The Bridge (church)

The Bridge Church
The Fellowship Bridge International
The Bridge Logo
Location	Abbotsford, British Columbia
Country	Canada
Denomination	Non-Denominational, Christian
Website	www.thebridgeonline.ca
History
Founded	May 2006

The Fellowship Bridge International (or simply The Bridge) is a non-denominational, Christian church located in Matsqui Village in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It was founded in May 2006 by a team of four couples, Dean and Janine Richmond, Dave and Dee Hensman, Brian and Joyce Doerksen, and Irv and Karin Esau. The church currently holds three Sunday morning services. The first two meet at the Matsqui Community Hall and the third is held at the churches property nearby.

Contents 1 History 2 Services 3 Leadership structure 4 Current staff 5 References 6 External links

History

The church had its first service on Mothers Day May 14, 2006, they met for the first time, renting the Ramada Inn in Abbotsford.

In 2007 the church purchased a 14-acre (57,000 m²) Hazlenut farm in Matsqui Village. The main building on the property is called "The Barn". The church holds their third Sunday morning service there as well as youth ministries and special events.

The church is located in Matsqui Village.

Services

• 'Church in the Round' – Instead of following a traditional seating arrangement where chairs or pews are all facing towards a center stage, chairs are set up in a circle (or diamond shape) facing each other. The speaking is done in the middle.

• 'Worship' – The Bridge is known for its emphasis on worship. They state that "Worship is first; always has been, always will be. It’s the way we were made. It’s the highest privilege and pleasure in the kingdom of God and the response of our lives to the greatest commandment in scripture." There is a large number of musicians involved in the worship ministry as the church tends to attract musicians. There is also an emphasis on new songs written within the church. Many of these songs are recorded and sung around the world.

• 'Bible Teaching' – The Bridge has adopted a preaching routine where a book of the Bible is preached through in its entirety before moving on to another. The idea behind preaching "chapter by chapter, verse by verse" is that over time, the church will hear all of scripture instead of only a few focused areas.

• 'The Plunge' – At the end of each service, the church holds an extended ministry time called "the Plunge" where people can come forward and be prayed for by trained members of "The Plunge Team". At this time, the service is officially over although people may choose to stay as worship music is being played by the band and people are receiving ministry for an extended period of time.

Leadership structure

The Bridge is run as a Canadian charity incorporated as The Fellowship Bridge International Society. [1] Co-founder Dave Hensman ceased to be a director in 2010, leaving Dean, Brian, Irv and Karin as directors. [2]

Current staff

References

• "thebridgeonline.ca". http://thebridgeonline.ca/. Retrieved October 15, 2009. 

External links

• The Bridge Church website