Hi all,
I praise God for Berean Baptist Church taking me on as a downtown missionary! God is good and gracious. It is an honor to be partnering together with the Berean family. I am thankful for the love, prayers, and support of both Emmaus Road Church and Berean Baptist Church in Idaho Falls.
We are halfway through the year in ministry at the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission. I would estimate that approximately 50 men and 25 women have attended morning Bible studies at the City of Refuge (men’s shelter) and Ruth House (women’s shelter) so far in 2018. We are thankful for every gospel seed that is sown in the soil of human hearts.
Concerning Providence Downtown Church, we are four months into this new faith adventure. We meet on Sunday nights, 6:45 pm, in the downtown historic Rogers Building at 320 B Street. We go high in our prayers (for mercy in the margins); we go deep in our study and discipleship (roots by the river), and we go broad in our fellowship (Jesus in Idaho Falls). Approximately 145 people have worshipped in our services since the beginning, and thirty people form a core nucleus. We have touched the lives of over one hundred men who are incarcerated, teaching in the local jail and mailing out discipleship materials. There is so much need, and yet we have barely scratched the surface. Please pray. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I am down at the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission. On Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays, I am around the city, striving to be a missionary for the King. Call me. Connect with me. Let us partner together to see the Lord lifted up in our midst.
Here are some of the highlights from June
- June 2: Berean Baptist Church men’s breakfast and listening to the missionary report by Marilyn Peters; Later in the morning, Providence people gathered to watch the movie, I Can Only Imagine.
- June 3: Listened to Holly Friesen, pro-life missionary in Ukraine, present her ministry at Emmaus Road Church
- June 6: Downtown ministry luncheon with local church servants
- June 9: Bonneville County Rocks event in Community Park, a fundraiser for the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission. We scattered painted rocks throughout the park for children to discover.
- June 10: Drove to Roberts, Idaho to hear Pastor Warren Cuppy preach in the morning community church service. Several rural congregations joined together in the Upper Valley.
- June 13: Prea Class requirement for the ministry at the Bonneville County Jail
- June 14: Pastor Daniel Hickenbotham (Christ Community Church) taught a devotional at the IFRM staff breakfast.
- June 15: Visited and worshiped with the Berean Baptist Church family. Full afternoon ministry at the Bonneville County Jail.
- June 21: Took a couple of men to the Eddie B. Concert. Eddie B. has a ministry to men in prison.
- June 23: Visit to Temple Square in Salt Lake City
- June 24: Preached at Emmaus Road Church; fellowship lunch afterward with River of Life, Cornerstone, Eagle Rock, and New Destiny families at “Church in the Park”.
- June 29: Testified for one of our Providence sisters in court.
- June 30: Idaho Falls Works Program graduation for Ken and Mike
Would you like to contribute financially on a monthly basis to my missionary work? Here are three ways: (1) Send the contribution to my home church, Emmaus Road Church, and mark it as “missionary fund for Todd Wood”; (2) Address mission support to Providence Downtown Church in care of my name as well, or (3) You are welcome to give directly to me. For the month of June, I received $942 in ongoing monthly support. Thank you so much!
On the home front: We have been enjoying some good times with all four of our grown children – Elon, Hannah, Mariah, and Micaiah.
Prayer requests:
- Pray for spiritual wisdom, discernment, love, and strength among the elders and small nucleus in the start of Providence Downtown Church. Pray for those being water baptized during the month of July.
- Pray for Ken and Mike who recently graduated from the Idaho Falls Works Program. Pray for the effective advancement through IFRM toward gospel impact and powerful identity in Christ. Pray for both residents and staff members.
- Pray that I would be filled with the Spirit in July’s preaching engagements.
My three main ministry objectives:
- Be a servant missionary-pastor with Providence Downtown Church that specifically ministers to the incarcerated, the addicted, the homeless, and impoverished. It is a church ministering and bringing mercy to those in the margins.
- Minister as a chaplain with the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission: (1) Encouraging and partnering with local and regional churches, (2) Discipling IFRM staff, volunteers, and residents, and providing pastoral prayer, encouragement, counsel, Biblical preaching, and teaching, and (3) Assisting with discipleship components for the IFRM Work’s Program.
- Be a blessing to the local church families.
May Jesus reign as King!
roots by the river,
Todd Wood (downtown missionary)
Providence Downtown - Roots by the River 