BRIDGING THE GAP

Think Missions

2012-01-29T17:19:00.003-05:00

This past Sunday BPC once again this year hosted our Missionary, Pat Summers.
BridgePoint church faithfully supports Pat’s Ministry, Think Missions. It’s through Think Missions that BPC is able to reach the World while still Connecting Real People to the Real God right here in our community.

In 2012 in partnership with Think Missions, BPC is offering two short term Over Seas Missions trips that you can be a part of; Bolivia in July and Cuba in October.

Listen as Pat updates us on all the great things that are happening for the Kingdom through Think Missions and let me encourage you to begin Praying about Giving or Going into all the World in 2012.

Please let me know if you’d like more information about Missionary Pat Summers, Think Missions or the Bolivia and Cuba trips.

Just click on the title of this blog post and you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage to hear Pat's message.

Texting Inspiration and Water Baptism

2012-01-15T17:23:00.003-05:00

Sunday was a very great day at BridgePoint Church! It wasn’t great because I concluded my January message series “Text MSG’s” with a talk entitled “Texting Inspiration” but it was great because we held Water Baptisms and celebrated with a Free Luncheon following the service.

I won’t give it all away so you’ll just have to listen in to the podcast; just click on the title of this blog post and you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage!

Enjoy and God Bless!

BPC Latest Podcast

2012-01-08T15:08:00.002-05:00

Meditation; in our culture & generation that word illicits a variety of meanings. Many may think; Are you talking about an out of body experience? Or Is this going to include incense? Or Are we gonna all circle up & sing songs?

The meditation I’m talkin about is the type that’s found in Psalm 1:1-3, the one who meditates on God’s Word day & night. Mediating on God’s word involves concentrating our thoughts and hearts on what it means to follow Christ. It’s contemplating, pondering, reflecting, considering & thinking about what Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross really means to me today as a 21st century Christian.

In this podcast, "Texting Meditation", I’m not only talking about Christian meditation but Fasting and Prayer as well.

Just click the title of this blog post and you’ll be directed to our podcast web page.

What You Need to Know About BPC's Week of Fasting & Prayer

2012-01-07T10:23:00.004-05:00

This week is a special at BridgePoint Church cuz we’re “kickin off” 2012 with a week of Fasting and Prayer. BPCers will be purposefully investing in their relationships with God by setting aside something that’s meaningful to them such as food, an entertainment or activity & replacing that with concentrated Prayer, Bible Reading and Study.

As Christ followers we should periodically follow Jesus’ example of Prayer and Fasting by making it a regular Spiritual Discipline in our lives as it was in Jesus’ life; In Matthew 4:2 it’s said of Jesus, “After fasting 40 days and 40 nights,…” and in Matthew 6:5 Jesus said, “And when you pray…”

Those who wish to participate should begin after lunch on Sunday January 8 seeing it through to lunch on Friday January 13. Exercising this Spiritual Discipline together as a church family can be incredabily encouraging so we’ve scheduled 3 special services to help you stay on course.

Sunday Jan 8, Mon Jan 9 & Wed Jan 11, all at 7pm, we’re having 1 Hour Worship & Prayer Services at the church. Childcare will be provided during all 3 services so there’s no worries there. During each of these services we’ll begin with inspiring Worship as we provide you with a 9 point Prayer Guide helping you stay on task throughout the week. Also during the services we’ll have 3 Prayer Focuses set up in the sanctuary so we can get behind them together in prayer.

This week as you seek God let me encourage you to remove yourselves from distractions so you’ll encounter the Father, Son & Holy Spirit sensing Their presence in a greater way & clearly hearing God's voice reassuring you of His love and amazing plan for you. My prayer is that you find peace gaining a fresh and new perspective on life receiving God’s guidance and power for living as He fills us with His Spirit. So, this week schedule into your day everyday a time of uninterrupted prayer and fasting; no TV, no phone, no activity...just you and God. You determine the amount of time. For some it may mean getting up earlier or going to sleep later, you decide what works best for you.

Francie & I along with the BPC Staff will be praying for you this week & we hope you’ll be able to join us for any or all of these special services!

BPC’s Newest Staff Member

2012-01-02T13:32:00.002-05:00

Sunday was not only exciting cuz it was New Year’s Day but at BridgePoint Church I announced our newest volunteer staff member! Kim Cogley has joined the BPC Staff as my Administrative Assistant and boy oh boy am I so glad Kim’s on board with us!

Kim has an incredable gift for Administration and Detail which was clearly evident during BPC’s biggest outreach of 2011; Hope for the Burgh. (see above pic) Kim did a fantastic job leading that event coordinating over 100 volunteers & serving close to 500 people from our community. Kim loves God, is a hard worker and a great example of what a servant of Christ should always be; willing to help out where there was a need!

