Category Archives: Bridge Church
How to Stay Out of the Belly of a Fish
10 Lessons from the story of Jonah on Living as a Missionary. Just finished a series of messages at Bridge Church walking through the story of Jonah. Here’s what we learned in brief. Find the messages here.
- God wants to USE ME.“The word of the Lord came to Jonah” 1:1. God has a mission for each of us. God saves us so that he can use us to bring glory to himself.
Image courtesy of LifeChurch.tv.
- God COMMANDS ME to go certain directions. “go to Nineveh” 1:2. God’s desire for us is specific as it was to Jonah. Ephesians 2:10 – “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Jonah’s walk was to include a stroll through Nineveh.
- __________ leads me away from God. For Jonah it was his prejudice against the wicked Assyrians that led him “away from the presence of the Lord” 1:3. It may be different for each of us. Selfishness, Pride, Fear. We all have heart issues that cause us to hesitate & disobey.
- DISOBEDIENCE is dangerous. It’s the Worst Case Scenario for the Christian. Jonah found out just how dangerous it is to disobey God when God provided a storm & a great fish for him to retreat in for a few days to think things over. When we disobey we place ourselves in line for God’s discipline or for natural consequences of sin.
- God is a God of SECOND CHANCES. After Jonah confessed & repented, God gave him a second chance – “the word of the Lord came to Jonah THE SECOND TIME” 3:1. Thank God for second chances.
- God has a heart for the WHOLE WORLD. God’s love for the world (John 3:16) looks past our preferences, prejudices, & temporal judgments against people. God’s love for the world meant he even loved Jonah’s enemies, forcing him to deal with his anger & bitterness toward the Assyrian people.
- I must deal with my heart issues if I am going to be used by God. God’s mission often exposes our heart issues of prejudice, pride, self absorption. We can’t go with God & not expect our heart to change toward people.
- When I obey God, I can expect Him to be working on the other side. Jonah preached to the Assyrians & surprisingly they responded by repenting. God had prepared them for the message. When God places the order, He pays the tab. He doesn’t lead us somewhere He has not been himself.
- God’s will is not an optional item on life’s menu for the Christian. Jonah tried to pick & choose his path to obedience. “Instead of Nineveh, I’ll go to Tarshish.” God’s will is not optional. And religious practice is no substitute for dealing with our own sin & obeying God.
- Being on mission for God means His will & the lives of people trump my personal preference, comfort, & convenience. God continued to press the issue of Jonah’s heart issues. Jonah was angry that the Assyrians would receive grace, but grew happy when he found some good shade to cool him off. He was more interested in his own comfort than the fact that a whole nation of people was in danger of destruction. God’s will must be more important than our own comfort & convenience if we will have God’s heart for the world.
What other lessons can you think of from the story of Jonah?
Why Block Parties?
Our church & association of churches conducts a lot of Block Parties. Bridge Church does so many we decided to get our own 
Block Party Trailer. Our Associations Block Party Trailer is used at least 40 times each year for a wide variety of events. Recently I was asked if Block Parties are effective or just something else to add to a long list of things that keep Christians busy, but not bearing fruit. Here’s a few reasons why I think Block Parties are a great tool in the outreach strategy of a missional church:
1. GATHERING. Someone said there is three keys to church planting or church growth: 1) Gathering people, 2) Gathering people, 3) Gathering people. The Evangelistic Block Party is a great way to gather people or gather where people are & build relationships, share the gospel, cultivate community, & have fun doing it.
2. INCARNATION. “The word became flesh & blood & moved into the neighborhood” John 1:14 (MSG). A Block Party is a great way to get the church building relationships where people are. We do Block Parties in neighborhoods & subdivisions, at local parks. I also love to incarnate at the communities Block Party type of events. Why try to gather people when they’re already going to be gathered somewhere else. Just build the right relationships, show you care, & add Incarnational Christians to the party! Some good places to incarnate through Block Partying:
- Multi-Housing complexes. Many times the manager already has a budget for community events. He/she just doesn’t have the time or know how to pull them off.
- Subdivisions & neighborhoods. Use your yard or the communities common space.
- Area Events. Every community has a festival of some kind. Get involved, pay for space, or whatever you have to do to add your life to the party.
