Month: July 2018

Street Level Ministries Cebu takes a Look Back…

July 24, 2018 Shofar Missions Cebu

The Beginning of SLM Cebu

A recent blog post reminded me last year at this point we wondered what God had in store for Street Level Ministries Cebu. In mid-July, we picked up 700 copies of Word on the Street Magazine with specific information about a Street Level Recruitment Meeting on July 27, 2017. We had a distribution plan, enlisted the help of WOTS writers, and filled our backpacks with the magazine. Every day, we set out to distribute at 2 universities (8 total) for one week leading up to the meeting. All along we knew God would bring the students He wanted to our meeting.

Dyreen, Yvea, and Orchids were able to join us for the meeting and help with set up, etc.

Fast forward to the meeting and God (just like we knew He would) brought exactly who He wanted to bring: three students from the University of Visayas. We spent some time getting to know them and talking about the vision of Street Level Ministries Cebu. We started meeting Thursday evenings at Elicon Café in September of 2017.

Due to student schedules, we moved to Friday evenings, which has allowed us to attend the New Covenant Church Bible Study on Thursdays. It has also allowed Yvea and Orchids to attend SLM on occasion. I am also reminded as we remain faithful in the little things we will be given more. Elicon Café is on the corner of a busy street! Each week we have been faithful in putting out the bifold, posters in the window, sitting in the conference room, and hanging the SLM banner. This has also drawn people in as they see us getting ready or meeting week after week.

Faithful in the Small Things

We have continued to poster the city…stop light poles, street light poles, transformers, and sides of buildings with SLM posters (its one of the neat things about the Philippines you can put a poster pretty much anywhere…..well, mostly anywhere if you read our recent blog post you know what I am talking about 😊. God continues to use our faithfulness each week to draw new people in. Whenever we put out the the bifold, hang the SLM banner, put up a poster, I am reminded we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Since Street Level Ministries started one year ago this week, we will have a party to celebrate on July 28th and also recast the vision of SLM and how students can get involved (Word on the Street Magazine, Street Level Radio).

Reaching into Primary and Secondary Schools

God has also paved the way for primary and secondary education ministry using Science Creation Curriculum. Last July, I finished developing the curriculum and emailed prospective schools and organizations. Then, we waited to see where God would have us go first.

Looking back, I am reminded of the contacts we have made throughout the years and the new ones we have made. As I looked at Google Maps and Facebook pages for specific locations I was reminded of how Shofar Missions got connected with a church and school near the Inayawan Landfill while the 2017 team was here. I began searching other familiar church names. That led me to a Wesleyan School and an E-Free School that we will visit.

Living out the Book of Acts

At our “home church” Pastor David has been working his way through the book of Acts. We have gotten to know some of the other missionaries New Covenant Church pretty well. As I read ahead in Acts 13 before the Sunday service, I was reminded of some recent conversations. Most people we talk to wish they had someone else with them, a ministry vision, and focus so the message is timely. People often ask what our focus is and what we do each week. Many people (married or single) have a plate full and continue adding to it instead of focusing on one thing. They find it interesting when we say our focus is to plant a campus ministry.

Please pray for the students that have been attending! Specifically, pray for KC who has attended New Covenant Church with us a couple times. Please pray for the SLM Party on July 28 as well. Thanks for your prayers…we are excited to catch up with everyone at the SoM Retreat and Church Campout in August!

–Laura

What’s Happening in the JFB Children’s Ministry

July 22, 2018 The Children's Ministry

The Past

Another school year has passed, and with it another year for our Foundations and Beginnings Rooms. It’s hard to believe that we are halfway through summer now. In June, Foundations got to participate in the Domestic Trip by putting hand-prints onto a banner that was created for the Jesus Camp for Kids that team 2 held. The team (which included many of our Foundations kids’ parents on the 2nd team) had the kids that attended add their hand-prints.

Lessons

Our Foundations Room has also completed their first round through the Old Testament and are now working chronologically through the New Testament. The first couple of lessons went through how the four Gospels are the same story from different points of view. It was neat to see how the kids began to understand this. One of the kids gave an example that it is like we’re all standing around a round table looking at a big bowl filled with different kinds of fruit. We’re all looking at the same bowl, but we’re seeing different sides of it!

Summer is a time for planning as well, for our future endeavors including a new set of memory verses for the Beginnings room, Worldview Curriculum, and yes…even the Christmas Program! We are constantly in prayer asking God to guide our plans and set our footsteps so that we can be used to support parents in teaching their kids the Gospel. Please join us in prayer asking God to open the eyes of the hearts of these children.

