RABBI EMERITUS
OUR HISTORY
Children of Jacob Messianic Synagogue was established in Springfield, Missouri, as a welcoming Messianic Jewish congregation committed to Torah-centered worship, the celebration of the Biblical feasts, and proclaiming Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah of Israel.
The synagogue was planted by Messianic Rabbi Jeff Friedman and his wife Vixie. In 2018, the family relocated to Springfield and established Children of Jacob Messianic Synagogue.
The congregation offers a warm, familiar environment for Jewish people to explore their Messiah while providing Gentile believers the opportunity to connect with the Jewish foundations of their faith. Services blend modern worship with traditional Hebrew liturgy, Torah reading, and observance of the Biblical holidays.
Today, under the leadership of Rabbi Ryan Stough, who in 2025 took on leadership as Parnas, Children of Jacob Messianic Synagogue continues as a conservative Messianic synagogue at . Rabbi Stough is guiding the congregation into its next chapter while honoring its foundational calling of humble service, Torah teaching, and Messianic worship. The congregation remains dedicated to its core vision: providing a safe haven for Jewish people to learn about their Messiah, helping all believers understand the Jewish roots of Christianity, and instilling a deep Biblical love for Israel.
Children of Jacob Messianic Synagogue welcomes all who desire to worship the God of Israel in spirit and truth, in a community that honors both Jewish heritage and the finished work of Messiah Yeshua.
Messianic Rabbi Jeff Friedman and his family began ministering to Jewish people in 1989, founding and leading a Messianic Jewish congregation in Philadelphia for 16 years that taught Christianity’s Jewish roots and ministered to Israel and the Jewish people. Since 2009, they have expanded globally through humanitarian and medical aid that creates opportunities to share Messiah Y’shua, serving Jewish communities in Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Israel, teaching at Warsaw and Kiev Theological Seminaries and Valley Forge Christian College, helping bring many to faith, strengthening congregations, and planting new ones.
Jeff holds a B.S. in Pharmacy, an M.A. in Biblical Studies, and an M.S. in Administration, worked as a pharmacist from 1976, and has served full‑time as a Messianic rabbi since 1989; Vixie holds a B.S. in Nursing, served as a Captain in the Army Nurse Corps, practiced nursing for 25 years, and now teaches youth in Classical Conversations. They met at the 97th General Army Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, have been married 40 years, have six children and five grandchildren, and recently launched the international 501(c)(3) ministry Children of Jacob to reach Jewish people worldwide.