Bridge LIfe Magazine

bridgelifemagazineconnecting you with the life of the church

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

WelcomeIan Watson

Senior Minister ofThe Bridge Church

For more info:

www.bridgebolton.com

Twitter: @BridgeBolton

Hi everyone, welcome to the third edition of our Bridge magazine. I do trust that you have found the previous two editions helpful and informative.

We are at an unprecedented time in history, certainly more than I can ever remember when our world has been totally shaken by massive financial uncertainty. The bailing out of banks, nervousness about failing economies and reluctance to invest has become a major issue to leaders of even the most powerful nations of the world; clearly finance is on the agenda of the world stage.

It’s interesting because finance is also high on Gods agenda. In the Bible Jesus has much to say about our finances, our attitude to them and how we steward what God has allowed to come into our possession. Even though things might be shaky in the secular financial world, the Bible encourages not to worry and to invest in eternal things, “lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven” Jesus said. He guarantees that there will be no collapse in the heavenly economy, that there is no recession in heaven and that every

investment we make in His kingdom will reap great benefits. Jesus also makes it very clear that our attitude to finance is clearly a heart issue, “where your treasure is there will your heart be also”. In other words, our heart will always follow our treasure.

During the month of July we will be looking at the subject of financial giving to the kingdom of God and what the Bible says about this subject over a three week series.

Sue and I trust you have a great summer and continue to thank you all for everything you do in the ongoing development and growth of the Bridge Church.

Ian Watson

PrayBen Troughton

As soon as we begin thinking about prayer, we are immediately aware that we could pray more than we do. Throughout the Bible, we see God interacting with people on a one to one basis. In the Garden of Eden, we see Adam speaking with God as they walked together, Moses spent time with God in the tent of meeting, whilst Daniel knelt and prayed to his Lord. Jesus put time aside to speak to his Father and the early church prayed for power, direction and wisdom as they took the Gospel to the ends of the earth.Prayer is a multi-faceted gem; C.S. Lewis describes it as ‘a sheer illusion or a personal contact between embryonic, incomplete persons (ourselves) and the utterly concrete Person. Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. In it God shows Himself to us’.The challenge we face with prayer, is that we all interact with it at different levels, our style, our method and frequency. Thousands of books have been written on it, talks given and opinions voiced all with the aim to help us engage more. As a church, our heart is to engage more, to undergird, to intercede, to lift others up, and to seek God’s wisdom and power knowing that as we come before theKing of Kings, God shows himself. Hudson Taylor knew the importance of prayer and his daily dependence…

“The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!’”

Our prayers lay the track down which Gods power can come.

Like a mighty locomotive, his power is

irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails.

Watchman Nee

God does not stand afar off as I struggle to speak. He cares

enough to listen with more than casual attention. He translates

my scrubby words and hears what is truly inside. He hears my sighs and uncertain groping’s

as fine prose Timothy Jones

The challenge is to find that kind of prayer life that is so ‘sweet and delightful,’ that lays down the track into all areas of our life so that God’s power may truly come.What’s next… within the church, prayer triplets already exist, why not start one of your own with a couple of friends! We have a variety of prayer meetings already in the calendar and ideas for the coming year as we seek to spend more time with the King of Kings.

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and

delightful than that of a continual conversation with

God - Brother Lawrence

Escape is our annual youth retreat which is an amazing life-changing week for both the leaders and the young people. It’s a week of lots of fun, creating memories and most importantly encountering God. As Catalyst, we see Escape as a great investment as it’s a time when young people can get away, ask questions, make lasting friendships and learn more about Jesus and what it means to follow him. Over the years of youth retreats we have amazing stories in how young people have felt more confident in being themselves; have made the amazing decision to follow Jesus and have made positive friendships. The young people who have been on Escape still talk about great memories they have of previous years and there is always great excitement for going to Escape. To give you a glimpse of what Escape entails this year, here are a few of the things happening that we see as going to really invest in the young people and leaders of Escape 2012. First of all, we are really looking forward to this year’s guest speakers, Paul and Zoe Reid. Paul and Zoe have been great influences in the lives of many of the youth leaders and we feel that what they can bring to Escape will be invaluable. Secondly, we have download groups twice a day in which young people are split into groups with the same leader throughout the week. Download groups are a great opportunity to ask questions, digest what has been said in the sessions and for everyone to learn from each other. Also, we have day and night activities; these are really varied from team building activities to different