In the incarnation, Jesus got close to our needs. Be prepared when you get close to the needs of people to be changed & challenged. Incarnation can hurt if you have thin skin. That’s probably why we don’t do it that much. I can send a postcard mailer & 40-50% of the people will throw it away. No harm to me b/c I don’t see their reaction. When you’re there, you do see their reaction. You’ve got to know the season, which leads us to #3…
3. SPIRITUAL FARMING. There are really three reasons for any outreach event a congregation or small group conducts: 1) CULTIVATION, 2) PLANTING SEEDS; 3) HARVESTING. Block Party can be an environment for all three to take place. And it’s important to know ahead of time which one of these you are doing so that you can measure effectiveness.
Using Block Parties to CULTIVATE. Cultivation is an important part of evangelistic ministry & it’s something that we are leaving off our strategy as churches in the West (see Dr. Chuck Kelly’s great message about Spiritual Farming here) Why? Probably because it doesn’t net immediate results. But it is necessary for healthy multiplication of disciples over the long haul. If I plant seeds without knowing & improving the conditions of the soil, my garden may have a short life.
We’ve used Block Parties to Cultivate or initiate relationships in new communities over the past three years & it’s helped us in several ways:
- To show apartment managers & community leaders that we care.
- To test the spiritual soil or readiness of an area or population segment for the Gospel.
- To find the persons of peace in a neighborhood.
- To train a team & work out the kinks in the “how to’s” of Block Partying
What does a cultivative Block Party look like? No real agenda. Loud music. Food. Opportunities to interact & engage in conversation. A lot of “this is what we’re about” talk. And a hardy “WE’LL BE BACK’ when it’s over. Focus is on finding those few people that show interest & readiness to hear the gospel.
Here’s a list of goals that one of our Block Party teams recently wrote up for a cultivative event we do each month in our city:
- learn/memorize the name of one child you speak to (so you can call them by name next month when you see them)
- tell at least 10 people (total): who Bridge Church is, what we are about, and what we believe
- see at least one person/family we meet at the BP at another Bridge Church event – (“If you like what we do here at the Block Party, you would love coming to ______ (Our neighborhood block parties, Guy’s/Girl’s Night, Outdoor Movie night, FIA, Sunday morning service).”
- each time we speak with someone, have the conversation go beyond, “what type of balloon would you like”, “would you like a fan”, “what color face paint do you want”….actually engage others in conversation, “what is your name”, “where do you work”, “how long have you lived in this area”.
Using Block Parties to PLANT SEEDS. Cultivating & planting seeds are closely related. In gardening you’re often doing both at the same time. In Evangelistic ministry like Block Partying it denotes another step of intentionality. For us in some of our new communities where the soil has been hard, this has looked like…
- introducing New Testaments & giving them away to everyone who attends
- having a Mic & having someone give a quick testimony as to why we’re there
- inviting people to a follow up event like a Bible Study in the area
- or inviting them to church
Using Block Parties as a HARVEST tool. It takes a season to grow a harvest. It also takes mature plants, the right conditions, the right tools for a harvest, & a somewhat knowledgeable harvester. For an evangelistic Block Party to be a Harvest event you should have the trust of the people that have given you permission, people who are ready to harvest – i.e. that can share the gospel & lead someone to put their faith in Christ, & the right harvest tools. Some ways to use Block Parties to harvest:
- Have 12 or more people trained to actively share the gospel with the crowd.
- Have a Prayer or Spiritual Interest tent designated with trained counselors stationed there.
- Share the gospel & give an opportunity to respond from a stage. Utilizing an evangelists, an entertainer of some kind, or a personal testimony of someone in the group.
Block parties can be an easy & fun tool to have in your outreach strategy. For best results apply gardening principles:
- Know what season you’re in – cultivating, planting, or harvesting.
- Plant generously. the more seeds you plant the more you’ll harvest.
- Prepare for a harvest.
- Have fun! Christian should bring life to every party!
If you’re interested in doing a block party yourself, start at our Northshore Baptist Associations Block Party Trailer page, or join Bridge Church this week at several Block Parties we’re doing:
- Columbia Street Block Party in downtown Covington, tonight, Friday, June 29, 6-8pm. Cultivative event. We’ll be painting faces & passing out balloon animals & making new friends.
