Here is a brief overview of what I’ve been up to this past month and some of the ways God has been faithfully at work with us! To read more updates, feel free to visit my blog-site here!

Barclay College / Hutchinson Friends Church
This month, Nick, Viany, and I traveled out to my home-state of Kansas to help lead Barclay College’s personal evangelism seminar. While in Kansas, we were also able to visit my dad’s side of the family and preach and teach at Hutchinson Friends Church, where my dad is pastoring. We had a wonderful time leading the seminar with Dan Cammock and Brockie Follette and were grateful for the opportunity to share the Gospel with both believers and nonbelievers. We pray that what was shared and practiced will be used by God in the lives of those who attended.

After the seminar, we spent time with family and had the opportunity to introduce Viany (my wonderful girlfriend!) to them. On Sunday, we preached and taught a version of our Archways Training, a conversational approach to evangelism. We had never done this training in a sermon format, so we were adapting as we went, but it was a meaningful time.

Cal-State Fullerton
This month at CSUF, we tried a slightly different approach to engaging students through an “outdoor classroom,” teaching on foundational aspects of the Christian faith like the Gospel, discipleship, and the resurrection. We have seen mixed results in engagement, but it has been especially helpful for those we are discipling, as many have an insufficient understanding of the basics of our faith. We have had some great conversations with both believers and nonbelievers and are continuing to explore how this can be an effective tool.

Exponential Conference
This month included some travel, including attending the Exponential church-planting conference in Orlando, FL with a group from Mid-America Yearly Meeting. I was encouraged and challenged by the strong emphasis on the importance of healthy leaders in ministry.

The Holy Spirit used this time to deepen my conviction about the necessity of being rooted in the presence of God, not only for myself, but for those I am discipling. We can train and equip people in many ways, but if they are not abiding in the Father, something essential is missing. I have been reminded how important it is to help people encounter God personally and to prioritize that above everything else in ministry. This is something I am continuing to learn and grow in, and I am already seeing fruit from it within our team.

On the way to the conference, I was briefly stranded in Dallas due to flight cancellations, which unexpectedly led to the opportunity to share the Gospel with two different Uber drivers. I wrote more about those encounters on my blog.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayer for this ministry!

I look forward to soon sharing my plans for the coming year at the conclusion of this 6-month extension!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

Thank You for Your Support. Here’s How to Continue:

I’m currently at 98% of my monthly need, and your continued support helps make it possible for me to serve through June 2026. If you would like to continue your partnership, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly.

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Penrose | A Month of Ministry & God’s Faithfulness first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Greetings from the West Coast!

Here are a few brief stories from this past month’s life and ministry! For more details and frequent updates, visit my blogsite here!

This month was full of meaningful conversations that reminded me why I’m convinced that patient, conversational evangelism is one of the most fruitful ways to engage people. Rather than quick debates or rehearsed presentations, slowing down and genuinely interacting with people often leads to deeper questions—and sometimes surprising openness.

One particularly encouraging conversation was with a student named *Nehemiah who walked up to the whiteboard and immediately recognized me from a brief conversation we had earlier in the year. He said he came back because he enjoyed our previous interaction and wanted to continue the conversation. Even more encouraging, he told me that his interactions with us felt very different from conversations he’d had with other religious groups. He described those as sterile and closed off, while he found ours engaging and enjoyable. I’m convinced that this difference comes from both the truth and security of Christianity and the conversational approach we try to take in evangelism.

*Nehemiah had clearly been thinking about religion and arrived with a number of thoughtful questions. In our framework of evangelism, people often fall somewhere on what we call the Open–Seeking Axis—how open someone is to conversation and how aware they are of their need for answers. Ideally we meet people who are both open and seeking, and *Nehemiah seemed to fit that combination well. He admitted that he feels hesitant discussing religion because he doesn’t know the holy texts well and worries about offending people with uninformed questions. I assured him that honest questions are welcome and invited him to read the Bible together sometime.

