Month: September 2020

September 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Get the latest news from Shofar Mission Cebu.

Cebu City may look and feel different due to classes for students in all levels being online or modular for the semester but our goal remains the same. We continue to do the work that God has called us to! A couple of things we continue to do are challenging students to know why they believe what they believe, how to share that using the Bible, and being a light in a dark place for students and those in our community.

Street Level Ministries

At the beginning of September, we held our first Bible discussion of the semester. There were 2 new students and 6 returning students and recent graduates. Meetings are being held online due to government restrictions and the fact that no universities are meeting in person! We were able to print Issue 83 of Word on the Street Magazine and have begun Issue 84. We mailed some copies of Issue 83 to students so they can pass them out in their communities. In the near future, we will begin visiting students in an effort to stay unified.

Exploring Creation Science

The first day of learning for the 2020-2021 school year for many private schools was August 24. Again, even though classes are online we continue to teach science from a creation perspective. God continues to bless us as we reach out to pastors and other school staff. Students from three schools have joined the weekly lessons and two more schools started this week. Each school has its own way of communicating with students. Many use Google Meet and Zoom making it easy for staff to share their screen so students can watch the lesson. In October, a special four-part series that has been developed for schools that request a lesson using their platform (Zoom or Google Meet) will start for one school as Facebook Live lessons continue.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Continue to pray for the churches that are opening up. That they would be able to open safely and that people would pre-register, come with facemasks, face shields, and follow protocols put in place by denominations and church leaders.
  2. For God to keep working in the hearts and minds of the SLM students, especially as the new semester starts.
  3. Pray for continued relationships with schools and churches as we seek to continue ministering with them. We are hoping to see them at a church service or if we are in the area.
  4. Pray for safe travels as we will travel across the island for a day next week. Pray that we can get there and back to the city safely and stay healthy in the process.

September 22, 2020 Street Level Radio

Welcome back, students!

This semester the Burning Dog Radio is working more than ever in the realm of “getting out there” and in advertising. We were able to purchase space on the billboard near Stout’s football stadium, we have shifted our shows to the Blind Munchies trailer, and have been able to get down to Stout with the oft-used corner counter.

We have leveled up our merch as well! We recently got some masks with our patches on them available at the coffeehouse, as well as a new batch of hats and tumblers. If you purchase the not-as-famous-as-the-butterfly-latte-yet Sweet Beats Latte you get a tumbler for 2 bucks.

It has been great to be able to get the word out there about the station and we have already gotten some interest from people about volunteering with the station. We are excited to see what God is going to do this year with us and through us. Pray that he uses us and the station to reach people for the Kingdom.

Evangelism Summit

We’ve been blessed to be able to host (shortly) an Evangelism Summit for college students – including those in Street Level Ministries. We’ll have Pastor Tim as guest speaker slash MC. We have had a lot of fun naming the event but we did finally settle on “College Evangelism Summit”.

Our Facebook image for this can be found here.

The details are still rolling out, but we can be in prayer for this event as it will focus on how we can reach our culture during this time as college students. We are really excited to be able to help facilitate this event and hope that God will use this summit as a learning and growing experience for all involved!

For additional info on any of this, you can email wrjflp@gmail.com.

Moving our Shows Outside

Now that the Munchies in Menomonie has moved outside, we have been able to utilize some of the space in the trailer for doing our radio shows.

Keep your eyes peeled for Rachel, Eric, Lucy and James as we delve back into shows this semester. It has been a great way to be able to interact with patrons of the coffeehouse as we do our sets.

Thanks to all the coffeehouse workers for putting up with us as we continue to work out the glitches!

September 19, 2020 River Falls Ministry

Get the latest news from Believers Church plant and College Bible Study in River Falls, WI.

College Bible Study

The UW-River Falls students started moving in near the end of August. It has been fun to see returning students and meet new ones. Due to campus guidelines, we are meeting this year as Believers Church College Bible Study. We began meeting in person again for the last 3 weeks starting with coffee together and moving into a Bible study. A few times we even met in the park.