- Oak Villa Mobile Home Park, Sunday, July 1, 5-7pm. We’ve been cultivating & planting seeds for two years in this community. Getting ready to start harvesting!
- The Groves Apartments, Monday, July 2 5:30-7pm. Cultivating relationships in a brand new apartment complex.
- Madisonville 4th of July Celebration, July 4, 2pm-until. Incarnating at a local 4th of July party. This one’s going to be a blast!
“I was in prison and you came to me” ~Jesus #prisonministry #faithinaction
Finished up another round of our Recovery & Re-Entry Program at our local jail last night. Very proud of the 37 men who are graduating from the program called Project 180 and the guys who volunteer their time each week to facilitate and encourage. This has been an incredible experience for me personally and for our church as we’ve sought to be present in and bring light to some of our communities dark places. So many stories of transformation. So many stories still in need of intervention. From some recent Project 180 participants:
- “I’m 50 years old and I’ve never completed anything. This year I’ve completed two courses through Project 180 and Bridge Church.
- “I thank God for not only second chances, but many chances. And I would like to take this opportunity to get my life on track so that I can be a positive influence to my kids and grandkids. I look forward to hearing the words “Daddy” and “Grandpa.” And to being able to fulfill what those words really mean.”
- from a mother of an inmate, “I’ve had 3 out of 4 sons die before the age of 18 due to drugs, alcohol, and violence. Thanks for helping my 4th son rise above.”
- from a sister of an inmate, “Thank you for helping my brother feel like a human being again.”
- “my dad left when I was 6 weeks old. My mom died of a drug overdose when I was 13. She left me a note on her death bed that said, ‘Baby, please don’t get addicted to drugs.’ She didn’t know it, but I was already addicted to drugs.”
Contact me if you’d like to get involved. We have a worship gathering at our local jail every Sunday at 9AM. Celebrate Recovery is Monday & Thursday, 7pm-9pm. Fathering Course called Malachi Dads meets on Sunday’s at 7pm. There are other opportunities to teach and encourage. In 2012, we’re hoping to get an ongoing Financial Planning, Parenting, and Healthy Relationship courses going. As well as continue with quarterly Block parties for inmate families and weekly worship gatherings.
This Sunday we’ll be doing a special Father’s Day Block Party for Inmate families. Flyer is attached. Call me if you’d like to participate.
#OnMission Summer 2012 #Crossover
Not much time for blogging lately. Getting ready for a furious few weeks On Mission 4 Others in our region. Here’s our church’s & my personal lineup for Crossover/SBC 2012 in Greater New Orleans:
- Mon, June 11 – Wheelchair ramp going up in Madisonville for an elderly widow & 2K homes get bags on their door inviting them to participate in our annual summer can food drive. Info meeting for a Bridge Church Fall Mission Trip to Haiti to work with respirehaiti.org.
- Tues, June 12 – Serving a local Mobile Home Park in various ways, concluding with a Big Ole Block Party, 5-7pm.
- Wed, June 13 – More ramp, porch, hand rail building. And another Block Party at a local Multi-housing complex, 5-7pm.
- Thurs, June 14 – Final Meeting for our Spring Recovery & Re-entry Class at our local jail. 88 registered, 38 men will be Graduating. Honored to have done life with these friends for the last 26 weeks. Pumped to send many of them out as new men.
- Sat, June 16 – Block Party at Ames Blvd Baptist Church on the Westbank, 10-2pm. Painting @ the Covington Boys & Girls Club to get their new building completed, 9am-4pm. Backyard Bible Club in a Madisonville subdivision, 5-7pm. Family Movie Night at Lakeside Baptist Church in Metairie, 7-9pm.
- Sun, June 17 – Father’s Day Pancake Breakfast at Bridge Church, 10:30am @ the West St. Tammany YMCA. Father’s Day Block Party for Inmate families at our local jail, 1-4pm. Entertainment provided by Jim Chester. Graduating 38 men from our Recovery & Re-entry programs, Baptizing 20+ men who have found Christ through our church & ministry at the jail.
- Mon, June 18 – More porch, ramp, handrail building. Block Party & VBS Kickoff at a Ponchatoula Apartment complex.
