Happy New Year to you our friends and Forerunner family!  We believe your holiday season was blessed and relatively peaceful.

We had plenty of activity, yet there was a peace and sense of the Spirit of the Lord in our ministry and family events.

We are doing something different with the winter outreach.  Instead of a one-day event, we will be doing several days throughout the winter.  In December, we took zip lock baggies containing socks, hat, gloves, and handwarmers for the homeless in downtown Minneapolis by Mocha Mammas coffee shop.  Jeff Boyer, Jerry McCleskey, and I passed out the items and were able to pray and minister to pretty much everyone who received the items.

Christmas Day, Janalee did an awesome job cooking a meal for around 35 guys at Metro Hope.  There was a real sense of “this is God’s family, His children, His church”.  The guys were so appreciative. 

We sang a few Christmas songs, laughed, ate, and prayed together.  Board member Chris Fleck stopped by and commented that “he saw extravagant love given”.

The past few years during Christmas we have spent some time with our friends at Booth Manor, a Salvation Army apartment complex.  Judy Schreiner sets up and hosts this event.  Again, the joy and Spirit of the Lord was present as we sang, shared, prayed, and enjoyed tacos together.

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This year we are celebrating 10 years of what is called the guitar fellowship/ mentor class. Ten Year ago, I met William Wood, a then resident of Teen Challenge. I was making my rounds and heard William playing his guitar. I stopped in and showed him a few chords. He said something I was already contemplating doing, “we should have a class for teaching guitars”. Thus began the guitar mentor class.

It’s been a time of fellowship, encouraging one another, praying, worshipping, and learning guitar skills. We’ve also done special events like picnics, coffeehouse appearances, bowling, and a baseball game.

One of the senior members, that has been around since the beginning, is Joel Richardson.  He writes, “Ten years ago, in the beginning of the guitar mentorship class, we met at a spot in South Minneapolis that had little heat in the building, and I would have sworn there was a hole in the roof!  It was a good start if our fingers could play in that environment!  God must have had a plan for us.  Later that year my life changed with an addiction.  Mark and the guys gave me the love and support of Jesus that has helped me successfully navigate the hard times and remain sober.  Now we play in warmer surroundings, and I am able to give back to others who want to overcome and play for the Lord!”

John Bartholomew, our gifted graphic and rap artist shared, “This ministry has had a huge impact on both my family and my life.  I needed mentorship to learn how to walk with Jesus.  The ministry has provided that, and I am seeing the fruit of their labor, how God has used them.  God is good!”