glad to see

the comments folks - keep 'em comin'! all you have to do is click on the "(#) comments" link and share a thought! i'll be looking for a comment from jim warren especially this next week :) ... btw, he passed along an easter reflection to share here on the blog; stay tuned!

"Every Grain of Sand"

OOPS - somehow this didn't publish...grr, the technical glitches continue...anywho, here 'tis: this is a song, originally by Bob Dylan, that first drew me to the passage I preached on Sunday... In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere, Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair. Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake, Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break. In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand. Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear, Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer. The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay. I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame And every time I pass that way I always hear my name. Then onward in my journey I come to understand That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand. I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light, In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space, In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face. I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me. I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

Copyright © 1981 Special Rider Music

Music, anyone?

I would be interested in knowing some of the musical likes of bpc folk. maybe that's it - folk? What are some of your favorite songs, performers, genres, etc...? If you're lucky I may just tell ya mine...!

i will trust in You...and I will not be afraid...

Happy Monday! I was struck with Jesus' words in John 14 today, they fit in perfectly with yesterday's sermon...
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. (14:1)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (14:27)
Trust in Him -- do not be afraid!

Boomerblog? Bloggerang?

This is starting to feel like a blog where my musings just come right back at me, y'know, like a boomerang - boomerblog? bloggerang? hmm...ya. so, here's hoping some actual people comment so this can become more of a interactiblog...or, better yet, a frisblog!

Spring Has Sprung

It's official - spring is here! Don't you love the promise of new life that comes in spring? May it rekindle our hope as we await the eternal spring in the new heavens and new earth!

Sunday, March 11th, 2007: A Time for Healing and Unity

This article is from this past Friday's eNewsletter, thought I'd post it here too in case any missed it and/or would like to interact e-lectronically...

This past Sunday, March 11th, 2007, was an important one in the life of BridgePoint Church. It was not what we had been anticipating – we thought we’d be worshipping alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ at Washington EFC in Valparaiso, exploring the possibility of merging the two churches. As it turns out, their deacons informed us just days earlier that they’d decided to discontinue the merger exploration and cancel the combined worship service.

So there we were – back at Simatovich. Another round of calls had been made to inform everyone that the merger exploration process had been terminated and that we BPC folk would gather in our familiar setting for just one worship service. So gather we did, and the sense of anticipation in the room was palpable. We all knew “the deal was off”, but why? What would be said to clarify the situation and the plan?

Pastor Scott explained the surprising and abrupt decision made by the deacons of Washington Free, summarizing their rationale as fear of being “taken over” by BridgePoint. Despite assurances to the contrary, their decision had been made. Scott expressed how frustrating and discouraging this was for him as he thought of the welfare of both churches and the name of Christ in this area.

What might God have to say in His Word about a situation like ours? Scott proceeded to open the Scriptures, helping us to process the events.

• In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9) – this doesn’t mean that the Lord isn’t grieved by this or other situations, but we can rest in the fact that God is good and is in total control.
• And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) – not “in some things”; in all things! God is working through this situation for the good of His people at Washington and BridgePoint.
• Amidst disorienting change, we rejoice in the gloriously unchanging reality of the gospel – that the God of the universe has chosen and forgiven and cleansed and liberated, and will resurrect, us!
• I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Mt. 16:18) Men will not stop the advancement of the kingdom of Christ. We are to continue, on the offense, to “kick in the gates of hell”, setting the captives free as we proclaim the glorious gospel: that God has made a way for us in Christ!

Forgiveness is needed, and Scott shared how, amidst his disgust during that memorable Tuesday morning meeting, he recalled the realities of the gospel – that he is justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Reveling in this, he entrusted the situation to the judgment of God and began the process of forgiving the men.

Worship music leader Matt Courtney describes the time of singing that followed Scott’s remarks as unparalleled – he was amazed at the way you all sang your hearts out like never before. The “open mic” time that followed included powerful testimonies affirming our pastoral leaders and attesting to God’s faithfulness. Sunday allowed us some “family time” for healing and, it would appear, we are more unified than ever and confident that the Lord has great things in store for us…whatever those might be!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jer. 29:11-13)

P.S. What now? We continue with the decelerated pace of our “Step by Step” campaign, turning our attention back to hopefully purchasing the YMCA by summertime, without ruling out other options of course! Between now and Easter (April 8th), we will focus on just being together with the agenda to love God and one another and preach the Gospel.

this is a test...this is only a test.

i will be preaching on matthew 10:26-31 this Sunday. this passage seemed especially appropriate given the recent unexpected turn of events with washington efc. "every hair is numbered", Jesus promises his disciples! if you happen to read this before sunday, i would be happy to hear your thoughts on the passage!
- jeff

misaligned captions...

one of the consistent glitches here on the blogger site is the formatting of photo captions.
i noticed that the captions are showing up better in internet explorer than in the increasingly popular "firefox" web browser...so, hopefully you can figure which captions go w/ which pics.
enjoy!

