It ought to be a sin to bore kids with God!

Growing up, just about everything in the Christmas Eve Service at the church I was raised in was… well, boring.  I understand now as an adult that not every element in the service needed be Disneyland for me.  But I know this: Having nothing for kids made it clear that no one was thinking “family” when it came to church.  So at the Christmas Eve Service at BridgePointe, I wanted us to be careful in the planning to not make that same mistake.  We will have costumed Christmas characters roaming about and greeting the kids.  Kids on video will creatively act out the Christmas Story.  Our own BridgePointe kids will be singing a couple numbers.  And some special puppet guests will help me welcome everyone to the service.

“Family” is a value of BridgePointe.  The investment and attention we are seeking to make in our kids and students is something for which we will not apologize.  It is one of the reasons we hired Kelley Houser to be our Pre-School Director. She is an experienced and professional teacher that is bringing a creative and knowledgeable edge to our programming.  As she gets settled, you will be seeing and hearing more about our new Pre-School curriculum, name, and atmosphere for this environment.  We have also welcomed Daniel Boerner to our support staff as our Student Ministries Assistant.  He is an incredibly gifted guy who has dedicated himself to caring and encouraging our students.  He is attending Kennesaw State and possesses great talents with music, worship, audio and visual technology, digital design, and media.

Valuing family also means we listen to parents.  This year we created “Fuel,” a gathering for our Junior High students, separate from High School.  We are also convinced another break away needs to occur with our 4^th and 5^th grade kids on Sunday morning.  We agree with the concern of our parents that the current age span is too wide, minimizing our effectiveness.  So at the beginning of the new year we will go back to the drawing board and decide what this new environment for 4^th and 5^th grade will be called, what it will look like, and when we can have the leaders and volunteers to make the change.  We certainly anticipate the 4^th and 5^th graders having a separate meeting space in the near future when we consider layout plans for the more permanent facility.

Along with that, we will be entertaining an added measure of security on Sunday mornings in the new year.  There is certainly no need for alarm, but we want to assure parents that their children ‘s safety is important us.  Although it will never be overt and obvious, our desire is to have an off duty cop, that attends BridgePointe, roaming the hallways of the facility, undercover, each Sunday.

Best of all, we look forward to a new facility in the future where our environment for kids and students will be eye-catching, fun, colorful, and engaging.  Then we will be better positioned to exhibit our value for kids and students, front and center, at BridgePointe. After all… it ought to be a sin to bore kids with God. 

My Christmas Wish List

Dreaming is a good thing.  That is where vision sparks life.   So, I thought I would invite you into some of my dreams for BridgePointe that I hope to turn into realties one day soon.  Here are 25 of them that I think about all the time:

1. Updated guest and informational brochures that communicate our vision and values with great quality.
2. Our compassion to our local community would become one of the most significant and valued ingredients of our church culture, hosting opportunities monthly.
3. A new website that would capture the attention of our guests as the front door to our church.
4. To be out of the school as a meeting place and in a permanent home by June (also allowing us to experience better lighting in our worship service capability… Yeah!).
5. Close and authentic friendships that would translate into everyone at BP experiencing a Life Group that would make a real difference in real life.
6. A fleet of non-staff counselors that would be trained to bring care and counseling to hurting people in their time of need.
7. An indoor playground at BP for kids to feel at home and for parents to gather during the week at church.
8. The ability to host baptisms all year long.
9. A small apartment complex that BP would purchase and renovate to host homeless people and families until they could get back on their feet.
10. An inviting, high energy meeting space that would equip our student ministry to draw students and encourage them to make “God decisions” in life.
11. An excitement and authenticity about our life-changing faith in Jesus that inspires us to invite friends to church.
12. A lobby area that an artistic ministry could change every month to feature creative media and therefore reflect where our compassion is making a difference locally and globally.
13. A strong care-network that would allow us to partner with professional Christian counselors to whom we can refer our people.
14. The ability to create a children’s environment in a new facility that would capture the attention and imagination of kids and excite them about church.
15. A variety of Bible, theological, and spiritual workshops, both live and online,  that would be of interest to our more seasoned believers.
16. A heart for global compassion that would inspire “every day” people to leave what is safe and “go” on a missions trip.
17. Office furniture and new laptops to equip the BP staff with a better working environment.
18. A media and video ministry that would allow us to be more creative as well as capture the way God is working in and though us at BP.
19. A new and separate 4^th and 5^th grade program that would allow us to be more age-specific in our effectiveness.
20. Believers who are rich towards God and His work with no regrets, so we can do things like add children’s staff and resources to increase preschool staff hours.
21. A Sunday night service that would be the same morning message, but with a kick and bend in the music, feel, and presentation to reach “20-somethings”.
22. A booklet and resource rack in the lobby with complimentary materials that address the most common questions and concerns of those seeking to discover faith.
23. The ability to become a Church member/partner online through the website.
24. Facility space to host counseling rooms, meetings rooms, and a project center with computers, copiers, and supplies for non-staff people to use for their own ministries.
25. A new soundboard for the worship center that would better facilitate the incredible music talent that God has given us. 

The relational factor that changes everything

It’s true. When polled, most Americans feel uncomfortable talking about religion. I have a feeling this is what most Christians sense. I recall being in a conversation with someone I was playing basketball with at the gym and we got to talking about Christmas. After several minutes of sharing what Christmas meant to me as a Christian, I reached into my bag to give him an invite to a Christmas Eve service. With the look of terror on his face, the guy put his hands up to his chest and walked back a couple steps, like I just pulled out a gun. Talk about an awkward moment.

It’s this fear that keeps most from taking that risky step in dialoging about spiritual matters with others. I have good news for you. There is one factor that changes everything. When unchurched people are surveyed, they confirm there is one condition that would change everything:  Relationship. As long as the person sharing their faith or invite was friend or family member, the unchurched person would welcome, if not invite, a dialogue about spiritual matters. In fact, eight out of ten unchurched people in this country would accept an invitation to attend church if it came from relationship they knew and trusted.

All this month we will be encouraging you to invite one guest to celebrate Christmas Eve with us here at BridgePointe. But the bigger picture is an understanding of epicenter thinking, that is our Christian reach starts with those closest to us. Here are some considerations this Christmas season:

1. Your first invitations should be to the people you know already. Among your friends and family, this would include people you see frequently, like neighbors, co-workers, your bank teller, students in your class, the dry cleaner attendant, the postal carrier, your kid’s teacher or coach, your dentist or doctor, and the manger at your favorite restaurant—  those who could put a name to your face. These relationships are not in your circle of influence by chance. They have divine purpose. This Sunday, invites cards will be available in the lobby to pass along something tangible.

2.  Be relationally intentional.  The holidays take everyone “out” somewhere. What a great chance to pay special attention to people God puts in your path. Slow them down enough to greet them by name and strike up a sincere dialogue about them The waitress, the guy bagging your groceries, the front office attendant at your appointment, your next client, and the person sitting next to you at church have been divinely scheduled for you.

3.  Be a part of our ongoing compassion ministry. This Christmas BridgePointe has reached out to families in a community close to us whom would appreciate our help. But a one-time generous act is not our intention. We will be returning to them, and others, time and time again to build relationships. Our greater goal is the hope that some individuals will discover faith with Jesus and become a part of our church family.

Never count out the relational factor. It changes everything …. and it will for you this Christmas.