December 2019 Update

“Sing to Yahweh, praise His name; 

proclaim His salvation from day to day. 

Declare His glory among the nations, 

His wonderful works among all peoples.” (Psalm 96:2-3). 

Family in Christ,  

As fall ends, we rejoice in what God has done. 

DOWNTOWN 

As a church, we are learning to worship through highs and lows this season. These include continued building negotiations, health crises, and lost loved ones. Yet as we write, Julia and I also reflect on the tremendous spiritual growth taking place in individual lives including ours. God is teaching us to worship in our submission to Him, justice toward others, and discipleship with others. 

PARKS 

Soccer, baseball, ice cream, double Dutch, bubbles, chalk, and people from multiple backgrounds filled a small downtown park each Wednesday evening this summer. Over five years, our park outreaches have taken on different forms—this year was no exception. Connections made from tutoring in the Allerton resulted in more than twenty people coming from the building each week. Adults from the community engaged more than ever before, showing off impressive double Dutch skills and joining in conversation.  

Simultaneously, friends from the Middle East who we met back in 2016 welcomed us and others from CityView into their friend group. This resulted in opportunities to love, build relationships, drink coffee, and share the gospel with Kuwaitis, Saudi Arabians, Omani, and Emirates. One woman noted, “You all are so different than the Americans we expected. You really love your family and friends.” May God use our imperfect love to reflect His perfect love in the gospel. Pray for our friends, nearly all of whom are back in their home countries. Praise God for continued contact with some. We hope for a day where we will see each other again and long for heavenly reunions in Christ.  

SHOREWAY 

The relational ministry on the west side continues to grow. New teens and community adults have become regular faces, and stronger relationships are forming among people from various backgrounds and ages. As many as 50 gather to hang out, eat, learn, and worship together on Thursday evenings. We are seeing increased attendance from adults and elementary students. These widening age gaps increase our need for leaders; some are stepping up. Pray that God continues to raise up leaders and disciplers who can join us regularly. Currently, all five youth from our LoveLearning tutoring program are regular attendees on Thursday nights. Having multiple touch points throughout the week creates consistent community and exposure to the gospel for those do not know Christ.  

These relationships are not always easy. Missional living requires walking through brokenness together. We face difficult situations and see the harsh impacts of sin. Trauma is evident and pervasive. The heaviness of life leads us to rely more deeply on our relationship with God through the gospel. He forgives sin and also brings hope and healing to the broken, even enemies. Discipleship relationships continue to deepen with teens seeking to follow Jesus with us. Twelve teens regularly attend weekly, one-on-one meetings.  

RETREATS 

We hosted a fall retreat in late September, fostering a culture of camaraderie and contextualized truth. Seventeen teens and ten leaders were able to attend. The weekend consisted of hikes in the woods, capture the flag, lots of food, and discussion on what Christ means for identity, manhood and womanhood, and community. Our theme for the weekend was 2 Corinthians 5:17 which we memorized and recall often. God has a divine imprint on each life, and our prayer is that all would know their value and purpose in reflecting Christ. Earlier that month, seven of our men were able to attend a men’s retreat at Camp Patmos. Both retreats were made possible through your support.  

TRAINING 

We had the opportunity to attend a Transformational Discipleship seminar put on by Ted Travis. His content, including the book Building Cathedrals, has been informative as we seek to become culturally incarnational in all that we do for the glory of God alone. Caleb continues in his studies by taking two worship courses this fall. Though the coursework is intense at times, God is constantly refining and growing us through learning. Julia is looking into pursuing biblical training.  

PRAYER 

❯ That He would be worshiped through our motives, words, and actions 

❯ Repairs on our roof and car; praise that the church received a van 

❯ Direction and provision regarding a permanent space downtown 

❯ Spiritual awakening for our friends both in the middle east and here in Cleveland 

❯ Leadership development, especially among teen disciples