- June 19-20 – Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting 2012 in New Orleans. I’ll be working the Unlimited Partnerships booth, voting for Fred Luter to be the next Pres of the SBC, & making connections & re-connections w/kingdom partners from around the United States in the SBC tribe.
Our partners for the next few weeks:
- FBC Chesnee, SC – First trip to NOLA for these guys. Bruce Jennings on point.
- Ford Park Baptist Church, Shreveport, LA. Fellow Northwestern St. Alums, Tate Miller & Heather Tolbert annually bring a group to work with us through Mission Lab.
- FBC Winnsboro, TX – Pastor David Rose is a fellow Northwestern St. & Southwestern Seminary Alum.
Here’s a bit of a photo dump of flyers for next week or so. Prayers appreciated.
What if…? Inspiration vs. Imitation – The Need for Mentoring
- He’s 15. His Dad was killed in a car accident when he was 6. He and his twin brother & younger sister now live with Grandma. He’s trying to figure out what it means to be a man.
- They’re 5 & 7. Dad is in jail. Mom struggles to pay the bills. She can’t afford or manage to get them involved in after school activities. They play video games. They struggle in school.
- She’s 22. Two kids under 3. No husband. Dad is in and out. Nothing she owns is in her name. She’s up at night worrying about the future. She’s ashamed. She’s afraid. She’s alone.
- He’s 20. Never knew his Father. His mom died of a drug overdose when he was 13. Her last words on her death bed, “Baby, please don’t do drugs.” She didn’t know it, but he was already an addict. He’s about to get out of jail.
- She’s 10. She wanders the streets till long after dark. House to house. Yard to yard. Playground to playground. Everyone knows, it’s a matter of time before she gets into trouble. On purpose or as a victim.
- She’s 16 & in the 10th grade. She’s pregnant. She’s thinking of quitting school. She’s scared to have a baby.
Real & local situations on my mind as I think about the need for mentoring. For someone to take the risk to get up close & personal. To get our hands dirty. To allow our hearts to hurt. As Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” Imitation means life on life, modeling, encouraging, rebuking, instructing, letting people in to see how life is lived day to day. IMITATION is all that will do for the people above. But our models & strategies are built for INSPIRATION, not IMITATION. Inspiration is done from the stage. It’s about programing, the right environment, the right venue, the perfect experience. It’s a cool website or a witty, truth statement on Facebook. It’s meant to fuel IMITATION, but we’re learning that in the hard to reach, unwanted, unnoticed parts of our communities, INSPIRATION falls short. Why? After the hour of inspiration, if they can get there, the bills keep coming, the kids keep screaming, the pain & loneliness & uncertainty remain. What’s needed is a model, a friend, a partner, a coach, a mentor… Yea, it’s risky. Yea, it’s time consuming. Yea, it’s not as neat and pretty as the sanctuary or Sunday School class. Yea, I won’t know everything to say. Yea, you don’t have to do it really. But…
What if we didn’t settle for inspiration? What if we made ourselves available to be imitated? What if we took the risk of relationship with those who need us the most? What if the families in my list above & those like them in all of our communities had a mentor or prayer partner or friend?
Mentoring has been defined as “a brain to pick, an ear to listen to, a push in the right direction.” We’ve all needed it. Some of us have been blessed by it. Have we ever given it?
This Saturday, our church will be hosting a Mentor Training at the Groves Apartment Complex in Covington. Pre-register for the free training here.
Ministry Tools for a Church Without Walls
What kind of Capital does an Incarnational, Missional Church require? Two Ideas our church has acted upon:
1) Faith in Action Tool Trailer. Stocked with tools to be used for light construction projects in the community & beyond.
2) Block Party Trailer to help engage at community events, parties, etc. Stocked with inflatable, outdoor sound system, tables, tents, games, snow cone machine, popcorn machine, outdoor movie screen, etc.
Check out Bridge Church to get involved with one of the above.
What does your church use for Community Engagement? What are your ideas for doing church beyond the walls?
