We’ve re-visioned what this newsletter can be and we hope you’re excited for the things contained within. In this monthly edition, you can expect to find:

• a testimony on how Checkpoint is helping people walk through denominational transitions

• a breakdown of our new YouTube memberships

• an invitation to our next DLC gathering

  From visioning to revisioning, here’s how Checkpoint is living out our mission this month.

An Ecumenical Haven for In-Betweeners

While Checkpoint has a strong United Methodist DNA (being pastored by an ordained Elder and a plant through the UMC), our focus on YouTube and Discord has leaned toward welcoming people from any faith tradition, including those with no faith tradition. While this may feel obvious to the Church, it’s not always the case.

Since our early days, we’ve welcomed members and pastors from various denominations. As part of that ethos, we’ve also helped people explore their own spiritual identity — often this looks like a space to feel welcome while they ask hard questions.

One of our leaders, Resident Orthobro, put it like this recently:

It’s taken a while and being in checkpoint, reevaluating my faith, and two denominational changes and I’d say I think I’m semi there

Because if I’m being honest checkpoint is some of the reason I wanted to explore the Early churches more oddly enough.

And I mean that in the best way possible because I went from basically southern baptist (iykyk) to being apart of a community that allows for love and growth and has fairly traditional church views that I think Jesus would be happy we’re striving for. Im just lucky and glad checkpoint and NPN exists

We’re glad that people like this exist and can find a safe space at Checkpoint to do this work. We believe that Jesus is also happy that Orthobro has found a renewed passion for loving others.

Share To The Checkpoint

Updated YouTube Membership Opportunities

In our 2026 Nerdy Sermon Review video, we announced several updates for the new year, including expanding our YouTube membership options.

For those unfamiliar, YouTube allows channels of our size to set up memberships for their viewers. Prior to this update, we had only one tier as we deliberated what we could offer. In that vein, we decided that we’d treat this membership program as a way to express financial patronage to our community.

This means the membership is not really designed for members of our church, but for supporters who want this ministry to thrive. The perks of the tiers are thus tied to the well-being of the ministry, as you’ll see below.

If you believe in the ministry of Checkpoint but don’t really see it as your church, this is the perfect opportunity to support us financially. Similarly, if you’re uncomfortable with tithing to a church due to trauma, this is a way to support the videos we create, like you would Mr. Beast or any other YouTuber. We need your financial support to keep this ministry thriving.

Our January DLC is quite the vision

We gather every month for what we call a Difficult Life Conversation, or DLC, where the community of Checkpoint comes together around a topic and, of course, Communion.

For January, we’re kicking off the year with a visioning night. We’ll be making bingo cards for 2026 for ourselves and for Checkpoint as a whole. We’ll talk about the merits (and risks) of goal-setting and resolutions, and offer ways to do so wisely. If you want to join us, hop into the Discord server at 8pm EST on January 25th, 2026. We’d love to share that time with you!

Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this January 2026 edition of the 1-Stop Pop-Up.

As always, the best way to stay involved and informed about Checkpoint Church on a week-to-week basis is through our Discord server or YouTube channel. We strive to keep this newsletter for those who are primarily curious about the overarching events at Checkpoint, so many of the smaller, but equally exciting, elements will not make the cut for this space.

This newsletter is about showing you the heartbeat of Checkpoint — stories of transformation, opportunities for impact, and new ways to see God at work in nerd culture.

I look forward to reading your replies or comments in the section below this newsletter. I sincerely appreciate your support by subscribing to this newsletter. If you haven’t taken the time to do so, then consider doing so here:

Subscribe now

And remember,

God loves you.
We love you.
You matter.

NerdPastorNate

We’ve re-visioned what this newsletter can be and we hope you’re excited for the things contained within. In this monthly edition, you can expect to find:

• a story about why one of our LVL2 members watches Let’s Plays

• an opportunity to experience that power yourself

• a follow-up

  on our World 1-1 new visitors class

  
  From Let’s Play to new days, here’s how Checkpoint is living out our mission this month.

Who wants to watch video games?

One of our leaders at Checkpoint, DGC, recently shared on the server about her experience while watching someone play a video game on YouTube.

While nothing beats playing a game yourself as a good way to experience such impactful and empowering stories, however it can be difficult to access certain media due to not having the funds to purchase the game due to life situations, not having the right device to play it on, the license expiring, or that piece of media is lost to time.

Because of this people look towards alternate sources, to which I can understand as someone who has been there. And while I do appreciate remakes/remasters those can be hit or miss depending on the amount of the love and care put into it that respects the source material.