Kim has the MCM Pittsburgh Network of Churches DNA running through her spirit having been raised by her parents, Bill & Donna Machen who were a part of Allison Park Church in the North Hills while Ron Bailey was the Pastor. Kim came through Pastor Cal & Miss Vickie’s very first children’s ministry as part of their original “Son Shine Kids.”

At BPC Kim’s responsibilities will include handling all the day to day Admin aspects of the church so that I can now focus my efforts on Prayer, God’s continued vision & mission for BPC, Staff & Leadership Development as well as other parts of BPC’s ministry that need my immediate attention.

BridgePoint now operates with a staff of 6 dedicated leaders who love God will all of their hearts, souls, minds and strength and Love their neighbors as themselves continuing to Connect Real People to the Real God in Tarentum and the entire Allegheny Valley!

Welcome a board Kim; we’re so excited you’re a part of our team!!

BPC’s 1st podcast of 2012

2012-01-01T14:58:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

On New Year’s Day I began a new messages series entitled: “Text Messages; What We Believe About the Bible as We Develop Spiritual Disciplines for Life” and the title of BPC’s 1st podcast of 2012 is; “Texting Application.”

James 1:22-25 is our Text (I couldn’t resist the pun so please excuse me) and it reveals a lot about the condition of our hearts because reading, hearing, obeying and then applying God’s word can be measured by the effect it has on our behavior and attitudes! There’s much more to this message then this so you’ll just have to listen to the podcast. And…

Listening to BPC podcasts is as easy to do in 2012 as it was in 2011; Just click on the title of this blog post and you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

Hope you’re blessed by my very 1st message of 2012!

BPC New Years Eve Blessing & New Years Day Service

2011-12-30T17:20:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas again and Happy New Year to you and your family!

Francie & I had a lovely week with our adult kids, Alexandra & Greg Jr., who were able to spend 7 days with us for Christmas! They’re all grown up now so this morning after a delicious breakfast at “Uncle Bob’s” (Bob Evans) they began the trek back to their jobs & friends in Springfield, MO. Although we’ll miss them we know that God has something incredible for them in 2012…as He does for you! So…

Tomorrow evening from 6-7pm at BPC we’re hosting our annual Family Blessing. “What’s up with that?” you’re asking. BPC will be open for 1 hour on New Year’s Eve and during that time we invite you, your family & friends over to the church where Pastor Maribeth, Francie & I would be honored to pray a Prayer of Blessing over you as we launch into 2012. Anyone and everyone is invited for this special time of blessing. You’ll be in and out in no time so you can get to that celebration to ring in the New Year. Afterwards grab a good night’s sleep and then…

Join us on New Year’s Day at 10am for our 1st service of the 2012 where I’ll be starting a new message series entitled; Text Messages; What We Believe About the Bible as We Develop Spiritual Disciplines. We’re also going to have Communion together so you don’t want to miss that! Bring the whole family cuz we have ministry for Nursery, Preschool & Elementary Children as well as “kickin” music and a inspiring talk for the adults!

God has so blessed BPC during 2011 & I’m in awe of all He’s done but…I don’t think He’s finished with us just yet so…fasten your seat belt cuz 2012 is gonna be "Off the Hook!"

BPC Podcasts The Stories of Love & Promise

2011-12-25T14:10:00.004-05:00

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2011 at BPC was “Off the Hook!”

Every year on Christmas Eve at BPC we celebrate the birth of Jesus with a Candlelight Service and we sing Christmas Carols. During the Svc I continued our December message series; “Once Upon a Time; God’s Timeless Story of Christmas Blessing” with a talk entitled, “The Story of Love.” Centered around the angels announcement of the birth of Jesus; in this message I also told another Love Story that’s centered around Tim Tebow; the starting QB for the Denver Broncos. This year Christmas Day landed on a Sunday so we continued the celebration hosting a 1 Hour service and this Christmas Day was special for Francie & I because or son, Greg Jr., concluded my December sermon series with a message entitled; “The Story of Promise.” Greg Jr. preached a powerful message on the genealogy of Jesus found in the book of Matthew. Francie & I were so proud and inspired as our son delivered a thought provoking & life changing word.

I know you’ll be blessed and encouraged as you listen to both of these messages.

You know the drill; just click on the title of this blog pose and you’ll be directed to our podcast web page.

God Bless and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Additional Parking for BPC’s Candlelight Christmas Eve Svc this evening at 6pm

2011-12-24T11:01:00.004-05:00

We are so excited to have you join us tonight for our Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at 6pm in our very own building so, here’s the scoop on parking.

Our friends, George Gatto & Gary Duster, have graciously allowed us to use their parking lots this evening so, if you can’t find a parking space on 9th Ave or Corbet St. you can park your car a very short walk away at Duster’s Funeral Home on East 10th Ave or Gatto’s Motorcycle & Repair Service Center on East 7th Ave.

Follow the link below for direction to BridgePoint Church and our additional parking lots.

http://www.bridgepointchurch.cc/?i=3328&mid=7 or go to www.bridgepointchurch.cc, click "News" and scroll down to "Parking and Directions."

