His Entrance into the World Re-started Time

While the letters B.C.E -- (signifying Before the Common Era) have replaced the letters B.C. -- designating the time Before Christ, for the past 2000 years history has been divided into before Jesus was born and after Christ entered the world.  Of what other great or notable person can such a thing be said?

Even those who do not embrace Him as Lord cannot deny Jesus' impact on the world.  Consider this quote from a well-known scholar:

I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history.  Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history. -H.G. Wells

Without a doubt the birth of Christ changed history forever.  But not just history - the coming of Jesus into the world has changed countless individual lives and continues to do so right up until this very moment.

Jesus' impact on the world continues to this day because He was no mere man; He was God come in the flesh.  This is why we worship Him.  This is why we honor His entrance into the world.

I believe the service we have planned for this Sunday at The Bridge will lift your spirit and remind you of the true meaning of Christmas.  Be sure to join us for any of our three services.

Our services times are 8:30, 10:00 and 11:30 a.m.

Have a blessed and a truly Christ-filled Christmas!

 

Bo 

P.S.  If you placed a product order from Renew, you can contact Jennifer Webster at 859-760-8399 to confirm total and arrange delivery in time for Christmas.

From The Pastor

Christmas Services December 22^nd

It's hard to believe we are less than two weeks away from Christmas!

To help celebrate the birth of our Lord we have a very special Christmas service planned for Sunday the 22^nd.  In addition to our regular outstanding music, we will be joined by members of the Cincinnati Symphony.

This is a service you won't want to miss -- and definitely one to which you will want to invite family and friends.  Since the 10 a.m. service is most likely the one that will be most crowded -- let me encourage you to attend either the 8:30 or the 11:30 a.m. service.

Invitation cards to give to friends will be available at church this Sunday.  Be sure to take a bunch!

Wrapping-up Genesis this Sunday

After a year-long study of Genesis -- the book of beginnings, we will be concluding this amazing bookthis Sunday.  It's been a great year -- one in which we have explored our origins, witnessed the consequences of sin and seen God plant the first seeds of His plan of redemption.

What a journey it has been - and one that concludes with a note of hope for the future.  Be sure not to miss the finale this Sunday!

Wednesday Prayer Service to Break

While Jannie and I have greatly enjoyed leading our prayer service these past nine Wednesday nights, we have decided to break along with the other Connect Groups until the start of our next Connect Group semester in February.

We want to thank everyone who has joined us over these past weeks.  We look forward to resuming Wednesday night prayer after the holidays.

Cancellation Policy

In case you didn't know; it is our policy to never cancel services at The Bridge.  If you can get to church -- we will be here; rain, snow, ice or whatever!

With much love,

 

Bo 

Temptation

Temptation has been around since the dawn of creation.  We are in the mess we are in because Adam failed the temptation test.  We are redeemed because Jesus passed the temptation test.  So, let me ask; how are you doing with temptation? 

How you handle temptation -- more than just about anything, will determine the quality of your life.

Be sure to join us Sunday as we continue our study of the life of Joseph -- who provides us with one of the rare examples of a man who overcame temptation.

Membership Sunday

This Sunday is Membership Sunday at The Bridge.  If you have listened to the Vision Series (live, online or by CD) and wish to make The Bridge your home church, you will be invited to do so Sunday in each of our three services.  Anyone who would like to join the church will just need to come forward at the end of the service.  If you have not yet completed an application for membership you may do so immediately following the service.

We will be serving cake in the lobby after each service to welcome these new members.  We have already received 54 applications!

Blessing,

Bo

Our Vision for You

For the past two weeks we have been talking about what we believe is God's vision for the church.  In the first week we talked mostly about the universal church. Last week we covered God's vision for the local church.

This Sunday we are going to get more personal as we discuss what we believe to be God's vision for you. Since God has ordained that each of His children be part of a local expression of His body in the earth -- He must have a purpose and a plan for each person as it relates to the local church.

If God has a purpose and a plan for you in the local church -- then we should have a purpose and a plan for you here at The Bridge. Well, we do and that is what we will be exploring this Sunday.