Which is why I’ve really appreciated streams & LPs (Let’s Play) as it not only allows someone like me who is now limited on what games I’m now able to play due to how my vision has degraded over the years and while I’m still able to enjoy this hobby that I’ve loved since I was a child it has become difficult. To which I am grateful for platforms like YouTube and Twitch despite the problems surrounding it works as way to allow those such as myself experience such great stories. There’s also the community aspect of it as it is thanks to these that has led me to meet so many great people.

This is a testimony to the power of the digital world we inhabit to promote radical accessibility for those who want to experience more of life's goodness. This is perfectly in line with Checkpoint’s vision. We’re on the Internet to step into this space and reveal how God can be experienced by those who would have challenges in any other medium.

Share To The Checkpoint

Our Newest Critpoint Venture

Speaking of Let’s Plays, did you know we have a whole separate YouTube channel devoted to them?

Critpoint is the Checkpoint-backed channel featuring a weekly demo video for a video game, followed by a continuing series of a larger game. In fact, we just completed one on the game, In Stars & Time. That means that we also just launched a new series!

The next continuing game on our channel is a complete playthrough of A Space for the Unbound, a heart-wrenching indie game developed by an Indonesian game studio. Be sure to subscribe and follow along with the series!

Our New Visitors Class went great!

We offered a new round of our World 1-1 class this past week — an event on our Discord server where people who want to learn more about Checkpoint can hear how we got started, what we believe, and more.

One of the most exciting parts of this newest offering was that it wasn’t just 90 minutes of NerdPastorNate’s face on the camera. We had 3 leaders in our community submit videos of themselves walking our new visitors through how Checkpoint addresses sacramental concerns online, our safety policy, how to support us financially, and then how to get involved in the community.

We want to start offering this more often, but it would help us to know if this is something you would like, as well. Be sure to let us know if this is something you would be interested in in the future.

Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this November 2025 edition of the 1-Stop Pop-Up.

As always, the best place to stay involved and aware of Checkpoint Church on a week-to-week basis is our Discord server or on our YouTube channel. We strive to keep this newsletter for those who are primarily curious about the overarching events at Checkpoint, so many of the smaller, but equally exciting, elements will not make the cut for this space.

This newsletter is about showing you the heartbeat of Checkpoint — stories of transformation, opportunities for impact, and new ways to see God at work in nerd culture.

I look forward to reading your replies or comments in the section below this newsletter. I sincerely appreciate your support by subscribing to this newsletter. If you haven’t taken the time to do so, then consider doing so here:

Subscribe now

And remember,

God loves you.
We love you.
You matter.

NerdPastorNate

Hello! Welcome to the new and improved 1-Stop Pop Up.

We’ve re-visioned what this newsletter can be and we hope you’re excited for the things contained within. In this monthly edition, you can expect to find:

• a recap of my time in Boston studying how Howard Thurman relates to digital ministry with the Phygital Fellows

• an opportunity for you to make your mark on the lives of nerds, geeks, and gamers on our 130,000+ subscriber YouTube channel

• an interesting new study that you can now take advantage of for yourself on our Discord

From discipleship to digital creativity, here’s how Checkpoint is living out our mission this month.

Shipping Nate to Boston

I spent some time in September in the foggy town of Boston, thanks to the generous support of the Wesleyan Impact Partners and their Phygital Fellows program. My time would be spent learning from innovators in the Boston University area, with a special focus on Howard Thurman, the theologian behind works like Jesus & the Disinherited and Meditations on the Heart.

We spent time touring many different facilities designed for community use. Honestly, it made me long for my own college days. Being among students who work hard and strive for knowledge is what this Enneagram 5w4 desires most. In one of the pictures above, you can even see that the Howard Thurman Center was streaming Lo-Fi Girl during some downtime, which felt like a full circle moment, considering I was there to study on behalf of digital natives on the Internet.

The highlight of the trip is always the conversations that happen amongst these genius peers of mine (one of whom will be our DLC guest this month, October 26th), but apart from that, the highlight was a fantastic optional outing to hear the first of a series of discussions on Thurman from some of the leading scholars across the country. The offerings from these teachers enamored me. On a lighter note, I have now added the word “Thurmaneutics” to my lexicon.

I’m walking away from this trip with plenty to chew on. I’m sure my writing going forward on Pixel & Pulpit will continue to reflect this. I want to dive much deeper in metaphorical theology, somatics, and the meditations of Thurman.

Share To The Checkpoint

We’re inviting YOU to be a part of our Nerdy Sermons!

