach and teach His Word, as well as to become a church planting missionary. In this capacity, he pastored in Argentina, Louisiana, and Michigan.
His passion to reach the lost sheep of Israel and educate the Gentile church to do the same has provided him with many opportunities to speak at conferences, seminars, and workshops in Latin America and North America.
Jorge has a Bachelor’s degree from the Buenos Aires Municipal Conservatory of Music (Argentina) and a Master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Texas). He is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry degree in Missions and Leadership Development from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Missouri).
Jorge and Marta Sedaca have three grown children, two granddaughters and a grandson (now with the Lord).