Louisiana’s Incarcerated #nola #prisonministry
The Times-Pic / Nola.com article series on Louisiana’s Prison system has been very interesting. The report says that we incarcerate more people per capita than any other place in the world. And often local economies are built around the local prison. Today’s article was about how few have access to re-entry classes and programs. It’s true in St. Tammany as well. Two big reasons: little space & few volunteers. Our church has made St. Tammany’s Jail a place of engagement since 2008. We’ve taught Celebrate Recovery, Fathering Classes, Relationship Skills, & helped inmates connect with their families on the outside. The problem is we are few in number & the work takes a big toll on volunteers over time. More volunteers are needed who are willing to spend weekly or monthly times teaching, encouraging, etc. A few reasons why I believe the church MUST take the lead:
- Jesus’ call on those who are part of his kingdom in Matthew 25:36 – “I was in prison and you visited me” (NLT).
- A majority of our local inmates will be neighbors again. We have an opportunity to give them some tools to help them be productive upon release. But also to restore their dignity & let them know someone cares. As a relative of an inmate told me after one of our Family events at the Jail, “Thank you for helping my brother feel like a person again.”
- Each inmate represents a network of relationships that are many times at risk & isolated. A mom that’s heart broken, kids that are ashamed & without role models, wives forced to care for a household without an income. And many of these struggling with addiction & bitterness & loneliness themselves. When I think of Christ’s words, “sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), my mind turns pretty quickly to this population segment. And the numbers hit us hard in this area: 41% of current inmates had a relative in prison. 25% of current inmates had a dad in prison. Could we stop this cycle through kindness, concern, & intentional Christian love?
- The gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). They need re-entry classes & life-skill training. They need to know people care & want them to succeed. But ultimately, they need to hear the Gospel & have the opportunity to be transformed by the power of God. We I saw the words in this morning’s paper – “few have access to the classes.” It hit me hard, b/c in my experience few have access to the Gospel as well.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:38 (ESV)
How can you help?
- Volunteer to teach a class. Some of the biggest needs are Bible Study, Celebrate Recovery, Financial Planning, Relationships Skills, GED Tutoring, Literacy.
- Attend one of our family day events at our local jail. Next ones will be June 17 & July 29.
- Serve as a sponsor or mentor for an inmate in recovery.
- Serve as a mentor for an inmates child in our area. Our church will be doing a Mentor training on June 2 at the Groves Apartment Complex in Covington.
Email me about these or other opportunities.
It’s easy to talk bad about “the system.” Harder to sacrifice yourself to do something about it.
It’s easy to talk bad about “the system.” Harder to teach a class at the jail, mentor a child, sponsor an addict in recovery.
The Back Stories
On Faith in Action Weekend our church makes an event out of serving our community by planning multiple projects, taking pictures, doing a music video, & celebrating what we can accomplish together when we make ourselves available. It makes for a good story, but I’m one that always digs for the back story. I never trust the opening line. Here’s a few back stories:
- Single moms & widows living in a local multi-housing complex struggling to make ends meet & overcome past pain. Serving them through keeping their grass cut & other household chores that are easy for us, difficult for them.
- A disabled single mom goes through a house fire. Through Faith in Action volunteers have put a new roof on her house, painted & made repairs on her house, and Sunday we prepped it for fresh paint. Hoping our next Faith in Action weekend at the end of the summer will include putting in new flooring in her totally renovated home.
- Every Nursing Home has residents that have no local family support. They seldom get visits. They go without many personal items that could make them more comfortable. Sunday volunteers took care boxes to them & let them know that they are not alone.
- The family of a Parkinson’s patient who can no longer walk had to call the local Fire Dept to lift him down the steps, to get him to doctors appointments, etc. Last Saturday volunteers installed a wheelchair ramp at the home easing the hardship on the family.
- 41% of current inmates had a relative in jail. 25% of current inmates had a dad in jail. Through our Family Day Block Parties on Faith in Action Weekend we provide a fun environment for dads to connect with their kids & we celebrate those who have completed our Recovery & Re-Entry Course or earned their GED. A favorite moment of mine from this past week was seeing a son asking his dad about the certificate he received.
- Sharing the Gospel at the jail always leads to conversations about new life in Christ. Sunday, a lady came up and said that three of her sons had died due to drugs & violence. She has one son left. He completed our course last week. She asked for prayer that she could get past her anger at God and trust Christ.
