The Bridge - The Everyday Divine - Fall 2014

The EverydayThe EverydayThe Everyday

DivineDivineDivine a publication of The Bridge of Storm Lakea publication of The Bridge of Storm Lakea publication of The Bridge of Storm Lake

Fall 2014, Vol. 1, No. 3

Velveteen PeopleVelveteen PeopleVelveteen People

No Longer the Frozen ChosenNo Longer the Frozen ChosenNo Longer the Frozen Chosen

How Wounds Get HealedHow Wounds Get HealedHow Wounds Get Healed

The Potter and the ClayThe Potter and the ClayThe Potter and the Clay

Our Everyday DivineOur Everyday DivineOur Everyday Divine

Bridge NewsBridge NewsBridge News

We are committed to valuing individuals, nurturing

relationships, and witnessing the transforming power of

Jesus Christ.

The Everyday Divine Fall 2014, Vol. 1, No. 3 Published four times a year by The Bridge of Storm Lake

SUBSCRIBE Subscriptions are free of charge to addresses in the United States. Contact The Bridge to subscribe.

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CONTACT 205 Flindt Drive, Suite 1 Storm Lake, IA 50588 (712)213-0195 thebridgeofstormlake.com Blog: frontporchinspired.com

The Bridge of The Bridge of

Storm Lake Storm Lake

is a ministry of Christ For the City

International www.cfci.org

2 The Bridge of Storm Lake

Summer Team testimony from Zach Ahrens.

6 | No Longer the

Frozen Chosen

A reflection on Psalm 147:3, Seneca kids, and what it really means to seek healing.

8 | How Wounds Get Healed

Here are a few glimpses of everyday life at the neighborhood centers!

12 | Our Everyday Divine

14 | Bridge NEWS

Stay updated with all the latest news from The Bridge in this section.

CONTENTSCONTENTS Fall 2014, Vol. 1, No. 3

April Hase and Krislyn Erickson, of the 2014 Summer Team, play at Seneca Center.

Front Cover

Thoughts on how the Summer Team, and all of us Velveteen People, become “real.”

4 | Velveteen People

Testimony by Krislyn Erickson about the Summer Girls’ Camps.

10 | The Potter and the Clay

Anne Dahlhauser, The Bridge Communications Director

of the Earth Move in Next Doorof the Earth Move in Next Doorof the Earth Move in Next Door

A bout a year ago, I sat down at my computer and started researching. I wanted to figure out what we

were doing. This sounds bizarre, I know. Yet, we knew there had to be others out there, others who saw the movement of people to the USA and had a heart to engage them for the sake of the Gospel, right here on this soil. We weren’t pastors, or humanitarian workers, or evangelists. But something, something divine and redemptive and necessary, was happening on our front porch. And, we believed it must be happening in our cities and towns across the USA where there is a growing refugee and immigrant population. So, I started typing in keywords on google and amazon: “neighborhood ministry,” “missions in the United States,” “ministry among refugees in the USA,” etc. Nothing fit exactly. Then, I stumbled upon a new term, and the more we read about it, the more shocked we were. Why? Because it’s what we are living. It’s the work we are doing. There is a name for it. Finally. It’s a term I believe every Christian should become more and more familiar with, if you aren’t already:

Diaspora Missiology di·as·po·ra noun \dī-ˈas-p(ə-)rə, dē-\ A group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived mis·si·ol·o·gy noun /misēˈäləjē/ The study of religious (typically Christian) missions and their methods and purposes. The science of the cross-cultural communication of the Christian faith. Back in October of 2009, Jay and I moved into and began Seneca Center. From what I’ve pieced together, most of the research on diaspora missiology began to emerge around that time. And so, I’d like to share some basic resources on this field because I believe this affects each of us, and this needs to be a present reality for all Christians. Each day, the news tells us about immigration and the movement of people around the globe. We experience it routinely in our community. And, I believe the follow-ing resources give a picture of God’s purpose in the “scattering of people” as well as our responsibilities as Christians living in the midst of it. I encourage you to do your own research and start to consider God’s plan in the movement of people around the globe and into Storm Lake, IA. To begin, in November of 2009, the Lausanne Diaspora Educators Consultation in Seoul, Korea published an official declaration on diaspora missiology. In the document, they state “that ‘diaspora missiology’ has emerged as a biblical and strategic field of missiology and is defined as: a missiological framework for understanding and participating in God’s redemptive

mission among people living outside their place of origin.” More research, case studies, and conferences have followed, some of which I’ll include here. Yet, we are still in a new field, on the cutting edge of something unique in global missions.