Welcome Aboard

We are also very excited to have Nancy, James, Regina, Maria, and Danielle H. as newer servants in the Children’s Ministry. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Children’s Ministry, please see Sara or Mandie.

River Falls News / July 2018

July 20, 2018 River Falls Ministry

July was a good month to stay outside and do a lot of grilling as well as move forward with connections in the community.

Our big event was the rummage sale at the Street Level location. It was a very hot day, but we were able to still entertain 50+ shoppers. The mobile Coffeehouse joined us, which was a very helpful contribution to the day – it drew in people that stayed to talk. We were able to meet many of the neighbors in our building, including several exchange students from India. They actually purchased most of the furniture we had in the sale. The success was, of course, mostly in the people interaction, but thankfully, we were also able to raise money for the 2019 Street Level Kentucky trip in the process.

We’ve also continued our Tuesday evening grill outs. We have met several people from the community, as well as seeing a student who stayed behind for summer. We’re usually surprised at who shows up and it keeps us on our toes for conversation and listening to what God may have for us in the situation. It’s good training for us – I would expect this is a large part of what God is doing.

Please continue to pray for us as you are led. We need God’s guidance and empowerment to continue to be of helpful impact for the Kingdom.

Kindred Fellowship Update

July 16, 2018 Kindred Adults Ministry

Greetings

For those who don’t know, the Kindred Fellowship at JFBelievers is a group of ~20 singles ranging from young professionals to retired nature enthusiasts. We refer to ourselves as Kindred because, despite our diversity in age and background, we all find a common bond in our love for Christ and His church. Each week we have a good number show up to our activities who are regulars, a few who come when they can, the occasional missionary home on furlough, and a visitor or two who is always welcome!

What we’re doing

As of late, we’ve been working through a “Promised Land” handout, which asks some tough questions about living a life of faith and obedience. Some of the questions include “What would it look like to be obedient to God in the next year? What would you do differently? How would it affect your relationship with God? How would it affect your relationships, vocation, calling, finances, etc.? What would it look like to walk in faith with God for five years? What would that look like in a practical sense? How can you be prepared to respond? What might your life look like in five years if you did? At the end of your life looking back, what would a life of obedience and faith look like? What fruit would remain? What testimony would you leave for future generations?” All of these questions are being looked at in the light of verses such as Joshua 24:14-15, Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 12:1-2, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Psalm 39:4. All of us have been challenged in these discussions and will continue to be as we work out God’s plan for our lives over the next year… 5 years… and lifetime together.

We were also blessed with gorgeous camping weather during our Kindred camp out on July 6th – 7th. In addition, we had dinner and group discussion around the fire Friday night (with Laura joining us on Whats App from the Philippines). Then we shot off a massive amount of fireworks (thanks Chad and Tony) and stayed up way too late getting silly. The next morning we had breakfast and group devotions, followed by a beautiful tube ride down the Red Cedar, chasing two balled eagles most of the way, until we reached Camp Damro…

For More Info…

God is indeed good and gracious. If you are a single adult and looking to get more involved in our church family, check us out. We generally meet on Sunday’s at 1:30pm. You can always look on the church website for Kindred’s next event. You can also call 715-235-4977 or email kindred@jfbelievers.com for any details. Don’t be shy. We’d love to get to know you…

Duluth News

July 13, 2018 Believers Church Duluth

Greetings from Duluth!

It’s hard to decide where to begin with everything that’s been going on in our little fellowship up here. God has certainly stirred things up, and there’s a lot to anticipate, be thankful for, and pray for as our summer progresses. We sent our first official Duluth team to Kentucky in mid-June for a week-long building project at Bethany Christian Mission Center. In all respects, we believe the trip was successful.

Not only were we able to replace an entire foundation for a crumbling building, but the unity and camaraderie that grew amongst our group was one thing we didn’t have to leave in the mountains. Being a small church naturally provides some closer bonds, but there’s something deeper that happens when you live, work, laugh, and cry together on mission 24-7. We were encouraged by seeing the passion and work being done through Bethany, and no doubt will continue to think and pray for them in the years to come.

New Ministry Group

Upon our return, we started right into a new endeavor called “Community Group” that we’ll be doing on Sunday afternoons. This group is comprised of several people who are not involved in Street Level Ministries. The mission of the Community Group is pretty simple: go out into the Duluth community and see what God will do!

Our tentative plan is to head over to a local park, grill out, and rub shoulders with whoever we happen to meet. We’ll also set aside time to hang out a local coffee shop right down the street from church at least once a month. We may even pass out ice cream on the street corner right outside of the church building to better connect with the neighborhood right around us. The anticipation is high as we wait to see what will come of this, so please pray for God’s will to be done and for fruitful interactions with those we meet.

