“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 2:42
Hello Bridge Family! I hope this letter finds you well.
Let’s talk about connections. Are you connected to the church body? And are you helping others connect to the church? The fellowship and prayer time of a life group is critical to my faith, and I hope you realize it is to yours as well. In Acts 2:42-47, Luke describes and models what fellowship looked like in the early Christian church. While our look and feel may be different today, the examples still hold in how we engage with each other, share, and care for the church body.
Are you connected to the church body through a LIFE Group or Transformation Group? The blessing of these types of groups is the encouragement, discipleship, and accountability that comes from meeting and sharing regularly with believers in a small group. It’s often so difficult to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) in a large setting like a Sunday service, but it can be so much easier to care for each other in a small group of trusted believers who are committed to encouraging you and building you up as you do the same to others. A LIFE Group can be a place to share a meal or a place to go to when you need help with something around the house. But most importantly, it’s a place to go to when you need someone to pray for you. So many of the people in this body can testify to the many ways God has changed them through these small group fellowships. I can say my faith has grown tremendously by the work of some of The Bridge family over the last 9 years.
If you’re not connected to a small group, talk to me about one. On Sunday after the service, I’m usually on the old driveway juggling a toddler that wants to walk as far as possible while making sure our six-year-old twins are not spilling their ice-cold café water all over themselves. Or you can ask a friend from church about a group. Or you can use the interwebs to go to bridgebible.church and click on “LIFE Groups”. They meet Sundays after the main service and throughout the week.
Still needing more to think about? Well think about this: how are you helping others connect to the church? Serving in the body helps others connect to the church too. Ushers, greeters, sound technicians, musicians, security volunteers – they all help those that come to worship be able to worship.
One of the biggest needs in the church right now is the in the children’s ministry – Bridge Kids. This precious ministry serves two purposes. It allows the children the opportunity to be taught by friendly, gifted teachers, with the same great message of the gospel that is taught at home. The ministry also allows the busy parents some time away from the non-stop responsibilities of parenting so that they can focus completely on worshipping our Savior and allowing the Word to refresh their hearts, or to fellowship with other believers. Serving in Bridge Kids is a fantastic way to allow the parents to connect with the church body since it is difficult to do that with kids during the week in LA.
Please consider how the Lord can use you to encourage the kids and parents of the Bridge. There are two different times to serve on a Sunday, or one evening a week on Wednesdays. Your volunteering could be as little as once a month. I hope to see you there!
Tyler Kitchel