Yes, you’re seeing double. We decided to extend our IndieGoGo campaign into October. We’ve not quite reached even 10% of our goal and we wanted to see if we could do a better job explaining why it’s important.

We’re aiming to raise $10,000 to fully fund our Nerdy Sermons, the video essays that we’ve now made over 170 of and reached over 1,000,000 people on YouTube. These are resources that we consider invaluable for providing nerds, geeks, and gamers with tangible expressions of the gospel message through their favorite video games and anime. We’ve been hard at work making these for five years on our own through generous grantors, but we need help to keep these messages going into the future.

If you’d like to learn more about what our perks are for supporting this, you can watch this video:

Please take the time to consider supporting this cause! We need your help to connect the love and grace of Jesus with the world of nerds, geeks, and gamers.

Support our cause here: https://igg.me/at/EK2cWMDA-5M/x/38327436#/

An Anti-Book Study on Wesleyan Vile-tality

The Checkpoint Discipleship Team is hosting an anti-book study. Not sure what that means?

An Anti-Book-Study is a book study that you don’t need to buy the book for, or even read it, really. Anyone is welcome to join us for any or all of the sessions, and we will provide helpful files to condense and present the information in a way that makes it more easily accessible. The deeper intent is to create and offer a space to gather, with a little structure and a whole lot of the Holy Spirit.

Each Thursday evening, from October 16th through November 13th, for approximately an hour, members of the community will gather and discuss a chapter in the book Wesleyan Vile-Tality: Reclaiming the Heart of Methodist Identity by Ashley Boggan. This book examines the history of John Wesley’s work in reforming the Church of England and the subsequent movement that now encompasses, but is not limited to, the United Methodist Church.

Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this October 2025 edition of the 1-Stop Pop-Up.

As always, the best place to stay involved and aware of Checkpoint Church on a week-to-week basis is our Discord server or on our YouTube channel. We strive to keep this newsletter for those who are primarily curious about the overarching events at Checkpoint, so many of the smaller, but equally exciting, elements will not make the cut for this space.

This newsletter is about showing you the heartbeat of Checkpoint — stories of transformation, opportunities for impact, and new ways to see God at work in nerd culture.

I look forward to reading your replies or comments in the section below this newsletter. I sincerely appreciate your support by subscribing to this newsletter. If you haven’t taken the time to do so, then consider doing so here:

Subscribe now

And remember,

God loves you.
We love you.
You matter.

NerdPastorNate

The Intersection of Anime and Politics

Anime, like all forms of art, reflects life and culture. There are instances where its narratives delve deep into political discourse, either intentionally or incidentally. Some anime, like “Elusive Samurai,” are explicit in their political themes, drawing from historical events. Conversely, at a glance, shows like “One Piece” might seem to revolve solely around whimsical adventures.

Herein lies the paradox: anime both is and is not political. It exists in a duality where it can simultaneously encapsulate and eschew political notions.

The Perspective of Metaphorical Theology

Drawing on metaphorical theology provides further insights. This approach examines how pop culture intersects with larger moral, religious, or philosophical debates. Anime can be perceived through this lens, akin to other cultural phenomena such as video games or movies. While anime might not overtly express religious or political intentions, the act of viewing and interpreting it through a metaphorical lens invites deeper understanding. For instance, comparing elements of anime to religious narratives or symbols does not imply a direct equivalence, but rather an exploration of shared themes or moral questions.

The Role of Community and Social Context

Our engagement with anime doesn’t happen in isolation. Within Wesleyan theology, there’s a notion that there is no holiness but social holiness. This suggests our pursuit of spiritual and moral values is inseparable from our community interactions. In this light, the question of whether anime is political transforms into a broader discourse on community, unity, and division. Anime, as a collective experience at conventions like Comic-Con, symbolizes both unity through shared interest and potential division through differing interpretations.

Exploring the Discourse

Questioning anime’s political nature is more about exploring art’s capacity to unify or divide audiences. It serves as a reflection of its audience’s social, cultural, and political bearings. Engaging with anime invites us into discussions about the broader role of pop culture in community and moral discourse. Ultimately, the query of whether anime is political encourages us to ponder art’s greater societal impact. It’s a conversation about the intertwining of cultural products with personal and communal identity.

As we continue discussing and debating such themes, it’s crucial to engage in these dialogues with openness and readiness to explore perspectives beyond the surface. In this convoluted dance of is and is not, the simplest takeaway may be this: Anime, in its essence, mirrors the complexities of life. As we navigate its narratives, we discover reflections of our societies, inviting us to partake in broader conversations about art, politics, and personal belief systems in our shared cultural spaces.

