Month: July 2021

July 25, 2021 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read what is happening at Shofar Mission Cebu!

Street Level Ministries

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, virtual or modular learning, and many students studying from their hometowns, Street Level continues to meet digitally.

At the beginning of the month, we were blessed to spend the day together at a coffeehouse at Spring Park Mountain Resort. This was the first time three of the members saw each other in person since March 2020. The next day, we attended church with two of the SLM members. It was wonderful to meet the church and to fellowship with them! We journeyed by bus, car, and motorcycle, and look forward to the next time we can see each other in person. The digital community just isn’t the same as face-to-face. Please pray that students would see the value in reaching out to invite other students in.

Members can volunteer for Street Level Radio and Word on the Street Magazine. We are putting the finishing touches on Issue 87 and started writing drafts for Issue 88. In the next few weeks, we will continue updating the new WOTS website with local articles and finding ways to get the magazine in the hands of students. Despite being unable to meet in person, SLR volunteers are keeping the station fresh with new content and helping to record WOTS articles for the new website.

  • WOTS Sample Review
  • Some of the SLM Members
  • Church Visit

Exploring Creation Science

Exploring Creation Science lessons have continued. As the month of July comes to a close, we will start the 2021 school year soon. As of this writing, classes at all levels are to remain online or modular. To prepare for online and modular learning, Exploring Creation Science will print booklets for students that receive modular packets. Online lessons will be held for those that are enrolled in online learning. We also continue to provide lessons for specific schools we have worked with in the past as requested.

Other Ministry Updates

We continue getting the word out about Shofar TV and updating content. For those of you that may not be aware, Shofar TV broadcasts 24/7 on three cable TV stations throughout the island – one each in Toledo, Balamban/Asturias, and Metro Cebu.

Through Shofar Youth Network, we have provided curriculum to local youth groups that discuss some tough questions like “How Did We Get Here?” “Is the Bible True?” and “Who Created It All?” Several churches are trying to do youth events safely, so we have been able to share their postings to our social media pages also.

We have also had a chance to meet up with Dyreen, Orchids, & KC (in person!) to celebrate a couple of July birthdays!

July 22, 2021 The Children's Ministry

Happenings

Mid-summer greetings from the Children’s Ministry! The biggest change since our last update is that we can see each other’s smiles again (and all of the teeth that have been lost over the recent months!) now that we don’t have to wear masks.

Although we do not currently have enough toddlers for a Beginnings Room, the Foundations Room continues to meet every other Sunday for kids in grades K-4. This schedule provides a good balance of age-appropriate Bible lessons and church participation. By participating in the church service, children learn how to worship God by being with and watching their parents and church family worship.

For the Next Generation

I recently came across this blog post worth sharing from Truth 78, a ministry whose passion is “for the comprehensive discipleship of the next generation.” They have established “Psalm 78 Day” on July 8th to serve as an annual reminder of our privilege and responsibility as Christians to pass along the truth about God to the next generations. Take a look at some of the first few verses of Psalm 78.

“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD, about his power and his mighty wonders. … so the next generation might know them–even the children not yet born–and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.” Psalm 78:4,6-7

If you think about it, each one of us who call ourselves a follower of Christ is here because in God’s sovereign plan and way, someone obeyed Psalm 78 and passed the truth about God to us. Of course, parents have the primary responsibility of teaching their children the ways of God, but all followers of Christ also play an important role in doing this. This is true even if you do not participate in the Children’s Ministry! I am thankful for the wide variety of Christian voices that my children have speaking into their lives because of this church family!

Prayer Requests:

  • For the next generations of our church, that they would hear the glorious deeds of the Lord and set their hope in Him.
  • That we as church members would each be faithful to tell of the greatness of God to those children who are in our spheres of influence.
July 20, 2021 River Falls Ministry

We have fully embraced summertime in River Falls by giving away coffee, ice cream, and grilling out!

Street Level Mondays

We have been meeting for Street Level in different locations around town this summer. We’ve shuffled around from parks, to back yards, to locations on campus. Several students and other visitors have joined us. Our main focus has been going verse-by-verse through the book of John.

Recently, we had a great weekend joining the other campuses for camping and canoeing in Superior. The Street Level group there hosted us at their own campground for a time of fire and fellowship in the woods. We then took a fleet of canoes for a 4+ hour trip down the Brule River.

Also, a group of us went with the other Street Level groups to the St. Louis, Missouri area at an all-weekend conference. There was fellowship, worship, and a variety of topical teachings. The organization, Campus Ministry United, put together a collaborative series entitled “Cancel Culture”. It was encouraging and inspiring to see another young and committed group of believers growing and serving together.

Coffeehouse and Church Outings

We continue to set up the coffeehouse kiosk at “Music in the Park” on Thursday nights. We serve a simple menu of cold brew, hot coffee, and watermelon Italian sodas. It has been nice to see the local community getting familiar with who we are and vice versa. Our regularity there has kind of made us the de facto “info booth”, with people regularly asking us questions that we don’t know the answer to.

  • Friendly and helpful neighbors

Sunday evenings we have shifted away from our weekly studies and have been doing some simple outreach in the community. Our basic plan is to fill up a cooler with ice cream treats and wheel it around town to see who we meet. We have talked to several people at parks and trails, many of whom are ready and open for conversation. We even gave away patriotic popsicles on the 4th of July to a huge group of college students.

“River Falls Days” was this month and with it came large crowds, reminiscent of pre-pandemic times. This is one of the biggest events in River Falls during the summer. To get our name out there, we handed out hundreds of flyers Friday night during a “walk through” parade. The next day we gave away cold brew, coffee, Italian sodas, and food from the coffeehouse parking lot. There were lots of local people who came over, many stayed and hung out to chat about the coffeehouse, the ministry, and whatever else was on their mind.

