Rewind OneLife

JUNE: Mid-June drew us away from life in Menomonie for a couple of days to Duluth. OneLife group members (kids and all) took to the highway to help JFBDuluth host a coffee and ice cream vending booth at the Park Point Rummage Sale event. They share our heart in connecting with the community. It was a very nice time shaking hands with people and working shoulder to shoulder with our northern family.

THE NO-CANOEING CANOE TRIP: We had the novel idea of canoeing the “Green” Cedar River. With all the best intentions we gathered enough canoes and planned the route. The moment the Sunday service ended, dark clouds moved in with an overwhelming amount of lightening. Lightning-strikes and metal boats on water do not make for safe events. So, at the last minute, the group decided to cruise to Bayport for ice cream and chill at a park when the storm passed.

JULY: First of all, I have to expose a grave ignorance on my part. Back in July, when Duluth Community Group joined OneLife to host our 4th Annual Biking for Tacos event, it wasn’t until we were almost completely done with the entire event that I connected why Laura was wearing that huge colorful sombrero. See, the event was called Biking for “TACOS”! Really, I thought she was just overly concerned about sunburn or something… Sheesh! I am slow.

Biking for Tacos this year put us in conversations with people from the community again; even some long-ago acquaintances. It was a great way to share a little fun with Menomonie. Duluth crew, it was really nice to hang with you guys for a couple of days.

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NEIGHBORHOODS: Over the summer, various OneLife members hosted gatherings in their neighborhoods to connect with neighbors and co-workers. These gatherings included various activities like homemade ice cream and hot dogs, evening breakfast, and a movie in the woods. This year these events seemed decently attended and connections were made, and at very little cost or work.

Fast Forward

As we head into the fall, we will be meeting twice a month to fellowship together. We have a few ideas in mind like our annual flag football and chili day, among other things. We are really looking forward to what’s in store.

Keep your eyes on the church calendar for more information about when we are meeting and what we are doing.

It has been an event-filled beginning to 2019! OneLife has worked hard to strengthen our friendships within the church and in our neighborhoods. January, February, and March have all given our group opportunities to fulfill our vision and purpose. Let’s take a look back…

January

OneLife and Gnosko members got together on a Saturday back in January to go hang out in the Twin Cities. We mix/divided the groups into 1-car teams who would converge at Ikea for a really fun photo scavenger hunt. Teams were given an hour to walk through Ikea to fulfill some-20 odd photos including recreating a movie scene, sitting on a toilet, all in bed together, etc. Afterwards we enjoyed a lunch at the Ikea cafeteria. Dang, if that wasn’t a blast! Thanks goes out to Gnosko for their full participation. We really do “church” with an eclectic bunch of people.

January also brought about a very frigid neighborhood outreach in the Huhmann’s neighborhood. They ventured out on the ice of Lake Menomin for a fire, fellowship, and home-made ice-golf. Erik and Tavis also invented a new gliding-lawn-chair game. They had a good turnout and a really nice time with the neighbors.

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February

OneLife joined Kindred for a Sunday evening of bowling. The members of both groups formed mixed teams and each team came up with a name and a theme. We bowled two games. On the first game, the first ball of each frame had to be done according to instruction: Fred Flinstone “Twinkle-Toes” bowling, bowl with the wrong hand, slow-motion bowling, and trophy bowling, just to name a few. We had a really nice time and laughed a lot. I can’t help but think how goofy we must have seemed to the rest of the bowlers that day. No doubt, it was clear we were enjoying ourselves.

February also brought a neighborhood gathering at the Samens residence. Nick and Amber planned a fellowship in their garage complete with toy projects for kids, food and lots of conversation. They had a nice turnout even with how cold it was. The kids and adults all had a good time.

March

Dyer’s, Schug’s, and Shields’ all planned neighborhood gatherings. Schug’s held a Friday night bonfire and snacks. Several people came and great conversation was had by all. Dyer’s had a Saturday art day complete with print-making, ceramics, and food. A smattering of Laura’s current and ex co-workers came and we all got to talk about art and life. Shields held a backyard fire and food on Sunday afternoon. They enjoyed getting to know a newer couple to church around a warm fire.

