Month: July 2022

July 25, 2022 Shofar Missions Cebu

Street Level Ministries

July is always an exciting month for us since the 27th marks the anniversary since SLM began in Cebu. To celebrate five years of God’s faithfulness, we threw a party at the office, complete with minute to win it games, jeopardy, a photo slideshow, and of course, cake! It was a great reunion of former and current students from both Cebu and Toledo. Dyreen even stopped by to say hello!

We have continued meeting weekly on Friday nights for dinner and Bible discussions. There’s a consistent group of students in Toledo and usually one or two new people there each week. We’re all gearing up for the SLM Summit on August 13. Students from both sides of the island have signed up to attend. We’ll spend the day talking about living an unwasted life – the cost and rewards of following Jesus, taking risks for God, and committing your life fully to Him. Please pray that students will sign up by July 31 and that God would prepare their hearts for the summit.

Exploring Creation Science

July meant another school would start their summer classes in person! Visayas Wesleyan Christian School in Talisay began their two-week summer session on July 11. This was the first time since COVID began that the students have had class together. Due to lack of internet and devices, they only offered paper/pencil learning (modular packets). Students were thrilled to be in person, even with classroom windows and doors open, masks, and social distancing. Laura was welcomed back in person for the first time since COVID started to teach a lesson about fingerprints. In person lessons for students at Banawa Nazarene ended last week. To give students ample room to spread out and the ability for everyone to equally see and participate, lessons were held in the church sanctuary. We covered a variety of topics, from DNA to cells.

On June 29, the mayor of Cebu City issued an order to allow students in all levels to return to face-to-face classes. The mayors in Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue City have issued similar orders. The news was welcomed by many, but it came with strict health safety guidelines, so many schools will run phygital classes. The third week of September will mark the start of a month-long series about the Reliability of the Bible for students in grades 7-12.

Local Churches & Team Prep

On July 10, we both got to teach Sunday school at Inayawan Church of the Nazarene. The following weekend, Laura taught the youth at Banawa Church of the Nazarene about the validity of the Bible, and the children about Noah’s ark. We’re excited for the team to come and host Ministry Training Institute classes in Cebu City, Balamban, and Bantayan, where we can continue building relationships with local churches. Please pray for pastors to sign up for the MTI classes and all the preparatory work for the team to come!

Shofar TV

Next month, we will start broadcasting Shofar TV on Starsat Cable TV in Bantayan town. We’re adding new programming to all the stations, including Living as Free and a Saturday morning feature of Exploring Creation Science lessons. Please pray for viewers to engage with the content and that the equipment would keep running well at each station!

July 22, 2022 The Children's Ministry

Moving Up

It is hard to believe, but three of our Foundations kids are moving up to the sanctuary full time after August! We don’t have an official “moving up” ceremony like they do in schools in the Philippines, but we did have fun taking some pictures with a graduation hat!

Foundations is a ministry for early elementary aged kids that meets every other Sunday during the church service. This provides an opportunity for children to get Bible teaching geared for their age level, while also allowing them to regularly participate in the corporate worship service with their families on alternating weeks. As the children get older, it is important for them to be in the service each week so they feel an increasing sense of belonging to this church family. Church is for kids, too! We are a church made up of all different ages, and God wants to speak to each one of us through the corporate worship service.

Book Recommendation

For family devotions, our family is currently reading through the book Who is Jesus?: 40 Pictures to Share with Your Family by Kate Hox. If you are looking for a resource to help your child or, a child in your life to dig deeper into the Bible, I would highly recommend this book. One of my favorite things about the book is the way it helps readers to see Jesus throughout the whole Bible. The book is simple enough for young children to understand, yet deep enough that older children and adults can also learn something new.

Prayer Requests

When I pray for the Children’s Ministry and the kids who are part of it, I’ve discovered that I often pray “small” prayers. Not that it’s bad to pray for Foundations class to go well, or for new families to come to church. But the scope of my prayers has been broadened recently after reading the booklet Big, Bold, Biblical Prayers for the Next Generation by David Michael. It has challenged me to pray for “the Kindgom-sized things” and to trust God for the smaller things. If you would like to join in praying for our kids, here are a few requests:

  • That the Father would draw them to Jesus (John 6:44) and that He would do so at a young age.
  • That Christ will dwell in their hearts through faith, and that they would have the power to understand how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:17-18).
  • That they would have opportunities to boldly proclaim the gospel and be given the words to do so (Ephesians 6:19-20).
  • That the “moving up” changes happening in Foundations would cause them to trust in, hunger for, and be consumed with more of a passion for God.
July 20, 2022 River Falls Ministry

At the peak of summer, we’ve been outdoors as much as possible: Grill outs, Bible studies in the park, coffee outreach gigs and more. Keep reading for the latest news from Believers Church ministry in River Falls.

Going Mobile

We took out the mobile coffeehouse a couple times during “River Falls Days”. Firstly at “Taste of River Falls”, which was a gathering of about 50 pop-up vendors and food trucks. The event started off with heavy rain, but once the weather cleared up and the band started playing 90s cover songs, it turned out to be a good time. Later that week we set up near city hall. It was a beautiful day and hundreds of people were out. We met a lot of new people and were able to talk about our purpose and mission, as well as supply some cold brew. Some of us made the local newspaper, find a link here.

