Only two months into 2023 and we already have lots to be thankful for!

We’ve made plenty of memories, continue to learn and grow together and have had lots of opportunities to reach out to the people around us. 

Here’s what we’ve been up to.

Enjoying church family life
We rang in the new year with sledding, games and a potluck. A few weeks later, we all laced up our skates and hit a local rink, which was a blast.

Then, we enjoyed watching the Chiefs beat the Eagles with another potluck and more games. If you can’t tell, a potluck and games is one of our favorite winter pastimes.

There have also been a lot of opportunities for us to fellowship with friends at Believers Church in Menomonie, WI. We have been invited to a few game nights and other outings.

Taking these little road trips to see some friendly faces really breaks up the winter. We appreciate our extended church family! 

Most recently, a bunch of us went out to dinner together. Afterwards, we saw Jesus Revolution, a movie about the Calvary Chapel movement. This was really interesting as our church has roots in this movement. 

Matthew on Sundays, mixing it up on Wednesdays 
On Sundays, we’re still making our way through Matthew. It’s been interesting to study how Jesus ministered to different people, according to different needs. We’ve all been challenged and encouraged as we get to know Him better and apply what we’re learning. 

For Wednesday nights, we’ve been on a rotating schedule:

• Sometimes, we split up into men’s women’s groups and study a chapter of a book together.
• Other times, we go through a Psalm.
• Every other week, we’ve been meeting out in the community in small groups to discuss the sermon we heard on Sunday.

We’ve also been seeing a lot of new faces at church, which is really awesome. Since some of these faces are quite little, we’ve started up a kids class before church on Sundays again. It’s been a blessing to minister in this way.     

Reaching out to others
There have been many opportunities for us to reach out to the people around us as well. We continue hosting a Bible study in the Douglas County Jail every Sunday. We alternate men’s and women’s, and see at least a few people there every week. We’ve been encouraged by the attendance.  

Street Level has also kicked off the semester with a Monday night Bible study – on two separate campuses!

Here’s how that works: A group of us meets at the University of Wisconsin – Superior (UWS) to do the first bible study of the night. Then, they drive over to the University of Minnesota – Duluth (UMD) and have a second study there. 

Finally, we’ve sent out two teams on mission trips already (not bad for only a few months into the year).

Two of us traveled internationally to the Philippines in January and, by the time you’re reading this, four of us will be going down to New Orleans. We’re blessed to be involved in the work God is doing all over the world!

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading our update. Please keep us in your prayers and we look forward to updating you again soon. 

As we conclude another year in Duluth, I am once again amazed at how fast the year has gone by! We were fortunate as a church to be able to participate in domestic and foreign missions trips, retreats, service opportunities, and many fellowship events with our church as well as fellowship groups from Menomonie. 

This past month Pastor Jesse and our campus ministry group has continued to meet at UW-Superior on Mondays for a “micro” Bible study.  They are continuing their studies on the “crazy things Jesus said”.  They also recently had a movie night in one of the dorm halls there too.  On Tuesday nights our Campus Church service is held at UMD.  They just finished up a series going through John’s letters talking about what real Christianity looks like. They concluded the semester by braving the cold and walking through Bentlyville (a huge Christmas lights display in Canal Park).  During the campus’s winter break, the church will be having an evangelism class.  For three weeks on Tuesday nights, we will continue part two of our study of the book, Evangelism as Exiles.

This month we will be starting our Bible studies in the Douglas County jail once again.  We were very excited to be asked to return to this ministry now that Covid restrictions are lifting.  A small group of women and men will participate in this ministry on Sunday afternoons. 

On Sundays we are continuing to go verse by verse through the book of Matthew.  On Wednesdays we rotate our services with rewind groups, verse by verse studies through Psalms, and Men’s and Women’s book studies.  As always, we try to gather together for times of fellowship whether scheduled or impromptu.  This past month a group gathered together for a meal on Thanksgiving and for an impromptu game night at the Moss’s house on a Sunday night.

Thank you for your prayers.  We are looking forward to the coming year and all that God has for us up here. 

– Sara

Fall has been a full and exciting time for us in Duluth. On Sundays we’ve continued our journey through the book of Matthew in chapter 11. We’ve learned about dealing with doubt by studying how Jesus addressed John the Baptist when his confidence in Jesus was waning. No one doubts Jesus when things are going well, but we suddenly question His purposes when life becomes difficult. The antidote is to wait through suffering, look around at what He is doing, and learn not to be offended. Later in the chapter, Jesus had hard words for those who refused to repent of their sin by making excuses and blaming the messenger. When we’re born again, sin becomes repulsive, and those who truly know Christ will repent. On Wednesday evenings, we followed up with these subjects during our weekly rewinds, diving deeper into doubt and repentance in small group discussions.