The e-booklet, Scattered to Gather is the product of

the Lausanne Diaspora Leadership Team. You can google the title and producer to view it.

Search Amazon.com for “Diaspora Missiology.”

Note, nearly all the books have been published since 2009.

An excellent blog is Missiologically Thinking, by J.D.

Payne at www.jdpayne.org Payne has authored a number of books, including Strangers Next Door: Immigration, Migration, and Mission.

One of Payne’s posts is especially helpful, called

“Missions To, Through, and Beyond the Diasporas,” written on March 20, 2012. You can search for it at www.jdpayne.org.

Missions Frontiers has a past issue called “Peoples

o n t h e M o v e . ” Y o u c a n g o t o www.missionsfrontiers.com, then to “Past Issues” and then scroll down until you come to the issue of November-December 2012.

A case study by Charlene de Haan can be read at

www.lausanneworldpulse.com. Search for “A Canadian Case Study in Diaspora Missiology.”

Finally, the Lausanne World Pulse published an

issue on the diaspora topic in March 2009. It can be viewed www.lausanneworldpulse.com/03-2009

Traditional missions has been understood for years as “going there” in order to share the Gospel. Please know, God is changing things up and mixing up people across the globe. This is the time for Christians to embrace the opportunities right in their neighborhoods as well as around the world. Of this subject, Dr. Jerry Rankin, President Emeritus, International Mission Board, SBC stated that “all of the peoples of the world are coming to America. We would be challenged to find any unreached people group from around the world that doesn’t have a population segment in the United States…And so many churches need to wake up and realize that God has brought the nations into their cities and communities, and they’re going to stand accountable before God for fulfilling His mission whether or not they go overseas or not.” Learn about diaspora missiology. Get to know the people living around you. How can you be about fulfilling God’s global mission in your neighborhood, your community, your state?

The Everyday Divine, Fall 2014 3

From the Editor When the Ends When the Ends When the Ends


Velveteen PeopleVelveteen PeopleVelveteen People (or how we become real)(or how we become real)(or how we become real)

W hen I was a little girl, my mom used to read me the story of The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real) by

Margery Williams. Only after years of loving and being loved into shreds did the stuffed rabbit become real and alive. The tattered ears, the dangling eyes, the worn body all trumpeted that love had happened there.

Love changes us, after all.

But it never happens without a cost, for there is always a high price to pay when you truly love.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” 1 John 3:16

At the beginning of summer, the Summer Team steps into life on Seneca Street with clean clothes and fresh expectations. The first days are full of interactions at arms-length, some awkward dances, and great intentions. They go through the motions with smiles and earnest-ness.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am

nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

But then, little by little, the Summer Team starts serving up their hearts to the kids.

They love the kids through break downs and melt downs and just all-out-days-of-down. They start to peer inside more intently, seeing the background and the hurting. They start to relate, start to embrace, start to share.

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.”

And, really, that’s when it starts to happen.

Because, the closer we allow ourselves to get to another human, the more clearly we see a real person – not just a picture or a name, but a life that breathes and cries and giggles and dreams. Real is beautiful.

But, then again, up-close is where we finally see that there is so much we can’t touch, so much we can’t fix...so much...so much. We realize how big the situations are and how tragically little our band aids can really cover.

And, the temptation is to just to wrap up our hearts and hide them away, isn’t it?

The Everyday Divine, Fall 2014 5 4 The Bridge of Storm Lake

Some days, it just feels better to feel less, to know less, to care less.

But, fellow Velveteen People, hear me on this one: Something beautiful happens when we get close enough to be vulnerable and then stick around for it.

Love nudges at your heart and tears it up. In fact, if it doesn’t shred your heart a little and tatter your emotions, it’s probably not love. You might just be clanging cymbals and gongs in your one-man-band.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-8

Lately, I’ve seen the Summer Team laying down their cymbals, laying down pieces of themselves for the sake of loving these kids. I know their decision to really love and be loved will cost them.