One of his first questions surprised me: he asked about the story of the wise men. We walked through the account of Jesus’ birth and the visit from both humble shepherds and wealthy travelers from afar, highlighting how the story reveals that Jesus came as King and Savior for all people. The discussion eventually moved into deeper questions about sin, forgiveness, and salvation. Using a simple analogy of a laptop designed to function in specific ways, I explained how sin can be understood as living contrary to the design God created us for. God’s law isn’t arbitrary restriction but a description of the life in which humans truly flourish.

Later in the conversation, *Nehemiah became curious about the origins of the Gospel accounts. He mentioned that an atheist English teacher once required his class to write a paper arguing that the Gospels contain contradictions. That left him wondering whether the accounts are actually reliable. We discussed how eyewitness testimony can record the same event from different perspectives without creating contradictions. He seemed genuinely interested and even said he’d like to revisit the paper he wrote and examine the supposed contradictions together sometime.

Another memorable discussion this month happened with a group of Christians as we talked about the mission of the Church and the Great Commission. One issue that stood out to me was a tendency to separate restoration from salvation, as though Jesus saves people and then later restores them. In reality, salvation is restoration—being saved from rebellion against God and restored into life under His good rule. When those ideas are separated, Christian obedience can start to feel like an obligation rather than participation in the life we’ve been saved into.

We also discussed the common belief that Christians must stay deeply informed about global affairs in order to fulfill the Great Commission. When asked where I get my global news, I simply answered, “I don’t,” and then added, “Paul didn’t.” My point was not that global awareness is bad, but that Scripture places the emphasis elsewhere. The Great Commission focuses on making disciples, not tracking world events. Too often Christians become consumed with distant issues while neglecting the simple command to make disciples where they actually live.

Finally, I had a fascinating conversation with two high school boys visiting campus. The whiteboard question that day asked, “What is the most important thing to know?” One of them wrote “peace,” meaning internal peace. When I asked how someone obtains it, they suggested introspection and meditation. To test that idea, I asked whether someone who had committed serious wrongdoing could find peace simply by looking inward. That led to a deeper conversation about guilt and forgiveness.

Interestingly, one of the boys suggested that someone might call on Jesus for forgiveness—even though neither of them considered themselves religious. As we talked further, one said he didn’t believe in Christianity because he had never seen enough evidence. That opened the door to discuss how we make decisions in everyday life based on the most reasonable explanation rather than absolute certainty. From there I explained the cosmological argument for God’s existence: everything that begins to exist has a cause, the universe began to exist, and therefore the universe has a cause beyond itself.

Both of them said they had never heard that reasoning before and agreed it made sense that a Creator must exist. With only a few minutes left before they had to leave, I explained the Christian claim that this Creator revealed Himself in the person of Jesus. I gave them copies of the Gospel of Mark with a built-in journal so they could read and explore the life of Jesus themselves. Later a friend spotted them still carrying the Gospels in the student union.

Conversations like these are so energizing as they remind me of the great needs within and outside of the established Church communities around us. Whether it’s a returning student exploring religion, fellow believers wrestling with the mission of the Church, or two teenagers discovering the possibility of God for the first time, patient dialogue continues to open doors for the Gospel. I’m grateful for the many opportunities this month and excited to see how these conversations develop!

Thank you so much for your continued support and partnership in this ministry!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

Thank You for Your Support. Here’s How to Continue:

I’m currently at 98% of my monthly need, and your continued support helps make it possible for me to serve through June 2026. If you would like to continue your partnership, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly.

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Ministry Update: How Your Partnership Is Reaching Students first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Here is a brief insight into this past month of ministry! There’ve been some significant shifts in my ministry focus this month as I’ve begun training and equipping the new EFM/NCP disciple-making apprentices! For more updates and insights into our ministry, check out my blog-site here!

This month, Cassi Coleman and Thomas Moore joined our team as EFM/NCP disciple-making apprentices. They have begun the same apprenticeship which I participated in this past year, but they are stuck with me as their primary “trainer and organizer”! I’m kind of the assistant to the regional manager (The Office reference). There’s probably a better way to describe my role regarding them, but I am essentially learning how to lead people in a structured process of being and making disciples of Jesus. This is a more intensive engagement of this “muscle group” from what I’m used to, so I’m very excited to work it out and get stronger in it! Here are a few things from our ministry this month!

