Category: Street Level Ministries

A ministry to UW-Stout and other local universities.

May 16, 2021 Street Level College Ministries

Finishing Up

Street Level just finished the Spring, 2021 semester at UW-Stout. The spring semester was eventful! Besides working through all the logistics and considerations for Covid-safety, we continued to meet new people each week and got to know many of them week-to-week over dinner and the bible discussions. As the school year came to a close, we saw some members graduate and move away, others head out for summer jobs / travels at large, and some move on to other pursuits.

There are also many of us who remain in Menomonie for the summer. Our plans include continued weekly bible studies in the Gospel of John, camping & canoeing trips, bonfires, and other random happenings. For those of college age who are interested in getting involved, we will meet at The Blind Munchies Coffeehouse at 6:30pm on Monday nights.

A Quick Look Back

Our weekly dinners gave us many occasions to get to know each other better. As the weather improved we made our way outside to the patio to enjoy the warm air. Prior to that, all of our activity was indoors in the friend confines of The Blind Munchies. We ate together, read the bible, watched short videos, and had lots of small group discussions about life with God. The current college students also met on campus for prayer and discussion, as they read through Jon Bloom’s book Don’t Follow Your Heart. (*Jon Bloom spoke at the Blind Munchies back in 2018)

Outside of the Monday night routine we had: winter bonfires, sledding, two one-day college summits, more sledding, a Spring Break mission trip to Tennessee, Saturday morning breakfast’s at The Blind Munchies Coffeehouse, bonfires, french fries, etc. We continue to stay connected with the other Street Level campuses at UW River Falls and UW Superior with a variety of video and in person events.

A Quick Thank You

Lastly, Street Level greatly appreciate the prayers, support, and guidance of Believers Church! As a campus ministry, we are incredibly blessed to be directly connected to a church with all the opportunities to pursue God in the fullness of what the bible intends for Christians. We appreciate the support of our pastors and the people who belong to Believers Church.

Please continue to pray for God’s opportunities for us to engage with the UW Stout students.

September 16, 2020 Street Level College Ministries

Getting Started

Street Level has started back up for the Fall, 2020 semester! The UW-Stout students returned to on Labor Day weekend, with classes beginning last week. Street Level welcomed returning students back to Menomonie with a backyard hangout at the Street Level House.

New Location

This fall we have a new location and time for our weekly meeting on Monday night. We will gather weekly at 5pm in The Commons (Elk Creek Room) for on-campus prayer. The plan is to read a short devotional together and spend time praying for our classmates, the campus, and other current needs.

We have also been invited to join The Blind Munchies for a weekly college dinner and bible discussion. The dinner is free and begins at 6pm. The bible discussion will follow at 7pm. All college students are welcome!

Pressing On

The rules of engagement may have changed. But our goal is the same: to build God’s kingdom through discipleship of university students at Stout.

Street Level provides opportunities for college students to serve God in through our varied ministry outlets. You can become a member of Street Level and begin serving God in our magazine, radio station, coffeehouse, or creative team. We also go on retreats, mission trips, etc. We have a discipleship house. And we are supported by a great church.

God wants you to grow in your Christian faith. Even during your time in college.

May 16, 2020 Street Level College Ministries

This past Monday was the final Street Level meeting of the UW-Stout semester. By the time you read this, finals week will be over, and a few Street Level members will be graduated.

We’ve been meeting via conference call for the past few weeks, continuing our discussions from before all the social distancing. We have been going through material about what it means to be a radical follower of Jesus in this present time. The semester ended with us reflecting on our own walk with God. To ask whether we are distracted by our own life and desires, or are we focused on pursuing Jesus. This was an appropriate analysis given the time and situation we are all in.

Two month’s ago…

It is crazy to think that it was two months ago that we were still doing meals at the Street Level house, welcoming in strangers to join us, and having a full group conversation together. We then moved to meeting in small groups at various locations, video calling between the groups to ‘stay together’ and now we are completely in the digital realm for meetings. Each transition felt like a hard one, but it also provided a new way to connect, reflect, and realize who we each really are when we are on our own. This has proven difficult for us all, but God is no doubt speaking to us.

What even is a Campus Ministry?

This entire situation has really tested and allowed us all to ask a lot of questions. Why are we here? What is our goal? Who is our goal? What is a campus ministry? What are we doing? Why are we doing it? What is our purpose? Do I want to be part of it? Do I want to follow Jesus? Where is He going?

Asking ourselves these questions can be tiring, but it’s good. It has forced us to think and to lean on God. He wants to give clarity, not confusion. So we are trusting that God will lead and speak, and we will be patient and faithful in the meantime. This time apart gives us time to draw near to Him, and to let Him speak, convict, encourage, and guide rather than just trying to copy or get the answers from each other. Most of all, this time apart has made us realize how much we need each other. Having time to rely on God has been good, but relying on God, and walking together, is better. We are excited to get back together again.

What will Summer bring?