And, I pray their hearts never recover.

I pray their intellect never overrides the power of connecting, really connecting, with another human being.

I pray their craving for structure never stops them from opening their doors, their lives, and their hearts to the beautiful chaos of God-ordained relationships.

I pray their eyes never see people in the same way, that their arms never forget to hug often, that their shoulders feel uncomfortably empty without a little person riding on top.

I pray they are changed and rearranged by the experience here. I pray they love on and on, especially when they are close enough to be hurt and forever affected.

For, that’s when we start to become real...

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean

having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and

very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

So, Velveteen People, be encouraged. Your heart may feel all exposed, overwhelmed, and shabby from constant use but real is beautiful. It declares there is hope alive in this world.

Most importantly, it mirrors the love of God-in-flesh.

It reflects the Love that laid down Himself. His body was broken and marred but always beautiful to us velveteen people who choose to

believe. ■ -Anne Dahlhauser

(or how we become real)(or how we become real)(or how we become real)

B efore I was born, my mom prayed for a “red-haired fireball.”

Her prayer was answered. I’ve been baptized, educated, and confirmed

in the Catholic faith. Essentially, I’ve always known who this Jesus fella was, and that He was a pretty neat dude. I served mass as an altar boy for 8 years and went to Kuemper Catholic School for 13 years. I completed Christian service hours and took theology classes on Scripture, Morality, and Peace & Justice. It was easy practicing my faith–I was surrounded by a community of Catholics that walked alongside me on my spiritual journey.

But then I arrived at college. I could no longer assume the student next to me was Catholic, much less Christian. I felt like I had been sheltered from people with different faith backgrounds. It was discouraging to the point where I felt disconnected to my own faith. Sadly, I lost what strong conviction I had before, feeling like a lone man on an island. I no longer felt equipped to profess a faith as the only ambassador.

I could preach to the choir, but I couldn’t go across the street to a man who’s never known the name of Jesus.

How do I approach him? I can’t relate to him. What do I say? It’s easier to just keep it to myself, yeah, I’ll just do that. Of course, that’s the considerate thing to do. The last thing I’d want to do is make someone uncomfortable because of my beliefs.

And that worked. I became an undercover Christian.

I’d listen to Christian music, but only with my headphones in. I’d volunteer my time to serve others, but if someone asked me why, I’d probably just say I like to help people. I stayed away from any Christian organizations,

because I didn’t want labels of being a Jesus freak (a label I presumed would fall onto me). I was so concerned of what people thought of me, my identity, that I would curve my beliefs around their judgment. Surely if I would reveal my faith, I would receive twice the critic eye for my actions. I couldn’t live up to those kind of expectations!

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But every-one who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” Matthew 7:25-26.

I had built my house on sand.

As soon as it became tough to be a Christian, I swam with the current. I spent more time trying to build a levee to protect my house on sand than solidify my house on rock.

I’ve realized this later than sooner, but no levee will withstand the floods that enter our lives.

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15: 58.

I know I’m not quite where I want to be, but I’ve started to tear down my levee. I’m not concerned with how high the tide is–Our God is Greater.

I’m strengthening my house by moving it back to solid ground. Tell me of a stronger foundation than that of our all-powerful, all-loving God. Remind me of the countless times when floods have washed away foundations of fame, fortune, addiction, and idolatry.


No Longer theNo Longer theNo Longer the


This world can be cold and bitter Feels like we’re in the dead of winter

Waiting on something better But am I really gonna hide forever?

Over and over again I hear Your voice in my head

Let Your light shine, let Your light shine for all to see.

Start a fire in my soul

Fan the flame and make it grow So there’s no doubt or denying

Let it burn so brightly That everyone around can see

That it’s You, that it’s You that we need Start a fire in me

-The song “Start a Fire” by Unspoken

It wasn’t until recently that my mom described me as “a fireball for Jesus,” and it made me step back.

I pray that I’m able to defrost my faith and

let it warm the hearts of those I’m near. I pray that I kindle the flame of my faith, but never use it to intentionally harm. I pray that I let go of my own identity, so that I’m purely a reflection of my Savior.