Cassi and Thomas have started their training in Bible-dialogue, prayer walking, conversational evangelism, DMC 1, as well as various hands-on opportunities to grow as disciples of Jesus as well as making disciples of Jesus. We’ve jumped back into ministry on campus and, as you can see in the whiteboard photos above, we have had a great engagement with students – new and returning. We’ve also had the opportunity to join Noah Granger, a part-time NCP apprentice, for evangelism at the Orange Circle on MLK day. In the photos above, you can see Colt (CSUF student who ministers with us) and me talking to some Jehovah’s Witnesses who set up in the Orange Circle. They were not open to honest conversation, but it was nice to be able to talk to them with Colt for the first time. Cassi and Thomas have done such a great job at jumping right into ministry activities, immediately starting up conversations with students on campus as well as making the best of strange surprise-situations interacting with moderately unstable individuals on the streets. You can read more about some of these interactions in my other blog posts this month!

This month, we also had the opportunity to lead another Archways workshop – learning how to witness through common conversations in everyday life. Above you can see some pictures from that as well! This was such a great time of teaching and fellowship with Bell Friends Church, who are a primarily Spanish-speaking congregation. Because my Spanish is no bueno, we utilized translators as well as an AI translation device that broadcasted a translation to individual headsets. Pretty legit if I do say so myself. However, the AI didn’t even compare to the degree of profundity that the food had!

There is so much more that I could share about what has taken place this month, but these are just a few glimpses into our ministry activities!

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayer for me and this ministry! Your generosity and faithfulness make my training and ministry possible!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

Thank You for Your Support. Here’s How to Continue:

I’m currently at 85% of my monthly need, and your continued support helps make it possible for me to serve through June 2026. If you would like to continue your partnership, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly.

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Ivan Penrose | January Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

I have arrived in California!

After a month of rest in Kansas with my family and time visiting Thomas’s family in Florida, we drove from Denver to California. During our travels, we both came down with a cold, and it took a few weeks to fully recover. I’m grateful to share that I’m now feeling well, though Thomas is still on the mend. I also experienced some back pain from long hours in a very bouncy truck, but praise the Lord—I was able to find a chiropractor who is not only skilled, but also a wonderful educator and truly helped a sister out! I’m now pain-free and committed to continuing the exercises needed to stay strong and healthy.

I’ve been here for almost a week and have truly hit the ground running. I was able to get my room set up and organized and store items I won’t need right away, which has helped me feel more settled and ready to focus on what’s ahead.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with Letty from Lot 318 and follow her closely to observe how she leads and runs the nonprofit from a top-down perspective. I’m really looking forward to learning from her, keeping up with her pace, and soaking in as much wisdom as I can.

I also connected with the other NCP interns and received orientation for what my schedule will look like moving forward. We kicked things off by playing a game together—lots of laughter and a great way to build community. My assignment for this coming week is to develop and practice my three-minute testimony and three-minute Gospel presentation with as many people as possible. If you’re interested in learning these tools as well, you can download the NCP Connect app and explore the resources page. There is so much to learn, and I’m excited to dive in. I especially enjoyed learning from Ivan Penrose and watching him teach from what he himself has learned over the past year.

I also attended a service at Iglesia Amigos Yorba Linda, and it couldn’t have been a better first Sunday. They are beginning a new church-wide series focused on corporate fasting and prayer. After the service, they hosted a luncheon for newcomers to meet the staff. I was able to introduce myself, share who I am, and express how I would love to serve and be involved. I can honestly say I don’t think I have ever felt so welcomed at a church where I arrived knowing no one.

Thank you so much for praying for me and being on my team during this apprenticeship. I am currently 74% funded and still in need of additional monthly partners to help me finish this internship strong. Please continue to pray for me as I step out in faith—pray that I would recognize the areas where God has gifted me and serve well in those strengths, while also identifying areas where I need to grow. I ask for prayer for courage to expand my comfort zone and embrace new and challenging opportunities as the Lord continues to shape me.