Yet Future

We have a large section of our group going to the Philippines this year. So we’re all pitching in to help cover them on the home-front. They will be in our prayers as they go. In the meantime, we will be preparing to head into the summer to do some community outreach events with the Duluth community group as well as Street Level International, the Bridge, and more neighborhood gatherings. Keep us in prayer as we seek to find ways to reach our neighbors with the good news.

Interested?

OneLife is a ministry for young couples and young families. Our mission is to minister to each other in the everyday things of life, minister to our neighbors in ways that express Jesus love and gospel kindness, and deepen fellowship within the church.
Our monthly events offer a mix of things including planning meetings, outreach events, and fellowships. But at least once a month, we open up our meeting time to non-members in the church to meet over coffee to discuss the current Sunday message which inspires some good discussion and prayer. You will find us gathering at coffee shops, the co-op, and local restaurants for these events.
Email us: onelife@jfbelievers.com

Who we are…

OneLife is a ministry for young couples and young families. Our mission is to minister to each other in the everyday things of life, minister to our neighbors in ways that express Jesus love and gospel kindness, and deepen fellowship within the church.

Our monthly events offer a mix of things including planning meetings, outreach events, and fellowships. But at least once a month, we open up our meeting time to non-members in the church to meet over coffee to discuss the current Sunday message which inspires some good discussion and prayer. You will find us gathering at coffee shops, the co-op, and local restaurants for these events.

October

October always has us looking to suck up on any remaining warm days we can get. We held our second flag football, fire and chili gig. The day was reasonably warm and sunny. Once again, no one got hurt (except egos) and we all headed home warn out from laughing, yelling, running, and eating some delicious chili. Some of our people get competitive while others are about as “who cares if we follow the rules” as they come. It makes for a really fun adventure.

November

November brought our members together to decorate for the Christmas season. This year we added some new ideas to upscale the feel. Our sanctuary is looking better and better all the time (new carpet, subtle decor, and lighting). This particular hangout included some holiday treats and cocoa. We also want to say thank you to Justin and Courtney for jumping in with us that day.

December

December was especially fellowship-y. We saw a need for our group to come together more often just to be together and enjoy each other’s company. The leaders will be doing this and the members did. We gathered at the Huhmann’s house and fired up the pizza oven. So, did you know there were so many types of olives? I didn’t. We had fresh pizzas, sodas, and a smattering of other snacks. It was a nice relaxing evening.

Likewise, we also joined fellowship with Street Level. We brought an “IN-YOUR-FACE! -WINTER!” Summer picnic to the Street Level House. It was complete with virgin pina coladas, grilled chicken, burgers, BBQ beans, coleslaw, and orange fruity jello in molds. 50 plus attendees made for a very “rowdy” (Ben’s word) afternoon. Team Pete dominated Team Jenae in the event’s final activity, full-group Pictionary. The crazy thing is 95% of OneLife are the ghost of Street Level past. So, it was just a really fun way to connect, talk, encourage, and fellowship together before the students all started finals week. Thanks to Street Level for a great time!

Next on the Docket

January begins our winter neighborhood gatherings. Once each month, two families will be hosting an event to connect to neighbors. Who knows what fun things will come about. Its clear we all have neighbors who like to come together for food and fun. We just need to make it happen.

We will be taking a road trip to the Twin Cities in January with our friends from Gnosko. Their members and ours will be splitting up, cruising to the big city, and enjoying a game, food, and fellowship at none other than Ikea. Wondering how that works? The truth will be revealed.

February also presents a members fellowship with our friends in the Kindred ministry. It involves shenanigans with bowling balls, themed teams, and more! We are excited to make it happen.

Get Involved!

Covenant member of JFB, if you would like to get involved, reach out to pastor Tom for how to make that happen.

Church guest, you are welcome to attend an event if you like. Details of what we are doing and when is found on the JFB calendar page or you can email us at onelife@jfbelievers.com 

OneLIfe Ministry has enjoyed an eventful summer so far. Since the last report (there was snow on the ground), we gathered for fellowship and fire with group members and group visitors, hosted four decently attended neighborhood cookouts, a group of us went to Kentucky on mission, and we have formulated some plans for the rest of summer and fall.

What Was

We started out the summer with neighborhood cookouts in July at Pederstuen’s and Samens’. The day was quite warm but meat was roasting and conversations were cooking. We met some new people and said hello to some familiar neighbors. Later, O’Gara’s and Dyer’s (via Cline’s) hosted a second set of cookouts. A number of the people invited from our hoods were people that the host home was already connecting with outside of OneLife. This has shown to be a more natural way to hang out. We will be looking for more opportunities like that.