Also, we are currently prepping about 1000 of the new Word On The Street magazines to be sent to freshman, and are planning a plant sale and “potting bar”.

Blind Munchies Coffeehouse

We have also been able to use the coffeehouse to engage students. During the first 2 weeks of September, we had extended hours and offered a $1 off student discount. Also, the Mexican restaurant, Mariachi Loco, let us set up our coffee kiosk in their lot to give away cold brew to students. This allowed us to be right next to where the students get their textbooks.

  • Meeting in the Park
  • Coffee Together
  • Meeting at the Coffeehouse
  • Planning with student President
  • Kiosk at Mariachi Loco
  • New Bifold Sign

Prayer Requests

  • That the new students will find where and how God wants to use them on campus.
  • That we will continue to be ready and able to adjust as needed as guidelines at the school adjust for COVID.
  • That God will guide the Sunday evening community outreach, and that we will meet new people.

For Further Information

College Bible Study

Get the latest news from Believers Church plant and Street Level college ministry in River Falls, WI.

September 16, 2020 Street Level College Ministries

Getting Started

Street Level has started back up for the Fall, 2020 semester! The UW-Stout students returned to on Labor Day weekend, with classes beginning last week. Street Level welcomed returning students back to Menomonie with a backyard hangout at the Street Level House.

New Location

This fall we have a new location and time for our weekly meeting on Monday night. We will gather weekly at 5pm in The Commons (Elk Creek Room) for on-campus prayer. The plan is to read a short devotional together and spend time praying for our classmates, the campus, and other current needs.

We have also been invited to join The Blind Munchies for a weekly college dinner and bible discussion. The dinner is free and begins at 6pm. The bible discussion will follow at 7pm. All college students are welcome!

Pressing On

The rules of engagement may have changed. But our goal is the same: to build God’s kingdom through discipleship of university students at Stout.

Street Level provides opportunities for college students to serve God in through our varied ministry outlets. You can become a member of Street Level and begin serving God in our magazine, radio station, coffeehouse, or creative team. We also go on retreats, mission trips, etc. We have a discipleship house. And we are supported by a great church.

God wants you to grow in your Christian faith. Even during your time in college.

September 13, 2020 Pastor Jesse Moss

September always marks an exciting time for us. It is when long formed plans are enacted in an attempt to spread the truth of Jesus to college students who are desperately in need of it. It is a time where we try to meet believers at university and help them to fulfill the purposes of God in their lives. But things are a little different this year.

After chasing several different ideas for Street Level (our campus ministry) doors were being closed in all sorts of ways. Health concerns, government laws, university regulations, and practical decisions lead us to a point of doubts and questions to just what we would be able to do to minister to college students in a meaningful way come the start of the semester. It was clear God shut many doors.

God Knows Best

As always God knows what He is doing and guided us in His perfect timing. The church has rented out the “Street Level Garage” which is the closest non University building to the UW-Superior campus. Our intention is to host our meetings there, create a study space for students, and set up the mobile coffee trailer there regularly to give away coffee and espresso drinks to students.

The past few weeks have been filled with deep cleaning, painting, running electrical lines, hanging lights, installing speakers, hauling furniture and much more to get The Garage ready for ministry. This not only provides a great outreach tool to the campus, it also gives us a practical way for our members to serve God, be challenged and trained, and be used for God’s purposes.

The space has already been put to good use. We hosted a Street Level rummage sale where we met students and community members. We handed out free plants to bring some life to dorm rooms and raise money for future ministry endeavors. Street Level also took advantage of our yard and the last fleeting moments of warmth to have an outdoor movie. Turns out with enough screws, scrap lumber, chain saw, and string you can hang a projector screen just about anywhere.

Ministry Never Ends

There is a lot of work left to do to get this fully ready as well as promoted to students. Please pray that we would remember why we do all that it is that we do. That we would not get lost in the routine and rhythms that we have grown accustomed to. As time moves ahead I hope that we will remain on mission in all areas of our lives. I hope that we will engage or classmates, coworkers, friends and family for the cause of Christ. We seek to make a difference for God’s kingdom. Pray that we would stay away from distraction. We want to seek God and His will for our lives above all else.

