May Update

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your continued support. I hope this letter finds you doing well! May is my fourth month of living in St. Louis and I am still experiencing new things on a daily basis as God continues to reveal Himself to me through this community.

I just finished taking my first class through The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI). TUMI is a ministry of World Impact which equips leadership for the urban church to advance the Kingdom of God, especially among the poor. We have a satellite campus here in St. Louis where local people, who are actively involved in a church body and have a desire to receive a quality theological education, can take classes.

The class I took was called Theology of the Church. It ran for about two months and we met together each week for a lesson then completed assignments outside of class. I have learned so much through this experience!

There were six people in my class, including two members of Bridge of Hope, our current church-plant. I so admire these two men for their determination to make it through the course. They may not have college degrees or the financial resources necessary for acceptance into other programs. What they do have is a real desire to understand more about God and His Word which led to a commitment to the coursework. They labored diligently to memorize Bible verses, study for our quizzes, and complete the required reading assignments and ministry projects. Observing them reminded me of the blessing my education has been and that I should never take it for granted. It also reminded me that God is so good in allowing us to seek Him no matter what type of degrees or certifications we have or don’t have. He desires for us to know Him and has given us the Bible so we can study it and apply its principles to our daily lives.

This class also taught me so much about God’s Church. What a privilege it is for God to allow me to be a part of His chosen people! I am so thankful that He does not draw lines for ethnicity, culture, age, or by any other human distinction. He is only concerned with where we stand in relation to Him and His Son and once we have accepted Jesus we have been accepted into His Body, the Church.

In addition, my eyes have been re-opened to God’s desire for His people to glorify Him by worshipping, witnessing, and working together. These past few months I have truly seen the unity of the Body of Christ through churches, groups, and individuals who are partnering with World Impact to reach St. Louis. Our volunteers come from varying backgrounds and are different by racial, economic, and denominational standards, but we are united by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is a beautiful thing! My prayer is that our efforts to work together will bring more glory to our God in this city and that He will use us to draw others to Himself.

For His Glory,

Beth