I am deeply grateful for each of you who pray, give, and walk alongside me in this season. Your faithfulness truly makes this work possible, and I do not take that lightly. I am expectant for all that the Lord is going to do in and through this apprenticeship, and I trust Him to continue leading each step. Thank you for partnering with me as we seek His kingdom together—one step of obedience at a time.

With gratitude,
Cassi

I am currently 74% funded and still in need of additional monthly partners to help me finish this internship strong. If you are a current monthly supporter, thank you. There are four ways to partner with me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10 ^th or 25^th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Cassi Coleman NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post January 2025 Update | Cassi Coleman first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Greetings from the West Coast!

Thank you for your continued partnership and support in this training and ministry! Here is a brief overview of the ministry we engaged with this month! For more frequent updates and insights into what I’m up to, click here to visit my blog site!

There has been so much to be thankful for this month, and, among the many things, the support and partnership of the NCP team and you as my partner in ministry is certainly at the top of my list! I apologize for such a delayed newsletter for November! Time has really flown by amidst the many exciting things going on!

This month, I was blessed with so many amazing conversations and opportunities to engage in ministry at CSUF and beyond! I think back to my conversations with one particular young man on campus who I’ve repeatedly conversed with, though with quite some struggle at first. It seemed like every time we talked together it was the same topic and yet we never seemed to make forward progress in our discussion until one day when I changed my approach with him. There were a few things that he was very focused on in all of our conversations; however, that wasn’t the real issue at all. In setting aside his various red herrings, we had an amazing conversation about the very root of the issue at hand and very practical steps in our discipleship to Jesus. The conversation was certainly tense at times as he was forced to recognize his resistance to obedience and his covering up of that reality with numerous attempts at good works and asceticism. However, the Holy Spirit has certainly been at work in this young man before we ever met, but it is such a blessing to see a growing openness in him towards simple steps of obedience and discipleship to Jesus!

Again, I am blessed as I remember the conversations that I’ve had with the many diverse demographics on campus this month! I had a fascinating conversation with a professor who was a pantheist, and we discussed how his worldview leads to the conclusion that god is at war with itself (as there are brutal conflicts between the things which are allegedly part of his god). I was blessed to meet this man and discuss with him in the short time he had, but I was also blessed by very good conversations with Muslim students on campus. One conversation in particular was with a young man who was quite open to converse about Islam and Christianity, and by the end of the conversation was on the verge of rejecting Islam. That was a very interesting and exciting conversation as that kind of progress in merely one conversation can be quite rare!

Another exciting thing that happened this month was the start to what is currently called “Ekballo Fellowship”! Above, you can see a picture of our first gathering at Avalon Bagels to Burgers as we engaged in biblical dialogue, prayer, worship, and Christian fellowship together. The current name of the gathering is sourced from the Greek word that Jesus used in Luke 10:2 for “cast out”, which is the same word used to describe how demons are “cast out” in exorcisms. Jesus commands His disciples to pray that God would forcefully thrust His people into the work of ministry and evangelism, and that is the primary emphasis of this gathering – to not only pray for the harvest and its workers, but also to obey the command to join the harvest ourselves! So far, it has been a wonderful time that gives Christians a launch pad into ministry and offers a place for those we minister to throughout the week to join us in a more casual and comfortable setting as they continue exploring a life with Jesus!

I will be visiting Kansas for a few weeks this December and will have the opportunity to share in a number of different environments – from public middle and high school groups, established church communities, to student leaders at a private Christian school. I have been given many opportunities to share and engage with these various communities, and I would ask your partnership in prayer as I seek to faithfully deliver what God desires to each of these diverse groups. There are many things that I could speak about or do, but, above all, I pray that my sharing might be in submission to God’s direction and edifying to the Body of Christ!

Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer and support!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

Thank You for Your Support. Here’s How to Continue:

I’m currently at 81% of my monthly need, and your continued support helps make it possible for me to serve through June 2026. If you would like to continue your partnership, please let me know as soon as possible so I can plan accordingly. If EFM does not hear otherwise, your giving will automatically continue through June 2026.

