A New Year's Update

Hello friends, supporters, and prayer warriors. Happy New Year from Cleveland.

It has been a great fall and early winter in terms of our local ministries. The Thursday night gathering for teens and families has been bursting at the seams. This is the weekly activity we host at our house, a Bible study followed by a meal, sports, and crafts. Most who attend live in our near-west-side neighborhood and walk to Bible study. We are still going through the Bible one book at a time, and this Thursday we will be in Nahum: “The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; he cares for those who take refuge in him” (Nahum 1:7).

Things are going well downtown, though we did lose another window to vandalism. The local news station did a nice piece on it and included words on the grace and forgiveness of God. One of the most exciting things happening downtown is the connection with students from India. Thousands of international students have been coming to study at Cleveland State University, and several have found a home at our church. We have been blessed by their faithfulness, spiritual growth, and service in various ways including on the worship team rotation. Someone recently visited the church and remarked on the Christian unity in diversity, saying, “This is what the kingdom looks like.” Together with our international brothers and sisters, we recently held a Bible study in a local apartment building and invited Muslim and Hindu students to join us. The Muslim and Hindu students had a lot of questions, and it was a wonderful night of speaking the grace and truth of Jesus.

We also have family news. We still have our foster daughter with us, now a senior in high school! The big update is that Julia is pregnant, and we are expecting a baby girl in May!

Thank you so much for thinking of us and praying for us. Prayer is so important because our goal is not only to do ministry activities but for people to believe God and be transformed by Him.