Word on the Street

by Roger Matthews

There are 231 distinct cultural groupings of people in the city of Chicago. There are 190 suburban communities. One of the exciting things we are seeing in Chicago is God connecting us with folks who do not yet know Him. In the past months, we have seen friends from at least four different realms within Chicagoland come to Christ.

First are the elementary school mothers who heard the good news from other elementary school moms in a northwest suburb. We have one staff working with three different groups of mothers at three different elementary schools.

In a nearby suburban community, a blue-collar husband heard the good news from a neighbor who happens to be one of our Navigator Associate Staff.

Twenty miles east, near the north border of Chicago, a single mother of two was drawn into a conversation with a group of 20-someones at a bar. This group included a stakeholder in our b2g stream who shared the good news about Jesus and how only He could meet her deepest needs. She came to Christ and is getting connected to this group who have demonstrated their authenticity by engaging with her in helping her in practical ways including finding a safe place to live and becoming friends with her children.

Over on the west side of the city, another team of Navigators which works with the urban poor and ex-offenders has the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus with young men and women on an almost daily basis. Many recognize the good news and respond, and our team is committed to helping them with not just growing their relationship with Jesus, but with learning the skills and discipline it takes to live as a disciple of Jesus in a city like Chicago.

We are seeing God work through each of us. Our car mechanic, Steve, a God fearer – but not yet believer, and I recently had a conversation about how much God loves him. His wife of 18 years had moved out of their home because “he was not there for her.” Steve did not understand what she meant. He is trying to love his wife, but not communicating love well. But God was at work. He has not experienced the fullness of God’s love and we talked about loving our wives like Christ loves us. When his wife moved back in, he called me and said thanks! Steve is moving toward Christ!

Jesus said, “I am the road, also the truth, also the life … no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) People are looking for truth, for life, for more than the world can offer, and we know the way!

One part of our vision that excites me is the part that says, “Laborers for the Kingdom are next door to everywhere.” To me, this means that we have a culturally, economically, and ethnically relevant team of 10-12 laborers in every one of those 421 places. However, we have no one focused on the 68 college communities or on the marketplace and business community. We have stakeholders and partners in many local churches, but no staff focused on this critical part of our mission.

Please pray with us for God to send laborers, workers, and disciples – people with a heart for Him and the world around us to join us in our great calling to bring the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom to the hidden peoples of Chicagoland.

You may donate to the ministry of Roger Matthews or the Chicagoland Metro Area, by clicking on their name.

Summer Training Program
with EPIC Associates & Collegiate Mission
by Corky Eddins

Our third STP (Summer Training Program) partnership with the Collegiate Mission was better than ever! Thirteen college students came to Washington, DC from campuses across the nation. They worked for two months as summer interns for various Senators and Members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

The mission was clear: to seek to live and work as authentic followers of Jesus Christ among Congress men and women, congressional staffers and other Capitol Hill interns.

The director and team leaders did an amazing job of helping each student think through the “core lies” standing in the way of their being all God created them to be. God used the intensive Bible study in Ephesians, small group sessions, and one-on-one mentoring/discipleship to accelerate spiritual growth.

Listen to what some said about the program:

• “God answered prayer for me. I came to know Jesus in a much deeper way – hard and beautiful.”
• “I’ve never had anyone disciple me; that was missing and I felt the gap. My time with Dave [Bowmen] was so good, seeing my core lies and seeing truth. You don’t know something is missing until you have it/experience it.”
• “I see the gospel completely different. I have accepted God’s love and accepted that my sin is gone. God has given me a new desire to be in the Word. This was definitely by far the most growth in my life. There has been so much healing.”
• “God has shown Himself and grown me more in this summer than ever before. I felt so accepted and I’ve never had this level of fellowship. It’s the first time I’ve shared my heart with people on a deep level. They legitimized what I would say … I’ve stepped out of the box and come to love and trust them.”
• “This was the most influential time I’ve ever spent with a group of people, spiritually speaking. Thanks for everything, it’s been amazing.”
• “This is the most dramatic growth I have ever had… it was the best experience of my life.”
• “It gave me the opportunity to be humbled and grow and be exposed to the real deal. I have a heart for Washington, DC now, and a new perspective on taking a stand for God in the secular world. I expected to grow, meet great people, and be exposed to the inner workings of DC – all these things happened times 1,000,000!”
• “I’ve learned so much, grown so much, loved so much, lost so much for Christ. I’m not afraid to live – I can live and love boldly now.”

Check out this video also – it was done by the students on this STP.

Donate to Corky Eddins or the DC Metro area.