​BRIDGE CHURCH IS OFF TO A GREAT START
​ “I want to express to you how amazing Sunday was!” That is how Pastor Ryan began an email describing Bridge Church’s public launch service, held this past Sunday.

230 people attended the service—including the city’s mayor. At least 20 new families were in attendance. Eight families indicated that they want to join a home group, and 27 new children were enrolled into the kids’ program. It is especially exciting that only about 30 of these people were guests from Bethel Church or another CRC Church attending to lend support. That means 200 people, potentially, could make up the nucleus of this new church going forward.

It was a wonderful experience, according to some Bethelites who attended the service. The efforts of Pastor Ryan, the music team, and the other Bridge members were stamped with excellence. (An extra bit of Good News is that Bridge Church has finally signed the lease for the top floor of the Ross Creek building. When they eventually move to that location, they will worship in the midst of a beautiful, panoramic view of the city).

I agree with Pastor Ryan when he writes, “We serve an incredible God who is doing something very special in our city.” Thank you Bethel, for your hard work and generous giving that has made Bridge Church a reality. Only eternity will tell how God is using your love and sacrifice to change lives. --Pastor Tom 

​BETHEL IS GROWING YOUNG
If you have been in church the past couple of weeks, you’ve heard me encourage everyone to take the Growing Young survey. It is part of a larger Growing Young initiative we are undertaking at Bethel, and I believe it is vitally important.
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What is Growing Young? It is an attempt to connect the younger generation to the church. Think of the church as a train, with each car in the “church train” being made up of one generation. The train is not complete unless all the generations are represented. The most tenuous link in this train is the one connecting the very last car—the younger generation.

The younger generation has always been a special concern of older Christians. Parents in every century have suffered angst praying that their children would embrace the faith. But statistic suggest that the need to reach the younger generation is especially urgent today. More than at other times, our younger generation is at risk of decoupling from the faith train.
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The good news is that there is a solution. The staff at Fuller Youth Institute, who are behind the larger Growing Young effort, have walked with young adults to learn what they need. Their research suggests that there are six things required to reach today’s young adults: They need to feel understood, valued, and loved. They need to be challenged by an authentic Gospel. They need to see their church caring for their broader community. And they need to be given leadership opportunities in the church.

We believe that Bethel does some of these things well, and some not so well. The survey will help us to see which is which. This is the first step in our Growing Young journey—to know how we have to grow, we have to start by taking an honest look at ourselves.

If you have any questions about the Growing Young effort, you can talk to one of the team members: Kayla Mast, Stephanie Stoklosa, Jason Wisselink, Thelme VanHeerden, Wendy Werkman, Melanie Wright, or myself. If you haven’t taken the survey, you can do so at the following link. http://www.oursurvey.church/BethelCommunityChurchEdmonton. (It only takes 10 minutes.)
–Pastor Tom  

​WELCOME TO THE NEW CHURCH YEAR!

Welcome back! You may, or may not, have been physically away for the summer, but all of us are returning to a new church year; so, I’d like to welcome you back to what lies ahead with all its activity and adventure. We have a lot to look forward to this year. Consider just a few highlights:

• Bridge Church is set to launch on September 22. We have worked, prayed, and given generously to plant this new church. We did so in the hope that it will reach many people in Fort Saskatchewan who would not otherwise ever find their way into a church. Now the dream is becoming a reality.
•  We are launching an initiative called “The Next 300.” We have seen more people than ever before come to faith in Jesus at Bethel over the last two years, and God continues, wonderfully, to draw seeking people to our church! As leaders we have become convinced that God wants us, together with Bridge Church, to reach 300 people with the Good News of Jesus, and see them enfolded into church in the next five years.
• A Team has been struck to take intergenerational ministry to a new level. Called “Growing Young” this team, consisting mostly of Young Adults, will start by seeking to integrate Young Adults more fully into the life of the church. We are taking seriously research that shows it’s vital for the younger generations to interact meaningfully with the older generations if they are going to stay connected to the church over the long-term. We hope to use this group’s efforts as a catalyst for even more intergenerational ministry.

Space doesn’t allow me to talk about all our dreams for this year, but you will be hearing about other plans in weeks to come. You will also be hearing about our regular, great ministries. (God has been using Bethel’s ministries to change lives for many years.) For now, let’s look forward with anticipation, set our hearts to serve, and pray that God will do great things among us this year for His glory. –Pastor Tom