Our missions team to Southeast Asia has returned from a very successful venture…the prize being our second major translation and print project in a tribal language that has had no commentaries. This year we printed and began distribution of 2000 sets of an Old Testament and New Testament commentaries to pastors throughout this language region.
Our team participated in a national conference of pastors, taking the teaching lead for the gathering.
The team also taught over two long days, before Masters in Divinity and doctorate students at a national Bible College…
The end of September marked 2 years of Believers Church Cebu – it is amazing how quickly that time has passed. It seems just yesterday we held our first service, not knowing if anyone would show up! We have been very blessed to see God growing our fellowship – in strength and number. In addition to Sunday service, we have begun a class, focused on discipleship and doctrine, for those who have committed to serving at church.
We are currently working our way through 1 Corinthians on Sunday evenings, which is proving to be an insightful look at what real life Christianity should be, and how messy it can be.
STREET LEVEL MINISTRIES
In September, we held a special informational meeting for SLM – to explain who we are, and why we do what we do as an organization. We also hosted a board game tournament in Cebu, which proved to be a good night of friendly competition and lots of laughs. With the recent earthquakes, university life in Cebu and Toledo has been majorly disrupted, with most schools being entirely online for over a month. We are continuing to meet for dinner and Bible discussion in both locations and are currently studying the gospel of John. We are also looking forward to our upcoming summit in November!
SHOFAR MISSION
We are gearing up for the arrival of the next U.S. team in a few weeks! While they are here, we will be hosting more Ministry Training Institute classes, “Staying Strong: Abiding in Christ Through Prayer and Bible Study” in three locations. We will also be gathering some youth who are stepping up as leaders on the west side of Cebu Island for a summit discussing David Platt’s “Follow Me” material. And, as previously mentioned, hosting a Street Level summit as well! Those are all things we have planned, but God always surprises us with other opportunities or changes in our plans, so we look forward to what He has in store for us.
Over the past couple of weeks, most universities in Cebu City have resumed classes for the new school year, which means the streets are once again full of students.
We’ve been setting up tables outside campuses and giving away free coffee, lemonade, and Coca-Cola. Something as simple as asking, “Hey, would you like a free coffee?” opens the door for a short conversation and an invitation to church and Street Level.
One highlight was being able to set up a booth inside one of the universities for a day. Even though we handed out hundreds of flyers, it still felt like just a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of students who attend there.
On Friday night, we hosted a fellowship night at the office for Street Level, complete with board games, charades, snacks, and henna tattoos. A few new people arrived… then a few more… and then even more. So many showed up that we had to order more pizza three separate times! One of the best parts was seeing everyone connecting and building relationships with each other.
Following the success of the recent Cybersecurity Trainings, Britt and Daphne decided to host something similar that leans into their creative strengths: an Art & Design Workshop. It’s scheduled on a holiday at the end of the month, which should make it easier for students to attend. We’ve reached out to the art, design, and communication departments at several universities, and the response has already been strong.
God has truly been blessing our efforts. We haven’t done anything extraordinary. We’ve just prayed, shown up, and put in some sweat and elbow grease, but we’ve seen many new faces coming on Sundays and Wednesdays.
It almost goes without saying, but we’re in awe of what God is doing…and even more in awe that He allows us to be part of it. We know He doesn’t need us, but we’re grateful to be on His team, playing in the big leagues with Him.
If you feel led to pray, please pray for the new students and church attendees to get connected, for Street Level members to continue growing in discipleship and service, and for all of us to remain aligned with God’s plans for this ministry. We don’t know exactly what He’s up to, but we’re excited to be along for the ride.
This week Street Level Ministries has been trying something new – Cyber Security Training! Over the past three days, Erik and Josh have been teaching a Cyber Security course for university students, hosted by Street Level Ministries. We were only planning to have one day of training, but received such a positive response that the we opened up two additional days of the course so more students could attend. The attendees each day have also included a few of the Street Level students. It has been a great way to connect with more students, introduce them to our space here in Cebu, and invite them to the weekly Bible study and other upcoming events.
While the class has been going on, Brittany and Daphne have been putting up posters and handing out flyers around some of the nearby universities. There are so many students here, and we’re trying to get the word out to as many of them as we can about Street Level and the church.