We are looking forward to seeing you, your family & friends as we celebrate the birth of Jesus this evening at 6pm!

BPC's 2011 Holiday Line Up of Services

2011-12-20T09:53:00.003-05:00

Christmas is just 5 days away, can you believe it! Like many of you, Francie and I have entered this week not only excited to celebrate the birth of Christ with our BPC family but also excited to be spending Christmas with our children, Alexandra and Greg Jr., who will be traveling home for the holiday. As a matter of fact the Rev Gregory S. Krowitz Jr. will be preaching at BPC on Christmas Day!

As you make your plans for the next few days leading up to Christmas I wanted to make things easier for you by letting you know our Holiday Line Up of Special Services so, here we go…

On Saturday evening December 24 at 6pm, we are having our 4th annual Candlelight Christmas Eve Service; all children will be with the adults. This 1 hour service is one of my favorites services of the year. With the sanctuary all decorated for Christmas, we dim the lights and light up the Candelabra’s adding a warm glow to the sanctuary. I just love looking out into the crowd as the BPC family gathers together to celebrate the Birth of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ! I’ll be continuing our series; “Once Upon a Time; God’s Timeless Story of Christmas Blessing” with a message entitled; “The Story of Love.” As a side note; for your convenience we will be taking the offering during the Christmas Eve service and will not be taking an offering on Sunday, Christmas Day.

On Sunday morning December 25 at 10am we are having a Christmas Day Service. We invite you to take a short break from all the Christmas morning fun & excitement at home and join us for this 1 Hour service as we continue celebrating Jesus’ birth. My Son, Greg Jr., will be concluding our series with a message entitled; “The Story of Promise.” Also, Pastor Steve & Miss Shelby will be having something special for the elementary kids.

On Saturday evening December 31 from 6 – 7pm we will be hosting our 3rd annual New Year’s Eve Blessing. The church will be open for 1 hour as the BPC pastoral Staff will be on hand to pray a special prayer of blessing over you, your family and your loved ones as we all launch into 2012! It’s kinda like an “Open House” so you can come and go as you please at your convenience. Francie & I so love this as well because it’s our honor & privilege to stand with you as you believe God for great things in 2012!

On Sunday morning January 1 at 10am we‘ll “Kick Off 2012” with Rockin Praise & Worship, a time of Prayer for the New Year and I’ll be starting a new message series entitled; Text Messages; What We Believe About the Bible as we Develop Spiritual Disciplines for Life. Following the message we’ll be celebrating Communion together which is a great way to begin 2012!

Well, that’s BPC’s 2011 holiday line up of services. Francie & I invite you to join us for any and all of these special services this Christmas and New Years!

God Bless you & Merry Christmas!

The Story of Joy & BPC Holiday Schedule of Services

2011-12-18T14:40:00.003-05:00

What’s the difference between Happiness and Joy? I want to pass along to you what my Pastor told me regarding this question. “Happiness is based on our circumstances but Joy is based on having a relationship with Christ.” For many the outward circumstances of a particular something dictate whether they will be happy or sad but for those who know Christ we can have Joy on the inside while things are not so great on the outside. In John 16:33 Jesus said; In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Nowhere is this truth more evident than in the life of the young woman Mary. We also know her as Joseph’s fiancé and Jesus’ Mother. In this latest installment of BPC’s podcast we’ll examine the announcement of Jesus’ birth from Mary’s perspective & very clearly see that Mary chooses to respond with Joy from the inside rather than reacting with fear & doubt while the circumstances of her life were raging on the outside.

Just click on the title of this blog post and you’ll be directed to our podcast web page.

Also; I’ll bet you’re just dying to know our Holiday schedule of services so, here it is;
Saturday December 24 6pm Candlelight Christmas Eve Service, all children will be with the adults; Sunday December 25 10am 1 hour Christmas Day Service; Saturday December 31 6-7pm New Years Eve Blessing; Sunday January 1 10am Service with Communion. I’ll also be starting a new message series entitled; Text Messages; What We Believe About the Bible as We Develop Spiritual Disciplines for Life.

Update on "Care to Share" and December Luncheon

2011-12-13T10:39:00.004-05:00

This past weekend BPC hosted its 3rd annual “Care to Share” FREE Christmas Flea Market. What’s this all about you ask? BPCers invited their families & friends to donate gently used items so that we can offer them FREE to anyone in our community who may be in need this holiday season & I gotta tell ya, everything donated was current, up to date & “over the top” good this year! THANK YOU to everyone who gave!

Clothes & Shoes for the whole family, Housewares, THE Best Toys we’ve ever offered, Books, Paintings & Pictures as well as Electronics plus a whole lot more! Everyone participating received a FREE Luncheon while also having an opportunity to talk with and be prayed for by one of our volunteers.
Many felt “Soo Blessed” this Christmas as they told us their real stories of how their needs for clothes, toys for the kids & the other FREE items offered were met as they expressed their “Thanks” to BPC; “The church that’s always doing something for this community.” I’m told that some even came from the local bus stop missing their bus to get to our event, WOW!