Prayer For….

Please continue to be in prayer for the future outreach and ministry that is going on in the River Falls community. Also, that God would open the hearts of the people attending the studies. Lastly that we’d have wisdom and clarity about the direction of the ministry for the fall.

Further Information

Summertime in River Falls

July 16, 2021 Kindred Adults Ministry

Community Outreach

The Kindred Adult Singles at Believers City Church are activated for the summer. We kicked things off with community outreach, joining with the One Life couples and Duluth, to clean up the parks and trails around Menomonie…

This year we added Believers Church vests, the Blind Munchies Coffeehouse Kiosk giving away free cold press and coffee to weary travelers, and flyers with information about Believers Church, Burning Dog Radio, and the Blind Munchies Coffeehouse…

After several hours and 45 full 50-gallon garbage bags later… we called it a day… Thanks to Duluth and the One Life couples for joining us!

Camping

The Kindred Adult Singles also went camping with our Duluthian compadres at the Believers Church Campground… We started a book on the Misconceptions of Singleness (including misconceptions about marriage). The introduction and first chapter generated plenty of intimate and honest discussion (both in large-group and in men’s and women’s groups).

We capped the camping trip off with a 2+ hour river adventure in tubes in the wind and rain… It was unforgettable. Good thing we found Noah’s Ark! Wait… is that Nate and Seth at the helm? And is Claire steering? Uh oh…

Coming Up

This summer we are staying activated… We have another community cleanup scheduled for next Saturday. Then in August, we plan to hike on the Chippewa Morain Segment of the Ice Age Trail near the New Auburn, WI… Our Duluth friends are welcome as always.

This Fall we are hoping to go camping one more time and cover a few more chapters in our book. We’d also like to sneak in one more hike on the Hemlock River Segment of the Ice Age Trail near Bruce, WI…

For community outreach, as the weather gets colder, we are thinking of promoting Friday Night Binge TV nights with “The Chosen” in the Blind Munchies and all-you-can-eat pop-corn… Is anyone interested?

More on that next time!

July 14, 2021 JFB Books and Media

New hours for the Central Desk!

We are now open at 10 to 10:30 before church

and 12:00 to 1:00 after church on Sundays.

Any questions? Contact: bookstore@jfbelievers.com

July 13, 2021 Believers Church Duluth

Every summer seems to be flying by faster than the prior. It’s hard to believe but it’s nearly half way through summer 2021! Regardless of how this summer pace has been going, we are thankful to be mask less, socialize outside our immediate household and see one another within 6 feet: what a change a year can bring. Believer’s Church Duluth has been aiming to make the most of it through our fellowship, service and Bible study opportunities.

Book Study

In June we kicked off our book study on Disciplines of a Godly Man and Disciplines of a Godly Woman. We were able to get off site and enjoy the Street Level Garage where we meet for dinner and then break off into men and women’s groups with discussion regarding the chapters we cover. Topics have included the gospel, discipline, marriage, and submission.

This past month we tried a new style of small group discussion following our viewing of the Saturate series by Jeff Vanderstelt. These evenings consist of teaching and video’s based on Vanderstelt’s book with the subtitle: “Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life”. The new style of discussion entailed breaking off into even smaller groups with a list of questions that each participant was given the opportunity to discuss and then coming together with our groups for a large group discussion. This unique discussion style afforded a more robust discussion in smaller settings while allowing for each group to share their insights corporately.

Bible Study

We continue to march through the book of Jeremiah on Wednesday’s when we aren’t covering either Saturate or Disciplines of a Godly Man or Woman series. This past Wednesday we covered Jeremiah 33 looking particularly at God’s mercy and desire to love His people; this was particularly timely on the heels of our Romans 3 study the Sunday prior as we were reminded of God’s love and forgiveness as something we are never deserving of or able to earn but only by grace!

Additionally, we had a two week mini-series on prayer by Pastor Jesse as a break from our study through the book of Romans. We looked at both the why and how as it pertains to prayer and it’s vital importance to both our survival and joy. It was helpful to be reminded that Jesus Himself didn’t try to do life without prayer and the difference between saying prayers and praying to God.

Fellowship

Lunch and dinner are back in full swing with some wonderful tasting meals where we are able to come together enjoying our basement café space without the construction zone. The plumbing project during May and June was finally completed and our kitchen is back in order without any dust, pits, or piles of dirt to impede our space! Most recently, however, we were able to come together for 4th of July at the Street Level garage with a game of Fishbowl, Slip ‘N Slide, and fireworks.

Service

Street Level participants have been busy during the past month doing projects at the Street Level Garage and adjacent house. Projects have consisted of painting, flooring and landscaping. Additionally, WOTS participants have been working on getting more distribution at local businesses and locations throughout the Twin Ports.

Media Ministry and Community Group are continuing to meet on a regular basis on Sunday’s. Community Group has been taking advantage of the good weather on Sunday afternoon’s and getting out to local parks to give away drinks as a means of reaching out to whomever God brings along our path that day.

Thank you for your prayers for us both as a church and individually. Please keep our upcoming rummage sale in prayer for later this month. This event is often ranked among a highlight of our year where we come together for some great fellowship, service and outreach both to our community and beyond. Please pray we’d have right hearts, good weather, and the event would draw people to the love of God.

4th of July fellowship at the Street Level house.
Work on the Street Level house.
Work at the Street Level house.
Outreach at the park.

-Matt