Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Cebu City! Keep reading for the latest update from Shofar Mission.

What a month (and year) it has been! Things are starting to slow down a little bit… at least for semester break. It’s the perfect time to reflect on all that God has done this year and ask Him for direction entering into 2021. It has been a wild and crazy ride, hasn’t it? We’d do it all over again (yes, lockdowns and face shields included).

Street Level Ministries

It would be easy to get discouraged by the things we couldn’t do this semester – in-person meetings, campus events, street outreach, random hangouts, etc. However, God has been really good; there’s much to thank Him for. By getting students away from each other and alone, God brought much clarity to each of them. At our virtual Christmas party, a few of them said they were thankful for COVID because they had to be alone with God. There were a lot of “aha” moments during lockdown!

Members have the opportunity to volunteer for Word on the Street Magazine or Street Level Radio. Three students have been volunteering for WOTS. 1,000 copies of Issue 84 were printed; 600 copies were sent to the University of the Visayas students who are doing modular learning from their homes. Two students have been volunteering for SLR and helping with the production of teaching clips. We’ve also been meeting with three ladies every Saturday for a digital small group where we read and discuss discipleship material. It is a privilege to serve the Lord and watch these students grow. We covet your prayers for them individually and for the ministry as a whole.

Exploring Creation Science

Despite not being able to teach classes in person, this branch of Shofar Mission has expanded in very creative ways! Students have joined classes online via Facebook Live or Zoom. New lessons and experiments are continually being developed; old lessons will come back into session next semester (for students who haven’t had them yet). As we end the semester, students in grades 6 & 12 will have an opportunity to discuss how their beliefs in science may be challenged as they move on to higher education or a different school setting.

Explore Booklets were sent to schools to distribute to their students and a second booklet was recently printed. Teachers can access science creation materials on the virtual library and students have access to Daily Bible Readings online. We are continually praying that the seeds that are planted through this ministry will grow in young students’ minds… to know why they believe what they believe. It has been a neat way to serve alongside pastors, principals, and school staff as they continue to plan and prepare plans that include a trial run for the “new normal” in education for the foreseeable future early next semester.

https://youtu.be/nP7DPhxBkoM

Shofar Cable TV

We were disappointed that the teams that had planned to come this year couldn’t. We didn’t host youth retreats, Ministry Training Institute classes, or children’s outreaches like normal. However, when God closes one door (or at least puts things on pause), He opens other doors. This year, He allowed us to expand Shofar Cable TV to the east side of Cebu Island on Cebu Cable channel 187. Our broadcasting in Metro Cebu reaches Argao, Sibonga, Carcar, Naga, Minglanilla, Talisay City, Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Consolacion. For the past 8 years, we’ve been broadcasting on the west side of the island in Balamban and Asturias through ATD Community Cable Vision Inc. Wonder what’s next for Shofar TV? Bogo City and Bantayan in the north, perhaps? We’ll see what God does next…

https://youtu.be/tIaAOdmKLNw

Greetings from the Philippines! Read the latest ministry update from Shofar Missions Cebu.

Getting Out There

After months of strict quarantines, God has allowed us to get out and see people that we haven’t seen in months. We have even been able to leave the city borders! Our trips have included updates to Shofar Cable TV in Balamban, visits to Street Level Ministries students, brief meetings with staff at schools, and fellowshipping with various churches on Sundays. God is good… we’ve been reminded of how incredibly important and encouraging it is to be among His people.

Street Level Ministries

This semester is proving to be a challenging, yet fruitful season for Street Level Ministries Cebu. Although we are not meeting in person for our weekly meetings, God has provided many ways for us to stay connected to the students. We are currently going verse-by-verse through the Gospel of Mark during our Friday night Bible discussions on Google Meet. A couple of weeks ago, Jonah and Jessica from SLM River Falls joined us for our meeting. We have been able to see most of the SLM members in person and plan to continue visiting them individually as the semester goes on. The next issue of Word on the Street Magazine will release next month. It’s amazing what God allows us to do despite being spread out across the islands!

Exploring Creation Science

It’s October, which means it’s Science Month! At the Banawa Nazarene School, that involves weekly lessons on Zoom for the Grade 4 students. This provides an interactive learning environment where students can ask questions and engage with the experiments digitally. Hopefully, a set of similar interactive lessons will be taught to the Inayawan Nazarene students next month. Schools also have the opportunity to watch lessons via Facebook Live at a set time each week. These lessons will continue for the remainder of the semester. Also available to students are Daily Bible Reading posts and worksheets online, as well as printed Explore Booklets. The ultimate goal is to equip students to know why they believe what they believe.

Prayer Requests

1. For God’s continued protection from the virus and on our bikes as we seek to safely minister.
2. That the SLM students would desire to know Jesus better, to wholeheartedly follow Him, and that their love for Him would compel them to reach out to other students.
3. Fruitful ministry among primary and secondary aged students, strong internet connections, and continued growing relationships with school staff.

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.

Read the latest update from Shofar Mission in Cebu City, Philippines.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2

One end of our road has been barricaded since quarantine started in March. Therefore, we are forced to go in and out of our community by turning left instead of right (which has always been our normal and most direct route out). The change isn’t so bad, though, since the other direction provides a stunning view of the mountains. No, we can’t climb them or cross them just yet, but every time I see them, I’m reminded of God’s presence and help in Psalm 121:1-2.

Over the past few weeks, God has allowed us to move about the city a little more freely than before. We’ve been able to work from the office most days, which has been a breath of fresh air. It’s nice to get out on our bikes, to see the city, and reunite with familiar faces of some people we haven’t seen in months!

Exploring Creation Science

Virtual lessons have ended for the summer, so Laura has been preparing to start virtual lessons for the school year. Some of the private schools have started to meet online already, while the opening of all public schools has been postponed until October. This school year, Laura’s planning to develop new curriculum (hint: it’s out of this world), reach out to new schools, build up a media library for teachers to have access to resources, and continue the Daily Bible Reading posts that started during the summer. Other “creative ideas” are in the works as things are continually changing!

University Outreach

None of the universities in the city are planning to meet in person this semester, so we’re seeking God’s guidance and open doors to minister in whatever ways we can. Currently, the newest issue of Word on the Street Magazine is being printed and should be ready this week. We are planning to distribute online and mail copies to the Street Level Ministries members to share where they live. We have also requested approval from the University of the Visayas to include a copy with each modular learning packet that will be mailed to students who are not taking online classes. At the beginning of September, we will kick off the semester by resuming our Friday night Bible discussions – albeit digitally for now. Our hope and prayer is to meet in person as the semester goes on (and if the government eases restrictions).

Prayer Requests

• God’s hand to be upon all the branches of Shofar Mission. For open doors to minister, and ultimately that our labor would build the kingdom in the Philippines.
• The expansion of Shofar Cable TV as we are actively seeking to broadcast in Cebu City. We have all the equipment we need, have met with the cable company and are waiting for their approval.
• Scheduling of virtual science lessons, new and continued relationships with schools, and the development of new curriculum.
• Passion and desire among the SLM members to keep following God and reaching out to other students this semester.