Community Group

Through the summer and fall members of the community group have been setting up at different parks and intersections throughout the city handing out hot or iced drinks as well as church information to engage the community. We met a lot of people and were able to let a lot of people know who we are. As Summer fades to winter these outreaches will change, but we aren’t done yet. Every October the Duluth Zoo hosts an event “Boo at the Zoo” where local businesses can set up stations throughout the zoo to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and promotional materials to their parents. This year we are setting up a station for three weekends in a row. This is a large event so please pray that God would help us to connect with the right people and work through us as we put ourselves out into the community. 

Street Level

Street Level has been continuing to reach out to both the UM-Duluth and UW-Superior campuses. A couple of weeks ago we drove down to Minneapolis to join Stout and River Falls at an all-day discussion of how to spread the truth of Jesus on college campuses in our current cultural climate. This semester remains one like no other with its own unique challenges and difficulties, but also unusual opportunities. Both campuses are emptier than ever, in fact, a walk through campus might leave you wondering if school is really in session after all. This might seem to be a problem at first but God has still placed us around people and we believe He intends to use us in their lives for His purposes. Please pray that we will make good on the opportunities that God puts in front of us each day. 

Fellowship

In the past couple of weeks, we have also had the opportunity to spend time together as a church enjoying each other’s company and the beauty of God’s creation. One Sunday after church we all piled onto our bikes and pedaled out of town along the shore of Lake Superior. We ended the evening around a fire in the Street level Garage’s yard with a bowl of hot chili. (Turns out one pot of chili can feed far more people than we realized.) On another Sunday we went for a hike taking in the change of seasons. 

Church Service

We are still in the midst of our series going through Revelation on Sunday morning. It has been a great series, one that has addressed things that many long time Bible readers simply breeze by. On Wednesday nights we are rotating through sermons through the book of Jeremiah and occasional videos and discussion.   

September always marks an exciting time for us. It is when long formed plans are enacted in an attempt to spread the truth of Jesus to college students who are desperately in need of it. It is a time where we try to meet believers at university and help them to fulfill the purposes of God in their lives. But things are a little different this year.

After chasing several different ideas for Street Level (our campus ministry) doors were being closed in all sorts of ways. Health concerns, government laws, university regulations, and practical decisions lead us to a point of doubts and questions to just what we would be able to do to minister to college students in a meaningful way come the start of the semester. It was clear God shut many doors.

God Knows Best

As always God knows what He is doing and guided us in His perfect timing. The church has rented out the “Street Level Garage” which is the closest non University building to the UW-Superior campus. Our intention is to host our meetings there, create a study space for students, and set up the mobile coffee trailer there regularly to give away coffee and espresso drinks to students.

The past few weeks have been filled with deep cleaning, painting, running electrical lines, hanging lights, installing speakers, hauling furniture and much more to get The Garage ready for ministry. This not only provides a great outreach tool to the campus, it also gives us a practical way for our members to serve God, be challenged and trained, and be used for God’s purposes.

The space has already been put to good use. We hosted a Street Level rummage sale where we met students and community members. We handed out free plants to bring some life to dorm rooms and raise money for future ministry endeavors. Street Level also took advantage of our yard and the last fleeting moments of warmth to have an outdoor movie. Turns out with enough screws, scrap lumber, chain saw, and string you can hang a projector screen just about anywhere.

Ministry Never Ends

There is a lot of work left to do to get this fully ready as well as promoted to students. Please pray that we would remember why we do all that it is that we do. That we would not get lost in the routine and rhythms that we have grown accustomed to. As time moves ahead I hope that we will remain on mission in all areas of our lives. I hope that we will engage or classmates, coworkers, friends and family for the cause of Christ. We seek to make a difference for God’s kingdom. Pray that we would stay away from distraction. We want to seek God and His will for our lives above all else.

The last couple of weeks have been a reunion of sorts. After more than two months of not being able to gather as a church, we are able to have services again. Church looks different than it ever has, but even with the changes, it is good to be back together. With social distancing requirements, face masks, no group singing, and no fellowship in the coffeehouse after service, it is clear that things have not returned to the regular routine. But that is okay.

It is nice to be back together and somewhat have church as usual. But there is a danger of the church getting into too much of a routine. This current situation may just be helping to prevent that. It is easy to allow your Christianity and church involvement to slip into autopilot which requires little thought, little seeking good for direction, and little reliance on the Holy Spirit. If nothing else the last few months have served to prevent us from following our regularly scheduled program.

A Message to the Church

Sundays we have been continuing through the book of Revelation. It’s the last book of the New Testament that we have to go through verse by verse as a church. We are currently going through the letters written to the seven different churches in chapters two and three. These are letters written to churches with a message directly from Jesus. Each church is different, some with strengths they are commended for and some with sins that they are called to repent from. There is much to learn from the examples in scripture. No doubt there is a message that Jesus is “sending” to us as well. Please pray that we would hear what He is saying. That we wound be encouraged where he is encouraging, and repent where he points out our sins and weaknesses.

Sheep Among Wolves

At this week’s Wednesday gathering, we watched “Sheep Among Wolves” a video about the persecuted church in the Middle East. It was an inspiring night where we were left checking our own lives and commitment. Christians over there are spending their lives for the sake of God’s kingdom. Realizing that provides a wake-up call to ensure that we are not wasting ours. It’s incredible to see the hardships and persecution that are likely beyond our full comprehension and yet see the commitment and love that these believers have for Christ. One of the men in the video was at a near loss of words trying to explain that Jesus is worth any cost. Intentionally this video leaves us questioning what we are doing with our lives. Christ is worthy of no lesser commitment. He deserves no lesser love and sacrifice sacrifice here in the relative comfort of the west.