workshops. The activities are really fun and we have great memories from activities that have been put on, one of our favourites being ‘Hunt the Sheep’. Lastly, Encounters, which are our night meetings, are the main attraction, with Catalyst: band playing, great speakers and an amazing opportunity to worship God together. Along with Encounters we have life application seminars both aiming to help young people on their journey, encountering God in their lives and equipping them to be a light to their worlds. As a leader at Escape, I feel privileged to be able to be part of it. For me one of the highlights is seeing young people have their own revelations of God in their lives and see them grow in an incredible way. I learn so much from young people, so leading a download group not only is beneficial for the young people but for us as leaders as young people bring great challenges to us too. We also have great leader’s sessions which I feel really equip us to be better leaders and influencers in our worlds. Overall, I can say without doubt that Escape is a great investment for me as a leader and the stories from young people themselves show that it’s a worthwhile investment into their lives. So much so that this year we have one young girl that has asked to fly back three days early from her holiday, on her own, to join us. It’s safe to say its money and time well spent for everyone who is at Escape.

Natalie Foster | Youth Pastor

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WHATS ON?

JUL072012

Church10:00amTSNS7:00pm

Church10:00amTSNS7:00pm

Church10:00amTSNS @Southport13:00pm

AlphaCelebration7:00pm

MarriageCourse7:00pm

MarriageCourse7:00pm

MarriageCourse7:00pm

Littlestars10:00amWednedayNightService8:00pm

Littlestars10:00amWednedayNightService8:00pm

Littlestars10:00am

Oasis12:30pm

CAPuccino10:30am

Catalyst7:30pm

Catalyst7:30pm

CatalystShowcase7:30pmMens Prayer10:00pm

Inspire7:30pm

IntegrityMenActivity

Church10:00am

Church10:00am

BridgeFamilyEvent

Activ8 Kids Camp

Our Wednesday night service runs bi-weekly.

Its your chance to press pause on a busy week and take time to get inspired, refreshed and refuelled.

The service starts at 8PM with worship led by

Elevate.

Catalyst is the place to be on a Friday night if you are

between school years 7 and 13. If not, sorry you’ve missed out. Join the team this Friday, 7:30PM at The Bridge Church. It’s going

to be epic.

The marriage course is for any couple, whether you’ve been together for one or sixty-one years,

and whether you feel you have a strong relationship or are struggling. It starts at 7PM, would love to see

you there.

MARRIAGE COURSE WEDNESDAY SERVICE CATALYST

Life is busy at the best times, but those occasional moments when you can pause,

reflect and refresh are priceless. Often we think about those moments and link

them to our physical body, whether a evening dinner away from the children or a

relaxing break on a sunny beach. 1 Timothy 4:8 speaks about training for our

physical body being beneficial but doing something for our soul as much better.

When was the last time that you took a moment to pause, reflect and refresh your

soul? No, seriously, think about it? When was the last time that you stopped, took

a deep breath and heard God speak to you? When was the last time you left a place

knowing that you had encountered the heart of God?

It’s sometimes hard to think about those moments because they don’t come

round that often. It’s not because God doesn’t what them to happen, trust

me, He does, it’s often because we are too busy, we don’t take a

moment to breathe and listen...

Over the next couple of months you will hear a lot about our up and

coming conference with Pete Wilson. Pete Wilson is the Senior Pastor of a

growing church in Nashville, Tennessee. Pete’s passion is to see Christians

become radically devoted to Christ, committed to one another and

relentless in reaching out to those outside of God’s family. I don’t know

about you but I already want to hear what he has to say. Peter is the author

of two books, ‘Plan B’ and ‘Empty Promises’. Personally ‘Plan B’ was a book

that spoke to the core of my soul and brought about moments when I was

able to pause, ask questions, reflect but in turn feel refreshed and ready

to face what was ahead of me. So let me encourage you, ‘Awaken’ isn’t just

another conference, it’s a time where we can pause, reflect and refresh

ourselves so we can become more devoted to Christ, more committed to one

another and reach out and make a difference in the lives of those outside

of God’s family.It would be great to see there. I just know that God wants to

refresh our souls as we sit together under the ministry of Pete.

