Tag: Street Level

“Padayon” – Keep Going

March 25, 2021 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest news update from the mission field in the Philippines.

One of the joys (and challenges!) of the mission field is learning a new culture and language. One of my favorite phrases over the past year has been, “padayon” which means “keep going” or “carry on.” Another way to say it is “dasig lang” which is a much deeper Bisaya version of the phrase. “Laban lang” is the Tagalog version, which is also frequently used in the Visayas. All of them essentially translate to “keep fighting.” Whichever phrase you pick, it sums up much of the Christian life. We are to be faithful, consistent, and stubborn enough to keep going, knowing that Jesus is right there leading us through it all. As Elisabeth Elliot often reminded herself, “do the next thing.” Can you relate?

Here’s a brief summary of how we’ve put “padayon” into practice:

Exploring Creation Science Teaching Lessons Online

Laura has continued to expand this ministry in very creative ways despite being unable to meet with students physically. Interactive creation science lessons are taught online using props, experiments, videos, and more. During the month of March, a special lesson was taught via Google Meet to the Believers Church Homeschool students. There was also a special set of chemistry lessons taught via Facebook Live, along with the regularly schedule lessons every Thursday and Friday. As the school year wraps up, it’s time to dream, scheme, and coordinate schedules with churches / schools to prep for summer lessons and next school year.

Exploring Creation Science online lesson

Exploring Creation Science chemistry lessons

Street Level Ministries Reaching out to Universities

Universities still aren’t meeting in person, although most students have to go to campus to file paperwork, enroll, pay tuition, etc. Therefore, students are still spread throughout the region and doing their coursework remotely. This has made it challenging to meet new students and forced us to get pretty creative with reaching out. God allowed us to print 1,500 copies of the new issue of WOTS (the most we’ve ever printed!). We originally planned to include a copy in each student’s modules at UV, but the university’s plans changed, so we will be distributing at each of the 7 satellite campuses. God even provided a magazine rack for each campus (it’s not easy to find 7 of the same thing in this country).

WOTS Rack at the UV-Main Accounting Department

We have a small group of current students and recent graduates that join us on Google Meet each Friday for a Bible discussion. At the end of February, we hosted a virtual BINGO night which we also broadcasted live on Street Level Radio. Students continue to volunteer remotely for WOTS and SLR, and we’ve been able to see a couple of them in person at the office.

Street Level Ministries students at office

Street Level Ministries online BINGO night

Shofar Cable TV Broadcasting is Expanding!

We have some exciting news to share! At the end of the month, we will start broadcasting Shofar Cable TV on the west side of Cebu Island! Channel 46 on Toledo Cable TV will officially be “SHOFAR”! We thank God for answering our prayers to expand our broadcasting reach throughout the island. Now, the final frontiers are the deep south and far north. Please pray for a successful installation, for viewers, and kingdom fruit from this ministry!

Shofar Cable TV broadcasting on Cebu Island

Prayer Requests

To end the school year well and to have vision for the upcoming summer / school year.
For true discipleship and a heart to reach other students among the SLM students.
For churches throughout the island to be able to meet safely and be vigilant about safety protocols.
That God would open up the Philippines for a team (or two) to come to Cebu this year.
Gospel-centered relationships and conversations with the people in our home and office communities that we see everyday.

Seeing the Hand of God Up Close!

February 25, 2021 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest update from Shofar Mission and see what God has been doing in Cebu, Philippines.

This month started with major updates to the two cable TV stations God has blessed us with. Shofar TV is currently broadcasting on Cebu Cable in Metro Cebu and ATD Cable in Balamban/Asturias.

Street Level Ministries

Since our last update, we had a chance to meet with two students that attend UV-Toledo and explain what SLM is all about to them. Issue 85 of Word on the Street is hot off the press. 1,000 copies will be distributed with modular learning packets to students at the University of the Visayas. We are hoping we can deliver the magazines during the first week of March. Street Level Radio continues to stream (with some minor tech upgrades here and there) and students are still volunteering for the station. We are pleased to announce our sister station Burning Dog Radio recently started streaming online worldwide!

Seeing the Hand of God Up Close in Toledo

Exploring Creation Science

Even though the “new normal” has classes in all levels from Pre-K to university online, the mission for Exploring Creation Science remains the same. Know why you believe what you believe. Again, since classes are online we are able to do things that would normally be more challenging. During the month of March, Explore booklets for students in grades 4-6 and 7-12 will be printed and distributed, a special four-week series using Facebook Live class for students in grades 7-12 will take place, and Zoom lessons will continue.

Prayer Requests:

Pray that God would continue working in the hearts and minds of all those we have met.
We ask that God would bring people into the ministries.
Pray for all the churches that are unable to meet in person due to Sunday barangay lockdowns.
Pray for viewers to tune in to Shofar TV and that we could expand our broadcasting reach throughout Cebu Island.

Departing a Semester, Apart

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.

Street Level UW-Stout Winter Break

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.

Street Level Road Trip to Minneapolis!

November 21, 2018 Street Level College Ministries

Road Trip

Street Level switched things up on Monday night and took a road trip to Minneapolis to meet some new friends at Steiger Minneapolis instead of the normal dinner + bible study. We joined Steiger for a night of worship, prayer, and hearing from their leaders to learn more about their vision and goals for reaching the unchurched youth culture of the Twin Cities.

They announced upcoming events and encouraged people who came to support these efforts through prayer and involvement. We found that they had a heart similar to our ministry- to reach the people through concerts with people attending to reach out, they have a weekly bible study with a theological discussion at a local coffeehouse, as well as intentionally participating in local events to support the community and develop relationships with people.

It was exciting to see the way that is God is working with another group! This gave us time to reflect on what God is doing in our own community – with a discussion of what we saw and heard filling up most of the drive home. It was truly an inspiring night about what God is doing through His people in the mission fields both near and far.

Upcoming Events

We return to our normal scheduled programming next week to finish out the semester at UW-Stout. This includes a free dinner at 6 pm followed by a bible study at 7 pm.