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Ivan Penrose | December Update first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support! Your partnership makes this ministry and training possible! Here is a brief update from this past month. To find more frequent updates and stories, feel free to read my blog here.

This month, we’ve had so many great ministry opportunities and engagements! We’ve continued to develop our relationship with other healthy campus ministries, connected with student evangelists who have begun partnering with us in outreach, started new DMCs, hosted many great conversations at the whiteboard, and more. We’ve continued to see the abundance of the harvest and the desperate need for more workers! Praise God for the harvest, and may He cast His people into the work of harvesting!

In the photos attached, you can see a few pictures of ministry on campus this past month! The large group photo was from a prayer-walk we hosted on campus for various local ministries; including Friends Church Fullerton, Soon Movement, Intervarsity, Campus Revive, and other Christians who desire to see God’s work continued at CSUF. The other photos show conversations and interactions initiated by peoples’ engagement with the whiteboard. We are very blessed by the medium of the whiteboard in evangelism as it naturally draws in those who are open and seeking.

In the photos you can see a great conversation I was able to have with an LDS young man and his Catholic girlfriend. I explained why I was not a Mormon (and why he should likewise not be one), and provided him with simple and clear biblical reasons for rejecting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. He was grateful for the conversation, and we plan to meet again after he further looks into the argument I provided him!

This month we also tried a slightly different setup with the whiteboard on a few occasions. Instead of asking people to write on the whiteboard, we invited them to sit down in a chair and to tell us why or why they aren’t a Christian. This seemed to work surprisingly well, and the setup created a nice environment for people to share their honest thoughts. We have some of these conversations recorded as they might be of some use for those looking to try similar things for themselves. You can find those videos here. It is such a blessing to be able to be on campus nearly every day as we get the opportunity to continue conversations and build relationships with people over time and repeated dialogue.

As I trust that you are aware, I have extended my NCP apprenticeship through June 2026, and will continue what I’m currently doing with a specific emphasis on engaging the established church. So much of being a disciple of Jesus is caught up in also making disciples of Jesus through evangelism and intentional community of believers. Our campus ministry is already experiencing this development as we continue to find Christian students who desire to fellowship with us and join in evangelism. Our campus ministry structure must adapt and adjust to meet the needs of those we disciple – a valuable lesson to know; an often challenging lesson to remember. The specific methods and setups that we use to engage with people are only valuable insomuch as they support the growth and formation of the individuals. When the lattice no longer supports the growth of the vine, it has lost its potency and should be adjusted or replaced so that the primary goal can be achieved. This is the primary goal: to be and make disciples of Jesus in everyday life; empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey the Great Commandments by participating in the Great Commission!

Thank you for your continued prayer and support!

May God bless you in the ministry He has prepared in advance for you to do!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

The post Ivan Penrose | November 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

Thank you for your diligence and faithfulness in prayer and support for me in this ministry and apprenticeship! I am greatly privileged to participate in this capacity and acquire tangible experience in evangelism and disciple-making! Here are a few things I’d like to share with you from this past month of ministry. I hope that you find these edifying and insightful into this ministry, and God willing, they might be useful for you as well in the ministry you have been given! For other ministry updates, look here.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” John 1:14-18

What does it look like, as Christians, to love others? Well, I think there are a number of responses to this question that would certainly be true and weighty; however, there seems to be one central expression that most Christians veer from participating in. The expression of love I’m speaking of is directly connected to the Gospel and is actually commanded by Jesus explicitly to those who follow Him. While you might disagree, I do believe this to be of the truest expressions of love a Christian can show to someone – anyone. If we simply step back and view this message of Jesus, I believe that it will become abundantly clear what this act of love is; however, truly understanding this Gospel of Jesus necessitates a response and participation from us. Can the finder of a bottomless well possess genuine love while watching a world die of thirst? Can one who is reconciled to God imitate the incarnational love of Jesus without likewise extending living water to those who are thirsty?