Hello! Welcome to the new and improved 1-Stop Pop Up.

We’ve re-visioned what this newsletter can be and we hope you’re excited for the things contained within. In this monthly edition, you can expect to find:

• an example of someone whose life has been changed by the work of Checkpoint Church

• an opportunity for you to make your mark on the lives of nerds, geeks, and gamers on our 130,000+ subscriber YouTube channel

• an exciting new initiative that you can now take advantage of for yourself or your church community

From discipleship to digital creativity, here’s how Checkpoint is living out our mission this month.

A Story of Renewed Life

Every week on our Discord server, which doubles as our church building, I posit a question to the community that is more spiritual in nature than our usual nerd-themed conversation starters. Recently, I asked the question: How are you intentionally taking steps to grow in this current season of your life?

This was one of our members’ responses:

Isn’t that incredible?

In the world of church planting, this is about as ideal a result as you can hope to receive. This is practical and exhilarating discipleship. We don’t want people to find our community and only think we’re nerds to hang out with. Sure, we love to hear that we’re fun, but the goal of our true Church is to make disciples — we want our members of Checkpoint Church to grow in their faith walk.

Prayer, engaging with sermons, living out faith in a community of people — this is the stuff we’re called to facilitate as the Church. This is good news! If you want to share this good news on your social media feed, you can use this button right below here.

Share To The Checkpoint

We’re inviting YOU to be a part of our Nerdy Sermons!

We’ve launched our second IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign. We’re aiming to raise $10,000 to fully fund our Nerdy Sermons, the video essays that we’ve now made over 170 of and reached over 1,000,000 people on YouTube. If you’d like to learn more about what our perks are for supporting this, you can watch this video:

We’re over halfway through September and seriously under our expected contributions to this campaign. Please take the time to consider supporting this cause! We need your help to connect the love and grace of Jesus with the world of nerds, geeks, and gamers.

Support our cause here: https://igg.me/at/EK2cWMDA-5M/x/38327436#/

What is a spiritual pilgrimage into a video game? (And how can you take one?)

In 2025, we’ve launched an exciting new venture: the Pixel Pilgrimage.

We started this experiment on YouTube & Twitch with a game called Neva back in January. It was a huge success, leading to some truly exciting work. We offered another into a game called Everhood and, as of September, we’ve now hosted our third official pilgrimage into The Beginner’s Guide. We’ve even had a privately offered pilgrimage by one of our members at a conference recently!

What is a Pixel Pilgrimage?

In envisioning how we can spiritually explore games, I have been developing a practice of engaging with games as if they were a sacred site, one that is explored like a spiritual journey.

With many popular pilgrimage sites, guides will offer questions to their venturers. Ultimately, the goal of exploring a site isn’t sightseeing, it’s self-seeing. So, we’re playing games together with the intention of exploring who we are, instead of just what the game is about.

But here is the really exciting news:
You can now take a Pixel Pilgrimage yourself!

With a group or on your own, we’re offering our first pilgrimage (the one into Neva) on our new hub website that you can find by clicking here. The pilgrimage itself costs $50, but feel free to reach out to me if you’d be interested in a group package or, even better, if you’re curious about what it might look like to have me offer a private pilgrimage for your church or small group.

We’re so excited for this new venture into spirituality and gaming! I genuinely hope you’ll ask me lots of questions about what it entails.

Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this September 2025 edition of the 1-Stop Pop-Up.

As always, the best place to stay involved and aware of Checkpoint Church on a week-to-week basis is our Discord server or on our YouTube channel. We strive to keep this newsletter for those who are primarily curious about the overarching events at Checkpoint, so many of the smaller, but equally exciting, elements will not make the cut for this space.

This newsletter is about showing you the heartbeat of Checkpoint — stories of transformation, opportunities for impact, and new ways to see God at work in nerd culture.

I look forward to reading your replies or comments in the section below this newsletter. I sincerely appreciate your support by subscribing to this newsletter. If you haven’t taken the time to do so, then consider doing so here:

Subscribe now

And remember,

God loves you.
We love you.
You matter.

NerdPastorNate

✨ Join our Nerdy Community on Discord: / discord 🤖🎮

Support our ministry here: https://bit.ly/givecheckpoint

In the new anime To Be Hero X, a hero’s strength literally comes from the crowd’s faith. But when that faith falters, heroism turns into a dangerous popularity contest.

