Month: March 2019

Letting Go of Bitterness

March 28, 2019 Believers Church

The Issue

There are times in the Christian life when something we see or experience causes us to question the justice and goodness of God. And even though our judgment is clouded in these times, we grow angry with God or the people around us because of what we “believe” is happening around us. That’s when bitterness finds root, and man, it can be tough to let go of.

Psalm 73 sheds some light into why our hearts are prone to “slipping” away from God’s reality when bitterness finds root. Asaph’s personal experience with this is forever recorded in the pages of the bible to bring direction and hope to those who are confined by or distorted by their perceptions of what is happening around them.

Desiring God Article by Jon Bloom

In his recent article “Leave Behind the Weariness of Bitterness”, Jon Bloom helps us to see that this is not uncommon to the people of God and shows us what Asaph did to rise up out of it.

Check out this compelling message to the embittered Christian: LINK

Shofar Mission Cebu Update

March 25, 2019 Shofar Missions Cebu

Campus Outreach

For many university students, summer vacation is a week away. But that doesn’t mean we are taking a break – some universities did not start classes until August, so they will be in session until May. We continued to reach out to one or two universities per week to invite students to Street Level meetings and pass out the latest issue of Word On the Street Magazine. Live Radio Broadcasts have continued to be another way to promote Street Level Radio and SLM events. We were also able to do a student poll for the next edition of WOTS at the last live broadcast. We asked students if they could go anywhere in the world where would they go and why. It was neat to hear what they had to say and to interview them on the radio.

As the school year comes to an end, I am reminded we have known the core Architecture students from the University of the Visayas two years at the end of July. It is during these times, that I think about all that God has done in my life.

Science Creation Curriculum

For many years, March has signaled the end of the school year for students since classes normally start in June. This year, as schools move toward a mid August start date some students will be in class until May. Science Lessons wrapped up for the school year with a visit to Southern Bethany to reconnect with them and share a new curriculum with students in grades 7 & 8. Two new schools that we worked with the second semester have asked about the next school year. With classes out for the summer soon there have been a few possible summer options talked about. More curriculum continues to be developed and current curriculum edited as schools and class sizes change.

Relationships

Lately, we have been reminded of two phrases: “People, not projects” and Relationships matter.” On March 15, we had a pizza and movie night at Street Level. As I watched the movie and ate pizza that night I couldn’t help but remember where I came from. You see, I started walking with God after college. Often times, as we eat dinner and practice our Cebuano before the bible study I am reminded to never, ever lose sight of where I came from. Later that night I was thinking about friendship and life in general and was reminded how important friendship is. Earlier that week, I got coffee with a friend and we took a jeep home to make food and watch a movie. On our walk from the jeep stop to our apartment, we talked about books we have read, ministry and life.

I recently read a quote by Charles Spurgeon, “Friendship seems as necessary an element of a comfortable existence in this world as fire or water, or even air itself. A man may drag along a miserable existence in proud solitary dignity, but his life is scarce life, it is nothing but an existence.” The author goes on to say, “If you want to call friendship a luxury, that’s fine. But then make sure you also call air a luxury. There are few true necessities in life. Friendship is one of them.”

Prayer Requests

Please continue to pray for all the students as they wrap up the school year. Pray that they would continue putting God first in their lives. Also, we have been working on several tasks for the two missions teams that will be here this coming May and August. We ask that you pray for all we have been in contact with in regards to the summer missions team plans. Also, for safety as we finish up our last couple weeks here before we join everyone again for a short break. –Laura

Learning and Growing in the Children’s Ministry

March 22, 2019 The Children's Ministry

We may not be perfect spellers, but we are learning God’s Word! Much learning and growing is happening in the Children’s Ministry these days!

New Teachers

In February we held a new teacher training class. Four servants who have been faithfully assisting in the Children’s Ministry are currently training to begin teaching in the Foundations Room. Please pray for Danielle, Amber, Abby, and Rachel as God is growing them into this new role!

New Foundations Room teachers in training

All Servants Meeting

In March all of the Children’s Ministry servants gathered together for a meeting. We were able to refresh on our mission, talk through policy updates, review a few procedures, and discuss several related questions. Our goal in these meetings is to keep everyone on the same page so we can better serve the parents and children of our church. It is always good to be reminded of our mission. It is also good to be flexible as God leads changes!