Roll on September!Lee Beard

WHATS ON?

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Catalyst Youth: Escape Youth Retreat

Activ8

I have been involved in Activ8 as a children’s leader since 2005 and every year seems to get bigger and better. Initially I was reluctant to take part because I imagined it would be a week of babysitting, stopping kids from trying to escape and making sure they survive to the end of the week. However, now Activ8 is one of my favourite weeks of the year and I always look forward to it, getting more excited than the kids!Activ8 is amazing fun and a great way to release your inner child. Leaders are encouraged to get involved in all activities from rock climbing and canoeing to baking and scavenger hunts. Health insurance is recommended, last year I sprained my wrist tree climbing, bruised my back on the water slide and nearly took an arrow in the arm. A good sense of humour is essential, especially with the more challenging tasks such as cleaning toilets and trying to get the kids asleep at night time.I first attended Activ8 when I was quite new to the church and didn’t really know anyone. Activ8 has been responsible for me meeting some amazing friends and role models. Everyone pitches in to help and we have a great core team headed by the Janet Reid, without whom Activ8 wouldn’t be the same. There is also a five-star kitchen team working nonstop from morning till

night preparing terrific meals and ensuring no one goes hungry, with second and third helpings for some!At times Activ8 seems like an arduous week, especially when you are finally getting the last child to bed at 3am and getting up for morning devotions at 7am. However, it makes it all worthwhile when you see how much affect it has on the lives of the children. For some children, Activ8 is their only holiday and to see so many smiling faces and hands praising God, it really hits home what we are trying to achieve. One particular memory for me involves seeing 50 children pinning black paper hearts (representing the things they’d done wrong) to a cross for Jesus to deal with. It was a very emotional night, something I will never forget.The aim of Activ8, in my opinion, is to give children a great start in their journey with God. We try to make the week as fun and enjoyable as possible but also provide advice and a way of connecting with God, and teach them to appreciate what he has provided for them. ’Every year I look forward to Activ8 for three simple reasons; good food, good friends, and a good God. For leaders and children, Activ8 provides not just a good grounding in the Christian faith, but also an enjoyable week with great memories and the chance to build new relationships.

Chris Matthews

A chance for CAP Clients to come along and enjoy a free coffee, chat, cake and chance to meet new

friends on the first Thursday of each month.

Starting at 10:30am.

The Sunday Night Service is part of The Bridge

Church. Our Sunday Night Service is held on the first and third Sunday of every

month at 7PM.

We would love to see you there.

Looking for a toddler group?

What about Littlestars?

Littlestars meet every Wednesday during term

time from 10am to 11:30am, its a great

opportunity to meet, talk and play together.

LITTLESTARS CAPPUCCINO TSNS

WHATS ON?

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Littlestars10:00am

Littlestars10:00am

Littlestars10:00am

Oasis12:30pm

Catalyst7:30pmInspire7:30pm

Littlestars10:00amWednesdayNightService7:00pm

CAPuccino10:30am

Catalyst7:30pm

Catalyst7:30pm

ChildProtectionTraining10:00am -12:00pm

Church10:00am

CAP ClientEvent withBarryWoodward7:00pm

Alpha7:00pm

Stop theTraffic PrayerNight7:00pm

Church10:00amTSNS7:00pm

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Integrity Men’s Capenwray Conference