joan palmer, nursery lady extraordinaire
josh cannon addressing high schoolers
kelly s and "jimbo" warren flex and chat simultaneously
big city studios gang

the skarjas
the pettetts
the mahnses
david+susan elliott

the woods


nate+lori pratt
mike+lisa field

jim little
pastor scott
worship team + scott
children's security table check-in

Hey there party people, it's "PJ" (Pastor Jeff) back in action after a great week of much-needed vacation. Thanks to those of you who commented and for your patience with the comments being posted. I moderate all comments, which means I approve them before they go online. Since the day this blog was "unveiled" (via our sweet eNewsletter, on March 2nd) was also my last day in the office before vacation, well, it took till now for the comments to make their way online. Anywho...glad to be back in the blogosphere with y'all.
One of the comments was left (anonymously) by someone from Washington Evangelical Free Church; thanks for commenting! We shared your desire that our two churches might become one, and we are sad that this did not come to fruition.
While we had planned to worship at Washington's facility yesterday (3/11), their deacons informed us last Tuesday that they had decided to discontinue exploring the merger of BridgePoint and Washington. So, we are back at Simatovich! And yesterday's was quite a significant worship event for our people -- everyone was reeling from the news, yet Scott explained the situation and applied God's Word to the situation in a way that helped people understand all that had transpired, and that helped people to heal. We sang our hearts out in worship after that, all gathered for just one service as we were. Then we had an open mic time that was powerful and therapeutic - people expressed their hurt and frustration with the decision of the Washington deacons, along with their confident trust that God has a great future in store for us - plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jer. 29:11).
We praise God for His faithfulness and sovereignty and goodness, even when our hearts ache and our minds fail to grasp the "why" of our circumstances. Soli Deo Gloria!

more servant leaders of bpc

Some of the folks who serve at BPC

Congregational Letter

This is the text of the letter mailed out to the entire congregation today.
Please feel free to register a comment below!

Greetings in Christ!

These are truly exciting days in the life of BridgePoint Church. Those in attendance last Sunday (February 25th) know that we are exploring the possibility of joining forces with Washington Evangelical Free Church in Valparaiso. That means that this next Sunday (March 4th) will be our final Sunday at Simatovich Elementary School!

As Pastor Scott explained on Sunday, this opportunity emerged unexpectedly, and we believe it to be “a God thing”. It has been very encouraging to see and hear the excitement of the people of BridgePoint about this possibility. Allow us to recap the process to date and to project the plans for the future.

Back in the fall, the Pastoral Leadership Team (PLT) determined that, in order to achieve our vision of becoming a regional center of life transformation, BPC needed to purchase a facility in Valparaiso as a temporary all-purpose facility and long-term ministry center. This was the “Next Step” initiative, and it culminated in the choice of the Valparaiso YMCA as the best option.

This led us to the “Step by Step” stewardship campaign with the goal of raising funds to purchase the “Y” (or another facility, should the Lord lead elsewhere). Since its kickoff in January, we have been exploring what it means to be faithful stewards of all that God has entrusted to us.

All along we have said that if the Lord should provide another option, we would eagerly pursue it.

Over the past couple weeks, we have been exploring the option of merging with Washington EFC. The pastoral leadership teams of both churches have discussed at length the pros and cons of such an endeavor. We foresee many challenges and do not expect that the two congregations becoming one would be a simple or easy undertaking. Yet the leaders of both churches agreed that becoming one seemed to be what would be best for the Kingdom of God and for the welfare of both churches.

We think that Washington EFC and BridgePoint should join forces because, together, we can have maximum impact for the Kingdom of God. Washington is well-situated with facilities on the northeast corner of Routes 2 and 49 (bypass) in Valparaiso (Washington Township). Washington has endured difficulties in recent years and is currently without a permanent pastor. They really want to grow and to have solid pastoral leadership.

BridgePoint has been blessed with such pastoral leadership and has both quantity and quality of people that could be a great blessing to Washington EFC. So, why not explore the possibility of joining forces in order to make a greater impact in our communities for the Kingdom?

That is precisely what we will be doing as we begin worshipping together on Sunday, March 11th. Services will be held at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., as usual (although it’s switch-the-clock Sunday (daylight savings) so it’ll feel an hour earlier!). All BPC programs will continue meeting as normally scheduled (children, youth and adult) while we meet at Washington’s facility. We will provide maps to and from the facility this Sunday (also at www.bridgepointchurch.info).

After a trial period, both congregations will vote (date to be determined) on whether they want the two churches to become one. If one or both churches vote “no”, BridgePoint would resume its original plan of worshipping at the “Y” in Valpo. If both churches vote “yes”, we would all continue to worship together as one at Washington’s current facility.

It is possible that the churches, once merged as one, would purchase the “Y” as a ministry center, but that decision would be left to the new congregation. BridgePoint maintains its vision to become a regional church; this vision is in no way compromised by this potential merger. In fact, this merger could accelerate the achievement of our regional vision as we join forces to transform lives for Christ.

The “Step by Step” stewardship campaign continues, though at a slower pace, as we turn our focus toward this potential merger. The “Treasure Principle” stewardship class will continue to meet as scheduled. The banquet (originally planned for April 22nd) will be postponed till after our congregations have voted on the merger.

We could not be more excited about the possibilities. We could not be more confident that God is in control and that He will guide us, once again, step by step. We sense that the Lord is in this. We think that the people of Washington and BridgePoint will see this as a “win-win” situation of mutual benefit. We hope and pray that the two churches will become one to the glory of God, for maximum kingdom impact in this region and beyond.

Please join us in praying fervently and daily for this effort. We hope to see you for one final worship service this Sunday at Simatovich, and then on the 11th at Washington’s facility for our first combined worship service.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

The Pastoral Leadership Team of BridgePoint Church
(Dwight Barnes, Jeff Cagwin, Danny Cannon, Dan Foreman, Jim Little and Scott Lothery)

P.S. The people of Washington are very excited to welcome us on March 11th. Let’s all go out of our way to get to know these brothers and sisters in Christ who are graciously hosting us.