I find that evangelism becomes exponentially more natural the more connected I become with the message Jesus came bearing. Has the American Church settled for a reductionistic view of Jesus’ message that leaves behind an uncompelling and uncompassionate community of people – malformed from Jesus’ image in our lack of love for those outside the four walls of the church? Do we love those outside the church? If so, why do we withhold the only thing that can bring life to their mortal bodies? If not, for what reason do we now lay down the cross of Christ which we ought to bear? Evangelism, that is sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the lost, is the beginning of the ministry that we have been given as Christ’s followers, reconciling the world to God.

My apologies for the long-winded open, but I find that this summarizes what I wish to share in the rest of this update and places an important emphasis on our participation in God’s reconciling work and our transformation into Christlikeness.

This month has been full of great interactions at CSUF as well as in other ministry settings! On multiple occasions, we’ve met students who are Christians and hungry to follow Jesus into reaching the nonbelievers around them. In this, our group of CSUF ministering students is increasing and becoming more involved in ministry on our campus, at the whiteboard and beyond. These have been blessed partnerships which we pray will continue to flourish the ministry we desire to partner with God in at CSUF.

We’ve had so many great conversations with those of various religious beliefs, and we’ve seen a number of those who previously opposed or rejected what we do grow in openness and understanding to us and our ministry. It is certainly wisdom that a good reputation is to be valued above riches as we’ve seen the impact of that firsthand. The cult engagement on campus has been lively this month as we’ve seen and participated in the release of members of the Fellowship Church cult. There is a significant group of members within the cult who recognize the corruption and evil present in the leadership and practice, and we’ve been blessed to see the openness of their hearts towards Jesus above their abusive leaders. Many of these members have moved from out of state to escape bad life situations and are made completely dependent on the cult for resources and housing. This is one of the large hindrances for members when considering disagreeing with or challenging the leadership – they know that they can easily be put out on the streets with nowhere to go. Please join us in praying for these young adults who are being taken advantage of and abused in the cults on our campus – that they would boldly proclaim the word of truth, taking up the cross of Christ for the sake of righteousness and the exposing of darkness.

Please join me in prayer as I so eagerly desire continued conversations with my neighborhood Jehovah’s Witnesses, but I find a reluctance in the members I am repeatedly pointed to for conversation. I need wisdom in how to reach this demographic as they are uniquely ungrounded and sensitive to correction theologically and historically. I’m praying that God might give me the opportunity to converse with a genuinely open and seeking member of this community who has not yet fully been brainwashed to unplug their critical thinking.

Thank you so much for your continued generosity and investment in my training and ministry! Without your support and prayer, I would be unable to participate in the capacity I currently can!

May God bless you in the ministry He has given you!

With love and peace,
Ivan Penrose

There Are Four Ways to Partner With Me:

• Online: Visit the NCP Apprentice donation page by clicking the button below. Once there, scroll to find my tile and select your gift amount. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate whether you are giving monthly or as a one-time gift.
• Credit Card: You may give online (as stated above) or by calling the EFM office at (303) 421-8100 to provide your information to a live representative.
• Automatic Bank Transfer: Download the form here and email it to Debby McElroy (EFM Bookkeeper) at debby@friendsmission.com. Please note that ACH payments are processed on the 10th or 25th of the month.
• Check: Mail a check to EFM, P.O. Box 771139, Wichita, KS 67277. Please mark your check with “Ivan Penrose NCP Apprentice Support” and indicate if your gift will be recurring (monthly, quarterly, etc.). Make the check payable to “EFM.”

EFM is blessed to journey with future missionaries to prepare for potential missionary service opportunities. EFM is also thankful for the partnership with North County Project in Southern California to provide this disciple-making apprenticeship for further training, experience, and discernment for missionary service.