In this Nerdy Sermon video essay, we dive into To Be Hero X’s critique of performance-based heroism and contrast it with a powerful biblical insight from 1 Corinthians 3:6–7. 🤓✝️ Just as the anime’s heroes learn the peril of basing their worth on public approval, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “God gave the growth” – real spiritual growth isn’t a popularity ranking we earn, but a gift from God. We explore how chasing trust points in the anime world parallels the pressure to “perform” in real life faith, and why letting go of that pressure is so freeing.

Whether you’re an anime fan curious about Christian perspectives or a geeky believer tired of feeling like you have to be a “perfect hero,” this discussion is for you. 🤝 We’ll break down To Be Hero X’s Trust Value power system (heroes have numbers on their wrists showing public trust and show how it brilliantly illustrates the trap of performance-based identity. Then, we’ll switch gears to the gospel: why faith thrives not by earning applause, but by embracing grace. Prepare for honest reflections on nerd culture, church life, and why you don’t have to carry the world on your shoulders to make a difference.

0:00 - Hook

1:00 - Intro

1:44 - The Plot of To Be Hero X anime

4:21 - A Critique of Performance-Based Faith

5:20 - We Do NOT Follow Paul or Apollos

6:58 - Jesus wants Witnesses not Saviors

9:18 - Imperfect People are the Church

10:20 - What does this mean for us today?

14:00 - Thanks for watching!

👍 Like & Subscribe for more weekly deep-dives into anime, games, and pop culture from a faith perspective.

📚 Looking to study this in a group? Subscribe to our Bible Study Curriculum here at www.jesuslovesnerds.com.

Writer, Director: Nathan Webb

Editor: Erica Pead

This Nerdy Sermon brought to you by:

Sierra Reese

Andrew James O'Brien

Doxius Faust

Mark and Janice Lelache

Janet Gibson

Ryan Lelache

Ashley Neumann

Ben Gibson

Danielle Crowder

LeAnn Fenton

#ToBeHeroX #Anime #Christian

Launch Day is here. Our Indiegogo campaign is live to fund 12 new Nerdy Sermons, support our editor, and make production upgrades so this message lands clearer and travels farther.

Back the Indiegogo →

If you’ve ever shared a sermon with a friend, found courage in a homily about your favorite game or anime, or just love seeing church show up online with kindness and creativity—this is your moment to jump in.

What your backing powers

• Nerdy Sermons remain free on YouTube (sustainable because of you)

• Better editing + production = stronger reach and clearer teaching

• A louder signal that nerds matter and belong

Perks (quick look)

• $10 — Party Member: Name in video description credits + IGG role & emoji in Discord

• $25 — Jesus Loves Nerds Passholder: Everything above + 50% discount for one year of Jesus Loves Nerds curriculum access

• $50 — Side-Quest Insider: All above + monthly 3-min BTS micro-doc

• $100 — Boss-Battle Backer: All above + your name read aloud in a sermon + invite to a virtual celebration gala

• $250 — Checkpoint Crate (25 available): All above + Scripture-reading cameo + Supporter Box (sticker, magnet, art print)

• $500 — Legendary Patron (10 available): All above + a custom 60-sec Nerdy Devo on your favorite game/anime + signed A5 art print

Back the Indiegogo →

Can’t give today? Sharing helps more than you think. Copy/paste:

I just backed Checkpoint Church’s Indiegogo to fund 12 Nerdy Sermons—because gamers & geeks deserve hope that speaks their language. Join me: #INDIEGOGO

Thank you for helping us show up online with good news, good art, and nerd-level care.

Because gamers, geeks, & digital natives deserve hope that speaks their language.

—Nerd Pastor Nate
Checkpoint Church • discord.gg/checkpointchurch

P.S. Day-one momentum is huge on Indiegogo. Even a $10 boost today helps unlock visibility for the whole campaign. If this mission resonates, back it now: https://igg.me/at/EK2cWMDA-5M/x/38327436#/

Beyond the MCU action, we connect these moments to Scripture and Wesleyan theology. Discover how “no greater love…to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13) comes alive both in the Fantastic Four’s story and in Jesus Christ’s atoning work. We’ll unpack multiple atonement perspectives – from substitution to victory – through a nerdy lens, then ask what it means for us today. Whether you’re a Marvel fan curious about faith or a gamer geek growing in Christ, this sermon will inspire you to “die to self” and live with love. Join our community of spiritually curious nerds, geeks, and gamers as we find God in the comics and embrace a hero’s heart in real life. Buckle up, because this one’s going galactic! 🚀

• Last Week’s Results: A tie between green and purple lightsabers… Hulk, is that you?

