Baptisms, United Good Friday Service, & Scavenger Hunts
Spring is here! And what a fun month it’s been. Similar to the rising temperatures, so have we been celebrating the risen Son and our King Jesus! From baptisms to scavenger hunts, here’s everything that’s taken place at Resilient’s ministry in the last month.
Three Baptized!
We celebrated those professing their resurrected life through baptism this month! Check out their stories:
Julia Prondzinksi
Like many people I grew up in a christian home, and have known god since I was young, yet I never felt this passion or a strong desire to grow my faith. In my teenage years I started to drift away as I got busy with other things in my life, this continued until I was 18 when my brother passed away. I couldn’t understand if god was supposed to be so good, why did that have to happen? I was angry., and I didn’t feel worthy of his love. That experience caused me to walkaway from the faith and to live my life doing whatever I wanted, yet something always felt like it was missing. Flash forward three years to 2021 and the pandemic continues to rage on, I felt this push from god to start exploring my faith again. I started attending church again and making it a priority. I remember this one night where I was has having a conversation with god and it was made clear to me that I may never understand why I went through everything I had, but that I am worthy of his love. Even in my darkest hour he was still there for me, even if I couldn’t see it at the moment. That night when I was 21 I decided I wanted to be a christian for the rest of my life and I accepted god into my life. I made the decision to be baptized today as a public proclamation of my faith, and as the next step in my faith journey.
Lar Htoo
.My journey began in a small village in the Karen State, where my family and I fled our country to escape war and persecution, eventually becoming refugees and asylum seekers before finding sanctuary in this new land. Through the trials we faced, from the chaos of civil war to the challenges of life in refugee camps, God's hand was evident, keeping us safe and guiding our path. Although I once took these moments for granted, l've since grown to appreciate and recognize the goodness and faithfulness of God in my life. Despite the difficulties, including the unique challenge of growing up in a household with two different religions, I wrestled with questions about God's plan for me for years. It was during a time of deep introspection and struggle that I felt the gentle call of God, leading me to surrender and embrace my faith in a new way. Despite the uncertainty and the potential lack of support from my loved ones, I realized that waiting for the "perfect time" was futile.
The Spirit gently reminded me that baptism was not just a ritual but a significant step in my journey of faith—a public declaration of my commitment to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Today, as I prepare for baptism, I am filled with gratitude for God's presence in my life, His guidance through the storms, and His unwavering love that has brought me to this moment of decision and celebration.
Bobby Harvey
Bobby was a walk-up baptism! Although he didn’t have the chance to write out his testimony beforehand, Bobby expressed his desire to become more serious with his faith and commit his life to Jesus!
United Good Friday Service
This year, Resilient Church was one of four local Vermillion churches who banded together to host a united Good Friday Service for the second year in a row at the Vermillion Public High School. There were over 300 in attendance, and it was a beautiful expression of unity as we remembered Christ’s sacrifice.
Easter, Sunday Services, & Team Member Appreciation Month
That also led to a great celebration of Christ’s resurrection! Our church is a little unordinary. Most churches see a boost in attendance on Easter Sunday, but we normally see a dip in attendance—because so many of our students and young adults go home for the weekend! Even still, we had over 60 in attendance — 20 more than last year. Which is a testament to the growth the Lord continues to give us!
Additionally, we continue to average in the 80s - 90s in attendance. Sundays are electric. We love the culture that continues to form, and the number one thing new guests share with us about their experience is how welcoming our people are.
We began a new series called Lost Cause, where we’re exploring the cause we’re sent out on to reach those who don’t know Jesus. It’s already been a powerfully convicting series that is inspiring a number of exciting changes to our ministry for the next year. Stay tuned for those update!
Lastly, we’ve deemed April as Team Member Appreciation month! We’re highlighting all the amazing ways our team members make Resilient Church happen, and a place where people feel like they belong. We’re also celebrating that roughly 60% of our church is involved on a serving team. That’s amazing for a church our size and age!
Another Campus Ministry is Coming to USD—and It’s Started By Resilient Attenders!
Every college campus could use more campus ministries that uniquely reaches students on their turf. And I am so excited that a chapter of Delight Ministries is coming to USD this Fall!
Delight Ministries started as a small group of women at Belmont University in August 2012. Since then, it has over 200 chapters at universities across the nation, and reaches over 15,000 college women every semester through discipleship and intentional biblical community.
The coolest part? 5 of the 7 leadership team members for USD’s Delight Ministries Chapter are active Resilient attenders. It just goes to show the impact Resilient is having on our people, and how we get to partner with amazing students like Ella, Alexa, Faith, Allison, and Hazel to be unleashed on campus to reach more people for the Gospel!
Resilient Students Scavenger Hunt
Our college ministry also had a little fun hosting a scavenger hunt across Vermillion to win a special edition Resilient t-shirt. Check out the video above to see how it went!
Vermillion Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet
Lastly, Pastor Mason and I also got to attend the Annual Banquet and Celebration for Vermillion’s Chamber of Commerce and Development Company. This is a time of recognizing the great work community leaders and entrepreneurs who pour their time, energy, and resources into our city. I also have the opportunity to serve on the steering committee for Vermillion’s Young Professional Network!
We celebrate this because this has been a great avenue for us to stay connected to the Vermillion community and build relationships with business and community leaders.
Special Announcement Coming May 6!
Lastly, mark your calendars…. we’ve got a special announcement coming Monday, May 6! Stay tuned 👀
Prayer Requests
Pray for our students! The end of the semester is quickly approaching. Pray for strength and resilience as they wrap up final projects, papers and exams as they head into summer break.
We have several students who are going on missions trips and ministry internships this summer! Pray for Erik, Ashlyn, Sydney, and Ledger as they raise funds, travel, and minister to others, and that the Lord will radically work in them and through them on these trips!
We’re wrapping up our current fiscal year and finalizing our budget for the May ‘24 - April ‘25 fiscal year! Pray for discernment to best steward the resources the God continues to provide for us
Finally, pray for discernment for our Leadership Team, as we’re dreaming about how to simplify our ministry offerings and “go all in on discipleship” for this next year’s focus. We’re taking the summer to rethink systems and discipleship strategies in time for our Fall kickoff this August.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and for your continued support, prayers, and generosity to make Resilient’s ministry happen! We’re so excited for what God has already done in this community in only a year and a half, and are thrilled for what lies ahead. More to come on that 😉
– Pastor Jake