The post Ivan Penrose | October 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

This month we had two Disciple-Making Communities that I was helping to facilitate, and they will both be finishing up DMC 1 shortly. We’ve also continued meeting with various ministry contacts from CSUF and other places throughout the summer. Along with that, we’ve been going out to the Huntington Beach Pier around twice a week for whiteboard evangelism, often bringing along people from local churches or from CSUF who are currently involved in DMCs. We’ve also started developing a new evangelism approach that combines street preaching and whiteboard evangelism. The goal is to hold onto the strengths of proclamatory evangelism while avoiding the usual drawbacks of it being one-sided or unnecessarily abrasive. We’ve tried it at Huntington Beach and look forward to bringing it onto campus this semester.

Nick and I also had the opportunity to share at Friends Community Church in Brea for their Men’s Breakfast on being and making disciples of Jesus. We perceive that this went well, and we pray that God would use the words we shared to challenge and compel those within the Church to greater depths of discipleship – that is, learning Jesus and becoming conformed to His image and likeness through intentional action.

This month we also held the second Archways training at Friends Community Church in Brea with a good number of participants. This is a training in conversational evangelism that we developed based on our engagements at CSUF with the whiteboard evangelism. This training aims to equip you in identifying and walking through the archways of everyday conversations – that is, the natural connecting point in normal conversations that connect a person to Jesus and the Gospel. We would love to continue training those interested in this practical approach by inviting you to join us throughout the week at CSUF as well!

I’ve begun meeting with a young man I know to discuss the reliability of the Bible, and I’m refining my approach as I learn what is most effective in addressing this topic. His concern has been more of general skepticism than specific objections, so we began walking through Cold Case Christianity together in order to narrow down the area of concern. That’s provided a helpful basic foundation, and so far it seems to be serving him well. We plan to continue meeting and narrowing in on his true concerns as I was initially so eager to jump into it all that I overlooked his ignorance of the Christian perspective – improperly assuming he had already looked into both sides. I anticipated a much more historical defense conversation, but actually just needed to provide the big-picture Christian perspective (so far). Moral of the story: make sure what you’re providing is addressing the actual issue at hand and not just the assumed one.

Nick and I also met with the family of a college student who has been recruited into one of the cults we engage with on campus and has since cut off contact with them. The family comes from various religious backgrounds and we pray that this might not only serve to free their son from this extremely unhealthy group, but also be a ministry to them as they experience the freedom and power found in the true God.

If you’d like to pray with us, here are a few things you can join us in asking God for:

• That the two DMCs we’re facilitating would continue to grow in their desire to actually apply what Jesus taught us—not just learn it.
• For wisdom and clarity in our ongoing meetings with non-believers who are genuinely seeking but have honest questions and concerns about Christianity.
• For the upcoming Archways conversational evangelism workshop, that it would equip people well to have meaningful, gospel-centered conversations in their everyday lives, and that those attending would walk away more confident and faithful in their witness.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support in this ministry!

With love and peace,

Ivan Penrose

The post Ivan Penrose | August 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

This month flew by so fast! Here are a few highlights from this month, specifically between evangelism at the Huntington Beach Pier and discipleship engagements that we’ve been involved with this month. This certainly won’t do the month justice, but it will hopefully give you some insight and better direction for joining us in prayer! For more frequent updates, feel free to read my blog posts here, which are typically added weekly!

The Huntington Beach Pier is one of the most interesting places I’ve been so far in regard to demographic diversity, and you honestly could engage with anyone while you’re out there! We’ve talked to Catholics, Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Atheists, Agnostics, Jews, Buddhists, and many more! We’ve met people from all over the world and in dramatically different stages of life! Huntington Beach Pier is a peculiar place, but it seems to be a great place for our whiteboard evangelism! This month, we also welcomed more people to join us for evangelism at the Pier. In the past, it’s been just a few of us with a whiteboard, engaging people in spiritual conversations on the Pier. Still, this month, several others came out—some from the disciple-making communities (DMCs) we help facilitate, and others from local churches who were interested in observing and participating in whiteboard evangelism. It was encouraging to see people step into something that might feel uncomfortable at first and be willing to learn through doing so. While evangelistic efforts aren’t always comfortable or easy, becoming like Jesus as his disciple was never supposed to be advertised that way.

