Month: September 2023

September 20, 2023 River Falls Ministry

There is an ongoing debate in River Falls about what the best season is. While we may not agree on what the best season is (…of course it is summer…), we can all agree that we look forward to the college students returning to town for a new school year. With the return of the students, we have been spending time focusing on meeting new students hoping to build relationships with them.

We kicked off the school year with a couple of coffee giveaways on the UW River Falls campus. Some returning students and a few people from Menomonie joined in to help. Also, we were able to do a couple of tables on campus. We met a few new students during these events that have since checked out Campus Church or Street Level.

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Campus Church

We are back to regular meetings for Campus Church and Street Level. Campus Church is meeting in the same room as last year, right next to the dining hall on campus. During the last few weeks, a number of new people stopped in and checked out the service. Many of them stayed around after the teaching to hang out and get to know us.

Street Level UWRF

Street Level started meeting on campus this semester. We gather around a few tables in the University Center and have a Bible discussion. We have also had some new students attend Street Level the last few weeks.

Bonus: Some of us also got together to go on a hike near Glen Park.

Prayer Requests:

  • That God would be working in the college-age people/students in the River Falls area
  • Developing relationships with new students
  • Continued vision and direction for the ministry

https://www.streetlevelministries.com/uw-riverfalls.html

September 10, 2023 Believers Church Duluth

As we begin to put away our shorts and sandals, it’s a great time to reflect on the past few months. Summer 2023 has been a season filled with lots of reasons to be thankful, including opportunities to serve, new beginnings and memorable moments of fellowship. We’ve been really blessed and want to share everything God has let us do!

Serving locally, nationally and beyond
We started things off serving coffee from our brand-new coffee trailer at the Park Point Rummage Sales. This year, we also hosted a small rummage sale as well. It was a great opportunity to engage with our community, work together and raise funds for missions. Overall, we counted it as a successful event.

Speaking of missions, we had a big change at the beginning of the summer: We sent off Jesse and Chelsey to the Philippines as full-time missionaries. Do we miss them? You betcha we do. But we’re grateful for the chance to support God’s work there and excited to see how He’ll use them. 

Recently, a few of us also traveled to Mississippi to partake in a construction project. This group was able to help build a pole barn for a local church so that they can build beds for children in their area. Those who were on the trip worked hard through scorching 90-degree weather and sweated buckets. But, they left feeling like they were the ones who received the bigger blessing in being a part of the work.

Starting a new ministry
This summer, we also kicked off something pretty cool – a new ministry geared towards young adults. This is meant for those of us who’ve graduated college but haven’t started families. This is a large group of people here in Duluth and within our church, so we’re excited to see how God uses it. 

Throughout the summer, this group hung out once a month hosting bonfires, an outdoor movie night, some volleyball matches, and, believe it or not, even tackled a midnight 5k run! It’s been awesome to get to know new friends and each other better.

Enjoying time together
We also made a lot of memories just being together. Our annual all-church bike trip took us to Carlton, where we enjoyed lunch and, at the end of the day, pedaled more than 30 miles together. We also braved the heat for a thrilling game of dodgeball and made frequent visits to Gordy’s, a local summer-time favorite for burgers and fries. 

For National Night Out, we threw a yard party in West Duluth. This allowed us to get to know our neighbors better. It was such a great shindig that the Duluth Fire Department even made an appearance. 

Our summer adventures concluded with the annual church campout, where we camped alongside fellow believers from Menomonie and River Falls. We especially loved seeing a few of our friends get baptized. Hearing their stories of how Jesus has transformed their lives was awesome.

Into the Fall
As we transition into the next season, our focus shifts to the University of Superior, where we’re excited to host Bible studies as part of Street Level, our college ministry. Plus, our addiction recovery group, Most Excellent Way, continues on Thursday nights, and we’re gearing up to serve coffee at Fall Fest. 

We appreciate your ongoing prayers and support and look forward to sharing more updates soon.