Announcements for September 2021

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September Mission Partner: African Christian Outreach

With discipleship as the intentional foundation, African Christian Outreach continues to mold young men and women into change agents, with the mindset of investing their lives in those God puts them around. Stretched across four countries in East Africa, ACO disciples college students, equips churches to minister to youth, and runs several community initiatives including a crisis pregnancy center. This month The Bridge will match up to $500 in donations African Christian Outreach. To receive the match, include ACO in the memo of your check.

Communion: September 19th

If you are tuning in via livestream and would like the elements delivered to you, please contact Natalie Runyon or Nikki Fiedler.

9/11 Day of Remembrance and Prayer: On the 20th anniversary of 9/11 we will be opening the doors of the church for anyone who wants to pray or receive prayer. Especially for our veterans and military, the last few months have been difficult and we want to uphold them in prayer. Please come to pray anytime between 9-11 AM. For more details, contact Nikki Fiedler.

Alpha Youth: Beginning September 12, middle and high school students will have the opportunity to share dinner together, watch a talk about faith, and then participate in discussion through the Alpha Youth course. This course will be offered in the fall in place of our regular Youth Ministry program. For more details, check out this video. Please register for the course HERE. Alpha Youth will meet in lieu of youth group for the next nine weeks.

September Memory Verse: Our Bridge Family memory verse for September is Matthew 28:19-20. As we study the remainder of Acts 15 and into chapter 16, notice how often the words “sent”, “send” and “went” are used. Though the first part of the Great Commission tells us to “go”, and gives us a command to follow, I think what gives us courage to go is the promise from Jesus- He is with us always- even to the end of the age. I’m sure that brought comfort to Paul and Silas in prison, and it reassures us as well. The world seems chaotic and uncertain, but our Savior still calls us to go and tell others that there is one who holds us secure- today, tomorrow, and through to the end. No matter what, He is with us, and that brings peace like nothing else can.

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The Bridge - Stories of Community:

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The Lord always knows what we need, often laying the groundwork long before we’re aware of the deficiency. Martha and I were wanting to be more involved at church and having recently moved to Alton, we also were in need of some friends. Enter the Community Groups at The Bridge, which fulfilled spiritual and personal needs in our lives.

The most immediate impact was the new friendships we made. Our group is geared toward families with younger kids, so our energetic boys were welcomed and had other kids to play with. This allowed us to get to know our Community Group members, and we could quickly bond over parenting and current stages of life.

We appreciate these friendships as well as the substance of our weekly conversations. We’ve been struck by how much we needed this mid-week spiritual pick-me-up. The lesson from Sunday morning can get drowned out by the noise of the day; having a mid-week Bible study and discussing the upcoming week’s scripture passage provides several benefits. It allows us to go into church having done our prep work, and we’ve found the sermons to be more impactful. It also breaks up that noise and gives dedicated Bible study time when it’s easy to be focusing on some mid-week chore.

Last and certainly not least, it’s connected us with families who genuinely and frequently pray for one another. We’ve had loss and illness, joys and celebrations, and it’s special to share those with believers of Jesus Christ, who you know will continually lift you up in prayer as a group but also in their own prayer life.

God wants us to fellowship, so if your Community Group has an open spot, reach out to someone at church and if you’re not in a Community Group, drop a line to The Bridge leadership team as they care deeply about this ministry and will get you connected.

-Alex Pfister

Pro Presenter: We need 2-3 people who would like to learn how to use Pro Presenter and be on a monthly rotation to run the words on the screen during worship. If this is somewhere you would like to serve, send an email to James.schulz@bridgetograce.org.

Special Event Planning: Are you a creative who loves planning events? If you'd like to be part of a team that helps organize events like the Back to School Bash and Pool Party please contact Natalie Runyon.

Womens' Bible Study: In the fall, we will take an in-depth look at the Book of Jude. While often overlooked, the Book of Jude remains as relevant today as the time it was written. God has commanded His beloved church to do the necessary work of contending for the faith in a world of unbelief, and as we do, He will keep us from falling into the same deception. Using a 7-session study from Jackie Hill Perry, we will dive into themes of being called, loved, and kept, and learn how to point others to Jesus in grace and truth. We serve others well when we share the whole gospel with them, not just the parts deemed attractive by our culture. We will meet on Mondays from 10:00-11:30 AM beginning on 9/13. For more info, contact Martha Pfister at or Abby Barham.

Cultural Apologetics: “Why does God Allow Evil, Pain and Suffering?” It is a timeless question we all wrestle with in our lives and during difficult times like the pandemic. The question is one of the most pressing challenges to Christianity. Please join us at 9:00 am to discuss some compelling answers and examine scripture regarding a tough subject. If you have any questions, please contact Dan Nickel.

Community Groups: Interested in connecting with a Community Group? Email jon.davis@bridgetograce.org for more information about community group opportunities.