This month, we’ve seen a couple of students take clear next steps forward in following Jesus. *Henry, a student we originally met at CSUF during the school year, has been in ongoing conversations with us about the Gospel and what it really means to follow Jesus. After more conversations this month—and ensuring he understood that following Jesus isn’t always easy but is absolutely worth it—Henry expressed his desire to become a disciple of Jesus and asked to make a public testimony of baptism. After explaining what it is and isn’t, we did this in a nearby fountain and will continue meeting to support him in his discipleship and formation to Jesus.

We’ve also continued meeting with *Levi, another student from CSUF. Though he made the decision to follow Jesus earlier this year, this month we’ve seen significant signs of growth. He has taken the initiative to study the life and teachings of Jesus on his own, and we’ve seen an increased desire for scripture as he has referenced Jesus’ words—not just repeating them, but applying them in ways that show he’s genuinely trying to understand them. It’s been exciting to see that kind of maturity and desire beginning to take shape in him!

If you’d like to pray with us, here are a few things you can join us in asking God for:

• That the two DMCs we’re facilitating would continue to grow in their desire to actually apply what Jesus taught us—not just learn it.
• For wisdom and clarity in our ongoing meetings with non-believers who are genuinely seeking but have honest questions and concerns about Christianity.
• For the upcoming Archways conversational evangelism workshop, that it would equip people well to have meaningful, gospel-centered conversations in their everyday lives, and that those attending would walk away more confident and faithful in their witness.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support in this ministry!

With love and peace,

Ivan Penrose

The post Ivan Penrose | July 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.

I’m grateful for your continued support and prayers as I engage in disciple-making ministry and training, helping cultivate growth in obedience and formation to Christ, some of which is achieved through equipping others in evangelical ministry. Below are a few highlights from ministry efforts this month. If you’d like to stay connected with weekly updates and stories, you can follow along on the blog here.

Disciple-Making Communities (DMCs)

This month, we launched two new DMCs! One consists of students from Cal State Fullerton (CSUF), and the other with a few Christian young adults that we are connected to. Both groups have hit the ground running—engaging in Bible-dialogues through the Sermon on the Mount, reflecting deeply on Jesus’ words, and learning to articulate their faith through personal three-minute testimonies. They’re also beginning to prepare short, clear gospel summaries to share in everyday conversations. It’s been exciting to see the eagerness and spiritual hunger within these groups as they step into intentional discipleship and evangelism.

Beach Evangelism

We’ve recently begun weekly outreach at Huntington Beach using two approaches: our original spiritual survey method and whiteboard method with thought-provoking questions. These have opened doors to deeper conversations on the pier as the whiteboard approach has been received extremely well by this specific demographic and setting! We were especially encouraged to unexpectedly meet Sebastian and Brayden—two young Christian men who are boldly stepping into evangelism on their own. It has also been fruitful engaging with Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs); our conversations seem to be growing in effectiveness as we refine our approach. Recently, we have aimed to help them think critically about the Watchtower’s authority and the reliability of their New World Translation (NWT). Please pray for continued wisdom and open hearts.

Irvine Spectrum Center

We’ve started exploring evangelism at the Irvine Spectrum Center, a major shopping center with lots of foot traffic and spiritual diversity. We’ve had several meaningful conversations—some encouraging, some more challenging—including multiple interactions with JWs. These experiences are sharpening our approach and helping us learn how to be both bold and gentle as we present truth in love.

Archways Evangelism Training

We held our first Archways Training Workshop at East Whittier Friends Church! This event brought together people from East Whittier and Friends Church Fullerton to begin learning our conversational evangelism model. The training focuses on identifying and entering “natural archways” in conversation—moments that organically open the door to talk about Jesus and the Gospel. The workshop appeared to be well-received, and we’re looking forward to continuing to refine the training as we gain more feedback and experience.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support for this ministry that I am privileged to participate in and the training and experience that I am blessed to be able to receive! May God likewise bless you in the ministry that he has prepared for you wherever you may currently be!

With love and peace,

Ivan Penrose

The post Ivan Penrose | June 2025 Newsletter first appeared on FRIENDSMISSION.COM.