Sunday Recap May 18, 2009

Here are some quick bullets of reflection on yesterday morning.

• The set up crew was all over it yesterday. They actually might be a little board next week as we transition to the summer schedule in Bridgekids going from 3 rooms to 1.
• Loved the move of the refreshments table.
• The worship team showed up wide awake and ready to rock.
• We had a crew of people who shouted everytime we mentioned the word connector card. That had us laughing pretty hard.
• I got a few comments on my shirt which said “Shucks” and had a picture of a corn cob on it. However, when I clipped my mic on my shirt it covered up the “h” which had people wondering why I would where such a shirt.
• I loved sharing the historical and contextual background of the Good Samaritan. It was fun watching people have light bulbs go on.
• Great response time. People came forward in droves to offer up a neighbor.
• Growth Group sign ups got kicked off. Go to www.ottumwabridge.org to sign up for one if you haven’t had the chance.
• We started to video our services a few weeks back. I saw part of the first one that has been edited. I think we will have it figured out by the fall. I love it when people just grab a hold of things and make it happen.

MEMBERSHIP TONIGHT May 13, 2009

We are having our Membership Class tonight from 7:00-8:30pm at OCOM.

I am really excited about our new and improved Membership process. I believe God has called us to radically change our former process so that we might better serve His Kingdom. If you are unable to make tonight’s class make sure and let us know that you would like to still become a member. We are currently planning a second date.

One Prayer at thebridge May 12, 2009

We have an awesome opportunity coming up in June when we will join with thousands of other churches for One Prayer. One Prayer is in its second year and was the initial brainstorm of Craig Groeschel from LifeChurch.tv. This year the theme for One Prayer is “God is…” You should go to www.oneprayer.com and check it out right now!

Summer Growth Groups April 29, 2009

So the reveal of the Summer Growth Groups is a bit delayed because some of the kinks and details are still being worked out, but here are our groups.

Softball – This group is crazy large, and we like it that way! If you still really want to jump into this group, you need to let us know on Sunday. They are having batting practice Monday at Wildwood.

Play @ the Park – This group is for our moms. Each week moms will have a chance to meet up at various parks. This group will launch next week.

Running – For those who are looking to get tired, sweaty, and sore – this group is for you. This group will launch in three weeks.

Movies – This group is largely going to be organized via my blog. A movie will be selected for this group to view and discussion will take place on-line. In addition, there will also be times when people will host a movie-watching. This will be a time for the group to gather together to view the film and have discussion together.

Books – This group is similar to the above only we won’t be gathering at a house together to hear someone read part of the book – or then again maybe we will.

O-Town Guru’s – There are a lot of summer events in O-Town ranging from Ragbrai to Sand in the City. bridge peeps will have a chance to go to these events together.

Remember, these groups -  are to build community – are to deepen friendships – are set up to invite others in – are flexible in attendance and schedule!

The Dock April 29, 2009

I went to the Dock tonight and I was blown away. Here are some highlights.

• Got to hop a barbed wire fence to get a football
• Watched littled Levi dance to some music
• Led the Spring Months Birthday Bunch to a 2-1 record in sitting volleyball
• Got to do some first person story telling – I chose to be Hamen from the book of Esther

My favorite part of the night was listening to Brandon speak. The dude nailed his message. I love the way he walked through Peter’s life in such a way that led to a single moment of bridging last week with this week and ultimately offering love and forgiveness to students. Way to go Brandon – I’m proud of you!

Cy’s Growth Group Goes Crazy April 29, 2009

Cy has been leading a Growth Group using the book “Walk Across the Room” by Bill Hybels and they just finished up this past Monday with actually practicing what they had been studying. Here are a couple bullets from their experience at Smokey Row in Oskaloosa.

• First person approached happened to be a church planter
• A High School Golf Team from the Maharishi came in and they were really taken back
• Total number of people contacted 45
• All but 5 were people that they had lengthy conversations with
• Total bill that the group took on $490
• Met a new tattoo artist who recently had a client who’s real name was “Bomb”

I love it when we “go” and “do” – this group was amazing!

Summer Growth Group Reveal Tomorrow April 28, 2009

Tomorrow we will be announcing what our 6 Growth Groups will be. Each group will be centered on creating community. These are going to be very relational based groups for the purpose of helping us get to know one another better. Each group will have a very loose schedule and will also allow those who attend to bring a friend without it being awkward. The groups will all start at various times with some of them starting as soon as next week while others won’t launch until June.

Here are a some questions some of you might be asking:

Why only 6? Didn’t we have 8 last semester?

One of the reasons we are only having 6 Growth Groups this semester is because 50 people are a part of Softball. Although we haven’t worked out all of the details this is going to be on of our Growth Groups. That number alone represents over half of the number of people who participated in a Growth Group this past Spring.
Another reason we are going to only 6 is because we are short Group Leaders. We want to give those who have led Groups recently get a break and those who would like to lead a group to go through some training. In the Fall we hope to gear up and offer many more Groups.

Why are the Groups Community based and not Spiritual/Bible Driven?

This is a great question. We really value those groups that allow people to connect with the Word and grow deeper in their faith. At the same time we have noticed that those Groups that don’t know each other/anyone else in the group are less likely to keep going. By choosing to have Groups that are set up for the sole purpose of getting to know one another we believe we will have greater traction in our Groups next Fall. We also believe that these groups won’t be void of Spiritual conversations and faith building it just won’t be the focus.

How do I sign up for a Growth Group?

The best way to sign up for a Growth Group is on Sunday Morning via our connector cards or at the Resource Table. We also will have options available on-line at the end of next week.