As the restrictions for gathering are lifted, it is still unclear how we will proceed with being a campus ministry over the summer months. The summer is always a good time for fellowship, restoration, and preparation for the next year. Please pray for vision as we figure out how to do ministry on a campus after it has been empty for months. This is unclear, but also exciting. God is still ministering, He is still loving, finding the lost, meeting the lonely, and training His disciples. We are excited to see where He takes us this summer, and into the fall.

January 16, 2020 Street Level College Ministries

Time for Some Reflection

Reflection this time of the year seems natural. Looking back over the last few months has brought about many memories, and reminders, but also the excitement of the things to come. It’s crazy that it’s already 2020 and stop and think that means Street Level is now 22 years old: 22 years of reaching out on UW-Stout’s campus and now, beyond this city and all the way across the world.  

This past fall semester saw the graduation of three of our students. One is already off to the missions field and the others are starting life after college in here in Menomonie. Keep them in prayer! This is the time where important life decisions are made and where all the time spent in Street Level and church and the things God is teaching us is put into practice. 

Winter Breaking

As we rolled into winter break, Street Level has been spending time resting and reflecting on the past semester. We have been spending time reading through blog articles as a large group and discussing topics such as if we are making actual progress or are just moving around in circles. We also spent time praying for the next semester and the students away on break, something that we are learning to do before we move forward headlong into things. To wrap up winter break we will be spending our last meeting this coming Monday to talk about our mission on campus and who we are as a group and what we seek to be as a ministry. 

Another Semester Coming

Of course what would be a spring semester kick off be without a good old fashioned game of broomball? Street Level will be looking forward to spending time with Street Level Twin Ports and Street Level River Falls as they come down to crash in Menomonie on a Friday night the first week of school and then play a good clean game of broomball the next day out at the “lake house”. We have lots to look forward to with a sledding adventure planned with OneLife at the Badlands in Febuary and hopefully no broken bones. We are also hoping to have a few guest speakers come to campus over the next semester to speak to the various Street Level branches, but will be a good opportunity to bring people in from campus.

Pray as we head into the next semester- the ground we cover depends entirely on God but you can partner with us to lift up the plans we have and the unexpected twists that are yet to come to bring fruit and to help us bring Students into a closer, deeper relationship with God. 

September 16, 2019 Street Level College Ministries

Street Level Weekly Meetings

Street Level Ministries at UW-Stout has resumed it’s campus activities with the return of students for the Fall, 2019 semester! This fall we continue to meet every Monday at 6pm for a free dinner followed by a Bible study at 7pm. This happens at the Street Level house, which is located behind Jarvis Hall. (1009 6th St E)

Getting The Ball Rolling…

In the month of September while the weather is still good and the college students aren’t overloaded with homework (yet), we have a handful of outreach events planned.  

A few outreach events are already in the books. We had our inaugural Labor Day thrift & plant sale a few weeks ago. Many UW Stout students are now the proud owners of a new responsibility: a dorm plant. The sale gave us a great chance to meet our neighbors and fund raise for a future Street Level mission trip.

This past weekend we survived tubing the frigid waters of the Red Cedar River. Most of the small band of Street Levelers entered the flood stage boat landing as naive young adults, and all exited an hour later with lower core body temperatures. But we still took time for a took a quick photo and then drove back to the Street Level House for some BBQ chicken.

What’s Coming Up Next?

The next few weeks we will host Friday night Garden Parties at the Street Level House. We hang out, eat, ping pong, and have something of a main event like a movie or some live music. Along the way we will also be on campus to give away free coffee from the Blind Munchie Coffeehouse as well as set up on campus with Burning Dog Radio and Word on the Street Magazine.

Plenty of Opportunities to Belong!

We have also begun signing up new members for the semester. This is open to any college student looking for opportunities to get involved in Street Level and serve God in one of the above mentioned outreach ministries. We ask each new member to commit themselves to being invested for one semester at a time in a weekly service position and all the regular happenings of Street Level.

Street Level mixes it up during the first dinner & bible study of the semester.

So far we’ve seen a really good mix of new and familiar faces. Please pray that God continues sending people to our meetings and events, and that he gives those people the desire to get involved in His kingdom work!  

You can find out more information about who we are and what we are up to on our website.

May 29, 2019 Street Level College Ministries

It is summer! We are excited to be outside and around town. Summers always seem to be a time of testing and to strengthen existing relationships. Last week for Street Level we broke out into small groups around town. Some went for ice cream, dinner, a walk, and a variety of other activities. We took some time to reflect on where we have come from in the last year and where we are going as a group and as individuals.

This weekend we had the first church fire at the campground paired with a Street Level-focused camping event. As the evening went on it seemed the tent village had taken over the back half of the campground. It was cool to see so many tents and hammocks around. It was great to be united with our church body and friends from Duluth and River falls!

  • Light Capturing Photo

Most of us stayed up late, sharing some good stories around the campfire. A few credible sources saw some UFO’s up in the late night sky. In the morning we mustered ourselves together again to enjoy breakfast and a short devotional.

While the parents are away, eat as much popcorn as possible.

We are truly blessed to have a church family to share and use this campground space with! Thank you to everyone who helps make it a great place to hang out and stay. We could use prayer for our summer endeavors out in the community, the new relationships God blesses us with and those of us who are in the Philippines.