Washed New
We are well over halfway done with the semester, with Thanksgiving break right around the corner and Christmas Break at the end of the tunnel! This was a jam-packed month with so much to celebrate. So let’s get into it!
Baptisms!
We got to baptize 6 people on Sunday, October 22! We whipped out our portable baptismal (an inflatable hot tub) and celebrated their resurrection to new life in Jesus. Here are our six baptizees and their testimonies!
Kyle Moser
I gave my life to Jesus before coming to this church I got baptized once before but I didn’t understand the meaning of it so I decided to do it again to do it for real this time and to make the decision for myself
Ethan Ahalt
I have known who God was my whole life. I was never close with him. Here and there I would try to become closer with him, but that only lasted about a week at the most. Then one day on May 27, 2023 I decided to confess my sins to my mother and pledge my life to Jesus. With this community I am surrounded with, I have decided to take the next step with the lord and further my relationship with him.
Grace McConnell
I was born and raised most of my life in the Catholic Church and was baptized as an infant. While blatantly ignoring faith in high school, there were several instances throughout my life where God laid his hand on me but I refused to see it. Moving here was the scariest decision we have ever made and God has been so gracious in his provision for us. God’s graciousness has led my faith to be the core of who I am and how I love others. Today I am getting baptized as a testament of God’s unwavering love, my steadfast commitment to him, and my devotion to spread the love of Jesus to every person I meet.
Justice Small
As I have grown to be a part of such an amazing church as Resilient, I have decided it is time to renew my faith in Christ. God has taught me that his love and approval is not something that I need to earn, and I am delighted to see what he has in store for my future as I celebrate this new life in Christ. I pray that in renewing my commitment to Christ, I can lead a life of obedience to Him and that he give me wisdom and clarity of thought. By God’s grace, I have been saved by my faith in Jesus.
Ella Bridges
I’ve known Christ all my life, and I have my parents to thank for that. I got baptized when I was younger but that process felt very rushed, I don’t think little me understood really what baptism meant. About a year ago, around this time, I was really questioning my faith. To the point where I didn’t want to do anything church related. I didn’t want to read my Bible, or have those conversations about God.
After moving to college, it was obvious God placed me with the people I needed to be with. My roommate Alexa, on day one, literally said “I have this church I want to go to. We should go.”
And the rest is history.
Alexa and Andrew push me to grow deeper in my faith everyday. I don’t think I would be where I am at right now if it wasn’t for them. I am so thankful for my community of support. And cannot wait to see where God takes me.
Ashley Roel
I was not really a believer of God when I was younger, I only went to church for my mom. When I got baptized at Sunnybrook church when I was about 8 or 9. That's when I started believing. After that me and my mom started looking for a church a little closer. We would bounce from church to church. Then one day my mom told me about a church called Resilient church. On that first day we walked in and it feels like we have been going for years. The first time I got a text from them I thought it was because they had to. After that I was at school one morning and it was NOT a good morning. I got a text from church checking in. I told my friend that it was my church and it felt like I mattered. I knew that I mattered to my mom and dad but during this time I felt like I did not matter on the world. So when I got that text from my church it felt like I mattered. Now when I miss church I get upset because it feels like there home away from home. I want to get baptized because I know I have to be here and something inside of me Is telling me to do this.
Sunday Services
Sunday services continue to be an absolute blast. We finished up our series called You Need Friends, where we took a deep dive into our God-given design for community and how to practice spiritual friendships with one another.
Then, on Sunday, November 12, we started a new series called Cash App, where we’re talking all about generosity and God’s heart for us to give towards his local church. This series comes at a crucial point in our lifespan as a church plant, as we are at the halfway point of 3-year long grants and partnerships to help us launch well as we pursue self-sustainability for the long haul!
Attendance continues to remain very strong, as we average between 80 and 100 people on a Sunday morning. Energy continues to stay vibrant, and community continues to form. It’s been amazing to see God grow our church family and our witness to the community!
Campus-Wide Worship Night
One of the most exciting things about this month was the Campus-Wide Worship Night. Four campus ministries came together to put on an hour-and-a-half long night of worship, which included Resilient Students, Cru, Chi Alpha, and Coyote Catholic. This is the second Campus Wide Worship Night we got to participate in this year, and it was spearheaded by one of our own students, Sydney Mencke!
There were over 130 students in attendance, a 50-person increase from the one in the Spring semester, **and the energy in the room afterwards could not be contained. I don’t think I have ever heard singing that loud in a room ever. People were already asking when the next one is, and several reached out asking for next steps for deeper involvement with their faith.
This is how campus movements start: Students coming together on their own initiative to worship God and devote themselves to prayer. We’re thrilled to see how God continues to carry this forward—we believe this is only the beginning!
Vermillion Food Pantry Partnership & Food Drive
Finally, our November charity partnership is none other than the Vermillion Food Pantry!
Each month, we are giving away $1000 to a charity that makes Vermillion better. In light of the holidays, we couldn’t think of anyone better to partner with than the local Food Pantry. The VFP is pretty robust for the size of our community, as it’s designed to function like a grocery store to give people a “shopping”-like experience.
Not only will our $1000 donation help the Food Pantry buy any additional items of which they are in need, but Resilient Church is also hosting our own food drive for the month of November! This way, our congregants can also participate in providing food and hygiene items for those in need.
Prayer Requests
Finals are right around the corner! Pray for all of our students, as they hunker down for the final stretch in the midst of busy schedules, final projects, and exams.
Pray for our Cash App series. As I mentioned before, we are at a crucial point in our church life as we continue to work towards financial sustainability to ensure that we are here for the long haul. While God has blessed us with an incredible financial foundation, we continue to work towards discipling our people in their generosity to give to God their first-fruits, so we can continue to expand the kingdom here in Vermillion for the long haul!
Lastly, be praying for our Christmas Party Sunday coming on December 10! Since many of our people leave for Christmas break, Christmas Eve is often a low-impact Sunday for community outreach, unlike many other churches. So we are attempting to throw a Christmas Party after service on December 10, to encourage our people to bring friends and family to attend service and stick around afterwards for food and fellowship, especially before students leave for break!
That’s everything for this month’s update! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your continued support, prayers, and advocacy!
– Pastor Jake
