PLAN

What steps are we taking to get The Bridge off the ground and ready to hold public worship services by Spring 2010?  Here are a few of the steps: 

  • Virtual Church–The church website will be the first step in creating an identity for The Bridge.  People will be able to find ways to make contact with the pastoral leadership team, as well as register their information with us if they’re interested in being involved in the birth of this new body.

  • Evenings of Worship–During the first couple of years of laying the foundation for and planting The Bridge, we will sponsor “Evenings of Worship”, open to the community and held in different places, from theatre halls to church buildings to outdoor venues.  Christian musical artists and quality contemporary worship groups will lead those present in heartfelt worship.  Information about The Bridge will be made available at these concerts.  The first of these concerts will happen in November 2009.

  • Bridge Gatherings–We will hold informational meetings for interested people where the pastoral leadership of the church will present the vision and values of The Bridge and clarify issues such as worship style and organization, as well as offer opportunities to ask questions and request an individual meeting with the pastoral leadership.  From these meetings, we will begin building the core group that will be essential for the launch of The Bridge.  The first of these meetings will take place in late September 2009.

  • Church Planting Team–Several people will be arriving in France for the first two to four years of the church to help in the establishment of The Bridge.  Presently, there are nine individuals who are working to be in place for the church’s start.

  • Core Worship Gatherings–Once the core of The Bridge is identified, we will begin to meet in a home for the purpose of worshipping and praying together, hearing teaching from the Bible, and spending time organizing all the areas that will need to be ready for the first public worship service of The Bridge.  These meetings will likely grow numerically during the first several months between the first of these meetings the first public worship services, but the point of these meetings is not to evangelize, but instead to create unity of vision and purpose and to allow God to build relationships between us.  The first of these meetings will take place in September 2009.

  • Alpha Courses–We will offer Alpha Courses during the months leading up to the church’s first public worship service, believing that by planting seeds for evangelism before the church starts, we will yield a harvest of new believers at the beginning of The Bridge.

  • Short Term Teams–Teams will arrive from around Europe and the US to help in a number of practical areas, including promotion, readying a facility, and outreach in the early years of The Bridge.  These teams will stay for 7-10 days.  We will aim for the first teams to arrive in late 2009.

  • Facilities–The Bridge “builders” are looking for facilities in the area roughly found inside a triangle from St. Cloud to Versailles to St. Germain-en-Laye.  These facilities will ideally have meeting space, office space, classrooms, and lodging.