Foundations Room News

We also have a Family Worship Day coming up on March 31 for the kids in the Foundations Room. On Family Worship Days, the Foundations Room closes to provide families an opportunity to experience the full corporate worship service together. Attention spans of young children can be short, but paying attention doesn’t naturally get easier as we grow older. As parents, one of the ways we can serve our children is to help train them to be active listeners and participants in the worship service. If you’d like, you can click here to download or print a notes sheet that your child can use to help them actively listen to the sermon. (Note that it is meant to be printed two-sided with short-edge binding.)

Check out this video the Foundations Room kids practicing their last memory verse (Matthew 28:19) during a recent class. We like to make learning fun!

If you would like to learn how you can get involved in the Children’s Ministry, please contact Sara Huhmann or Mandie Schug.

River Falls News / March 2019

March 20, 2019 River Falls Ministry

The River Falls Outreach is looking forward to upcoming Spring weather as well as a new season of ministry.

Sundays

On Sundays we have been studying the book of Ephesians, learning about our place in Christ and our potential place in the Body of Christ. We continue to watch videos teachings from Menomonie about once per month. As spring and summer approach (!) we are considering what we will be changing for our community outreach. Last summer we focused on weekly grill outs at the Street Level location. We may continue on with the same, but are praying for the right ideas.

Street Level

Street Level we recently finished a very practical study of Ruth. We discussed ideas of God’s faithfulness, God’s leading, and our loyalty and consistency. We also discussed what it looks like to let God lead us into relationships. While the Ruth studies have been one half of our time, the other half has been spent in various videos discussing broad topics of central Christian belief. The content captures common views of the world on each topic while seeking to engage a conversation based on logic, the Bible, tradition, and personal experience.

Building Updates

Spring Break is upon us next week at UW-River Falls, so Street Level we will be down for a week. During this time, we will be working on several updates and building improvements. These changes are being put in place in order to further develop our “coffeehouse” appearance and presentation. The majority of the work will be done behind the counter in the coffee area, but some aesthetic additions will be done also. We will depend on some help from Nehemiah and Creative Team from Menomonie. More details to come in the near future.

Prayer

If you are considering praying for the outreach in River Falls, here are some requests. 1) That we have a clear path forward through our building updates and the results will be effective for the Kingdom. 2) That we continue to build and strengthen relationships with individuals that attend. 3) We are prepared to alter the outreach for the summer in order to best engage the community.

April Calendar

Sundays: 5pm / JFBelievers Bible Study, 6pm / meal
Tuesdays: 6:30pm / Street Level Meal, 7pm / Bible Study
Thursdays: 5-9pm & Fridays 9am-3pm: Open Hours for Study

River Falls Ministry Online

Kindred Ministry Update

March 16, 2019 Kindred Adults Ministry

Mission Statement

The Kindred Ministry Exists to provide a spiritual family for single adults, offering fellowship, discipleship, and outreach to our local community.

Fellowship & Community Outreach

As we turned our calendars to 2019, the Kindred Ministry hosted an afternoon of holiday goodies, puzzles, and board games in the Blind Munchies. We packed the place out as church members and friends enjoyed mixing it up for an afternoon of goodies and laughter.

The Kindred Ministry hosted a Super Bowl grilling tailgate party in February. Once again, the Blind Munchies was packed with church members enjoying the game along-side various friends from the Menomonie community. We served over 70 brats and 70 servings of super nachos. A few lucky Super Bowl Bingo winners went home with a chocolate football, a free BMC breakfast, and a sweet BDR cap.

Later in February, the One Life Couples Ministry invited us to mix our group with theirs on five bowling teams. We dressed up with team themes, and took to the lanes for some serious bowling! The videos below say enough…

Laura!?!

Synchronized Bowling

Discipleship

Though we like to have fun, we realize if we aren’t growing as disciples, then we are missing the point. We entered 2019 with the book “The Holiness of God” from our Kindred Ministry Retreat. As we read and discuss, we hope to gain a better understanding of who we are, and the holiness God has called us to.

