2009: It happens

We made it through another year! And not just any year, this was recession and swine flu filled 2009! This was the year we left E-Hall and moved into our new location. This was the year GAP exploded and so did the camels on our front porch during "A Night in Bethlehem." We have so much to be thankful for.

Let's take a journey back through 2009 at The Bridge Community Church. 2009 proved to be the most grueling and rewarding year to date. As we look back to the year that was, my prayer is that you will see God's glory in it all.

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven" - Matthew 5:16

(Facebook viewers need to view benjamindurbin.com. Estimated reading and viewing time is sixty minutes).

It Happens - In Review.

1. Ricky Horton Sunday! On Feb. 8th, 2009, we partnered together with Esther Baptist Church and the MAC CSU to bring former St. Louis Cardinal pitcher Ricky Horton to the Bridge for the Mineral Area College student athletes.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. We finally finished the Gospel of Luke. We began teaching the book of Luke in 2008 and finally completed it in 2009. We began the year with sermons such as "The Fighting Temptations" and "The Persistent Widow." We made it to EASTER and finished the final four chapters of Luke in our series "The Final Four." What's funny is after we finished it, a few months later, Tim decided to go back and teach in it again for three weeks during "Games People Play."
3. The grumblers. Sadly, the most viewed post of 2009 by far was "Bridge Life." I honestly had no clue how hard it would be on my family and personal emotional stability to be a church planter. I wanted to include this in our year in review to remind us that not every day of 2009 was worth celebrating.
4. Last Sunday in E-Hall. On February 22, we worshiped for the last time in Elizabeth Hall. We spent three years setting up and tearing down at a rented banquet facility. Check out this post to reflect on the E-Hall days.
5. We turned THREE! The 1st Sunday in the Sprung. March 1st, 2009.
   
   
   
   Check out these three posts and reflect back on the big move!
   March 1st
   We are turning THREE!
   Capturing the Moment
6. FEE Concert. Grand Opening Celebration. Over 800 tickets sold.
   
   
7. Bridge Kids moves to Sunday mornings! For the first three years of our existence, we had no childcare facilities for Sunday morning. Our Bridge Kids faithfully met every Wednesday night in E-Hall. In March, 2009 we finally had facilities and launched Bridge Kids at 9 and 10:45. WE ARE STILL GROWING! Check out these pictures below of the new construction work on the second floor for Bridge Kids. Very soon we will have more classrooms and a larger worship space for our children!
   
   
   
   
   
8. Bridge Kids Family Worship!!! IN 2009, our Bridge Kids team launched a monthly family worship at 10:15 AM under the direction of Jon Bacon. On the first Sunday of every month our parents and children join together to sing, experience drama, and hear from God's word together. At each month, a theme is announced that the children will be learning
   
   
   
9. Gospel Centering. In 2009, we moved relentlessly to place the GOSPEL at the center of all that we do. Check out this post!
10. Easter 2009. You all may not know this, but the cops almost put a stop to our Easter 09 celebration. They showed up right before our 9 AM celebration and told us the neighbors had called us in for noise disturbances. What took place that Sunday, no man could stop. And yes, we have worked hard to heal and mend all relationships.
    
    Re-live a few of the moments. View pictures here.
    
    
    
    
11. Baptisms and Baby Dedications.
    
    
    
    
    
    
12. Mission Trips. The Bridge went on mission the summer of 09. A group of our adults returned to Nicaragua to work with Project Chacocente. Below is a picture of their send-off celebration. Our Youth also went on their 1st mission trip to Tipton.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Largest Alpha Course to date. During the summer of 09 we decided to run the alpha course again. To our surprise we had our largest enrollment ever smack dab in the middle of the summer! The alpha course retreat was held at Camp Allen near Greenville, MO.
    
14. Gideon 300 Launches. As a community we desire to be anything but mundane. In 09, we felt God leading us to pay off our church debt at an accelerated rate. We desire to cut out paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest to the bank, and instead pay off our debt early and return money to ministry. We have a goal to smash 300 pots this year. 1 pot = $1k.
    
