Our Team

Pastor Nic Lesmeister

Center for Israel // Founder

Nic Lesmeister is an American pastor and the Executive Director of “Gateway Center for Israel”.


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Pastor David Blease

Center for Israel // Director

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Dr. Wayne Wilks

Center for Israel // Partnerships Executive Pastor

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Pastor Sarah Hermeling

Center for Israel // Partnerships Associate Pastor

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Contributors

Preston Benjamin

Jen Rosner

David Rudolph

Bonnie Wilks

Dr. Wayne Wilks

Executive Pastor of Church & Jewish Relations
Nearly 40 years ago, Wayne Wilks dedicated his life to God to serve the Jewish people. Before they met, his wife Bonnie served on a kibbutz in Israel for 2 and 1/2 years with a group of Christian volunteers. In 1996, Wayne was the first elder sent out of his large local church “To the Jew First”, founding the Messianic Jewish Bible Institute (MJBI) in Odessa, Ukraine. In 2014, Wayne joined the Gateway pastoral team, turning over MJBI to Nic, his “Joshua.” Wayne has a PhD in College Teaching from the University of North Texas, a married daughter and three grandchildren, and lives in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Pastor Nic Lesmeister

Director of Gateway Center for Israel // Pastor of Church & Jewish Relations
Nic received a life calling to serve the Jewish people in 2011 while in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with one of his spiritual fathers, Dr. Wayne Wilks. After a successful business exit as an entrepreneur in the finance sector, Nic moved his family to Israel where in 2015 he earned a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2019, Nic led the vision to create the new “Gateway Center for Israel” as a part of Gateway Church, and serves as its director. Nic and his wife, Tabatha, have three children and live in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

Pastor David Blease

Gateway Center for Israel Teaching Pastor
David has been a member of Gateway Church since 2011 and has had a particular interest in Jewish ministry since 2012. After serving seven years on staff as a Gateway next-generation pastor, he transitioned to become the Center for Israel Teaching Pastor. He is currently getting his Master’s in Messianic Jewish Studies. David and his wife, Mikayla, have two children and live in Dallas/ Fort Worth.

Pastor Sarah Hermeling

Executive Pastor of Church & Jewish Relations
Sarah has been on staff at Gateway Church since 2012 serving in various departments across the organization. A love for Israel and the Jewish people was stirred in Sarah’s heart when she led her first congregational trip to Israel in 2015. Sarah earned her Master’s in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Women in Ministry Leadership from The King’s University in May 2022. She joined the Center for Israel team in 2020 and serves as the Pastor of Jewish partnerships. Sarah and her husband Jeff, recent empty nesters, live in Dallas/Fort Worth and have a blended family of 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

Pastor Sam Arnaud

Associate Pastor of Church & Jewish Relations
Sam was born and raised in France. When he was 22 year old, Sam discovered his Jewishness when his grandmother revealed how she had escaped the Holocaust. Since then, he has felt called to be a bridge builder between the Church and Jewish ministry leaders worldwide. Sam is currently working on his Master’s in Practical Theology with a concentration on Antisemitism and Jewish Advocacy. He and his wife Ashley have three children and live in Dallas/Fort Worth.
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