Category Archives: Bridge Church
Faith In Action Weekend: Why we SHOULDN’T serve our community
Four times a year Bridge Church takes a Sunday and SCATTERS instead of GATHERING, taking on some of the major needs in ourcommunity together. Lot’s of interest for and against this idea when it comes up. Let me give you a few reasons to not do this:
- It’s uncomfortable. Someone actually said to me a while back – “I’m uncomfortable with canceling Sunday services at
church.” My response: “Me too!” I’d much rather be sitting in a padded chair, listening to someone talk about how to do Christianity and soaking up good praise and worship music, etc. Or better yet, having people listen to me. But as a leader in my second journey I’m learning that the discomfort is needed to really grow as a disciple and to truly make disciples. - It probably WON’T grow your church numerically, at least not immediately. Actually, every Faith in Action Sunday we tend to lose people. It’s messy to see the needs in people’s lives. It’s chaotic and hard to organize projects around the community. There’s lots of other options around that don’t require as much effort. And it’s just not for everybody, even though we have projects that every person can do, no matter their age or physical ability. But, our desire is to multiply disciples and missionaries, not just put out more chairs every Sunday. I believe in Church Growth, but I’m learning that sometimes church growth can come at the expense of making mature disciples. Serving and doing messy, difficult, uncomfortable, radically generous things personally and corporately can be a powerful tool for life change, discipling, and creating a culture of transformation. The laws of the harvest: you reap what you sow, you reap later than you sow, you reap more than you sow. If we want to produce life-giving disicples who bring real change to the community through Christ, providing opportunities for those disciples to do it together may be necessary.
- You will get taken advantage of. When we talk about the needs of the poor around us today, we do it without ownership. They get help from the government; they could be doing more for themselves; they have big TV’s and cigarettes so why can’t they be more responsible. The idea that drives Faith in Action weekend is to do nothing is not an option. To bring change we must start somewhere. And God has sent us to be the solution and good news in this world (John 20:21, Acts 1:8, Ephesians 2:10). To list reasons why not to help someone guarantees they continue down the path they are in. It takes time and effort, but build partnerships with community agencies, love people for who they are, get a vision for who they can be with Christ and don’t be afraid to lose something for a great cause. If we really believe in the upside down principles of God’s kingdom – “give and it will be given to you” ; “die and you’ll live” ; “lose and you’ll gain” – fear wouldn’t hinder engagement in the hard to reach areas.
- Some people may take this as the Gospel. Every Faith in Action weekend we have two mantras: “We do not serve to be accepted by God. We serve because we ARE accepted by God AND empowered by Him for good works” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Second, the Gospel is incomplete until it is shared. Showing the Gospel is a powerful tool for cultivation, but “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). I am afraid as a leader that someone may think they’re making themselves more acceptable to God through serving, but we can counter that fear by good teaching and serving provides a perfect platform to explain why our efforts are not good enough. But at the same time, we can’t rip out the passages beckoning us to serve b/c of this fear – Matthew 5:16, Ephesians 2:10, James 1:27, 2:14-15, 1 Peter 4:10-11.
Please leave a comment with your reasons why we shouldn’t do Faith in Action, etc.
Faith in Action Sunday is this weekend. Take a quick look at our Itinerary. See a quick video from our last FIA weekend here. Later I’ll give some of the reasons why we SHOULD do this. Unless you talk me out of it.
From and To / Faith in Action Weekend, Oct 8-9
For God’s people RESTORATION means that God saves us FROM something, but also TO something. (check out a great site and tool for sharing God’s story at – http://viewthestory.com/). This past Sunday at Bridge Church we went through a list of all the things God saves us FROM and TO. It was a fun little exercise. Here’s a few of my favs:
- From Defilement to Purity.
- From Conflict to Peace.
- From Overcome to Overcoming.
- From Lost to Found.
- From Works to Grace.
- From Death to Life.
- From Now to Forever.
- From Distracted to Engaged.
- From Enslaved to Free.
- From Alone to Adopted.
- From Weak to Empowered.
- From Me to Others.
- From Selfishness to On Mission.
“From and to” are great Gospel words of transformation. I also like “that was then”, “who I was”, “before and after.” All these phrases that many of us use in our personal testimonies express that there is great power to change with Christ. And I believe God has sent us to bring people and places “from” where they are “to” where He wants them to be, so they can testify to the “that was then” “before and after” power of God and work of God’s people.
That’s why I love Faith in Action Weekend. Once per quarter our church SCATTERS into our community instead of GATHERING behind four walls for worship. Why?
- It’s a statement that worship transcends singing and listening – it’s head, heart, and hands. It’s living out our great salvation – by grace through faith for service (see Ephesians 2:8-9 AND 10).