Additionally, we held a fire fellowship at Tom and Becky’s house. Originally it was our intention to go camping this summer, but with Kentucky on the calendar for a good number of us, it wasn’t likely to happen. We have opted for at least this year to make time to fellowship with all members and visitors at least twice this year, giving opportunity for good conversation. Perhaps camping is in the cards for next year?

What Is

Currently, OneLife ministry members have been scheming up some games for the church campout this year. This Sunday we will be bringing into focus some solid options. You want a glimpse? …“In the Water”-beach volleyball! We’re planning to get the net out into the water to go head to head with anyone who wants in. I sense some dampness coming on. Be on the lookout for other fun games on the list (to watch or participate in). Events will be listed on the activity board by the mobile coffeehouse.

Before August is out, OneLife members will be heading out to the Drive-In Theater again. This has proven to be a fun time in the past (no matter what potentially yucky movie was playing). We always have fun just hanging out and meeting people.

What Next

As OneLife ministry heads into fall, we have bikes and tacos on the brain. You guessed it! Biking for Tacos is coming in September and we’re partnering with the Menomonie Public Library. We’ll be riding the loop around the lake and so start/finish will be at the library… where the tacos are! Students will be back and community (church and city) are all invited. Date and time is coming soon… Stay tuned.

We also are gearing up for fall retreat time for us. We’re set for heading to the JFB campground on September 21-22. Pray for good weather and an enriching time with the Master. For those wondering, stew is back on the menu.

Also, as I rub my temples with my index fingers in circular motions, I sense an October chili and flag football game in the air. We did this once a couple of years ago and, other than the Heinous-Brunner-Domination happening left and right, it was a really, really nice time. Our members really get on that. It’s a great time of exercising (and not the demon-removal type)!

Once winter makes its ugly return, we will be looking indoors for new adventures. We hope to translate the “neighborhood cookout” idea into something in homes some way. We have a creative bunch, something will pop.

Who We Is

OneLife Ministry is for young couples / families to be together both missionally and in fellowship. Usually we meet at 2pm on Sunday afternoons. If you would like to take part or even join as a member, get in touch with us. We would love to connect. onelife@jfbelievers.com

What we have been up to

OneLife has been focusing in on two aspects of our ministry. First the continued development of our own spiritual lives, and second, the planning and preparing for reaching out to the people of our city. On a twice a month basis, we have been splitting up into small groups to gather at local hot spots for coffee and lively discussions about the Bible and Sunday sermons at JFB. This has been really enjoyable and insightful. One great benefit is that it puts us out there in the public. We sit in the middle of things and speak openly. We want people to see that it’s cool to talk about church and Jesus in a public setting. These are real discussions (what I learned was… what did you learn…). We laugh, we talk serious, we fellowship together. I’ve been enjoying them. Members of our group rotate leading the discussions so it keeps us all sharp.

Along side these coffee talks, the members group has been getting together for planning and learning. Once a month we read and discuss the book Discipling by Mark Dever. This book has been really nice to read together. It speaks to our personal growth as well as our interpersonal relationships. And once a month we plan the schedule and calendar event. For instance, we plan to go camping together this summer and to bring a few unique features to the Church camp out this year. Stay tuned…

What’s next?

For this summer we have been planning ways to be in our neighborhoods for the good of the community and the Kingdom of God. We all have neighbors who are in need spiritually, physically and emotionally. As we have been learning in the Saturate series, there very natural avenues we can use to connect with the people who live around us. We hope to see God work in the everyday stuff of life. As we develop friendships with our neighbors, we hope to provide grander neighborhood cookouts and gatherings to deepen those connections. We pray to see what God will do in us and through us as we seek to get into the mess of life around us. All I can think about right now is t-shirts, bbq’s, lawn chairs, conversations and sun. Pray God works his wonders out before us as we move ahead in this.

Who are we?

We are a group of young couples (some with small kids) who are seeking strong marriages, strong relationships, and missional avenues to serve God through serving each other and serving our neighbors. Are you a young couple and looking to get deeper fellowship? Email us at onelife@jfbelievers.com for more information.