David’s RESIDENCY WINTER Update

by David Giglio

Speaking at Elementary Age Chapel at Cascade View

Saturate

September 7th, 2023 was my last day working at Skyline Video Productions. Because of your prayers, I have been able to fully dedicate myself to the calling God has placed on my heart toward reaching the youth of Stayton. Your generosity has allowed me to invest in the next chapter at Cultivate Youth Group and start my new role as chapel director at Cascade View Christian School. I am so thankful for all of you and am excited to share some updates and stories from the fall–all of which were made possible by your support.

One Wednesday in early November, our church elders sat together for our weekly meeting. We had been praying about our vision for the next year, and our lead Pastor, Sam, shared a word that had been on his heart: “Saturate” - meaning a calling to saturate the community with prayer, evangelism and discipleship. A point of emphasis was a willingness to share the Gospel - not only with people we know, but also with those we don’t.

I left the meeting and went to spend some time with God in a cemetery outside of town. I usually never see anyone, but as I was beginning to leave, a man and his dogs approached. He was very friendly and shared that while he grew up in Stayton, he was now living in Idaho as a beet farmer. His dog had been seriously injured and he came back in order to receive care from the only vet he trusts.

As we spoke, I asked him if I could pray for him and his dog.

“I was hoping you’d ask,” he replied.

I began to pray and he started to cry.

He told me that he felt as though God had been after him his whole life but that he had always resisted. He spent 30 years in prison and had multiple encounters with Jesus, but never surrendered.

“Are you ready to surrender now?” I asked.

And he was. We prayed on the spot, and he surrendered his life to Jesus! He was overcome with joy.

I have never seen a complete stranger surrender to Jesus after one conversation. It was a beautiful experience and one that felt like a confirmation of God’s calling to live a saturated life.

That week was just getting started…

Leading Worship at Elementary Age Chapel at Cascade View

A New Field

In September I started my new role working one day a week at Cascade View Christian School, where I serve as the chapel director and guidance counselor. I have the opportunity to regularly speak and minister to over 200 K-12 students during their monthly elementary-age chapel and weekly middle/high school chapel. In addition, I run the after-school “Youth Club,” where about 15-20 middle and high school students come to hang out and learn more about Jesus.

Working with so many new students has been an absolute privilege and joy. I have had the opportunity to sub in multiple classes to get to know the students even more. It has become clear to me that while Cascade View is an amazing Christ-centered school, many of the middle and high school students may not have Christian families or a personal relationship with Jesus. With that in mind, I have focused my attention on two primary objectives:

1. Building a positive, loving culture at chapel and Club

2. Inviting students to a personal walk with Jesus

My favorite day at school so far was on the very Thursday after the man in the cemetery gave his life to Jesus. As I was preparing the week’s message for the high/middle school chapel, I felt as though the message was naturally leading into an invitation to respond to the Gospel message. During chapel, I invited students to surrender their lives to Jesus, and two 7th graders stood up! Another–a girl who I had been praying for– approached me after chapel and said she was ready to give her life to Jesus as well! I later met and prayed with each of them.

This is the amazing work God is doing through us in Stayton. I can’t express enough how much God is working through each of you in your ministry of support and prayer.

Bearing Fruit

God has been continuing to produce good fruit at Cultivate Youth Group. Our focus for this year has been twofold:

1. Being a Friend of Jesus

2. Sharing Jesus with Friends.

With these goals, we’ve focused our lessons on the overall story of the Bible, knowing God’s voice, and the book of Acts.

We’ve held invitation-focused events where kids are encouraged to invite their unbelieving friends. These include our Harvest Party, Christmas Party, and Friendsgiving. We have been so excited to see many new faces this year as our group continues to grow.

We’ve also held two service/evangelism-focused events. Our 17 or so students and leaders went through neighborhoods raking leaves and praying with our neighbors. On one street, we had the opportunity to pray for multiple families who were experiencing recent tragedies - it was a beautiful time. On a cold December day, we went Caroling at a local retirement home and shared the story of Jesus’ birth.

One story I’d like to share occurred during our friendsgiving event. As we were cleaning up piles of leftover food, one of our girls approached me to ask if she and her boyfriend could talk with me privately. The night before our event, they had been reading the Bible, and she decided she was ready to give her life to Jesus. The other youth leaders joined us as we prayed with her and celebrated her salvation with the host of Heaven.

It had been exactly one week since Jesus saved the man at the cemetery.

Answered Prayers

I want to give you a quick update on my family. Because of your generosity, I have been able to have a 2-day weekend for the first time in over five years, and this has been so healthy for my family! Thank you so much for your generous support!

Our biggest answer to prayer: - Soley is able to walk on his own! Thank you so much for your prayers! Please continue to pray he will be able to find healing and be able to learn to speak and eat on his own. Check out the video below!

Prayer Requests: What’s Next?

As we start another school year, I’m so excited for what God has in store. Here’s a brief look at the work we are partnering with you to accomplish this fall:

Saturate:

Grace’s vision for 2024 is Saturate. With that, we are focusing on prayer, evangelism, and discipleship. Our heart is to see a move of God through our city where individuals walk daily in the love of Jesus and grow in sharing that love with others. As we start, we will be having a week of prayer and fasting for our city during the last week of January. Please pray for guidance for our leadership as we start this new year and for God to bring revival to our community through the obedience of his Church.

A Club at Stayton High School:

This last fall, I connected with a group of passionate students at our church and others who go to the High School and are interested in starting a Christian club on campus. Our hope is that this club will begin as a prayer club where students will connect with fellow Christians and seek God’s heart for their high school. Our prayer is that God will use this club as a source of discipleship and as a spark for evangelism within the student body. Please pray for a successful and fruitful launch of this club in the spring.

Camp at Cascade View:

Our Goal is to launch a camp for the middle and high school students at Cascade View. This will provide an opportunity for every student to rest from every-day life and encounter God in a focused environment away from the normal distractions and stress of life. Please pray God would direct me as we plan this camp, and that God would use this camp to bring students to Him.

Discipleship at Cultivate:

Our heart for this spring at Cultivate is to help personalize discipleship for each student at youth group. We will help students develop their own personalized plan for regularly spending time with God and walk together as small groups toward developing this daily devotional time. Please pray for wisdom as we develop the lessons and for students to have powerful experiences with God as they seek Him.

Breaking Ground