Here’s just some of the scoop;
Over 20 BPCers on Friday evening screening, sorting, tagging & setting up the donations
Over 30 BPCers during the event on Saturday servings as greeters, shopping assistants, providing help with loading cars & serving lunch
Close to 300 people blessed
About 70 boxes of food given to families of 4 for an entire Holiday Meal

Thank you to all you BPCers who volunteered; as your Pastors Francie & I are soo proud of you! You stepped up & did an AMAZING job “Connecting Real People to the Real God” this Christmas! May God richly bless you & your families as you have served Him showing the Love of Christ to others! And…a very BIG “THANK YOU” to BPC’s Awesome Staff; Outreach Pastor, Maribeth for coordinating the entire event, Pastor Steve & our Intern Shelby for assisting. This was THE BEST Christmas Outreach we've ever hosted!

Because you all gave of yourselves this past weekend & as we enter into the busiest week of the year we want you BPCers to spend extended time on Sunday afternoon with your families & friends; especially since the Steelers won’t be playing until Monday night. So… this Sunday we WILL NOT have a Luncheon following the service.

If “Care to Share” is an indicator of what’s God’s up to then I can’t wait to see all He’s gonna do in & through BPC as we launch into 2012!

The Story of Peace

2011-12-11T16:35:00.002-05:00

“Wise Men Still Seek Him” is a very common phrase around this times of the year and in this latest podcast listen as I lay out who those men really may have been and how we can follow their example as the followed the Star of Bethlehem in search of the Messiah

Having a Timeless sense of Peace is really about Seeking Jesus & never giving up; Honor Jesus cuz He’s the very best thing that’ll ever happen to us and Protecting and Guarding our relationship with Jesus in the mist of the busyness of life. That’s the Story of Peace for the human soul which continuously flows like a river in and thru our lives.

Just click on the title of theis Blog Post and you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

Enjoy the Story of Peace

BPC's Lastest Podcast "The Story of Life"

2011-12-05T11:24:00.003-05:00

Once Upon a Time is a very fitting opening line for God’s Timeless Story of Christmas Blessing; the factual account of God’s one & only Son, Jesus Christ, coming to earth as a baby growing up to not only bring freedom & salvation to all people but also Promise to those who put their Faith in God, Love to those whose hearts are open to Christ, Peace from the Holy Spirit that goes beyond anything we can produce on our own, Joy that’s not based on our outward circumstances but is anchored in relationship with Jesus and Life not only for eternity but a full & abundant life lived in the here and now that can be described as amazingly adventurous.

Jesus said in John 10:10b "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"

"The Story of Life" is the 1st message in our December 2011 Christmas series and the young "Groom to Be", Joseph, is an appropriate person to talk about. When God is about to do something He invites us to join Him but we got to adjust our lives to what He's doing regardless of the temporary difficulties and so, because Joseph had a change of heart and acted on that change he married Mary becoming Jesus' earthly Father responsible for His protection, care & wellbeing ultimately helping to bring about Promise, Love, Peace, Joy and Life to all those who would accept his earthly son.

Just click on the title of this blog post and you’ll be direct to out podcast web page.

Christmas Giving 2011

2011-11-27T18:57:00.012-05:00

God loves a cheerful giver and in the Greek cheerful is translated “hilarious” so, as we enter this season of giving before getting all those gifts on your loved one’s wish lists let’s 1st give to God showing Him that we love what He loves, people! This Christmas as we sow our finances into God’s economy let’s believe for a “hilarious” harvest of souls as we launch into the New Year.

Also in this podcast I cast the vision for BPC Foreign Missions Giving and Going opportunities in 2012.

Just click the title of the blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

Next Sunday I’m beginning a new message series for Christmas entitled; “Once Upon a Time; God’s Timeless Story of Christmas Blessing.” Please join us for this special series that’ll take us through Christmas Eve and conclude on Christmas Day with Special Guest Speaker Rev. Greg Krowitz Jr.!

SHAPE: Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts

2011-11-21T14:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday during our morning service as a church family we went through our “SHAPE; Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts” class. Here’s what the Bible says about Spiritual Gifts;

Now about spiritual gifts I do not want you to be ignorant." 1 Cor. 12:1
A SPIRITUAL GIFT: Is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at their conversion, to be used to minister to others and therefore build up the Body of Christ

Below is the definition for the SHAPE Acronym and questions we should be asking ourselves through our Spiritual Gifts discovery process:

Spiritual Gifts "... Each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." 1 Cor. 7:7b WHAT AM I GIFTED TO DO?
Heart "For it is God who works in you, inspiring both the will and the deed, for his own chosen purpose!" Phil. 2:13 (NEB) WHAT DO I LOVE TO DO?
Abilities "There are different abilities to perform service..." 1 Cor. 12:6
WHAT NATURAL TALENTS AND SKILLS DO I HAVE?
Personality "No one can really know what anyone else is thinking or what he is really like, except that person himself." 1 Cor. 2:11 (LB)
WHERE DOES MY PERSONALITY BEST SUIT ME TO SERVE?
Experiences "And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Rom. 8:2,8
HOW WILL MY EXPERIENCES DETERMINE MY DIRECTION IN MINISTRY?

