Ben Pakula was raised as a Reformed Jew. At age 13 he celebrated his Bar-Mitzvah at Temple Emanuel, Woollahra. At age 19 he came to know the One who perfectly fulfilled all of God's mitzvot, and who gave His life as a ransom for many: Jesus, the true Emanuel. Early on as a Christian Jew, he reasoned that God had given him the extraordinary blessing of being born in Australia; a wealthy and free country with vast opportunity. His paternal grandmother - a French survivor of the Holocaust - emigrated to Australia shorly after the war. Given how much Jesus had done for him, he loathed the thought that upon His return he'd have little to show for the kind investment He made. Ben wanted to do as much for God's kingdom as he could, which is why he has ended up in full-time vocational ministry in the South-West of Sydney. He serves as an assistant minister in an evangelical Anglican church, and longs to see both Jews and Gentiles come to know the wonderful salvation found only in Christ, and to strengthen God's people in the faith.
He's been married to Stacie for 15 years and they have three lovely boys - Eli (12), Micah (9), and Isaac (5). Stacie is a gifted cook, and she enjoys going out to a nice restaurant. Eli is into soccer, guitar, and drawing. Micah is into chess and Pixel Gun 3D (a computer game), and Isaac is into whatever his brothers like. Ben is into music (guitar and drums), and writes and records Christian music for children with the aim of having truths from God's word permeate their hearts and minds, as well as my own.
The way he came to know the Lord was through the witness of an uncle; an orthodox Jew who had come to faith and had subsequently been marginalised from the family. This uncle has since discipled and mentored me, and impressed upon me the biblical importance of Jewish ministry. He didn't need much convincing! But he wanted to support and/or serve in a Jewish ministry that was thoroughly reformed and evangelical. It's for this reason that Ben is glad to serve on the board of Christian Witness to Israel.