Serving for The Bridge has moved me to become more transparent in my faith.

From meeting with Jay once a week in our mentor meetings to witnessing the ministry at The Bridge; it’s clear to me that the only way to live out my faith is to fully surrender, no conditions attached. I know that will be a challenge for me as I continue my walk, but I believe that’s the only identity worth striving for.

I’m blowing my cover:

I’m a Christian, and I stand firm on my

house of rock with a fire in my heart. ■

-Zach Ahrens, Summer Team 2014

Frozen ChosenFrozen ChosenFrozen Chosen


B eside my front door, on a little white table, I have a simple first aid kit. It’s full of ointment, wipes, and lots of band-aids. God only

knows how many band-aids we’ve applied here at Seneca Center.

I try to tell the kids that band-aids, in and of themselves, don’t make a bump or bruise feel better; if it’s bleeding, it needs a band-aid, but if not, there is no point to using (yet another) one.

My words are lost on them.

They still come – from toddlers to middle-schoolers, pointing out wounds and asking for band-aids to make them feel better. And so, we go through the desired healing ritual – the cleaning, drying, applying ointment, and putting on a band-aid.

But, to be honest, there have times when I have gotten so tired of skinned knees and bumped elbows, I’ve just told the older kids to grab their own band-aids and “make sure you put the wrapper in the trash!” Yes, that’s the ugly truth. After all, I know the band-aids aren’t that necessary anyway. Not to mention, I have dishes to do, and my own kids to take care of, and office work to catch up on…

And then, in the midst of my superiority and justifications, God turned my thinking upside down. He has a way of doing that, just when we get comfortable with our logical conclusions.

Recently, I found myself quoting Psalm 147:3 to myself and a number of friends:

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

This season of life has left me with fresh desperation for God’s healing. It seems there are broken hearts and areas of woundedness at every turn. It’s been a season marked with pain – diagnoses, surgeries, death, conflict, loss, and disappointments. Life’s like that sometimes.

And, just when I thought I knew all I needed to know about band-aids and binding up wounds, I realized how little I understand. I thought sweetly to myself more than once, “Aww, He binds up our wounds, just like I do like all the time with my neighbor kids.”

But the truth is, God’s not interested in having a fellow wound-binder; He wants us to be wound-bringers, bringing our afflictions to Him with complete trust and vulnerability.

There I was, looking right over the black-haired heads of the Seneca kids, nearly missing the point entirely: these kids have modeled what it means to be a wound-bringer.

And all I can picture are the kids at my door step, persistent, asking for healing. I can hear them knocking, knocking. I can see their desperate tears, see their little fingers pointing out the wounds and (tiny) drops of blood. I can hear them asking for band-aids, for their friend and for themselves.

Unashamed, they come with tears, snotty noses, and a dramatic story of what went

How Wounds How Wounds How Wounds


wrong. Emotions and words gush out all over sometimes. They come crying for help. They come messy. They come broken. But they don’t care about appearances – they are hurt, after all – and they refuse to go on without treatment and healing. There is no “grin and bear it” with kids. There is no faking it.

And then sometimes I hear them knocking again because, with no hesitancy, they would come back again if they were hurt again.

But, what if we move from the clarity of the kids’ physical wounds to the issues of the heart, the broken hearts and emotional wounds referenced in Psalm 147:3 – does it all still apply?

Because, I wonder how many of us adults are carrying around emotional wounds, still bleeding, tender to touch? The kind that make you lash out when prodded, or recoil when pressed. The kind that leaves you compulsively controlling or passive, longing for affirmation from peers, anxious, or angry.

How does God heal all that?

I believe He does. But, we must come to Him. And, we must identify our wounds, naming and admitting the hurt to ourselves, as we ask for healing. See, He already knows—but, do we acknowledge the pain? Self-disclosure is for our own good as well as deepening our relationship with Him.

Instead, we go to all lengths to deny these wounds, to ignore them, deaden the pain, or at least distract ourselves from admitting any

aching issues. We bury it deep, talking about “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” and that “what will be will be.”


Truth is, God bids us to come.

He’s concerned about our hearts, the emotional wounds we carry, and He promises to bind them up – to gently, lovingly, bind up each area of hurt with His sovereign hands in ways we can’t fathom.