Workbooks along with a CD of this teaching are available near the Welcome/Information table in the lobby of the church.

Just click the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast web page.

Enjoy & be blessed!

BPC Sovereignty Celebration & lastest Podcast

2011-11-14T14:14:00.007-05:00

This past Sunday was yet another milestone in the history of BridgePoint Church because we became a Sovereign Assemblies of God church! (Sovereign meaning - we are now a fully functioning local church) We were so privileged and honored to have presiding over the Celebration Jeff Leake, Lead Pastor of Allison Park Church and founder of the MCM Pittsburgh Network of churches. Since 1996 APC has planted 10 churches with BPC being the 7th plant in 2007 beginning as a small group of only 6 people. It was through God’s provision, Pastor Jeff’s leadership & coaching plus the faithful support of APC’s congregation that BPC grew holding its Grand Opening Service on Palm Sunday 2008. Since that time we’ve become Incorporated, acquired our own building which we purchased for the amazing sum of $1.00 (ONE Dollar) and have taken on membership. So needless to say yesterday was a very BIG deal at BPC!
During the prayer time I announced that our Kids Guy, Steve Michalowski, received his License to Preach ministry credential then Jeff lead us in a prayer of blessing over Steve as our Missionary, Pat Summers, and BPC Board of Stewardship all gathered around him.

Jeff then delivered a powerful message entitled; “Stepping Into the Favor of the Lord”. I hesitate to give you the details cuz I’d like for you to listen to the podcast. You will be blessed cuz Jeff is THE BEST preacher in Western PA! (just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast web page)
Following the message Jeff asked me, Jim, Chester & Charlie, AKA BPC’s Board of Stewardship, to stand facing the congregation so that he could pray a prayer of blessing over us & the congregation of BPC! I just can’t put into words the feelings that came over me during that moment…it was so powerful!! Following the service we moved the party to the Lower Level of the church where we continued the celebration with Cake & Ice Cream!

We praise God for all the amazing things He’s done in the life of BPC in these few short years and we really can’t wait to see what He’s going to do in the years to come!

Final podcast in our Holy Spirit WHO?? Series

2011-11-06T16:36:00.003-05:00

BPC’s AWESOME Outreach Pastor, Maribeth Heshler, delivered the final message in our Holy Spirit WHO?? series with a talk on the Holy Spirit’s Healing Power and boy…did she deliver the goods!

Francie & I are so excited and honored to have Maribeth as a part of BPC’s staff! As an elementary student Maribeth attended our Jr Church services while we were Children’s Pastoring at APC back in the day. It’s during those years Maribeth felt the call of God for Foreign Missions. After High School Maribeth attended & graduated from Valley Forge Christian College with a Bachelors Degree in Missions. She also holds a License to Preach Credential with the Penn-Del District of the Assemblies of God. Maribeth has served the Lord in Costa Rica & Nicaraugua.

I know you’ll be blessed by Pastor Maribeth’s ministry as you listen to this podcast and…you know the drill. Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

God Bless!

Those With the Gifts podcast

2011-10-30T16:08:00.002-04:00

In every aspect of a Christ follower’s life, the Spirit points us to Jesus & pours out the love of God into our hearts. We are to live in the Spirit & by the Spirit so no aspect of our lives needs to lack His touch. What He did for the 1st century believers as they lived, worked, hoped and worshiped He wants to do for us today as well!

In order to be effective witnesses & servants for Christ we need the power of the Holy Spirit! Consider the disciples; while they were gathered in an upper room the Holy Spirit arrived filling each of them with His power so they could be witnesses proclaiming the gospel beginning in Jerusalem to Judea & Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

The coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost is referred to as “The Gift of the Spirit’ which is different from “The Gifts of the Spirit”. In this latest installment of our “Holy Spirit WHO?? series we focused the Gifts of the Spirit in a message entitled “Those With the Gifts.” In Ephesians the Spiritual Gifts listed are for the establishment of the church as a whole, in 1 Corinthians the Spiritual Gifts listed are for edification & encouragement of the local church & in Romans the Spiritual Gifts listed are for service & outreach. Believers can have a few Spiritual Gift’s & every believer has at least one.

You know the drill; just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

God bless & enjoy this talk on Spiritual Gifts!

