Tuesday, March 4, 2008

The Bridge Turns Two!!!

In case you missed it Sunday!



Note: Make sure and read the comments for an explanation of the fast growing church comment. :-)

Comment and let us know what your favorite memory of the past two years has been. We want to hear your story! God is changing lives and that is why we celebrate this birthday. [Check out the comments for my top five.]

  • Tim has an interesting discussion of: numbers, vision, jars, and the future of The Bridge up on his blog! Make sure and check it out here.
  • Did you know that Roger has a blog? His post is a painful reminder of the horrific accident that happened Sunday at Celebration!

    What's coming up?
  • March 16th - We are going bowling at the Family Fun Center from 12:30 - 3:30 PM.
  • March 21 - Good Friday service at E-Hall and showing of The Passion of the Christ. @ 6:30 PM
  • March 23 - Easter services at North County Auditorium!
  • 23 comments:

    Ben - Teaching Pastor said...

    My Top 5 Memories @ The Bridge

    #1 Brylee's baby dedication.
    #2 Our 1st service March 5, 2006.
    #3 Advent Conspiracy. $12,000 raised for outofthedump.org
    #4 "Changed" week 3. The Sunday after Jeff Stevens death.
    #5 Bridge Back offering.

    What are your top 5? If I had a number six, it would definitely be the baptism services!

    Tim Gray said...

    Just a quick clarification on the Happy Birthday video. I intended to say on there that we may be the "fastest growing church plant in America per capita." My phone went off and the 'per capita' part had to be edited out. Read this blog entry for an explanation of that statement: http://timgraysthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/super-bowl-sunday.html

    Elevation Church, which is discussed in the blog, is the fastest growing church in the US, and we have grown faster than them per capita. Check it out.
    My Fab Five will be coming later today.
    tim

    Ben - Teaching Pastor said...

    Tim's explanation note can be found here.

    Angie Cagle said...

    My Top 5 Memories @ The Bridge

    1. Joining my cell family.
    2. Our first service.
    3. Ben's "Are You Dead Yet" sermon.
    4. Movie Nights
    5. Advent Conspiracy /cow bell video

    Ben - Teaching Pastor said...

    Sweet, Angie! We have another movie night coming up on Good Friday! I can't wait to watch The Passion of the Christ!

    Tim Gray said...

    OK -- Here's my Fab Five:
    (These are subject to change)
    1. Amazing Grace / My Chains are Gone at the moment of Jeff's Homegoing.
    2. Sandy Carrico's Baptism
    3. First Service - March 5, 2006
    4. Youth Service - Justin's bass guitar debut
    5. Bridge Back / Advent Conspiracy

    Every moment of watching my cell develop into Christ-like disciples is way up there.
    tg

    Sonja said...

    My top 5 memories of the Bridge in date order: (The Bridge is not a Building).....

    The morning I came to church and Murphy gave me fresh strawberries, although insignificant to Murphy, God gave it special meaning for me that day.

    The Membership/Babtism service at Pinecrest on April 1st, 2007....I committed myself to be an active member of the Body of Christ.

    Ben's Changed 1 sermon on June 10, 2007...The day I realized my trials, struggles and temptations in life were meant as a means to grow and live a life pleasing to God, not to punish me.

    June 21st, 2007...The day of Jeff Stevens death, at the pool, at the hospital, at Tammy's the next day, the funeral and Ben's Changed 3 service on Sunday. God was at work in my life, as he was for many of the Bridge through that period of time. It has taught me that even through tragedy, God is teaching us and molding our character... through his Amazing Grace, our chains are gone and we have all been set free!!

    On my walk to Emmaus in October, I learned even more about God's Grace and how it's been at work in my life since I was a child. Through many failures, conflicts, temptations, dissapointments, trials and tragedies...God was always calling me back to the cross where Jesus paid the price for ALL of the above!

    Ben - Teaching Pastor said...

    Tim and Sonja, it has been awesome to journey along side both of you in Kingdom work. Sonja, you are going to roll into heaven one day and hear about 10,000 "well dones" for your guiding and teaching at Bridge Kids each week.

    juanita gray said...

    My top 5 favorites @ The Bridge

    1. My first service at The Bridge June 2006
    2. My Cell Family
    3. Bridge Back/Advent Conspiracy
    4. Peacemakers Sermon Series
    5. Baptism at the Slime Pond

    Tim Gray said...