- It’s sharing the Good News of Christ’s love that drove Him to die in our place and power that overcame death.
- It’s a discipling tool that helps continue my own transformation. Serving, sharing, giving always changes me.
- It’s a way to bring FROM and TO, that was then, before and after change to our community.
This Faith in Action Weekend we’ll be working with the West 30’s Revitalization Committee to bring visible transformation through
painting six homes in a needy part of the city of Covington. You can join us: Saturday, 8:30am at Peter Adkins Park. We’ll be partnering with Homeworks of America. And for Faith in Action Sunday, meet us at 9am at the West St. Tammany YMCA for breakfast and then scattering to paint in the West 30’s. We’ll also be doing a Family Day Block Party at our local jail during Sunday’s visitation hours, bringing some light to a dark season of some of our neighbors lives. Our ladies will be making Fall wreaths for resident doors at a local Nursing Home. There will also be some projects at a local mobile home park. Looking forward to some physical and spiritual from and to, before and after, that was then stories after Faith in Action Sunday.
Ministry Innovation: Clean Water
- 5 million people die every year of water-related illnesses.
- It is estimated that half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by people with a water related illness.
- Women and children in developing countries invest two hundred million hours a day fetching water.
One of the most crippling problems around the world is a lack of safe, clean water. Water related illness and disease and the
Before and After Water in Chiapas
time it takes to deliver and prepare water for living and cooking and bathing in the majority of homes and villages around the world slows progress, wastes precious resources, and causes tremendous grief and hardship to families. Many missionaries are engaged in projects to bring clean water to people as they share about the living water that quenches eternal thirst.
We are excited to be partnering with Sergio and Beth Matassa, of GLED, to bring clean water to hard to reach villages in southern Mexico through a simple, innovative bio-sand filter that can provide 120 gallons of safe water for a family every day for up to 20 years. Bridge Church has partnered with the Matassa’s to install filters in several village homes. Including an orphanage in Las Margaritas, Chiapas, Mexico, that was paying $8,500 per year for clean drinking water for the kids in
Bio-sand water filter being installed in Chiapas
their care. This filter will save this orphanage over $150,000 dollars over its life span and that money can be put into other resources for orphans in a very poor part of the Americas. What’s it cost us? $150! A small amount that saves lives, resources, and opens doors for the Gospel to be shared. These filters are made from scratch and utilizes natural sand and water flow to kill bacteria and clear up bad water. This week we’re installing a few filters in southeast Louisiana. If you’d like to see one in action or hear more about the water projects in Chiapas, or other innovations in missions, hit me up this week.
Read more about the Matassa’s ministry here. Support their work here. Let me know if you want information about future mission trips to Chiapas to reach out to the ancient Tzotzil Indians.
What other water projects do you know about?
Incarnational Living: “Am I just attending church, or am I BEING the church?”
Great question from a friend of ours at Bridge Church, reflecting upon her families journey into incarnational living in
suburban St. Tammany Parish. Evan and Angie McGinty have partnered with two other couples (Jeremy and Elizabeth Butler and Josh and Jenna Norris) to throw a monthly block party in their neighborhood designed to be an intentional effort to get to know people, build community, and have fun.
Check out the entire story here at Angie & Evan’s blog.
And ask yourself, how am I BEING the church in my neighborhood, workplace, community, etc.?
Here’s Angie’s challenge:
Are we taking on the flesh of Christ daily, even when it is inconvenient with our time schedule. Are we missing opportunities that could be used to show other’s love? Jesus didn’t always wait for people to come to him, He went to them… He loved on and hung out with the people that no one else would.
The real challenge comes when you are just “on the way” of life. Will I make it a point to go out of my way for others in the little opportunities that come along, or will I let them pass me by? I continue to be challenged in this, but on those occasions when I do rise up to meet that challenge…wow….what a difference it makes!
Here are a few tangible and easy ways to show others love:
- Bring baked goods to a neighbor for no reason or to police and fire departments to say thank you.
- visit an old folks home (most of those people don’t get visitors)
- pay for someone else’s: coffee, meal, etc and do it anonymously (like the car behind you or the table across the room)
- cook a meal for someone who could use a break or help
- use your talents: our church has built lots of wheelchair ramps for elderly people who can’t afford it.
- babysit for someone free of charge and offer to do it
- leave an AMAZING over the top tip for your server
- write a kind note to someone
Those are just a few ideas…there are soooo many opportunities to give of ourselves EVERY day, it’s just a matter of DOING IT!
Thanks to Evan and Angie for showing us the way into incarnational living!
What are other ideas and ways to BE the Church in our communities?
Bridge Church This Weekend, etc.
