Late Summer Update

We continue to see God at work here in Cleveland. Summer 2018 has been marked by growth and change on the near west side. It’s our small team’s third summer outreaching in city parks. One highlight came as Julia shared the gospel in depth in her first interaction with a girl at Zone, and she and her brother have been stuck at our side ever since. Most other new people are coming from W. 85^th. This area is home to many teens; the surrounding neighborhood schools thousands. After having lived there for about four months, we've seen many from the street grow to trust us, love us, and about fifteen have joined us at church. Sometimes we get home and can’t get out of the car before being swarmed by our friends.

Obviously, this is an interpersonal ministry in a life-on-life cultural. With Shoreway attendance reaching 40, we are fighting to ensure that no one is overlooked. We’re doing two hours of intentional hangout after school before church Thursdays (just basketball, Wii, crafts). But I often say that the Tuesday discipleship appointments are the best thing we have going at CityView. (Many are Biblically illiterate and have no relationship with a single adult believer, parent or otherwise.) In the formal discipleship vein of ministry, we get 30 minutes weekly to share the gospel usually one-on-one and talk about what it looks like to follow Jesus in real life. I could give a lot of great testimony from what God is doing in discipleship. Part of the change I mentioned in the introduction has to do with schedule restructuring, both as a church and personally. We’re making more time for discipleship, and I’m proud to see Sarah and Ronald not only being discipled but also beginning to disciple others younger in the faith.

Another change has to do with the unreal turnover in teens we’ve seen since summer 2016. We always have new people, but most have not responded to the gospel (as directly as it is preached!). And out of that group, even fewer bear fruit and persevere. These are the ones getting discipled, the ones who stay with us, some of whom since 2016 or earlier. Many others have been swept away by the cultural undertow. Pray that’s God’s Spirit would awaken the former group as we still see and interact with these teens and adults on streets. Pray for faithfulness among our believers here in Cleveland, young and old in the faith.