Fund Raising

June ended with Street Level hosting their first-ever garage sale. They held it at the church and also served breakfast and lunch to the community. Street Level is planning on taking a mission trip this spring to a ministry in David, Kentucky (about an hour from Bethany), and all proceeds from the sale are going toward this endeavor. It’s exciting to see them branching out as a ministry and being blessed in all they are doing. Please pray for the planning, preparations, and ministry involved in this upcoming trip for Street Level.

Upcoming Event

One final note: we have our 10th Anniversary Celebration coming up on Saturday, July 14th. We’re going to block off part of the street in front of the church and host a party to celebrate being planted in Duluth for 10 years. We’ve invited the community for free food and music, and we’re hoping many of you from Menomonie will come as well. Pray for people in the neighborhood and community to join us for this event, and that we as a church will be blessed in ministering to Duluth in the next 10 years as well.

Annie

Immovable: When Being Stuck is a Good Thing

July 10, 2018 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

A few weeks ago I was able to travel with our Duluth missions team to Kentucky where we did some extensive work on the foundation of a building. Over the years the foundation of this building had shifted several inches leading to severe compromise of the structure and safety of the building. Simply stated, buildings are not supposed to move and when they do there will inevitably be problems.

You know that the Christian life is one of continual growth, moving forward, continuing to change more and more into the image of Jesus. Christians lives should never be static, yet there is one way that we are to not move, one thing that we are to stand firm upon keeping us unchanging and unwavering. Everything in this world will be moved, everything will change, shift, and waver. There is only one thing that will last and that is the truth of God. We are to be built immovable upon the truth of Jesus Christ. What we are building upon is not to be just words, theories, or human philosophies, but upon Christ himself.

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” We are commanded to be immovable and that can seem to be a daunting task when we consider the world that we live in. It seems as though everything around us is pushing and pulling at our hearts and lives. Our worldly desires pull us away from God, the storms and difficulties try to push us down; and yet we are to stand unshaken and unwavering. We are to remain steadfast for our Lord. How can that be possible? The prior verse has the answer. 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We are to build our lives upon the rock of Jesus Christ, you know that, but have you?

We can remain steadfast because of God, because of the victory He provides in Christ. God stabilizes our lives. He takes us from going up and down and all over the place to standing firm in Him. He says that we are no longer to be like a wave tossed about too and fro. We are to build our lives upon the rock of Jesus Christ, you know that, but have you? That is the question you have to answer, have you really built you entire life upon Him? Will the problems and pleasure of this life cause you to drift, to be thrown about, to lose the firm foundation that you thought you had? Or will you weather the storm?

It is easy to start well, to began upon that rock of Christ, but then carelessly drift away. Sometimes we think we are standing strong, but really the only reason we haven’t moved is because the right pressure has not yet been applied. What will it take to get you to move? The right job, the right spouse, the right house, the right adventure? If you really know Christ as your strength, none of that will matter. You will not be shaken. You will not be budged from God, His plans for you, the church He has placed you in no matter what happens.

Psalm 62:6 “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”
Psalm 125:1 “Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.”
Proverbs 10:31 “The righteous will never be shaken”

Are these verses really true of you? Can you confidently say that you will not be moved because of your trust in Him and what He has done?

So how are we to do this, how can we really become steadfast, immovable, resolute, trusting our Lord? The answer is NOT to try really hard not to move, to flex our muscles, plant our feet, and dig in. This will surely eventually end in failure.

We are to know Him. If we do not know our savior, we do not know what we are to build upon. We are to know His word. His truths are the one thing we have to hold unto in this world that will not change. We obey Him and see Him come through for us time after time. We are to do it together, because it is a lot easier if we are not standing alone. Above all, and really the only answer that matters, we need to love God. If we love Him, above and beyond anything else, nothing will be able to remove us from Him.

Circumstances do not matter. When the earth and sky is falling away, when everyone around you is panicking, when the winds and waves our crashing all around you, when everything in your life seems to be falling apart our God remains sovereignly enthroned; and our God wins.

I’ve been around long enough now to see people moved, people that at one time seemed immovable. I thought they would remain steadfast to the end, but they didn’t. Their lives were built upon a rock of empty religious devotion and fleeting emotions. The foundation looked strong. The rock looked right, but in the end turned out to be hollow. No amount of trying to patch up that hollow rock would suffice. No, the only real fix is just like the fix to the falling building in Kentucky. The old foundation needs to be smashed to bits and removed, allowing no part of it to remain, and in turn replaced with the new unfailing rock of Jesus Christ.