A group of local Christian congregations is planning a "demonstration of unity and support for Israel and the Jewish people" later this month, part of a nationwide effort by an evangelical organization called Christians United for Israel.

The event, called A Night to Honor Israel, is one of about a dozen scheduled so far this year in the US. In Rochester, it will be held at Bethel Christian Fellowship, whose senior pastor, Ron Domina, is the New York State director of Christians United for Israel. The event - scheduled for March 25, according to the CUFI website, - will be announced during a press conference on Thursday, March 8, at the Bethel Christian Fellowship, 321 East Avenue in downtown Rochester.

According to a Bethel press release, Pastor Domina will be joined at the press conference by senior pastors and leaders from 32 other area church ministries. The Jewish Community Federation of Greater Rochester will also participate.

The Rev. John Hagee, pastor of a large evangelical church in San Antonio, Texas, formed Christians United for Israel in 2006. And during the tense military conflict between Israel and Lebanon, Hagee convened a gathering of more than 3,000 evangelical Christians in Washington, D.C. to show support for Israel.

Hagee serves as national chair of CUFI, and board members include the Rev. Jerry Falwell and American Values founder Gary Bauer.

CUFI's purpose, according to its website, is to advance government and civic support for Israel and its people. But Hagee seems to have a personal agenda that runs deeper. Media reports say he has been lobbying the Bush administration, urging a military campaign against Iran.

The Rochester event will include an as-of-yet-unannounced Israeli official's first visit to the Rochester area. Hagee will not be here.

Lori Sousa, coordinator of Bethel's Office for Israel Programs, says her congregation's purpose with the Night to Honor Israel is to show support for Israel's right to exist as a nation and for Jews around the world. The congregation endorses Christians United for Israel, which has its own board of directors, not necessarily Hagee himself, she said last week.

The Jewish Community Federation's interest in the event is also strictly to support Israel, says Isobel Goldman, the organization's director of community relations. Hagee's organization has reached out to Jewish Community Federations for participation in events elsewhere in the US, according to media reports. It's the first time the event has been held in Rochester, but Goldman says other communities have had a positive experience with the event.

"Certainly CUFI has shown a tremendous amount of support for Israel," Goldman says.

National news media, including the Wall Street Journal, have been covering Hagee and Christians United for Israel since he formed the organization last year.According to those reports, Hagee is a leading figure in the Christian-Zionist movement, whose philosophy is based on Biblical prophecies and a belief that Israel's struggles are a prelude to Armageddon. (Hagee's staff did not return calls requesting an interview for this article.)

In his 2006 book "Jerusalem Countdown," Hagee writes of a coming nuclear showdown with Iran. The book combines Biblical prophecy and intelligence reportedly culled from unnamed Israeli officials.

Reports by the BBC and others say Hagee interprets the Bible to predict that Russian and Arab armies will invade Israel and be destroyed by God. There will then be a confrontation over Israel between China and the West, led by the anti-Christ, the head of the European Union. The result would be a battle between East and West, culminating in the return of Christ, who would rule the world.

Hagee also predicts a worldwide conflict between radical Islamists and Judeo-Christian nations. A statement on the Christians United for Israel web site says Iran wants to "wipe out" Israel and the US and is acquiring the nuclear technology needed to follow through on the threat.

"The coming nuclear showdown with Iran is a certainty," Hagee wrote in the charismatic-Christian publication Charisma. "Israel and America must confront Iran's nuclear ability and willingness to destroy Israel with nuclear weapons. For Israel to wait is to risk committing national suicide."

Through his ministries, Hagee has donated millions of dollars to Israeli charities. Through Christians United for Israel, he has lobbied Congress, and he has reportedly been gaining influence in Washington.

Hagee and other CUFI representatives met with White House officials last year, Max Blumenthal wrote in an August article in The Nation. They urged the administration "to adopt a more confrontational posture toward Iran, refuse aid to the Palestinians, and give Israel a free hand as it ramped up its military conflict with Hezbollah."

Media reports have largely focused on Hagee and not other members of Christians United for Israel. Churches and evangelicals across the country held about a dozen Night to Honor Israel events last year, much as Hagee's Cornerstone Church in San Antonio has for almost 25 years.

The churches, ministries, and organizations participating in the March 8 press conference, according to Bethel Christian Fellowship: The Jewish Community Federation of Rochester, Bethel Christian Fellowship, Browncroft Community Church, Joy Community Church, Vanguard Christian Church, Henrietta Christian Fellowship, Faith Chapel of Churchville, New Life Fellowship, Caledonia Assembly of God, Shepherd's Fold Church, New Hope Community Church, Zion Fellowship, Glad Tidings Church, United Christian Church, New Hope Fellowship, New Testament Christian Church, Destiny Christian Church, Harvest Christian Fellowship, City Church, Harvest International Family Church, Webster Christian Church, Jubilee Christian Church, Shepherd's Heart Christian Church, Lake Shore Community Church, The Equipping Center, The Good News Rochester, International Outreach Missions and Ministry, Gates of Zion Christian Fellowship, Bridge Builders Ministry, Army of God Ministries, Ebenezer Emergency Fund, Living Faith Ministries International, United States Global Apostolic Prayer Network of New York, and Wagner Leadership Institute - Northeast.