Parks and Rec

Our Bible studies have been meeting in Glen Park for most of the summer. It’s just a few minute walk from the coffeehouse, so it’s easy to get to. The Wednesday Community Studies meet there regularly. Some of the students from Campus Church, who stayed for the summer, have been joining us each week for discussion. For Street Level, we’ve done grill outs and have been reading through a book together. One night, some of us met up at the Coon Rapids Dam Park to hang out and do a picnic.

Pre-season

We are also fully preparing for things this fall semester. This includes collaborating with the other locations for advertising, websites, and social media. Additionally the students are communicating with the university to work out our rooms and get student addresses for a freshman mailer. There are a lot of things to keep in prayer, here are a few:

  • That God would provide discernment and guidance in our preparations.
  • That we would get the right rooms and outreach locations set on campus.
  • That the students would experience discipleship and growth.
July 13, 2022 Believers Church Duluth

Hello Everyone! Summer is officially almost to an end here in the Twin Ports! Well, not entirely over, we’ve still got a bit of sunshine left on the docket, and we’ve definitely been making the most of the beautiful weather and heat while it lasts!

Speaking of heat, one nice cool update we’ve added to combat the blistering temperatures is an AC unit in the balcony of our Sanctuary. If you haven’t checked out the construction upgrades that have been made, I highly recommend it viewing the handiwork! Some of the other fun things and updates happening in Duluth are as follows:

Bike Trip And Fun Times

Once a year (sometimes more) when the weather complies, we like to break out our bicycles and hit the streets. This year we biked over 30 miles from Duluth all the way to Carlton and back where we stopped for food and fellowship. We even got to help a gentleman out with a flat tire on the trail. It was cool to have the tools, equipment, and know-how to bless a community member in need. The trek back to Duluth went much quicker than the ride down, and it culminated in getting ice cream together. Halfway through the bike ride, we stopped at a waterfall and did a bit of hiking together. Unfortunately, we only saw one penny-farth on the trail.

In addition to our bike trip, since the nice weather is so fleeting, this past month we also made a trip out to Gordy’s in Cloquet. Another great time of fellowship, food, and good conversation with family and friends from the community. This is another Duluth favorite, we like to at least make it out here for great food once a year (sometimes more).

The rainy 4th of July didn’t stop us from playing with fireworks and eating chicken. Our coffee house was opened up and we spent the drizzly day playing board games in fellowship and eating some very delectable entrees.

Church

We’re continuing our study through Matthew on Sundays, recently going through Matthew 6 and looking at the issue of our motives. Our Wednesdays have been consistent with rewinds which have been great! Small group discussions revolving around the previous Sunday’s message have helped to keep what we’ve been learning on Sunday in our minds, as well as getting the chance to learn new insights and perspectives from others all while connecting deeper and being vulnerable with each other. On non-rewind Wednesdays, we’ve continued through our Men’s and Women’s book studies (Disciplines of a Godly Man / Godly Woman) along with finishing up the Book of Jeremiah on the more traditional Wednesday services.

Looking Ahead

Please keep missions in prayer both local and foreign as we have members of the family here going on mission soon! A team is set to travel to New Orleans very soon, please keep them in prayer to stay flexible and remember that God is in control. We’ve also got people planning to head out to the Philippines and India in the near future so please pray for their safety, protection, and nearness to God as they prep for the good works ahead of them.

Please also keep Street Level and our Campus Church in prayer as we continue planning and seeing how this Fall shakes out. We’ve got a lot of exciting changes on the horizon and we’re looking forward to seeing what God has in store for this community.

That’s all for now folks, God has continued to bless us and we are grateful to be a part of his kingdom. Thanks for praying for us and we’ll see you in the next update!

-Seth

Some fellowship.
Some biking.
Some fighting.
July 8, 2022 Pastor Jesse Moss | Duluth

Every Sunday we gather and sing songs to our Lord. If you are anything like the average Christian much of the time you are making noise and on occasion while singing those words you are truly worshipping. Every now and then while singing an often-sung line, something will suddenly hit me differently. It’s as though I’m hearing it for the very first time. It has nothing to do with “liking” the song. In fact, the last time it occurred it happened in a song I felt was overdone and had no strong inclination towards. We were in the midst of repeating a song that I had sung countless times in a mindless dull routine.

The Words We Sing

And the verse started,

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

And the next verse,

One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine  

Words Made Real

The reality of the words we were singing became very real all at once. Guys, one day we are done with all of this. And that is a fact. No more fighting our own sin, no more constant disappointment, no more struggle. One day Jesus is coming back and it isn’t as though any of you reading this do not “know” this. But there is a difference between “knowing” it and believing and living in light of it. I was left with an overwhelming feeling of hope. I was reminded that my hope, fulfillment, and joy do not need to be full now. Because my hope is not in the here and now. It isn’t found in this world. It is found in Christ and one day it will be fully recognized.  

Jesus defeated Satan, He defeated the power of death, and one day our risen Savior is coming to take us out of here. Don’t forget it. On the days you have had enough remember what will happen one day.

I was reminded of Psalm 42

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.

O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You.

Why do you let yourself think the thoughts you do? Why do you forget what is true? Do you remember what Jesus did? Do you remember what He will do? Does your life reflect that this life is not the end-all and be-all? How does your life prove that one day Jesus is coming to get you?  

Hope in God, nothing else. Remember what is true. And praise Jesus for what He has already done, and what He will one day do.