Happy Black & Gold Day! Incredible weather, Saints game tonight, so much good stuff going on. Looking forward to this weekends Bridge Church Gatherings as well. A few things to remember:
- Worship Gatherings Sunday: 9am @ the St Tam Jail/Work Release, 10:30am @ the West St Tam YMCA, 6pm – Bridge Tangi @ Northshore Christian Fellowship in Hammond (Map). 6pm-Bible Study @ Oak Villa Mobile Home Park #71.
- Continuing our series called One Story: Creation, Corruption, Redemption, Restoration. This weekend we’ll answer the questions: What’s wrong with people? Why is everything so hard? etc. Get last weeks message on Creation here. See the One Story Trailer here.
- Small Group Leader luncheon, Sunday, 12:15pm @ the Corley’s, 2058 White Myrtle Dr., Madisonville. If you’re teaching a Bible Study or would like to in the future, email Jeremy Butler and let him know you’ll be coming. We’ll talk ideas and questions about groups over lunch.
- Celebrate Recovery @ the StTam Jail, 3:30pm & 7pm. Please continue to pray for our teaching team at the jail. Jump in as a teacher, encourager, or tutor if you’d like.
- New Bridge Ladies studies starting this week: 9am @ Heather Corley’s – contact Heather, 807.3151 & 7pm, Wed the 21st @ the YMCA – contact Jane Gerken for info – 966.1010.
- 9.17 – Bridge Guys night, 5:30pm. It’s at my house this time.
- 9.18 – Chiapas Info Meeting, 5:30pm. Sergio & Beth Matassa will be in town.
- 9.30 – Columbia St. Block Party, 6-8pm.
- 10.9 – Faith in Action Sunday. See some video clips from our last FIA Sunday here. And a nice article mentioning Bridge Church in this AM’s Times-Pic.
Let me know of other things going on. Go Saints & GO Northwestern St. DEMONS!
In Christ-On Mission-For Others,
Lane Corley
985.373.2748
“Hey, You Just Told My Story”
“Many people think of the Bible as a book of moral teachings with stories sprinkled through to illustrate the teachings. But it’s a lot better than that…the Bible is a single true story with teachings sprinkled through to illustrate the story.” ~ Tim Keller
I’ve always been primarily an outline and propositional truth kind of teacher, but I’ve been trying my hand at storytelling over the past month and seeing the fruit already. Lot’s of reasons story-telling is needed – our society is less literate than ever, Jesus was a great story-teller, 3/4 of the Bible is story – but the one reason that has jumped out at me recently is that people put themselves inside the story before they put themselves inside the outline. Hear’s the line I’m hearing multiple times a week: “You just told my story. I’m the guy that …” “Hey, that’s me you were talking about. I’m the girl that …” “You were talking about my friend.” Story has a way of connecting us with truth and seeing how it can change everything.
At our Bridge Church gatherings, we’re telling the One Story of Salvation in four acts: Creation, Corruption, Redemption, Restoration.Follow the series here. Get some good storying resources here. Leave in your comments good stories that I can use :)).
Faith in Action Sunday!
Four times per year Bridge Church takes a Sunday and instead of gathering, we scatter for worship by serving and giving ourselves away in our community in a variety of ways. Here’s a quick list of our scheduled projects and a few before pics:
- Disabled single mom had a kitchen fire in 2007. She’s washed dishes in her bathtub since then. This summer,Homeworks teams re-roofed and painted the house. Sunday she’ll get new cabinets and sink. We’ll also cut the grass, clean up the yard, and serve her any other way we can.
- Habitat House in Abita Springs – Habitat loved our Faith in Action Sunday idea so much, they asked if we could be on their project list. They have several homes at different points of completion.
- Several projects at a local Mobile Home Park including hand rails for a recent stroke victim and two elderly widows, new door locks for a single mom who can’t lock her house and cleaning the place up in a Tipping Point kind of way.
- A new porch and steps for a family with special needs child in Hammond.
- Hadden Hall, Jahnke St., Covington – Council On Aging Senior Center in need of repair, pressure washing, andpainting.
- Food Baskets – @ the YMCA, Ladies will prepare baskets with food, Bibles, etc. to be delivered to elderly residents at Oak Villa MHP & other places.
- Potted Plants – @ the YMCA, kids will prepare plants to be delivered to elderly residents at Oak Villa MHP &other places.
- Bake Goods to Public Servants – Families can deliver baked goods to area fire depts and police depts. Great way to say thanks & get to climb on a fire truck :).
- ICU Waiting Room visits – we’ll have gift cards to deliver to area ICU waiting rooms. Cafeteria’s are closed on weekends, so this meets a basic need and communicates to those in crisis that they are not alone.
