This past year, we launched an outreach ministry to young adults called Hoops and Hope. Luis Concepcion, who came to Christ at MBC on a Sunday morning a couple of years ago, asked if he could gather some of his young adult friends to shoot hoops at our newly remodeled gym. I agreed to open up the gym on a Saturday afternoon. The word spread quickly and about 25 young men came to play ball that first afternoon.

As I sat and watched the young men entering the gym to play ball, I was grateful to God for providing the facilities that we can use to be a blessing to our community and in particular the youth of our community through ministries like MCA, PRBC, and Awana. Early in the history of MBC, God has given the church a vision and a heart to reach youth for Christ and has richly blessed us to do so. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit we want to continue that legacy. These thoughts came to my mind as I sat and watched those young men playing ball. Moreover, I saw that these young men needed more than a place to shoot hoops, but that they desperately needed the hope of Jesus Christ. Shortly after, we launched Hoops and Hope.

The objective of Hoops and Hope Ministry is to celebrate God’s grace and receive the hope of Jesus through the word as we unite together around spirited competition and honorable sportsmanship. We been averaging an attendance of around 25 young men who sit down to listen to the word of God and testimonies of the hope that is found in Christ Jesus. I am grateful for Luis and Fabien, two young men who were both baptized at MBC and have been very instrumental in ministering to the young men. I also want to thank Bert Berrios, Joseph Skidmore, and Leon Abbey who have also come to minister the word. I’m also grateful for my son Andrew David (Police Officer) who also attends regularly and closes things down at the end of the night. A special thank you to Sandra Poenar, who helped design our logo and spreads the word on social media.  

In Romans chapter 15:13, Paul prayed, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” This is our prayer for the young men that attend Hoops and Hope. Please pray with us and for us so that we might see many young men abounding in the hope of Jesus Christ to the glory of His name.

In His service,
Pastor Marco

“Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And Let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.” 1 Timothy 3:8-10

The deacons, made up of Vincent J Guerrero (chair), Sajid Chohan, Bert Berrios, and Vincent S. Guerrero, strive to honor the Lord by faithfully living in a way that testifies to our faith and trust in Jesus and the working of the Holy Spirit within us. We all feel honored to have been called to serve the people of MBC through the office of deacon and continue to seek out new ways of working and organizing so we can be as effective and efficient as possible. 

The Deacons are charged with the distribution of funds from the “Fellowship Fund” or “Deacon Fund” which is used to provide extra financial aid and support to those in our church membership and community. Throughout this year, through the generous donations from members and visitors to this fund, we have been able to help numerous families and individuals ease the financial burdens from unexpected events and circumstances as well as aid in the rehabilitation of individuals with difficult pasts. This fund gives us a valuable tool to use in our community to help those in need in a tangible and immediate way. It is hard to over-emphasize the importance and impact this ministry can have in our community.

One of the other major privileges of the deacons is to “generally oversee the men’s ministry of the church”, as laid out in the church constitution in Article IV, Section 3. To this end we currently help host the monthly Men’s Brunch, held every third Saturday of the month, which through the last few years since its reinstatement has been a great boon to the fellowship and community that men can seek out at MBC. At this gathering we’ve moved through content from well known speakers like Tony Evans, pastors such as Daniel Henderson, and ministries like The Bible Project, but also by messages put together by our own elder and leadership teams like Dave Frenden, Lee Saunders, and Joseph Skidmore. While Dave Frenden, Erol Senses, Gene Brush, Marco David, and many others have been key on the sermon planning side, we’ve also had help from Brandon Oliver, Vincent Guerrero Sr., and many others on the kitchen side preparing and cleaning the food service. It’s been wonderful to see the men of MBC really come together to help execute a large and complicated event with such humbleness and self-sacrifice, and we believe that the fruit that this ministry has born in our church and community is priceless.

This year we also helped prepare and serve at Midwest’s 90th Anniversary celebration, setting up for and cooking for over 200 people. Although quite a bit of work, it was great to see so many in our extended church family and have the honor to serve them as they visit with us to celebrate all that the Lord has done at our church.

We please ask that you continue to lift up the office of Deacon and the men who serve in your prayers as we strive to honor and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

Next Level is an accountability discipleship group for men who want to live Christ-centered lives. Through the use of spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, prayer, Bible internalization and reading of insightful Christian literature, men gather in community to share the transformational power of Christ in their lives. The goal of Next Level is to prepare godly men to be faithful followers of Christ. Our desire is to develop spiritual leaders at Midwest as well as their own homes and community.  

Next Level Men is now in its fourth year of a new format in which we meet in three separate quarters during the year with July, August, and December off. This year we have nine men in Next Level 301 which meets on Monday night through Zoom mostly but also at my home.  A second group of five men (including leaders), called Next Level 101, meets upstairs above the office on Saturday mornings at 8:30 am. I want to thank Jaime Rivera for leading Next Level 101 with me. On Sunday mornings we have 4 men (includes two leaders) in Next Level 10 who meet at 9:30 am. I want to thank Vince Guerrero for leading this group with me.

This last August, Next Level Men and Women met at Phantom Ranch on August 19, 2023 with about 40 men and women attending. We had a wonderful time of fellowship, worship and feeding on God’s Word. The speakers for the Men’s section were Mike Kijowski and Pablo Gallego, our Global Partner from Spain.

On December 2, 2023, we celebrated the 14th graduation of Next Level with three men finishing the old three-year program. Both Next Level Men and Women met for a breakfast graduation celebration this last year and had a great time. We greatly appreciate Eligia David for faithfully leading Next Level Women.
 
We are so very grateful for the full support of Pastor Marco, the Elders, and Erol Senses. Please pray for God’s direction and blessing of Next Level Men in the days ahead as I will be moving to Florida by the end of 2024. Words cannot express how much I appreciate this wonderful church and the joy it is to be a part of this congregation.

Gene Brush
Ministry leader