You'll Know by the Fruit Podcast

2011-10-23T15:43:00.002-04:00

This AM at BPC I began a new message series entitled “Holy Spirit WHO??” Originally for the end of October I was planning on preaching a different series but I felt God directing me to talk about the 3rd Person of the Trinity.

The message was entitled, “You’ll Know by the Fruit” & we examine Galatians 5:22-23. As a local church established by God & recognized as His family we have to understand that for us to go to the next level in God we’ve got to trust in the fact that Jesus promised to grow His church; Matthew 16:18 I will build my church & the gates of hates will not overcome it. And we’ve got to know deep in our gut that God’s kingdom is going to be advanced in our community through the power of the Holy Spirit alive & active in each of our hearts. Zachariah 4:5 Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. Next week I’ll talk about the gifts of the Spirit & the following week Pastor Maribeth Heshler will speak on the Holy Spirit’s healing power. (you O Not want to miss that podcast!!)

All of these messages clearly show us that God didn’t leave us alone & helpless to fend to ourselves. Not only did He send His 1 & only Son Jesus, God has also given us His Spirit to be in the here & now right with us in our time & in our generation. I’m believing God’s life giving power will carry BPC to the next level as we are lead by & are walking in the Spirit.

Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast web page.

Enjoy!

BPC Team Membership Class

2011-10-19T15:10:00.003-04:00

So, you've checked out BPC or have been attending for some time & now you're thinking to yourself; "This church is cool, I can see myself becoming a part of this!" Well think no more because this Sunday October 23 2011 following our 10am service I’ll be teaching BPC's Next Step Membership Class. Back in May 2011 I taught this class during our Sunday morning service so if you were there, signed & turned in the Team Membership Form then you’re “Good To Go!” If not then after the service please make your way down to our newly renovated lower level for lunch. (We invite you to please bring $3.00 - $5.00)

Membership says: "I'm committed to a group of people who worship God, who hear & apply the word of God preached and who commit to the 'one another' through authentic relationships.” During the class you'll learn the history of BPC & what we believe as a church. I’ll also be teaching on what it means to be a member of God's family and how you can be a part of BPC's vision of "Connecting Real People to the Real God" in Tarentum & the Allegheny Valley.

And here’s the cool thing about this; those of you who have gone through this class will have your names appear on BPC’s Charter Membership Roster. If you’re planning on attending please call or email me by Friday October 21st.

FYI; the Steelers take on the Arizona Cardinals at 4pm so…you'll be out of there way before the kickoff.

Until Sunday

Molder of Dreams podcast

2011-10-17T15:38:00.002-04:00

On Sunday October 16 we held a Teacher Appreciation svc & luncheon at BPC and Molder of Dreams was the title of the message & the latest installment in our BPC podcast.

Maybe you’ve heard of Guy Doud before & maybe you haven’t. In 1986 Guy was voted America’s Teacher of the Year so I felt it appropriate to launch into this talk with a Guy Doud video who tells a story form his Jr High school years. I also conclude the talk with another short Guy Doud video. (He a very moving & entertaining speaker!)

In between those 2 videos our text comes from Acts 22:1-11 where we see Paul at the end of his 3rd missionary journey in Jerusalem under arrest & being lead to the barracks. But…before he’s taken from the out of control crowd he’s given permission to speak.

I soo hope you’ll click the title of this blog post so you can be directed to our podcast web page & listen to the message!

enjoy

Family Service Podcast with Pastor Steve

2011-10-10T16:30:00.005-04:00

This past Sunday at BridgePoint we hosted our Family Service. The BPC Fam Svc is a special time when our Floodgate Kids elementary students get to join the adults in the sanctuary for games, prizes and yes…candy! Pastor Steve even got Miss Francie involved in the “Ring Toss” game! (checkout the look on Pastor Maribeth’s face…soo hilarious!!)

As you know Steve Michalowski is BPC’s Children’s Pastor and he preached a great message entitled, “Ungrateful Faith”. Speaking on Matthew 17:20 where Jesus talked about having faith as small as a mustard seed Pastor Steve showed us that our faith grows through life’s challenges when we practice it, persist in it and proclaim it!
I so appreciate Steve & his heart for the kids of Tarentum! And a big SHOUT OUT to BPC’s wonderful Intern Shelby for being a great assistant to Pastor Steve every Sunday morning during our Floodgate kids elementary service! God has so blessed BPC with such a great staff and Francie & I are really blessed to be serving alongside these anointed ministers!!

To listen to the message & be blessed by the worship afterwards just click the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

Discover the difference between a need and a want through...grumbling & complaining

2011-10-07T14:24:00.003-04:00

For the past 10 days I’ve been off of the Twitter, Facebook & Blogging sphere, radar or whatever you want to call it cuz Francie & I were on vacation in Fort Lauderdale, FL and I’m here to tell you the sun shined everyday day! I’m so blessed to have such an amazing wife & I enjoyed spending every minute with only her! I love you Francie Krowitz!!

