Tribute to David Davis, Founding Pastor
David Davis, Founding Pastor of Kehilat HaCarmel, was a visionary and a spiritual pioneer. After a dramatic encounter with the Lord in the midst of a successful acting career, he began ministering to drug addicts and alcoholics in New York City, under the mentorship of David Wilkerson. Like Abraham in the Bible, he heard God’s call to come to the Land of Israel and obeyed, arriving with his Jewish wife, Karen, in 1989. The following year, they moved to Haifa and established the House of Victory, the first Bible-based rehabilitation center in Israel. Despite the challenges, they knew God was saying to welcome both Jewish and Arab men into the program. David firmly believed in the “one new man” of Ephesians 2:14-18 and trusted that as these men, some former enemies, came to know Yeshua, the walls separating them would be torn down.
David had a tremendous gift for teaching the Scriptures and people began to meet in their apartment above the House of Victory for Bible study and worship. It was clear that the Holy Spirit was moving in these meetings, and after the first Gulf War ended in 1991, together with Peter Tsukahira, they founded Kehilat HaCarmel. Those early years were exciting ones as the community grew. David had a shepherd’s heart and a keen ability to see spiritual gifting in others. Because his greatest desire was to see lives transformed by the power of the Spirit, he became a spiritual father and beloved mentor to Lead Pastor Dani Sayag, as well as many others.
In May 2017, after a long period of illness, David went to be with the Lord whom he loved and served with all his heart. He will be remembered as a prophetic voice on Mt. Carmel and a man of great compassion for the lost. The foundation he helped to lay during his 25 years serving as Senior Pastor will continue to support the growth of our community into the future. His two books, The Road to Carmel and The Elijah Legacy, now translated into multiple languages, also continue to inspire and challenge the body of Messiah worldwide. The family of Kehilat HaCarmel and the thousands whose lives he touched are forever grateful for the time he spent with us.