We shook up our typical Wednesday rotation with some different material, which was both challenging and admonishing. We spent two Wednesdays watching a series of films about Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, who were faithful Jewish-Romanian Christians during World War II. In “Tortured for Christ”, we followed along with Richard’s story of faithful evangelism and ministry to the Russians who had invaded his country and how he stood up to the religious leaders of his day who were compromising their faith because of government pressure. All of this landed him in prison, where he was subjected to torture, loneliness, and cruelty for years. After the film, we had a large group discussion, where we were challenged to evaluate our lives as soul-winners and the cost we will pay for the salvation of the lost. In the movie, “Sabina”, we saw the story of how both she and her husband came to faith, and the subsequent radical effect it had on their lives. They started by ministering to the people around them, their neighbors, whether they were pleasant people or not. God blessed their efforts, and many, even enemies, came to Christ. It was moving to see how their huge sacrifices and endurance later in life began through the small acts of faithfulness, hospitality, and love in their neighborhood.

We were blessed with beautiful weather all through October (the news said the last time it was this warm in the fall was 1903), and we took full advantage of it. Several of us headed down the street from the church to work on installing siding on one of our neighbors’ houses. We worked alongside the homeowner and his family and were able to get a significant amount of work done. It was a great way to connect with our neighbors because there’s nothing like working alongside others to build a deeper relationship.

On the same weekend, we were delighted to host the Street Level Summit up in the Northland, with all members of the campus ministries joining for a weekend of learning, fellowship, and… kickball. Pastor Tim was the guest speaker for the first evening at the church, and he spoke on having “an unfinished life”. The group spent the night and then did some more sessions at a local hostel in downtown Duluth. Pastor Justin taught the first of a two-part message at the church on a Saturday night and then followed up with the second message at church on Sunday. He spoke on the contrast between the kind of people who use God, and then the kind of people God uses. It was very encouraging to have our church full on Sunday; we’re such a small group, that being able to worship and fellowship with a larger body is such a joy, and it makes us long for Heaven when we will all be together.  After the Sunday message, the Street Level members headed to UM-Duluth for some costume kickball, in the spirit of the season.

On October 31st, we had an all-church Halloween costume party at the Street Level House. It had all the makings of a good time: food, games, guests, and trick-or-treaters.

-Annie

Find out what’s been happening in Duluth.

“Well, there’d be seasons of growing and seasons of renewing in my soul”

We have just made it about a third of the way through Matthew on Sundays. We’ve learned of Jesus addressing the root cause of sin through the paralytic man (Chapter 9). Matthew then points out characters who are in desperate need of Jesus, including himself. Jesus then calls his disciples (Chapter 10) and we see that they were an answer to prayer, they were available, Jesus was familiar with them (enough that a couple had nicknames), and they were reliable.

Can the same be said of you and where Jesus called you to?

Jesus then gives the job description to what it takes to be a disciple. We have taken the time on Wednesday Rewind nights to dig deeper in how this applies to our life. In between rewind nights, we have taken some time in Psalms (75 & 76) and discussed how we are equipped to endure suffering and persecution and how we can be assured that we love God by looking at whether we really know God, do we trust God, do we fear God, and do we obey God. Pray for us in that we use these teachings as a way of growing with the Lord and not just another message on Sunday or Wednesday. 

“So, shake the leaves of red and yellow and trust the life that follows me”

Community Group was able to participate in Fall Fest again this year at Chester Bowl. We had Street Level there as well with a root beer float station. The day started out with rain but our spirits were high as we engaged with the community trying to reach people. Community Group is then gearing up for Boo at the Zoo for the next several Saturdays in October. Pray for those in Community Group to find unique ways of engaging in the community both individually and corporately. Pray for direction and clarity to what we are to be doing and willing to change in all types of seasons. 

“Seasons to seasons, time after time, living and laughing, dying and crying”

Campus Church has been going through 1 John and what it means to be a Chrisitan. For the Street Level micro studies, they have been having discussions on what Jesus has said including “Jesus tells us to judge” and “to eat his flesh”. They also were able to have a plant sale at UMD. Street Level is then gearing up for the summit around the corner. Pray for Campus Church Duluth and Street Level in softening the hearts of the students to seek out Jesus and for direction in what they should do on both campuses in the coming months ahead.

-Amber

What’s new in Duluth? Well, we are trying many new things this fall, but our mission remains the same – reach our communities and specifically, the college campuses for Jesus. This time of year always marks an increased effort and focus in this endeavor, and this year is no different. We are ready to see what God has in store for us this semester.

Campus Ministry

We started a couple of weeks ago with Believers Campus Church at UM-Duluth. Since we are not an official student organization on campus yet, our only way to let students know we exist has been to hand out flyers, which is a daunting task when the campus is so large and there are only a few of us. We would appreciate your prayers in this task – that we would meet the right students who God has been working in already and that want to know Him. In a few days, we will be able to set up informational tables on campus too, which we plan to do weekly. Our services have worship and verse-by-verse Bible teaching, which is currently in 1st John.