Awaken Conference

Church10:00amTSNS7:00pm

Church10:00am

Church10:00amTSNS Social 7:00pm

Integrity Mens 7 Pikes Challenge

It was the middle of June, and, as the coach left the Bridge car park in theBolton drizzle, the forecast for the Lake District was for 80mph gales, driving rain and flash floods- the rescue helicopters had been grounded and the pitch and putt course was under a foot of water! The prospects of a good day out were looking bleak to say the least! However, when a group of blokes get together, nothing isgoing to stop them! The focus of the Integrity Men’s ministry throughout 2012 has been the book ‘The Disciplines of a Godly Man’ by R Kent Hughes and it was with Chapter5- The Discipline of Friendship- firmly in mind that the first group were dropped off at the quaint village of Skelwith Bridge to tackle the shorter of the 2 walks- alongside the dramatically swollen Brathay River. However, the group were fully equipped for the task ahead – with training shoes, golfing brollies and quite a few bus passes! Sherpa Tyldsley led the group on the ‘paddle’ along the footpath and they waded on until the path directly entered the vastly enlarged Elterwater Lake! This meant a quick diversion across fields only to be met by an irate farmer frantically waving his stick! They finally reached their destination, the bus stop at Elterwater village, where the bus passes were deployed accordingly, to return the adventurers safely to Ambleside and a refreshing cream tea! It was perseverance that

the other group of intrepid explorers firmly had in mind as they left the coach in the driving rain for the long climb up the Langdale Pikes! Sir Edmond Elliot led them on the initial climb from The Dungeon Ghyll,accompanied by an amazing display of waterfalls and incredible views of mountains and valleys. However, as they ascended the mountain, new gullies of water were forming and becoming increasingly difficult to cross, causing diversions up dangerous rock faces! So, as the clouds descended, it was with thoughts of safety- and a warming coffee- that the band of brothers decided to turn back. With a mixed sense of achievement and relief, 4 hours after their departure, the group arrived back at the coach. An afternoon of boat rides on Windermere, art gallery visits, purchasing of new socks, and the devouring of huge quantities of fish and chips, was accompanied by discussions of interests, families and stories of faith filled life journeys with God. And finally, as the rain eventually stopped falling, The Bridge Crazy Golf Championships was won by a 13 year old rookie. As the coach load of tired blokes headed back to Bolton, the thoughts they firmly had in mind now were of how they’d had a day they’ll never forget anddeveloped relationships that would last and grow for a long time to come! We’ll definitely do it again- but next time we’ll go in Summer!

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These are things that we all seem to search after. Endlessly. It’s as if we think that if we can just get ourselves sorted out then everything will be ok. If we can just be alright or just have the right things in order or just look as if we’ve got it all in control then maybe, just maybe, God will work through us.

It’s as if we think God has a standard that we need to reach in order for him to be able to use us. This, I’ve noticed, creates a huge guilt culture where we seem to always feel we’re not good enough for God. As if God somehow wants us to feel rubbish about ourselves. All the time.

In Genesis 32 Jacob encounters God. They have a fight. A proper wrestle. Can you imagine what that looked like? At the end of the scrap the schemer Jacob has been renamed – the rabble-rouser is God’s man to start a nation. Jacob leaves the fight, which he couldn’t win, with his call and a new name. But notice, he also leaves with a limp. He met God and ended up limping?

We often think that God can only use us once he’s healed us. We never consider whether God will use us because of the scars. What if all the stuff you’ve been through, all the pains you carry and all the hurts you’ve experienced are exactly what have shaped you into the person God needs you to be?

It was a broken Jesus that saved the world and he calls us to carry our brokenness, our crosses (Mark 8) and follow him on this cross-shaped, cruciform journey. So instead of being angry with God, or guilty with ourselves perhaps we need to live confident in our brokenness. Because, after all, we follow a crucified saviour or, as I like to think, the God of the Limp.

Suggested reading: Brennan Manning’s ‘ The Ragamuffin Gospel’.

David Harvey

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If you are new to us or just visiting, we are very happy that you chose to visit one of our services. We trust that you were warmly welcomed and hope to see

you again soon.

To find out more information, please visit the Connect Lounge, touch base with someone at the Info Point or in the comfort of your own home just visit our

website: www.bridgebolton.com

FIRST TIME

The Bridge Church and Centre, 109 Bradford Street, Bolton, BL2 1JX

w: www.bridgebolton.com t: 01204 361704 e: [email protected]

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