Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Cebu City! Keep reading for the latest update from Shofar Mission.
What a month (and year) it has been! Things are starting to slow down a little bit… at least for semester break. It’s the perfect time to reflect on all that God has done this year and ask Him for direction entering into 2021. It has been a wild and crazy ride, hasn’t it? We’d do it all over again (yes, lockdowns and face shields included).
Street Level Ministries
It would be easy to get discouraged by the things we couldn’t do this semester – in-person meetings, campus events, street outreach, random hangouts, etc. However, God has been really good; there’s much to thank Him for. By getting students away from each other and alone, God brought much clarity to each of them. At our virtual Christmas party, a few of them said they were thankful for COVID because they had to be alone with God. There were a lot of “aha” moments during lockdown!
Members have the opportunity to volunteer for Word on the Street Magazine or Street Level Radio. Three students have been volunteering for WOTS. 1,000 copies of Issue 84 were printed; 600 copies were sent to the University of the Visayas students who are doing modular learning from their homes. Two students have been volunteering for SLR and helping with the production of teaching clips. We’ve also been meeting with three ladies every Saturday for a digital small group where we read and discuss discipleship material. It is a privilege to serve the Lord and watch these students grow. We covet your prayers for them individually and for the ministry as a whole.
Exploring Creation Science
Despite not being able to teach classes in person, this branch of Shofar Mission has expanded in very creative ways! Students have joined classes online via Facebook Live or Zoom. New lessons and experiments are continually being developed; old lessons will come back into session next semester (for students who haven’t had them yet). As we end the semester, students in grades 6 & 12 will have an opportunity to discuss how their beliefs in science may be challenged as they move on to higher education or a different school setting.
Explore Booklets were sent to schools to distribute to their students and a second booklet was recently printed. Teachers can access science creation materials on the virtual library and students have access to Daily Bible Readings online. We are continually praying that the seeds that are planted through this ministry will grow in young students’ minds… to know why they believe what they believe. It has been a neat way to serve alongside pastors, principals, and school staff as they continue to plan and prepare plans that include a trial run for the “new normal” in education for the foreseeable future early next semester.
Shofar Cable TV
We were disappointed that the teams that had planned to come this year couldn’t. We didn’t host youth retreats, Ministry Training Institute classes, or children’s outreaches like normal. However, when God closes one door (or at least puts things on pause), He opens other doors. This year, He allowed us to expand Shofar Cable TV to the east side of Cebu Island on Cebu Cable channel 187. Our broadcasting in Metro Cebu reaches Argao, Sibonga, Carcar, Naga, Minglanilla, Talisay City, Cebu City, Mandaue City, and Consolacion. For the past 8 years, we’ve been broadcasting on the west side of the island in Balamban and Asturias through ATD Community Cable Vision Inc. Wonder what’s next for Shofar TV? Bogo City and Bantayan in the north, perhaps? We’ll see what God does next…