On that note, our Kindred members also meet regularly to read and discuss the book “Discipling” by Mark Dever. Our hope is to gain insight that we can put into practice for those we rub shoulders with in church, at work, in our families, and elsewhere.

Prayer Requests

That we might continue to grow in holiness in our individual lives as image bearers of God.
For greater love and service to one another, our church family, and our local community.
That we would grow as disciples and disciplers, so we can better meet the spiritual needs of those we rub shoulders with at church, in our jobs, and in our local community.

Duluth News

March 13, 2019 Believers Church Duluth

Jesus Was Charismatic.

Much of what Jesus did in His earthly ministry was done to bring Him into contact with the masses. He wasn’t at all stationary. Instead, He and His disciples moved about in a wide swath of missional ventures that put them in the path of both slaves & soldiers, lepers & liars, criminals, kinfolk, and kings. Isolation is no recipe for effective ministry, and no one knew that better than our Lord.

Not only was Jesus assertive in His ministry, He was also attractional. The words He spoke and the things He did were impossible to ignore and exciting to behold. Everywhere He went Jesus provoked curiosity, offered blessing, and demonstrated matchless hospitality. He healed, fed, and educated, always free of charge, lavishly blessing the masses as He went. The average day for Jesus would be enough to make modern newspaper headlines in any given city. There was something about His ministry that left multitudes of people with an uneasy feeling that they might miss whatever came next. And that’s why they followed Him. And that’s the way Jesus started His church.

We’re not as Charismatic as Jesus.

Our capacity to attract the multitudes, as a church, may not match the capacity that Jesus had, but our strategy can. We can practice hospitality and bless visitors in a similar way, even if not to the same degree. In other words, we might not have the same miracle-working power it takes to feed strangers with loaves and fishes that come out of thin air, but we can give people free ice cream that came from the supermarket! And we may not be able to walk on water like Jesus did, but we can most certainly do this…

Nobody at my church, including myself, has the same healing power or the same measure of intrigue as Jesus did, but we’re not without our own resources, and God still expects us to assert ourselves in this community. And so we will.

A New Mission for JFB Duluth.

Seeing this facet of Christ’s ministry more clearly than ever, and being at a stage of church development where we had the necessary resources to give focused attention to this growing need, JFB Duluth made the decision last year to form what we have simply called “Community Group”. Nothing fancy, but it’s a start. We are now rapidly approaching the beginning of our second year as a “small-group” ministry, and we feel that the Lord is pleased with our work thus far. The members of this Group are few; and intentionally so. We are wanting to ensure that this ministry develops according to God’s desires rather than the misguided zeal of its participants. The things being done by this group aren’t heavily advertised to the church. They needn’t be. The focus of this particular small-group ministry isn’t meant to be on the church, but on the community.

This does not mean, however, that we want to exclude the church from being involved in our activities from time to time. That is, in fact, one of the goals of our Community Group Ministry: To collaborate with the entire church, as well as with Street Level Ministries, giving everyone an opportunity to cooperate with us in reaching out to the greater community. From Christmas Festivities, to the New Year’s Eve celebration, our 10-Year Anniversary Party, bi-annual All-Church Rummage Sales, and our most recent “Sled-less Sledding” excursion (all of which were ‘sponsored’ by our Community Group)…these are wonderful opportunities for you to be included in the work of the ministry by inviting the community to follow us, as a church, wherever we go next.

We’re After Fruit that Lasts.

We’re blessed by God when we’re on mission, and we plan to continue with this work. Our Community Group doesn’t do what it does without a purpose. As fun as it is to go sledding, there was a greater reason for doing it. As tiring as it may be to pack up each Sunday after church all summer long, and head out to serve the community on the other side of town, we do it in hope. A concert, to us, is more than just a silly concert and a rummage sale is always something greater than it appears.

If you remember to pray for us, please do so. We are hopeful for what the Lord will accomplish here in Duluth, not only in the next week or two, but in the next generation or two. If free fish sandwiches in the 1^st century was enough to build a church that would last for the next 2,000 years, pray that free brats might do the same for Duluth in 2019.