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

Hello Everyone! Summer is officially almost to an end here in the Twin Ports! Well, not entirely over, we’ve still got a bit of sunshine left on the docket, and we’ve definitely been making the most of the beautiful weather and heat while it lasts!

Speaking of heat, one nice cool update we’ve added to combat the blistering temperatures is an AC unit in the balcony of our Sanctuary. If you haven’t checked out the construction upgrades that have been made, I highly recommend it viewing the handiwork! Some of the other fun things and updates happening in Duluth are as follows:

Bike Trip And Fun Times

Once a year (sometimes more) when the weather complies, we like to break out our bicycles and hit the streets. This year we biked over 30 miles from Duluth all the way to Carlton and back where we stopped for food and fellowship. We even got to help a gentleman out with a flat tire on the trail. It was cool to have the tools, equipment, and know-how to bless a community member in need. The trek back to Duluth went much quicker than the ride down, and it culminated in getting ice cream together. Halfway through the bike ride, we stopped at a waterfall and did a bit of hiking together. Unfortunately, we only saw one penny-farth on the trail.

In addition to our bike trip, since the nice weather is so fleeting, this past month we also made a trip out to Gordy’s in Cloquet. Another great time of fellowship, food, and good conversation with family and friends from the community. This is another Duluth favorite, we like to at least make it out here for great food once a year (sometimes more).

The rainy 4th of July didn’t stop us from playing with fireworks and eating chicken. Our coffee house was opened up and we spent the drizzly day playing board games in fellowship and eating some very delectable entrees.

Church

We’re continuing our study through Matthew on Sundays, recently going through Matthew 6 and looking at the issue of our motives. Our Wednesdays have been consistent with rewinds which have been great! Small group discussions revolving around the previous Sunday’s message have helped to keep what we’ve been learning on Sunday in our minds, as well as getting the chance to learn new insights and perspectives from others all while connecting deeper and being vulnerable with each other. On non-rewind Wednesdays, we’ve continued through our Men’s and Women’s book studies (Disciplines of a Godly Man / Godly Woman) along with finishing up the Book of Jeremiah on the more traditional Wednesday services.

Looking Ahead

Please keep missions in prayer both local and foreign as we have members of the family here going on mission soon! A team is set to travel to New Orleans very soon, please keep them in prayer to stay flexible and remember that God is in control. We’ve also got people planning to head out to the Philippines and India in the near future so please pray for their safety, protection, and nearness to God as they prep for the good works ahead of them.

Please also keep Street Level and our Campus Church in prayer as we continue planning and seeing how this Fall shakes out. We’ve got a lot of exciting changes on the horizon and we’re looking forward to seeing what God has in store for this community.

That’s all for now folks, God has continued to bless us and we are grateful to be a part of his kingdom. Thanks for praying for us and we’ll see you in the next update!

-Seth

Our little fellowship has officially made it to June. You know what that means: no snow for at least three months (probably)! This is a big deal for us up here in the North. So, we’ve packed up our parkas, pulled out our Chacos and set our sights on getting out in the community. 

Here’s what we’ve been up to.   

One heck of a rummage sale

Almost every year, we look at each other and say: I don’t know if we have enough stuff for another rummage sale. Then we all go home, rifle through our closets, purge our basements and, sure enough, we were wrong. We have enough! After a few donations from friends outside the church, our pews were packed with many well-loved items just waiting for a new home and we were able to have our annual spring rummage sale. 

It was a rainy day, and we were concerned that the weather would keep people from coming. But it actually had the opposite effect. We were steady all day and able to meet folks from all over the city. In the end, God let us raise a bunch of money for missions, and we even made it on the evening news (no joke). As always, it was a really great opportunity to spend time together, make memories and work hard to further the Kingdom in a way that’s pretty unique. 

Matthew on Sundays, mixing it up on Wednesdays 

On Sundays, we’re continuing to move through Matthew. We’ve covered Jesus being tempted, choosing His disciples and now we’re moving into His sermon on the mount. It’s been both challenging and encouraging to focus on the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as we look for ways to apply what we’re learning about Him to our daily lives. 

For Wednesday nights, we’ve been talking about the previous Sunday’s message. This is a great way to continue thinking through what we learned. For the summer, we’re going to change things up a bit, which is always fun. We’ll rotate between a traditional church service, small group discussions and men’s/women’s groups. 

Prepping for Park Point

Setting our sights towards the near future, we’ve been getting ready to serve coffee and other treats at the Park Point Rummage Sale. This is a huge event for Duluth, and we’re pretty excited to get to participate another year. Basically, it’s a 4-mile long rummage sale starting from the Lift Bridge going all the way down Park Point. We’re looking forward to the chance to meet more people, spend time together and see what God will do!

If you’ve been praying for us, thanks very much. If you haven’t, you’re always welcome to start. Here are some things we’d love prayer for: 

• A heart for the people of the Twin Ports
• Ideas for and opportunities to meet people 
• Continued fellowship and unity in our group
• Wisdom for our leaders 
• Staying close to Jesus individually 

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading our update. God’s been really good to us and I’m already looking forward to all the things we’ll have to tell you about next month.

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