These are relationships that Bridge Church has developed because of intentionally looking for back stories of need in our community. One person said it like this, “The problem with the Church today is not that we don’t care about poor people. The problem is that we don’t know any of their names.” Are we looking for the back story? Are we developing relationships so that our Faith is more than an event, but relationships that will lead people FROM where they are, TO where God wants them to be?
Christianity started as a Back Story – peasant girl in a back ally of Bethlehem. Jesus lived his life as a Back Story – a carpenter turned Rabbi. After his death & resurrection the Gospel spread as a Back Story – ordinary people scattering, sharing, serving, & living like little Christ. Miracles happen in the Back Story.
“Gaze” – A Few Faces of Community Transformation
This weekend was our quarterly Faith in Action Weekend. Bridge Church takes one weekend each quarter to scatter and serve around our community. A verse that jumped out at me as I prepared for the weekend was Act 3:4, “And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John.” This was speaking of a crippled man along their path. Wasn’t an entertaining site, but needed the attention of some Spirit-filled Christ followers. Many faces around our communities need our gaze. Here’s a few faces that struck me from our FIA weekend.
Joy! Elderly man suffering from Parkinson's gets a wheelchair ramp on his home meaning he no longer has to call the Fire Dept when he has to get out of his house.
Pain. A local inmate in Celebrate Recovery attending a Family Day Event. He's ready for change.
Dust. A disabled single mom went through a house fire. Volunteers sanding & prepping the interior for new paint get dusty.
Who or what has your “gaze”, your attention right now?
“Hey Dad, when’s the next Faith in Action Sunday?”
Four times per year, our church scatters instead of just gathering for worship to do restoration projects across our community. It’s a weekend emphasis for what we want our daily lives to be as missionary servant living out life In Christ, On Mission, 4 Others. This weekend will be the 8th FIA Sunday. It’s an opportunity to add to the story of our lives intentionality, radical generosity, and faith in action.
My 9-year old Jack has been doing FIA Sunday’s & other community service projects for the last 3 years and it’s exciting to see 
how it’s shaping his heart and attitudes about life & church. The Sunday after our FIA weekends, he starts asking, “Hey Dad, when’s the next Faith in Action Sunday? And what’s the projects?”
Last year on FIA Sunday, we were working on the home of a disabled single mom who lives near a church that had just gone through a new building campaign. As we drove by he asked in the innocence of an 8-year old mind, “Dad, why is that church so nice and Ms. _____ doesn’t even have running water?” Now I know that particular church does great things in our community & that every church can’t do everything but we’re working together, but I was proud that my son had begun to note in his heart, “Isn’t it about the needs of the world instead of about me? And my church?” I’m glad that my conversations with Jack about church have delved a little deeper than, “Did you have fun today at church?” and even, “What did you learn in church today?” But we’re learning that with intentional efforts to get our children into “points of contact” with people in need, they can get it & be shaped & changed & even make a difference in the lives of others as we serve together.
Many Christian parents would probably say that they don’t want their kids to grow up as Christian consumers or as self-centered narcissists. But what are we doing intentionally to help them develop an others focus? Telling Bible stories & going to church IS a powerful thing. Do that! But are we living out those stories in our own way with our families? Are we teaching our kids to apply the stories they hear talked about?
Faith in Action weekend is an opportunity for our families to serve together, apply the Word of God, get our hands dirty, & teach our kids what the Christian life is all about with more than words, but actions. This weekend, I’ll have Jack with me as we build a porch and clean up the yard of an elderly widow and share the gospel with her neighborhood through a Block Party. He’ll also be beside me as we go to our local jail and throw a block party for inmate kids and share the gospel there. I’m looking forward to his next questions.
You can join us this weekend to put your Faith in Action. We’ll meet at 9am at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum on Sunday for breakfast a time of devotion & prayer, then scatter to serve. Check out our projects at bridgenorthshore.com/faith-in-action. Everybody can serve!
Here are a few other ideas for families on mission together:
- Volunteer at local food banks.
- Find needs in your local neighborhood.
- Make bake goods or crafts for local nursing homes.
- Invite people into your home & talk about life & God.
- Take a Family Mission Trip & find a mission project to do one day wherever you go on vacation.
Lane Corley 