Will we acknowledge our wounds? Will we take them to Him for healing?

Because if we do, God will always be waiting with eager hands of compassion. He will never just leave a pile of band-aids on the table by the door. He’ll never give up on us. He’ll never been too exhausted to help yet another stumbling human. He will never mutter about why we can’t ask someone else or get our own band-aids, for goodness sake! He will never close the door behind us, and roll His eyes at our dramatic retelling of our affliction. God will never, ever fail at His promise to us:


And so, that verse will not roll off my tongue again without the image of the beautiful Seneca kids on my doorstep, teaching me

what it really means. ■ -Anne Dahlhauser

Get HealedGet HealedGet Healed


H ave you ever watched a potter sit down on the potter’s wheel and mold the clay into a piece of art? Have you looked

closely at pottery? Each piece of art is made a little bit different…. from the strokes of the hand to the different artists making them. Today, helping teach the middle school camp, called Masterpieces, the girls learned how to make origami hearts. We had each of the five girls pick out different colored pieces of construction paper and follow along to the bible study teacher for directions on how to make the origami. Watching the girls fold their construction

paper to make these hearts was interesting to see. Each were trying to make it a perfect heart shape. While the girls were folding their papers, I noticed that one girl gave up completely after messing up on folding the paper the wrong way. The girl sitting next to her was struggling to keep up with the teacher’s verbal instructions as well. After expressing her frustration to the counselors, she was shown visually step-by-step directions to finish her heart. Once the hearts were completed, we had the girls write bible verses on them. The purpose of the heart origami was to lead into our discussion of God. We asked,

The Potter &The Potter &The Potter &


the Claythe Claythe Clay “Who decided to make each fold and crease?” “Do all of your hearts look the same?” Even though the girls were following the same instructions, their hearts were folded differently, made from different colored papers, and were different sizes. The point was to have each origami different; all hearts were unique. The same goes with us. God created and molded us to be what He wanted us to be. He made each of us different, not one of us are perfectly alike. God made us exactly how He wanted us to be made. Every freckle, mole, even

every hair on our head, God created because He wanted it there. Sometimes we compare ourselves with others. wanting to be more like them, or look more like them. We have to keep in mind that we are all unique and that God molded us to be the perfect person He created us to be. To have the middle school girls remem-ber this powerful message, we asked them to memorize the following verse: Isaiah 64:8. “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter, we are all the

work of your hand.” ■ Krislyn Erickson, Summer Team 2014

This year for The Bridge’s girls’ summer camp ministry, which was formerly named “Summer Sizzle” split into two camps: Masterpieces was held in the morning for campers in 5th-6th grade, and Mosaic was held in the afternoons for campers in 7th—9th grades. The new format allowed us to be more intentional at the different age levels and helped accommodate the growing number of campers! At the end of the week, we held The Bridge Festival at a park in Storm Lake. Family and friends were invited to come see what the girls had been accomplishing that week in their Studio times—photography, baked goods, and art projects. In addition, the girls from the Music Studio sang, and the camp’s worship band shared the camp songs from the week.

Thank you to everyone who had a part in this great week!

DivineDivineDivine Our Everyday


We just finished up a beautiful We just finished up a beautiful We just finished up a beautiful (and busy) summer at the Centers and (and busy) summer at the Centers and (and busy) summer at the Centers and

with the Summer Youth Team!with the Summer Youth Team!with the Summer Youth Team!

Here are some pictures of our summer:Here are some pictures of our summer:Here are some pictures of our summer:

Bob and Natalie had a whirlwind of a summer—including a couple moves while Tulip Center is being completed, the completion of chemo, a clear PET scan report (praise God!), and a new baby! Their new daughter is Avalyn Kay, and she was born in Omaha on July 11. This sweet family is now moving into the Center but the work there is still in the process. Bob has started his new job as a high school ESL

teacher in Storm Lake as well.

Please keep them in your prayers as they transition into life at Tulip Center with a new baby and new job!

Tulip Center UpdateTulip Center UpdateTulip Center Update

For more pictures and reports from the summer, please visit our blog! www.FrontPorchInspired.com


Neighborhood Nights

Neighborhood Nights

Neighborhood Nights

Activities at the CentersActivities at the CentersActivities at the Centers

NEWSNEWSNEWS


Someone once told me, “You’ve been blessed when saying goodbye is difficult.” Certainly, we’ve been

blessed!