What’s new?

• Announcing a Change to Checkpoint Church

• Here’s what you need to know:

  • Nerdy Sermons going Bi-Weekly

    • We’re focusing our efforts on improving the reach of our Nerdy Sermons. The quality of the exegesis and sermon-writing won’t be changing. But by allowing more breathing room for the videos to reach their target audience, we will be able to offer a more technologically appropriate amount of effort.

  • New Podcast: The Checkpoint Church Podcast

    • While the sermons will be every other week, that doesn’t mean we won’t maintain a weekly presence. We will be launching a community-centered podcast called the Checkpoint Church Podcast with the goal of building a more cohesive voice for the people who call themselves Checkpoint Church.

  • 1-Stop Pop-Up going Monthly

    • This newsletter began as a means to delivering information about what was happening during the life of the week at Checkpoint, but most of this information is offered in a daily capacity on our Discord server. To avoid redundant posting and overusing your email addresses, we are going to have a more extensive, monthly newsletter.

  • To The Point Newsletter Site Adjusting

    • With the adjustment to a monthly newsletter cadence, we are going to experiment with the To The Point website. You will likely notice some subtle changes in names, branding, and content on this site in the coming days. We will never subscribe you to an additional newsletter without your consent, but consider this your notice that this space will be shifting it’s branding — we understand if that changes your relationship with the newsletter.

  • All of this is an experiment and may not go beyond a temporary status. The reality of this ministry is that it is solely managed by Nerd Pastor Nate and the tasks have surmounted into a level that need additional staffing, which we cannot afford at this time. If you feel led to support this ministry financially, then know you will make a huge impact in the future of what this ministry is capable of offering.

• New Pixel Pilgrimage Incoming: The Beginner’s Guide

• The September CheckBox Sign-up is LIVE!

  • Sign up for your box today using this link. Curious as to what is included in the CheckBox? Check out our video of the contents of the August box below.

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12 pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $12,208.99

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Baby Steps

• In Stars & Time, Episode 24

• Last Week’s Results: It was a tie! We can’t decide between solo gaming or constant live-streaming.

What’s new?

• New Nerdy Sermon:

• The September CheckBox Sign-up is LIVE!

  • Sign up for your box today using this link. Curious as to what is included in the CheckBox? Check out our video of the contents of the August box below.

• Have you seen NerdPastorNate’s latest Shorts project?

  • He’s been posting mini game reviews that serve as sort of micro-devotionals.

• Anime Club Watch-Along

  • A group is watching the anime this month together on Tuesdays at 8:15pm EST on our Discord server. It’s Bring-Your-Own-Player style, so have some method of viewing the anime on your own screen while sharing space and conversation with Checkpoint peeps.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• 08/19 - Opening Night Live Livestream

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12 pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $11,889.77

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Ball x Pit

• In Stars & Time, Episode 23

• Last Week’s Results: We are willing to give live-action anime a chance

What’s new?

• New IRL Sermon:

• Anime Club Watch-Along

  • A group is watching the anime this month together on Tuesdays at 8:15pm EST on our Discord server. It’s Bring-Your-Own-Player style, so have some method of viewing the anime on your own screen while sharing space and conversation with Checkpoint peeps.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• None this week!

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12 pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $11,873.51

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Mina the Hollower

• In Stars & Time, Episode 22

• Last Week’s Results: We like mint condition collectibles

What’s new?

• New IRL Sermon:

• Anime Club Watch-Along

  • A group is watching the anime this month together on Tuesdays at 8:15pm EST on our Discord server. It’s Bring-Your-Own-Player style, so have some method of viewing the anime on your own screen while sharing space and conversation with Checkpoint peeps.

• Checkpoint Discord Server Tag

  • Glam up your Discord username with a new custom Server Tag from Checkpoint Church. We only had four letters, so we chose U-M-@-R… you matter! Wear it boldly to share the message with others on Discord.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• None this week!

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $11,563.92

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Discounty

• In Stars & Time, Episode 21

• Last Week’s Results: We need the dungeons for D&D

What’s new?

• New IRL Sermon:

• Checkpoint Discord Server Tag

  • Glam up your Discord username with a new custom Server Tag from Checkpoint Church. We only had four letters, so we chose U-M-@-R… you matter! Wear it boldly to share the message with others on Discord.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• None this week!

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $13,176.52

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Everdeep Aurora

• In Stars & Time, Episode 20

• Last Week’s Results: We game at night

What’s new?