15. Weddings. Terry and Nance Cole became the first couple to have a Bridge wedding in the new facility and was quickly followed by Seth and Amanda Durbin.
    
    
    
    
16. Technology: webcasts and simulcasts. We saw a massive upgrade in technology at The Bridge this year paving the way for live webcasts of all of our celebrations. You can view them here. These upgrades also made it possible for us to host national simulcasts. In 2009 we hosted the Beth Moore Living Proof Simulcast, as well as the National Apologetic's Conference Simulcast.
17. Sermon Series: 09 series included: The Final four, You Asked For It, Fearless, Disciple 101 (Colossians), Summer on the Mount, Ecclesia, Elijah, Games People Play, Forgotten God, and Shake. This. Planet.
18. Missional Cell Family. We have been refocusing from an inward, small-group based discipleship emphasis to one with an outward, mission-based, discipleship purpose. We have seen an increase in the past six months in active attendees seeking to get involved with family cells. Each of the cells have been actively participating in mission. From serving together in cleaning the facilities, to working with Journey to Bethlehem, we have seen the "parts of the Body" working to edify and build up the Kingdom. We have formulated a new leadership training cell group to be led by Tim Gray which will begin in January and is designed to spawn new missional cells. The youth cells have grown and are scheduled to divide and begin a new group in Desloge. Several of the adult cells have plans to divide and reorganize in 2010 around missional emphasis.
19. A healthier team. In 2009 we increased our staff and elder board. We welcomed Stan Jackson as our newest elder who is overseeing our missional cells. We also added: Lance Smith, Rob Pierce, and Josh Massey to our ministry staff. Lance is our new formation pastor, Rob works with the youth, and Josh works in the office for GAP and Tammy. Cheryl Guthrie was also hired as our new building Coordinator. These folks, along with our amazing staff and board, will make for an awesome 2010!
    
20. A Night in Bethlehem. I am speechless as to what I could possibly say to adequately articulate what happened December 13th, 2o09. The Bridge Kids ministry and our Cell Families joined together to turn our church into the tiny village of Bethlehem. 1500 people from our community experienced the buzz of the market place and a live nativity. Check out that camel!
    
    
    
21. Gap explosion. The doors continue to open for gap. IN 09, Conquering Addiction ran twice at The Bridge with 95 full completions and 274 total registrations. Our ministry to the prison and Community Supervision Center is growing rapidly. New doors of opportunity are now upon us. In December, GAP began running CA at the Aquinas Center. Now, the Farmington Correctional Center has requested Conquering Addiction come onto their facilities!
22. Youth. Our youth ministry continues to grow. This year our youth participated in several dramas for our church and for GAP. Take a peak at the picture below of our youth performing a drama for our Conquering Addiction course. Youth cells are growing and 2010 is going to be the year of our first Youth Ski Trip!!! I get to go. :-)
    
    
    
    
23. Our people. 2009 at The Bridge was special because of you: our community. There is no other group of people I want to share my life with more.
    
24. Top Videos of 2009.
    
    
    
    
    
    
25. Christmas Eve Candlelight. We were able to close the year with our first Christmas Eve celebration in the new building. Ronnie Buckingham and Brian Dunlap captured the night with a drama based on Ephesians 2:10. Over 250 people gathered at 11:00 PM to sing, pray, take communion, and hear Milford Gibbs speak to us all about the birth of Christ.
    

So much happened at The Bridge in 2009 that I can't possibly talk about it all. I am amazed at what God has done and continues to do through our people for His glory. It happens! My prayer is that gospel fruit will continue to grow and develop in 2010. Is that your prayer?

Today is the last day of 2009! Did you know that according statistics, 32 percent of new churches don't reach the four year mark? How about this one? Did you know that churches that reach age four on average have a weekly attendance of 85?

We are bucking the trend and on March 7th, 2010 we will celebrate FOUR.

Let the countdown begin.