Renato and Nellie have been serving at The Bridge with Jay and me since 2011, and they started a

Neighborhood Center, Park Center.

Together, we’ve walked this unknown road of ministry, cross-cultural relationships, loving hurt children, and the summer days that seemingly never end. We’ve adventured across seven countries together with five kids and cheap bus tickets. And, we’ve raised our late-night coffee mugs to the victories and laughed slap-happy-style at our own belly flops along the way. It’s been amazing! Most of all, Renato and Nellie are among our dearest friends, ones who truly understand and have shared in our

lives and our kids’ lives.

So, in all honesty, it is not easy for any of us to share that Renato and Nellie are beginning a new chapter in their lives, one that will take them away from full-time work with The Bridge*. Yet, as new pages are turned, we hang on to the beauty of memories and

look ahead with faith and expectation.

At this time, we especially want to thank Renato and

Nellie for their dedication to this ministry in the past years. They jumped in with faith and sacrifice when The Bridge was just a vision, beginning Park Center and contributing greatly to the beginning stages of this ministry. They have intentionally served and loved people in Jesus’ name, and we are all grateful for their passion to make their lives count for God and

His glory.

Please join us in wishing Renato and Nellie many,

many blessings as they step out in a new direction!

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give

you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

As for The Bridge, we anticipate changes in the coming months. We ask for your patience and prayers as we determine the next steps in this new chapter of ministry. Please keep Renato and Nellie and their family in your prayers as well, as they seek God’s will for their future! With grateful hearts, we all turn the page; may God be glorified in these new chapters in each our lives! ■

Anne Dahlhauser

New ChaptersNew ChaptersNew Chapters

Sons of Honor camp for boys Sons of Honor was held on August 13-16 at Twin Lakes Christian Camp. A group of 65, including campers and leaders, spent the days enjoying a variety of activities and growing in their faith! The boys were challenged to build cars from wood pallets, do rock climbing, compete in a relays, and swim. Each morning were small group devotions, and each evening there was a message from Pastor Pete, Summit EFC, drama, and music. It was a wonderful weekend!

*Given their resignation from CFCI as missionaries, Renato and Nellie will no longer have a financial account there for support-raising. If you set up automatic giving to their account on a monthly basis, the donation will no longer be withdrawn. We invite you to prayerfully consider continuing to support The Bridge in its general fund at CFCI, as God directs. If you have questions about your giving, please contact Jay.

Give?Give?Give? If you are inspired by the work God’s doing in this area through The Bridge, please consider a tax-deductible gift

to this ministry. The Bridge is a ministry sustained by God’s grace because of the partnership of many volunteers

and financial contributors. The full-time staff are missionaries with Christ For the City International who raise their own financial support in faith. God’s continued provision for this ministry is a testimony of His faithfulness and blessing!

Please complete the enclosed response device and return it with your donation in the envelope provided or go to thebridgeofstormlake.com and click on “Donate.”

Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!


$$

Run For Our Future!

Team Bridge raced in the local Marathon to Marathon race on June 14, raising funds for the Summer Youth program. It was a challenging day, but an excellent way to prepare for the demands of summer! Thank you to all who contributed to this summer fundraiser; it allows The Bridge to focus intentionally on youth ministry in the summer. God bless!

Save the Date! The Bridge’s 4th Annual Fall Banquet will be on Sunday, October 19, 2014 at 5:30pm. It will be held at Buena Vista University in the Dows Grand Ballroom.

Please make plans to attend this special event! It is a necessary part of sustaining The Bridge ministry financially and continuing its work in Storm Lake.

Tickets and tables are now available. Please go to our website www.thebridgeofstormlake.com to be directed to a secure site for purchasing. You may also contact our office.

NOTE: Considering the capacity of the room and the attendance for past three years, we need to limit the attendance to 300. Registration for this event will close on Oct. 3 or when that number is reached. Thank you!

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The Bridge - The Everyday Divine - Fall 2014

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Transcript of The Bridge - The Everyday Divine - Fall 2014