• New Nerdy Sermon: Superman (2025)

• Checkpoint Discord Server Tag

  • Glam up your Discord username with a new custom Server Tag from Checkpoint Church. We only had four letters, so we chose U-M-@-R… you matter! Wear it boldly to share the message with others on Discord.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• 7/22 - Pokemon Presents Stream Watch-Along

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $13,176.52

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Tiny Bookshop

• In Stars & Time, Episode 19

• Last Week’s Results: We ain’t playing with wishes—bag of holding is our preference

What’s new?

• New Nerdy Sermon: Wanderstop

• Checkpoint Discord Server Tag

  • Glam up your Discord username with a new custom Server Tag from Checkpoint Church. We only had four letters, so we chose U-M-@-R… you matter! Wear it boldly to share the message with others on Discord.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• 7/14 - Content Team Q3 Meeting

• 7/15 - Discipleship Team Q3 Meeting

• 7/17 - Outreach Team Q3 Meeting

• 7/18 - Finance Team Q3 Meeting

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $12,239.00

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Consume Me

• In Stars & Time, Episode 18

• Last Week’s Results: Free pizza forever is not worth a mobile-only gaming experience

What’s new?

• New Nerdy Sermon: Deltarune, Ch 3 & 4

• Checkpoint Discord Server Tag

  • Glam up your Discord username with a new custom Server Tag from Checkpoint Church. We only had four letters, so we chose U-M-@-R… you matter! Wear it boldly to share the message with others on Discord.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• None :)

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $11,939.00

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Golden Warden

• In Stars & Time, Episode 17

• Last Week’s Results: We like the alternate timeline vibe

What’s new?

• New Nerdy Sermon: Wind Breaker, Season 2

• Checkpoint Discord Server Tag

  • Glam up your Discord username with a new custom Server Tag from Checkpoint Church. We only had four letters, so we chose U-M-@-R… you matter! Wear it boldly to share the message with others on Discord.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• July 1-5 - NPN on Vacation

The Usuals

• Monday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $14,115.77

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Dark Deity II

• In Stars & Time, Episode 16

• TWIG, Mid-Season Finale

🎥 What We’re Watching, Playing, and Reading

Nate’s been a little light on TV lately, mostly sticking to YouTube and Let’s Plays. He’s watching Hundred Line with Weeby and Minish Cap via Game Grumps. On the gaming front, he's neck-deep in Judgment from the Yakuza devs, dabbling with Wittle Defender on mobile, and eyeing Persona 5: Phantom X for a future playthrough. Reading-wise, it’s been a theological and literary buffet:

• 📖 The Bible Says So by Dan McClellan

• 📖 Man Made of Smoke

• 📖 The Fullest Possible Love by Paul Chilcote

🔥 Trending Headlines

🛠 Valve Ups the Accessibility Game

Steam’s latest beta adds some huge accessibility features—high contrast mode, screen readers, color filters, and more. Great news for Steam Deck users and a big win for inclusive gaming. As Nate put it: making games more accessible is how we “do good and do no harm,” Checkpoint’s Discord ethos in action.

🧗‍♂️ Peak Climbs to Success

From a game jam to a viral hit, Peak by Aggro Crab sold 1 million copies in six days, topping Steam charts. But can it sustain momentum? Nate notes the Twitch-driven boom in co-op titles like Fall Guys and Helldivers II, while wondering whether the hype will outlast the trend.

📉 Netflix Retreats from Gaming

Netflix is pulling 20 games in July, including heavy hitters like Hades, Braid, and Monument Valley 3. Their internal game studio shuttered quietly last year, signaling a major pullback from gaming ambitions. Sad? Yes. Surprising? Not really. Even with good intentions and indie support (Oxenfree II, anyone?), Netflix never really found its footing.

📚 Checkpoint Club Picks for July

TWIG isn’t the only thing stacked this summer. Here’s what the Checkpoint fam is diving into:

• Book Club: How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler — Think Skyrim meets Deadpool, with spicy language and dicey humor.

• Game Club: Moon: Remix RPG Adventure — A cult classic anti-RPG that inspired Undertale. You don’t fight monsters—you rescue them.

• Anime Club: Aria: The Animation — A serene slice-of-life that’ll convince you to pause and touch grass.

Join in on the fun over at the Discord forums.

🛑 Main Story: TWIG Is Hitting Pause… But It’s Not Game Over

Ever needed to pause during a brutal boss fight, save, and come back stronger? That’s where TWIG is. Nate opened up about the huge time commitment it takes to produce each full episode—from writing and editing to posting and promoting. While the short clips perform incredibly well (and often lead folks to Checkpoint), the long-form content doesn’t get the same love.