Church Membership

As we have been announcing each week, this Vision Series is serving as our membership class.  If after listening to this series, either in person, online or by CD, you will be given the opportunity to become a member of The Bridge by completing a brief form that will be made available to you on Sunday.

If you are not able to be present this Sunday or next to pick-up and complete this form, please contact Linda Bode to request that a form be sent to your home. Linda's email is linda.bode@thebridgenky.com

Linda's phone number is 859-380-5532.  Feel free to call any time of the day or night! (I'm joking).  Please don't call after 9 p.m. or else Linda will be justifiably upset with me for making her cell phone number public!

You can view the first two messages online by going to:  https://www.facebook.com/thebridgenky?filter=1

See you Sunday!

Bo

The Vision Series continues this Sunday

You've probably learned by now that churches, like people, have a distinct personality.  This, to a large extent, is the product of a church's values, those things that a church holds up as being most important. This Sunday we will be talking about the values at The Bridge, as well as our mission and vision. If you were with us last week when we discussed God's intention for The Church you know this is not your typical membership class!  And if you missed last week you can pick-up a CD of last week's message at the Welcome Center on Sunday, or watch online by going to going tohttps://www.facebook.com/thebridgenky. So, if you consider The Bridge your church, or if you want to learn more about us in order to make an informed decision about making The Bridge your home church, be sure to join us Sunday at 8:30, 10:00 or 11:30 A.M. Habitat for Humanity Opportunity I'm sure you've heard of Habitat for Humanity, the Christian organization that repairs and builds houses all over the world in order to help provide suitable housing for people in need. But did you know Habitat builds houses right here in the Tri-State, too?  In fact, there is a family in our church that has been selected for a Habitat house. This is not a free house, but a house provided with an interest-free loan.  The receiving family is also required to provide 500 hours of labor on the project. If you would like to help on this or another Habitat project, please contact me atbo.weaver@thebridgenky.com and I'll put you in touch with the appropriate people to help you get your hands dirty for a good cause. God bless!   Bo

1019 Town Drive | Wilder, KY 41076 | Phone: 859.781.5000 | Email: info@thebridgeNKY.org

The Most Important Hour of the Week!

We've gotten off to a great start in our Wednesday Night Prayer Service at The Bridge.  We had thirty people show up to pray the first week and twenty-six or so the second week.

If you are not currently attending a Connect Group on Wednesday night, I invite you to join me this Wednesday as we petition God to move mightily in and through our church.

We begin each week with a brief time of instruction/encouragement from God's Word, and then spend some time in worship before launching into prayer.

We follow a simple outline of praying first for our own personal needs before praying for the church, the community, our nation and then conclude by praying for the World.

No one is required to pray aloud, so don't be intimidated if you don't feel you are that proficient at prayer.  This is a great place to come and learn by listening to others.

We start promptly at 7 p.m. and conclude by 8 p.m.

Even if you can't make it every week, do your best to join us whenever possible for as one church leader has written:

"The true church lives and moves
and has its being in prayer."

                                      - Leonard Ravenhill

Blessings

The Vision Series Starts Sunday

Many people who have trusted Christ struggle with relating to church.  Some of the frequently asked questions and/or objections about church are expressed below.

If Christianity is based on a personal relationship with God through Jesus, do I even need this thing called the church?  If I can relate to God on my own, get to heaven through faith in Jesus without the mediation or assistance of a church -- then why bother with attending church, let alone joining one? Besides, I did the "church thing" before and it didn't work out very well.  I ended up getting hurt by people I had trusted.  Who needs that?

The first thing we are going to do in our Vision Series which starts this Sunday at The Bridge is address the big picture idea of the church.  What place does the church play in God's redemptive plan?  Is the church just an addendum to what God accomplished when He sent Jesus into the world to die on a cross -- or was the church the purpose for which Jesus came and died?

By posing these questions in this way I believe I'm giving away the answers!  But that's okay because I have a lot more to say on this all-important subject.

I believe you will leave church Sunday with a whole new perspective of what the church is all about.