- Block Party @ Dave’s Trailer Park – as we work on the porch in Hammond, we’ll bring light to the West Hammond community with inflatables, snow cones, hamburger, hotdogs, and an old old story.
- Block Party for Visitation at a local work release center to connect with families of inmates that we minister to on a weekly basis.
Wondering Why? Click here. Or show up at 9am with a willingness to serve. It’s more than singing and sitting that shapes a disciple of Christ. God wants to use us as well. Through Faith in Action Sunday, everybody can serve, we can see our community in a different way, we shine light on hundreds of people who are not in church on Sunday morning. Looking forward to serving with my family on mission tomorrow!
Are You Getting in the Way?
Great post here by my On Mission Partner Mauricio Hance.
Mauricio, his wife Rebecca and there three awesome kids moved from the safe confines of seminary housing into a 64′ Mobile Home in one of the Northshore’s largest Mobile Home Parks in order to be On Mission, plant life, and help our church go forward with our incarnational church planting strategy. He’s written about how this move meant moving below the poverty line for their family. And his observations here make for one of the clearest cases for incarnational ministry that I’ve read:
Getting in the way is not always a bad thing. In fact, perhaps we should get in the way more often.
I have been praying for God to show me how coaching and living here in the park are connecting. In searching for what He has called me to do the I have found that He has called me to get in the way. Get in the way of what?
He has called me to get in the way of young boys becoming drug addicts and womanizers. He has called me to get in the way of people feeling like they are worthless and unable to achieve beyond what they have. I am called to get in the way of young girls becoming mothers too early, or prostitutes to support a drug habit. He has put me here to get in the way of young girls feeling low and inconfident, making them prime candidates for sexual abuse. He has put me here to get in the way of young men ending up in prison or becoming thugs. He has put me here to get in the way of spousal abuse and oppression. He has called me to get in the way of women becoming objects of lust and men becoming oppressors of women. What has He called me here for? To get in the way of those walking the path to death and darkness, and guide them out of the darkness and into the light.
Check out the entire post and follow Mauricio at missionarycoach.wordpress.com. Also, pray for Mauricio and Rebecca’s work. And, you can get involved this weekend as we put our Faith in Action at the park through light construction projects, delivering food to elderly residents, and more. Check out our projects for Sunday here and/or message me for more info – lanecorley@gmail.com.
Kids Questions About God
Digging a bit this morning cause I’m on the spot at a Bridge Church Kids gathering tonight. Answering kids questions
about God. Here’s a preview list, but I’m sure they’ll be others. Thank God for the wikipedia Iphone App. Any help on these?
- Does it rain in heaven?
- Why do people have to go to heaven?
- What’s your favorite book? And you can’t say the bible.
- How was God made?
- Why did Jesus die on the cross?
- Can God do anything?
- Is there church in heaven?
- Why don’t they have a cross on the top of the church?
Finding Meaning
The summer has taken Bridge Church on mission to Chiapas MX, into several of our neighborhoods to do Block Parties
and home repair, into our local jail with a new Fatherhood initiative and round two of Celebrate Recovery, AND through the book of Ecclesiastes on Sunday’s at the West St. Tammany YMCA during our weekly worship gatherings. We have several weeks to go, but here’s a few highlights from the series so far.
- A 40-year study was conducted by the wealthiest man who ever lived, of every pleasure known to man, to see what would bring real fulfillment. His full report is known to us as the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes.
- Here would be a good headline in tomorrow’s paper for this report: “Can Meaning be Found in Life? 40-year, Multi-Billion Dollar Study says No”
- Who is Solomon? a cross between a Saudi Arabian prince, the President of the United States, Socrates, & Mickey Mouse. The wealthiest, most politically powerful, wisest, & most famous person in the world. He reigned for 40 years as King of Israel and his life serves as a case study for FINDING MEANING. He tried it all and spared no expense in search for meaning and found it ALL meaningless.
- Life on earth – “under the sun” – is a lot like a soap bubble, you float for a while and then you pop and the shows over, usually leaving much to be desired by onlookers.
- Don’t let what you can’t control or can’t explain destroy what you can enjoy.
- The power to enjoy life comes from within. It’s about character, not circumstances.
- Worship and wealth go hand in hand, b/c our checkbook follows our hearts desire.
- God is in control. Worship, don’t negotiate.
- Friendships are worth more than paychecks.
- Money is to keep us and others alive, not to give us life and meaning.
- Do you want to stand before God and say…I didn’t invest much in your kingdom, but I did drive some great cars. I didn’t help those in need, but I did have a great cable package. I didn’t support world missions, but I did try everything on the menu at Copeland’s.
- We don’t live by explanations, we live be promises. We don’t walk by what we see, we walk by faith. We don’t get to heaven by what we know, but who we know.
Lane Corley 