But instead of calling it quits, TWIG is evolving.

⚙️ Patch Notes for TWIG 2.0:

• 💥 Mid-season break in July — no shows, just rest and recalibration

• 🔄 Biweekly episodes starting in August

• 🕒 Shorter runtime — aiming for 30–45 minutes

• 💬 Main segments may align with Checkpoint’s DLC themes like “The Power of Pause”

• 🎤 Possibly more guests and leadership involvement

• 🎯 More intentional short content and deeper dives

Don’t worry—Cryptic Critiques is safe. Nate knows what the people want.

🔮 Upcoming Releases

Here are three upcoming releases Nate’s eyeing:

1. Tamagotchi Plaza – Possibly the next Animal Crossing? Curious vibes.

2. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – Kojima’s back, but Nate’s still catching up on the first one. Delivering packages has never felt more existential.

3. Until Then (Switch) – A TWIG favorite. If you like emotional narrative indies, grab this game. “You will cry,” Nate promises. “It’s a masterpiece.”

😂 Meme of the Week

Courtesy of NailHood: a cursed (or genius?) image of cookies baked directly on a DiGiorno pizza. The community ate it up—visually and metaphorically. Wanna compete next time? Post your best in the Discord meme channel!

🫂 Final Words from Nate

“We are proud of our message. We are proud of the ability that we have to boldly tell people that maybe have never heard it before, that God loves nerds.”

TWIG will be back in August, better than ever. Until then, enjoy the nerdy sermons, get involved in the clubs, and hang out in the Discord. And if you’ve ever wanted to help produce TWIG—now might be your time to shine.

🧡 Three Things We Believe:

1. God loves you—yes, you.

2. We love you—and want community with you.

3. You matter—the world’s better because you’re in it.

⛪ Until next time, see you after the patch.
📅 TWIG returns August 2025.

• Last Week’s Results: We are wanting that skill tree life

What’s new?

• New Nerdy Sermon: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

• Checkpoint Discord Server Tag

  • Glam up your Discord username with a new custom Server Tag from Checkpoint Church. We only had four letters, so we chose U-M-@-R… you matter! Wear it boldly to share the message with others on Discord.

• Don’t Miss the CheckBox!

  • The July CheckBox is live. Order yours today! Registration closes Friday.

• We hosted a board game space at Western NC Annual Conference!

• We reached 100,000 Subscribers on YouTube!

  • Watch the celebration video below. We’re especially proud that we observed Communion after unboxing the plaque comemorating this acheivement—we are unapologetically a Church.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

Mark Your Calendars

• July 1-5 - NPN on Vacation

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Thursday - TWIG @ 7pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $13,794.77

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: Fretless

• In Stars & Time, Episode 15

• Last Week’s Results: We play games at night

What’s new?

• We reached 100,000 Subscribers on YouTube!

  • Watch the celebration video below. We’re especially proud that we observed Communion after unboxing the plaque comemorating this acheivement—we are unapologetically a Church.

• New Merch Store

  • We’re thrilled to announce the soft launch of our brand-new merch store hosted on Fourthwall! This fresh storefront features 5 launch designs, including:

    • 🕹️ The Classic Checkpoint Tee

    • ✝️ The bold Jesus Loves Nerds Tee

    • ❤️ The clean and simple Love Anyway Tee

    • 🌈 The updated You Matter Tee (now on darker colors!)

    • 👕 A lighter, cooler version of the Ludogood Tee

    All shirts are $25 and available right now. Whether you’re repping your faith in the wild or just want to help spread the word that nerds matter, this is a great way to support the mission of Checkpoint Church.

    👉 Find your vibe here

• Checkpoint Discord Got a Makeover!

  • This past week, we rolled out a major Discord update to make community clearer and more connected. Threads replaced niche channels, a new sidebar guides folks into deeper engagement, and everything’s built around a discipleship pathway. Big thanks to everyone who’s already jumped in and helped lead the way!

Mark Your Calendars

• Annual Conference - June 19-22

The Usuals

• Tuesday - LVL2 Debrief @ 12pm EST

• Wednesday - Lunch w/ CPC on Discord @ 12pm EST

• Thursday - NO TWIG @ 7pm EST

• Sunday - Mana & Mingle/DLC @ 8pm EST

Important Links

• Join LVL2

• Support CPC

• Linktree

Financial Update

• Needed: $12,500.00

• Received: $13,749.60

  

#content of Last Week

• DEMOndays: The King is Watching

• In Stars & Time, Episode 14