At BPC this past Sunday Jim Biernesser filled in preaching a powerful message from Exodus about discovering the difference between a need and a want through…grumbling and complaining. Thanks to not only Jim for speaking but also to our Outreach Director, Maribeth for MCing the service!

Click the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage to listen to the message.

final podcast in BPC's Tough Questions series

2011-10-07T14:21:00.002-04:00

What About Those Who’ve Never Heard of God or Jesus, What’s Gonna happen to Them? is the final podcast in our “Tough Questions” message series so rather than giving it all away now I’m hoping you’ll just “click” the title of this blog post then be directed to our podcast webpage and listen to the message for yourself.

Enjoy!

If Christianity is True, Why is the Church SO Full of Hypocrates?

2011-09-18T17:22:00.002-04:00

We continue our “Tough Questions” series with a message entitled; “If Christianity is True, Why is the Church SO Full of Hypocrites?”

Has this question ever crossed your mind? Before I knew Christ it crossed my mind many times. I don’t have an answer for that Tough Question except to say that one day we’re all gonna stand before God & give an account of all the things we did or didn’t do, the stuff we said or didn’t say. But here are 3 interesting things about this that I do know…

The Church should be full of hypocrites; Jesus founded His church to bring Real people into a relationship with His father & to help them to be more like God. So, if a church is doing what God wants it to do, it will be attracting people who look & act like they need a Savior. Does this excuse arrogant, immature, hypocritical behavior? No, but maybe it explains it a little.

Not all Christians are hypocrites; Let’s get this straight, we shouldn’t pass judgment on a person or group of people based on a negative experience cuz many Christians aren’t perfect but are authentic.

Jesus was not a hypocrite; The ultimate issue about Christianity is always gonna center around the person of Jesus & if Jesus was a hypocrite then following Him is senseless. Throughout the Gospels we see many tried to undermine Jesus but couldn’t find hypocrisy in Him.

Hope you enjoy this latest message from BPC! Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

Tough Questions message series

2011-09-11T17:19:00.002-04:00

Our September message series at BPC is “Tough Questions” and when it comes to the things of God there are so many Tough Questions out there on a lot of people’s minds, wouldn’t you say? The TQ’s we won’t be asking are ones like “What’s Heaven Gonna Be Like?” or “Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?” The TQ’s we’ll tackle this September 2011 are one’s that are a part of our everyday lives, are one’s that most people are thinking about but might be hesitant to ask.

Tough Questions like, “If Christianity is True Then Why is the Church So Full of Hypocrites?” (The topic of our next podcast) “The Bible; Is It True, Who Wrote It & What About the Errors?” as well as “What’s the Point of Problems & How in the Heck Do I get Rid of Them?” are our 2 most recent podcast’s which, if you click the title of this blog post you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

Do you have a few Tough Questions rolling about in your head? Well, this September they may be the very same ones we’ll be discussing at BridgePoint Church.

Restoring Your Passion podcast

2011-08-29T08:11:00.003-04:00

This is the final podcast in BPC’s “Making a World of Difference in Our World” message series and hopefully all you BPCers have been encouraged by Paul words as we’ve briefly perused the book of Romans during the month of August.

Our theme verse has been Romans 1:16-17a I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes….For in the Gospel righteousness from God is revealed…

In this podcast we’ll examine Romans 12:1-2; two very powerful verses that instruct us on offering ourselves to God as living sacrifices (listen to the podcast for clarity & explanation on this statement), testing, approving and knowing God’s good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives. In reality it’s all about yielding, separating and allowing God to transform our minds so…

The best thing for you to do right now is to click on the title of this blog post and you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage where you can listen to the message.

Be blessed!

BPC’s latest podcast & new addition to our staff

2011-08-22T13:38:00.005-04:00

“Living with Integrity” is the latest podcast in BPC’s August 2011 message series “Making a World of Difference in Our World.”

Charles Evens Hughes, Chief Justice of the United States from1930-41 once said; A man has to live with himself and he should always see to it that he has good company. Integrity is paramount as to whether or not we genuinely reach people for Christ. Living a life of integrity determines whether or not we hit our personal goals, hopes & dreams so Integrity is the very thing that catapults us towards our future or drops us like a hot rock! Integrity shows up thru the HS’s power active in you. Also on this podcast, I’m excited to welcome Maribeth Heshler to the BPC staff as our Outreach Director. Maribeth has a passion for the lost & will be instrumental in helping BPC continue to “Connect Real People to the Real God” in Tarentum & the AK Valley. The pic above is how I remember Maribeth as an elementary student coming to Jr Church at APC when I was the Children's pastor.

Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

BPC's August Message Series

2011-08-17T16:40:00.002-04:00

Hey, so sorry that we weren’t able to upload the 1st talk in BPC’s August message series; “Making a World of Difference in our World” but we do have the 2nd message uploaded so here it is

“Making a World of Difference Takes Courage”, it took courage for the Apostle Paul to make a difference & it’s certainly take courage for us. Listen as I explain the process.

