The Bridge: 2008

“I love this country!” Remember that phrase popularized by comedian Yakov Smirnoff back in the ‘80s? Smirnoff reveled in the freedom and opportunities afforded by the U.S.A. as compared to his native Soviet Union.

These days I find myself thinking, “I love this church!”

I love serving this church. I love worshipping with the people of this church. I love the growing family that is this church. I love how this church has weathered storms and come out stronger for it. I love the genuineness of the people who are this church.

I am sharing my heart a lot these days during my messages on vision from Nehemiah. I’m dreaming aloud about building an authentic community that is Christ-centered and focused on reaching lost people for Him. We are on our way but have work to do as we strive to achieve this vision.

I love this church! And I yearn for it to continue becoming all that God wants it to be….an authentic, Christ-centered, disciple-making community.

As we try to buy the Y, remember that our vision is not about bricks and mortar. Our vision is about reaching people with the gospel for God’s glory. It’s about changed lives. And that’s happening already! Every week I get a glimpse of godly change in the lives of BridgePointers and those we come into contact with, and I thank the One who is at work already in our midst.

I love this church! And, along with fellow leaders on the facility and elder teams, I am convinced that we should try to buy the Y. As I shared last Sunday, we had to “walk” before we could “talk” about buying the Y. We needed to investigate before we could initiate.

In recent months, we’ve formed a fact-finding Facility Team. We’ve toured the Y from boiler rooms to rooftops. We’ve projected utility expenses to the best of our ability.

So now we’re going full steam ahead to try to buy the Y. I’m preaching on vision from Nehemiah and explaining how the facility facilitates the vision of an authentic Christ-centered community. We’re all being challenged to consider giving sacrificially in order to fund the vision.

I love this church! Our best days are ahead, and I hope the Y is a part of that. I trust the Lord will lead us in these weeks as we prayerfully explore purchasing this facility.

I hope you can stick around after worship on the 18^th for an informational meeting about the Y. And please mark your calendars for a Celebration Dessert at the Y on Sunday, June 1^st (6:30 p.m.), as we celebrate our vision for ministry and the Y facility.

Thanks for being a part of this church family. I pray that three years from now, you and I would say even more enthusiastically, “I love this church!”

Let us pray!
I am asking that you redouble your prayer efforts for BridgePoint during this initiative to buy the Y. Use your prayer calendar every day; perhaps you could pray as a family before dinner for those listed, or in your daily devotional time. I am praying hard, that the Lord would guide us clearly and that we would do exactly what He wants us to do. Also, sign up this Sunday for our prayer vigil on May 20^th. Let’s pray!

Jim Warren’s mom passed away yesterday. Visitation is at Rees Funeral Home’s Olson Chapel (5341 Central Avenue, Portage), Friday from 2-8 p.m. and Saturday from 9-10 a.m. Jim will officiate the funeral there at 10 a.m. Saturday.