We continue to work on things around the church. Regulations are making it easier for people to get to church so we decided we would to. We completely redid the stairs going down into the coffeehouse and also repaired the steps leading to the sanctuary. We also are continuing to upgrade our technology to more effectively get our Bible teaching into the community. There seems to be no end to the amount of wires we need to pull from one end of the church to the other.

Things aren’t normal. But is normal really the goal or expectancy for a Christian filled with the Holy Spirit and under the direction of an almighty God? Please pray that as a church we would be directed by God, learning the lessons that He has for us, and going out applying them in our lives.

Since the last JFB Duluth update one month ago we have not physically gathered together for a church service. We have had no real church events, and the service positions and schedules that we have become accustomed to having been interrupted. However, that doesn’t mean we have been at a standstill. God’s overall mission for us remains the same. As a church, we remain committed to doing what we can to advance the purposes of God and His kingdom.

Proclaiming the Truth

The truth of scripture and the proclamation of it has, is, and always will be a priority for us. In fact, it is one aspect of our church that has continued on week after week even during this pandemic. Romans 10 reminds us of the importance of the preaching of God’s word. Paul asks the question, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14 ESV)

Our sermons have temporarily moved entirely online which has provided a unique opportunity to present the truth anywhere with an internet connection. A couple of weeks ago after 12 years of Pastor Justin teaching verse by verse through the New Testament on Sunday mornings, we begin our last book which is Revelation. Wanting to reach out to the community we mailed out thousands of fliers inviting people to tune in to our live stream services.

Continuing Campus Ministry

Street Level has begun digitally meeting with current students every week. We are taking this time to discuss what it means to be a follower of Jesus with the desire of being trained and equipped to make a difference in the campuses and lives around us. In the last couple of weeks, we have realized the call to be a disciple is a steep one. We discussed Luke 14 which reminds us of the high expectations that Jesus has for anyone who would follow Him. It seemed that He did not make any apologies or excuses for asking us to give up all and put Him first in our lives.

Our conversation led us to think about the costs of following Jesus and the things that we cling to not wanting to let go. We realize that the costs of following Jesus are great and that it won’t be easy. But this we talked about how although the cost to follow Jesus may be high, the cost we will pay if we choose not to follow Him is far greater. In the end, we will choose what cost we want to pay. We can either miss out on our pursuits and dreams or His. It shouldn’t be a hard decision. We know that the cost of following Jesus is well worth paying. Please pray that the truths that we have spent time discussing would be made real to our lives and change how we think and the way that we live.

Upgrades

We are doing what we can to keep the church moving forward to be better fit for ministry than before. One way we have done this is to improve our system for live streaming our services. This has meant installing new cameras, downloading new software, and running even more cables. In this digital age, we want to improve our online ministry to be as effective as possible. We have also made some kitchen and coffee house upgrades, as well as an improvement to our heating system.

I’m not sure when we will be able to gather together again. I’m not sure what it is going to look like when we do. It would be easy for us to view this time as a waiting period, that we are waiting to get back together, that we are waiting for everything to be “normal” again. I think that would be a waste of time. It would be a misuse of the season that God has us in. I think God would have us keep moving forward both in our character development and sanctification and also in fulfilling the mission the God has us on. We are seeking to do that corporately as a church, but we all need to be doing that individually.

Church may look different now, but the mission remains the same. We still seek to spread the truth of Jesus into our community. We still desire to disciple and be disciples. The church’s job still remains to equip believers to make a difference in the community that they are in. Although recent happenings in the world and regulations change some of the ways we minister as a church, they do not change why we are here.

Weekly Services

We continue to have Sunday and Wednesday services by live streaming our current sermons on our YouTube channel. You can catch our most recent sermons here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaKDmfLCRACaIa06KPJhLDA. Sermons start at 10:30 am every Sunday and at 7 pm on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month. We are in the middle of a series through the epistles of John on Sunday mornings and nearing the end of 2 Kings on Wednesday evenings. It is amazing to see the sovereignty of God in our passage week after week. He seems to perfectly align our verses to the needs of our church and the circumstances of this world. It is clear God knows what we need and provides exactly that, and we thank Him for it.

Staying Connected

Being united has always been an important thing for us. It might be a little harder than before, but we’re finding ways to stay connected as a church. We seek to continue to encourage one another, to not neglect meeting together, to have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, to pray for one another. Although our circumstances may be different, God’s expectation of the unity, fellowship, and love that we are to have for each other hasn’t changed.

Getting together for a night of games seems to have always been a part of our church. We decided that we would do it over a video call. One night a group sharpened our drawing skills, and played Pictionary over a video call. It was a great time, although sharing snacks was made much more difficult.

Community Involvement

We still want to reach out and be there for our community even when our doors are closed to our typical weekly services. To do this we made a commercial to be put on social media and aired on local TV stations. The goal was to let the community know that we are here for them, that God loves them, and that we would be happy to pray for any of their needs during this time. The commercial was a combined effort of several members of the church which proved to be an interesting challenge while also being under a shelter in place order. Through technology we were able to all work on this project together. If you are interested in seeing the final video, you can find it on our website at jfbduluth.com.

Without a doubt the church calendar looks different than normal. God still has plans for us as a church and as individual believers. We intend to continue seeking Him and figure out what it is that He is accomplishing through us and perhaps more importantly inside of us. Please pray that we would cooperate with God. Ask that we would let Him to change us into the disciples of Jesus that He would have us be