    Hey Juanita,

    Do you think the folks back in Dittmer (her small hometown for the rest of you) would believe that you are blogger? HA!

    Those are great ones!

    Becky said...

    My top memories at the Bridge are:
    1) Advent conspiracy
    2) Bridging Back
    3) Seeing the church step up when Roger and Tammy's house got blown away by the tornado
    4) Seeing the church step up when Jeff Stevens died (and the sermon the sunday after)
    5) Baptism services

    Of course Brylee's dedication, but I was trying to think of something other than what Ben put! :D

    Ben - Teaching Pastor said...

    Cool, Becky! I like my top 5 better. :-)

    JWY said...

    1. The church stepping up to help us in our time of need with Claire.

    2. Cell family and the way God has gotten me close with my sister, Ben, Brylee, and my Mom and Mike.

    3. Seeing my Son and someday my daughter show interest in God and want to go to church.

    4. Seeing the support our church and its people step up to help any attenders and the community with any needs they or it may have.

    5. Advent, Bridging back (the community saw that one, we were in the paper), Promise keepers 2007, baptism service, on and on and on.

    no one event for me, just remember the love and support from our church family to me and others, not just a person or two like some of the chaurches from my past..

    Becky said...

    Woot! Justin is blogging now! You'll make Ben so happy :D

    Matt pratt said...

    1. Sunday after Jeffs homegoing
    2. Sundy after my brother Austins homegoing.
    3.Fall '07 Alpha retreat.
    4.Seing my marrage saved.
    5.Bringing Graycen to church for the first time.(These are in no particular order).

    Ben - Teaching Pastor said...

    Matt - awesome! The sunday after Austin's homecoming was special. I was also thinking this morning how special "the chair" talk was.

    matt pratt fatt catt satt on a ratt said...

    definetly one of my favorites!

    Tim Gray said...

    Bout time somebody brought up the chair talk. I would have listed that because developing the talk (very difficult) grew me up as much as anything I have ever done, but it would have seemed vain. Ironically, a few folks laughed about me getting on my face on stage that morning, but they should have seen the whole Fall 07 Alpha retreat down like that. It was AWESOME!

    Matt Pratt said...

    The chair talk and the fall "07 retreat, WOW! God used both of those two experiences to make me look deeper inside myself, and examine where I am as a Christian, and Husband, and Father. Very convicting I must say, but also hopeful for the future, and thankful for how much I've grown,(not just my gut):) God was really talking to me at the retreat to get out of my comfort zone as a worship leader. Then Ben asked my something that blew me away. He seems to think I should take over Alpha!!! Ha!!! ME???Well, turns out I did with Tracy Upchurch and a WHOLE LOT OF VOLUNTEERS!!! It's still challenging(sp?) and I can see God molding and re-shaping my heart back to how I was a LONG TIME AGO. For a while I sort of lost my love for people. Those folks at Alpha don't know how much I love each of them, and how much I want them to know the God who saved me from myself. You see Ben, Thats why I couldn't just pick 5. ! leads to the other, which leads to the other! Love y'all! Matt

    Ben - Teaching Pastor said...

    It is definitely tough to pick a top five! Matt is speaking tonight at Alpha if anyone is interested. :-)

    Juanita said...

    Hey Tim
    I have surprised myself that I am blogging and go ahead and make fun of me being from Dittmer. Just remember you grew up not far away....House Springs!!!

    Can I add another favorite to my list?
    How about the weekend of the big ice storm of 2006? I think we were the only church in town to have church. Of course it was at Pinecrest, but it was awesome!!!

    Sonja said...

    The Service at Pinecrest after the ice storm was good Juanita. I didn't know you were from Dittmer or Tim grew up in House Springs! I moved here from Cedar Hill and I'm originally from Bell City, Milford may know that's near Puxico, what a small world! I wanted to say that Bowling was good today and I hope we can do more things like that in the future. I have two sons that I need a lot of prayer for, one of them won't come near a church, but I got him to the bowling alley today and that's a start!

    juanita said...

    Sonja, when were you in Cedar Hill? I'm sure it was long after I left.....I've been gone from there a long, long, long, long time. I get teased by a certain someone about being from Dittmer, but Cedar Hill isn't much bigger. Of course, I don't give Tim any slack about being from House Springs.
    I am going to have to add the prayer stations to the list of favorites. It just keeps getting better and better. I love this Church!!!