Before and After
September 10, 2020 Pastor Justin Thomson - Duluth

Months ago I began having a new kind of nightmare. The theme of these dreams is always the same, even though the details vary. Recently it was a horrifying car ride with a former work supervisor. Another time I recall trying to fight my way out of an unwanted hug. Maybe it’s little more than an absent-minded handshake, or an unexpected slap on the back, but each nightmare leaves me feeling the exact same way when it’s over:

Afraid…and full of remorse.

The reason my aforementioned dream so easily reached “nightmare” status, has nothing to do with the character or personality of my old boss. Rather, it’s that neither of us wore face-coverings in that car, and I didn’t realize it until after we’d parked! Nor is it that I have haphephobia (fear of hugs) which makes certain dreams so chilling nowadays. Rather, it’s when I’m being hugged by someone from a different household! Handshakes and backslaps aren’t usually too alarming…until they’re done with un-sanitized hands! I can hardly sleep lately…

I’m Not Alone…

I’ve confided in a few others about this issue, and realized that I’m not alone. Some of you are experiencing these same types of dreams, and I think I know why: Our brains have been so flooded with COVID warnings that we can’t stop thinking about them. The fear of violating these guidelines is so pervasive while we’re awake that we can no longer escape them by falling asleep.

Dreams like these are an uncomfortable byproduct of being deeply concerned…as we should be! Who (in their right mind) would want to be sent away from their friends on account of their own negligence? We’re living in a time when truancy reveals something about the heart. I, for one, don’t want to be missing church right now all because I won’t deny myself the pleasure of indiscriminate hugging. Our attendance at church these days says more than ever about the depth & sincerity of the love we have for our own Christian community…(or the lack thereof).

We Aren’t the First…

Call it what you will: Quarantine, isolation, or banishment, nobody wants to be “out of the club”. Ancient Jews called it “being unclean”. Anything from skin diseases to physical contact with a corpse could win you an extended trip away from your worshipping friends. Even secondary contamination was taken into account.

Talk about a nightmare! These guys had to be careful about everything. Neglect came with awfully strict penalties. Eat the wrong food, touch the wrong plate, and you’d be kept from corporate worship. Tread the wrong ground, and you could miss the annual celebration (see Jn.18:28). These were deep and abiding concerns for the people of God.

Uncleanness would weaken a person’s spiritual stamina, endanger that person’s life, and put the future of the entire congregation in a precarious position. It’s safe to assume that no kind-hearted Hebrew wanted to be seen as the one responsible for such inattentiveness.

Some Sleep Well…

Every community, however, has its own “violators”. These are people who see the “2-week” stipulation, not as a consequence for violating faith-principles, but as permission to do so. “As long as I’m willing to step aside for the necessary time”, they reason, “its ok for me to postpone all prior commitments to the things of God”. A week or two “outside the camp”, they suppose, and all goes back to normal once the time expires.

But is that really true? Two or more weeks away might eliminate the viral threat, but what has happened to that person’s heart while they were away? And what kind of mindset does a person have to begin with, that they can so easily “neglect the gathering of ourselves together, like some people do” (Heb.10:25)?

Truancy reveals something about the heart

Simply put, fellowship isn’t a high priority for them. They aren’t too concerned about whether their chosen lifestyle will require time away from their Christian community, they just want to enjoy life, and they aren’t going to let some silly hygiene recommendations slow them down one bit.

Exclusion from fellowship is a nightmare to some, but it’s a vacation for others.

Others Go Camping…

The campout was a real pleasure this year, wasn’t it? In spite of all the cancellations and restrictions we’ve seen, we were still able to safely come together for fun & fellowship. The extra care we’ve all taken in our personal lives may have been a bit of a nightmare, but I hope that our time together this weekend made it worth the effort.

Thank you all for making the necessary sacrifices to spend the time with me, my church in Duluth, and the rest of God’s family. Bad dreams or not, the reality is, your love for us is noticeable.