Jesus and the Surprise Convert

Last week in our Conversations with Jesus series, we considered a woman who had made up her mind that she was going to express her love and gratitude to Jesus – and nothing was going to stop her. This Sunday at The Bridge, we will examine the life of someone who encountered Jesus in a completely different way. When this woman got up that fateful day, Jesus was the last person she expected to meet – and she was fine with that. But Jesus is who she needed to meet and when she did...well, you’ll have to join us Sunday if you want to find out what happened. The scene we will explore Sunday, illustrates how God is able to bring people to Himself who are far from Him – though they give no indication of wanting to surrender their life to Christ. If you know someone far from God that is showing no signs of turning around – you won’t want to miss Sunday’s message. Maybe you are that person. Maybe you are far from God right now and are wondering if there is any hope for you. If that is the case, you definitely don’t want to miss church this Sunday at 9 or 11 A.M. at The Bridge! In His love, Bo

Conversations with Jesus

Throughout the gospels we see Jesus engaging people in personal conversations. Sometimes it is Jesus who initiates the exchange; on other occasions it is the other person who comes to Jesus with a question or a comment. I believe it is safe to say that every time people had the incredible opportunity to go one on one with the Son of God that they left with a new way of thinking about themselves, about God and about what it meant to live in the Kingdom of God. This week at The Bridge we will see what Jesus has to say to a Pharisee by the name of Simon. This took place at a dinner party at Simon’s home and you can be sure that what transpired that night was far from anything Simon had ever envisioned. I believe the lesson Simon learned in his own home is one God wants us all to learn. Come find out what that is – this Sunday at The Bridge. Bo

Jesus Blows the Mind of a Very Religious Guy

Last Sunday at The Bridge we explored the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman recorded in John chapter four. What a difference that “chance” encounter made in the life of this previously scorned and rejected woman. After meeting Jesus and partaking of the living water of which Jesus spoke, this woman was forever changed and actually became one of the early heralds of the Good News. This Sunday we will see how Jesus blew the mind of somebody on the other end of the religious and social spectrum as we consider Jesus and Nicodemus, a very respected and a very religious guy. For Nicodemus the change was not instantaneous, but the things Jesus said to him were so radically different from anything he had ever heard before that, like the Samaritan woman, his world would be turned upside down. Join us Sunday as we explore some of the most well-known and least understood verses in the entire Bible – and prepare to have your mind blow, too. See you Sunday at The Bridge – and bring a friend! Bo

Jesus One on One

One of the things I like most about the gospels is that they contain scenes where we see Jesus interacting with single individuals. This reveals so much about God’s heart for humanity and yes, about each and every one of us. These scenes show us how God feels about those who have failed. They show us how God feels about the religious reject, the social outcast, and yes, even the ultra-religious and more. Tomorrow we are going to consider one of the most poignant of all such passages as we look at Jesus and the Samaritan woman in John chapter four. You won’t want to miss this message that expresses so powerfully the value Jesus places on every one of us, and how He offers to meet the deepest needs of our soul. We will also be serving communion for the first time in our new building! See you tomorrow at The Bridge! Bo

They Came Back!

Well, not everyone who attended our dedication service came back the following week, but a lot of them did. This past Sunday we had 1000 people in attendance in our new building. As expected, a lot of people are coming to check out The Bridge. What is most exciting is that this past Sunday, approximately ten people made decisions for Christ. Please be praying for those who chose to begin a new life with Jesus and let’s be praying that God will continue to draw people to Himself. This is an exciting time in the life of our church and we want to do all we can to maximize this opportunity to introduce people to Jesus and help them engage in the life of our church family. This past week, our Student Ministry hosted their annual youth camp. It was a blessing to see the building being put to such good use. This is just the beginning of a lot of fruitful ministry that is going to take place in our new home. Working out the Bugs While having so much room is wonderful, we are still working out some of the kinks in our new facility. We have acoustic tiles on order that will help improve the sound. We have a good sound system, but the hard surfaces behind the stage and on the back wall are creating some problems. I ask for your patience as we make these improvements. I again want to thank everyone who has prayed, given and labored to make this new church a reality. It has been a long journey to get here, but our efforts are already bearing good fruit – and our best years are before us! God bless, Bo

Dedication Sunday Review !

Our first day in the new church was a great success. It’s a good thing we went with two services because we were mostly full in the first service and completely full in the second. We counted 1170 in combined attendance. I heard reports of some cars that circled the parking lot and left because there was no place to park. I sure hope they come back this week! Of course, there were some who just wanted to be with us just for the Dedication service, but I suspect many will return. What a tremendous opportunity we have to impact this area with the good news of Jesus! It is a rare thing for a church to have the opportunity to move into a new city and occupy such a high-profile building. I believe many un-churched people will be stopping in to check us out. Of course, we are not the attraction, but who we represent. Many of you have already signed-up to serve in one capacity or another and I’m so grateful that you have. This will cause people to come in and see that we are ready to minister to them and their families. Please join me in praying that God will prepare the hearts of those who will be hearing the gospel, some for the very first time. Thank You! Not only do I want to thank everyone who made this day possible, but I also want to thank everyone who has been praying for me for the past few weeks. The pain I was experiencing in my neck, back and arm has decreased greatly. I’m sleeping better and not taking nearly as much medicine for pain. I’m scheduled for surgery in a few weeks but thanks to your prayers I am able to function. Making a New Start This Sunday I will be talking about how to make a new and successful start. This message has relevance, not just to our church, but to everyone who has ever faced difficulty and needed a fresh start in life. I hope you will join us and that you will also bring a friend! See you Sunday at the new church! Bo

Dedication Sunday!

As of this writing we are just one day, away from holding the first service in our new facility! We have passed every building inspection so far and all that is left is the plumbing inspection, which takes place tomorrow. I’ll never be able to adequately thank everyone who has made this possible – but fortunately, God knows what each one has done to help bring the dream of a new church into reality. We have faced and overcome many obstacles since embarking on this journey together some 20 months ago and now we are about to occupy the building God has provided. I can’t wait for Sunday to come when we will, for the first time, gather to worship as a church and begin a new chapter in the life of The Bridge. So, see you Sunday at either 9 or 11 A.M. at 7906 Alexandria Pike in Alexandria! Farewell to a Dear Friend and Church Member Although he wanted very badly to be here for the dedication of our new church, on Wednesday, July 13th, Astor Slone succumbed to cancer and departed this life. Astor and his wife, Nancy, were among the original thirty people who met with us back in November of 2006 to begin plans for a new church in Campbell County. They, along with their daughter, Rhonda, have been faithful members of The Bridge ever since. Though Astor will not be with us on Sunday, I’m sure he is not complaining about his new home in heaven. Services for Astor will be at Don Catchen & Son Funeral Home located at 313 West 19th Street in Covington on Saturday, July 16th with visitation from 5-7 PM and the service at 7. Please keep Nancy and Rhonda in your prayers. God bless! Bo