On the UW-Superior campus, we are offering a 15 minute micro Bible study on Mondays at 4pm. This campus is much smaller than UMD, and many students go home in the evenings so we are hoping with the time change we will be able to reach a group of students that we have not been able to yet. Our topic for this micro study is “Crazy Things that Jesus Said”. This past weekend we held a garage sale at the Street Level House and had our coffee trailer out too. We gave away drinks to students, sold some great junk, and got the word out about church and Street Level.

Church Outreach and Fellowship

Speaking of coffee, as a church, we are currently gearing up for one of the largest outreach events we do with our coffee trailer. One of the local parks next to UMD hosts a festival with food and craft vendors, music, and other activities. This event will be a group effort between the community group running the coffee trailer, and the college group serving up root beer floats right next to the trailer. We hope to not only serve a lot of coffee and root beer but more importantly, engage with the community by sharing who we are and ultimately who Jesus is. We would appreciate prayer for this event – for good weather and good conversations.

Looking back on the last month, we really soaked up all summer had to offer by getting outside every chance we had. Wednesday nights we could be found at various parks in the area as we discussed the previous Sunday sermon. We also had a men’s and women’s study and just finished up the books we have been going through – “Disciplines of a Godly Woman” and “Disciplines of a Godly Man” respectively. One of our favorite destinations as a church is Gordy’s Hi-Hat in Cloquet – a great diner with the best burgers and fish and chips in the area… not to mention ice cream! We made one last trip there for the season, but before we feasted, we played an intense game of kickball on a real baseball field. I won’t mention names, but certain people may have ended up in the dust after colliding on first base. No bones were broken, just bruised egos. In other sports news, we went tailgating at UMD’s first football game of the season, which was a good time of fellowship.

It was really good to be with our brothers and sisters in Menomonie at the church campout this past weekend. I personally was struck by the amount of grace God has given – to be a part of such a community and involved in all the things we get to be involved in. I thought of how close I was to missing out on all this – how many little things God wove together, while I was totally unaware, to get me to where He needed me to be. And He’s done that for each one of us! My point is that God is really great and really big and the fact that He wants to use us at all is astonishing and it is an opportunity I don’t want to miss out on. 

I promise I won’t talk about the weather, but upon further thought I suppose me saying that means I just broke my promise (Can one really live in Duluth and NOT mention weather?).

July has come and gone and we are into August now.

Thinking back on the last month, a lot has happened. If you really think about it, we are very lucky to be able to be involved in everything we are involved in. To be able to serve God in the capacity we are able to (or even at all). Most of us are blessed with healthy bodies, minds and a fair bit of youthfulness left still.

Summer can be a busy time, and sometimes you can get a little tired and be challenged, but if you think in Kingdom terms, everything we have done for the Lord in the last month has been an eternal investment. For one short month of expending our time, money and energy for Jesus, one day, we will be rewarded eternally with eternal treasure (not to mention 100 fold in this life for giving any of that up if we have done it for His sake). How awesome is that? More than we can probably realize, but now is a good time to reflect on that I think.

God has been good and faithful. It’s His work, but He lets us take part in it. He’s been slowly adding to our small fellowship.

So what has God been up to? What have we been up to? Speaking of eternal treasure, we’ve been going through the sermon on the Mount. This has been a theme. On Wednesdays we are often found going to parks taking part in “Rewind” sessions. This is where we review the sermon from Sunday, then break out into small groups to talk about it. This is a good opportunity to open up and encourage each other and better understand how to personally apply these things to our lives. We’ve also started up in the book of Psalms on certain Wednesdays, as well as Men’s/Women’s studies. (Enjoy being able to meet outside while it lasts.)

One mission team has returned, and another recently left for the Philippines (Pray for them!)

On Sundays it seems like we’ve had a lot of visitors, both temporary (travelers) and those from the area. It’s cool to see so many new faces coming into church all the time, the number of people we’ve been able to minister to just in that capacity has been many. One Sunday we headed to Lester Park for lunch, kickball, and a lemonade giveaway.

National Night Out was great. The Matthy’s hosted it at their new house (their backyard is basically a giant park with lions nearby. I doubt many others in the church can make that boast). A great many neighbors and others that people knew came by, and overall I think it was a great night, and that God did some cool things there.

We’ve also been able to continue to stream Sunday church to the nursing home across the street as well as visit every couple weeks for a Bible study. We may or may not have things in the works for St. Louis County jail as well in the coming months, so that is something to keep in prayer.

There is plenty more but we are out of space for this month.

We have a few upcoming events planned which we will likely cover in next month’s blog so stay tuned for more on that (as well as the campout coming up). And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

-Jason