In addition to talking about the universal church, we will be discussing the mission, vision and values of The Bridge; those distinctions that make us what we are as a church.

This is all very important stuff so be sure to join usSunday for the first part of this series at 8:30, 10:00 or 11:30 a.m.!

Band of Brothers at the Church Saturday-- 9 a.m.

Attention all men.  Band of Brothers -- a breakfast meeting for men will be kicking off this Saturday at 9 a.m. at The Bridge (disregard notice in Connect Group Catalogue that states we are meeting at the home of Louise Zetterberg).

Join us for a time of food, fellowship and encouragement!  No charge!

See you Sunday!

 

Bo 

P.S. For those who are considering making The Bridge your church home church, this series will serve as our Membership Class.  At the conclusion of this series you will be given the opportunity to let us know if you would like to make The Bridge your church family.

Knowing when it's Time to Move On

From Pastor Bo

I never cease to be amazed at how practical and how relevant to everyday life the Bible is.  One of the challenges we face in life is in knowing when to "hang in there," and when to "hang it up."

In Genesis chapter 31 we see just such a scenario. Jacob had been away from home for more than 14 years.  During this time Jacob worked for his father-in-law, Laban.  Laban was not an easy guy for whom to work and it seemed that as long as Jacob was connected to Laban he would always be on the negative side of this working relationship.

So, the question was:  Should he stay or should he go?

While every situation is unique, Genesis 31 provides us with principles that serve to guide us in such circumstances -- while also providing us with an understanding of how God uses the events of life to shape us into the person He wants us to be.

Join us Sunday at The Bridge for this important life lesson!

How God Shapes Us for His Purposes

From Pastor Bo

I believe every person after coming to faith in Christ has to some degree thought something like this;"Now that I have God in my life -- things will go well for me."  And in many ways life does go well for us. Having peace with our Creator is an incredibly wonderful thing.  And yes, we see evidence of God's favor and blessing in our lives in a multitude of ways. But few, if any, follower of Christ enjoys nothing but unending favorable circumstances in life.

The fact is -- life, even for the believer, is filled with challenging, difficult and yes, even painful circumstances.

We may not like this -- but it is the reality.

This Sunday at The Bridge we are going to see how God worked in all of the circumstances of Jacob's life to fashion and form a vessel for His purposes -- while continuing to bless Jacob in the midst of some very challenging times.

Understanding that there is purpose in everything we experience serves to help us endure and even thrive during the difficult seasons of our life.

Join us Sunday as we see God working through the seemingly mundane events of Jacob's life to transform him into a vessel for His purposes.  And know this: God wants to do the same thing in your life and mine.

Blessings!

Jacob's Ladder

From Bo Weaver

Huey Lewis and the News sang about it. Led Zeppelin sang about it (sort of). There is an old Negro spiritual about it.  We're talking about Jacob's ladder -- something Jacob saw in a dream upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending.  But what do we know about it? What is the significance of Jacob's ladder to us today?

We will be discussing -- and more this Sunday at The Bridge.

Alive Youth Service

Our new Sunday youth service got off to a great start in both our 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services this past Sunday.  If you have child or grandchild in 7^th - 12^th grades, be sure to let them know about this new service with Student Ministries Pastor Chris Mitchell.

See you Sunday

God uses imperfect people

August 10, 2013

From Bo Weaver

Good News: God uses imperfect people from dysfunctional families

If you have ever wondered if your imperfection and/or your dysfunctional family might disqualify you from God's plan for your life being fully realized -- well, wonder no more.

This Sunday at The Bridge we will explore one of the most dysfunctional family units on record. We are talking deceit, hatred, revenge and more. And yet, despite all the dysfunction - we see God at work bringing His purposes to pass.  So yes, there is hope for you and for me!

Join us Sunday at The Bridge as we continue our study of Genesis.

7^th -- 12^th Grades Youth Service Begins this Sunday

Following worship in both our 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services, 7^th - 12^th graders will be dismissed to join Youth Pastor Chris Mitchell in our new Alive Youth Room for their own service.

Blessings!

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