Click on the title of this blogpost & you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage.

Final podcast in BPC's July message series; Getting to Know God

2011-08-01T16:25:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday we Got to Know God through Desperation. Isn’t it interesting that statics show the majority of people who come to Christ do so during a time of desperation. Fearful or anxious people often begin looking for something greater than themselves to ease the pain in life.
But it’s not enough just to hope to get next to God when you come to Him… YOU gotta want to spiritually touch Him! In desperation a significant touch from God through the power of the Holy Spirit helps us to touch as many people as possible for the kingdom while changing us forever. How many what to see the Holy Spirit flowing freely just like oil in your life touching God & touching others?

Well, it’s not enough to be a part of the crowd…you gotta want to touch Him!

Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page!

BPC's very latest podcast

2011-07-21T15:08:00.004-04:00

Here's BPC's very latest podcast from this past Sunday; July 17 2011.

July's message series has been; "Getting to Know God" and the title of this talk is..."Through Dependence." Life sometimes seems just like a rollarcoaster ride with it's many twists n turns, ups n downs & would'nt it be so great if we could depend on others to keep us "in our seats" so to speak just like we depend on the lap bar in a rollarcoaster car?

Although a great prophet of God & a man of great strengths & weaknesses, Elijah was on similar coaster rides just like us today. But...during his rides on earth he learned through Dependence on God that by Prayer, Purpose & Passion his Possibilities could turn in Realities & it's through that Dependence he really Got to Know God!

As a side note; thanks so much to all you BPCers for your great comments during our July series! I get soo encouraged when you get encouraged through our messages allowing God to grow you in your relationship with Him through the person & the power of the Holy Spirit!

Just click the title of this podcast & you'll be directed to our podcast page.

Getting to Know God Through...Sacrifice podcast

2011-07-21T13:46:00.003-04:00

Sorry this podcast from Sunday July 10th wasn't uploaded sooner but here is is anyway!

On Sunday July 10 2011 BPC celebrated purchaing a church building for...$1.00 cuz this congregation knows what it means to "Get to Know God...Through Sacrifice"! While honoring the former congregations sacrifices from the past, I talked about Jephthah whose mentioned in the "Faith Chapter" of Hebrews 13 and whose story of extreme living and sacrfice for God is found in Judges chapter 11.

Just click the title of this blogpost & you'll be directed to our podcast page. Hope you enjoy the message as we celebrated is great milestone in the life of BPC!

BIG news for BridgePoint Church

2011-07-11T17:00:00.007-04:00

Yesterday during our service we made a BIG announcement; the board & congregation of the First Christian Church of Tarentum (the building BPC has been meeting in for almost 2 years) has decided to bless BridgePoint with the church building and their financial assets! If that’s not so great enough the cost of the building was…are you ready??? $1.00!!!!! You read that right, BPC paid ONE DOLLAR for the building!!!!!

Needless to say we are praising the Lord for this HUGE milestone in the life of BPC and we are praising the Lord for FCC who over the last year & a half has been a big part of helping us to “Connect Real People to the Real God” in Tarentum and the Allegheny Valley. On behalf of BPC I want to say thank you to FCC’s board; Charlie Mortimer, Jack Kison & Dan Barr and thank you to their members! We are honored that you have so generously passed this torch onto us and are so blessed to have all of you as a part of the BridgePoint family! Together we’ll continue to Embrace Real People with the Love of God, Engage Real People into a relationship with Jesus & God’s family and…together we’ll continue to help Real People Emerge into their full potential in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit!

I also want to say thanks honoring those members of FCC who have gone before us since the church began in 1901 right up to the construction of the current building which was dedicated in 1924. I’m told at that time about 20 members took out personal notes from their banks raising about $50,000 of the $65,000 cost to construct the church building that we’ve just been blessed with which sits on the corners of East 9th Ave & Corbett Sts in Tarentum.

And…on behalf of Francie & myself as well as BPC’s board & congregation I want to say a BIG thank you to Pastor Jeff, Pastor Nick, the board, staff & congregation of our Mother church Allison Park Church who so graciously planted BPC back in March of 2008! I want all of you to know that because of your love & generosity for the Lord & Kingdom things through the MCM Network we really are "Changing the World One Life at a Time!"

BPC's Latest Podcast

2011-06-20T14:08:00.002-04:00

We had a great service this past Sunday celebrating Father’s Day at BPC! Not only did we acknowledge & honor all the Dads in attendance but we also blessed each Dad with a cool gift, a 18 in 1 screw driver which I know will come in handy! I hope all of you BPC Dads had a very happy & relaxing Father’s Day yesterday!

During the service I concluded June’s 2 part series entitled “In Need of a Miracle” with the message “Don’t Abandon the Ship!” Not only did we talk about Titanic, the great ocean liner that sank in the North Atlantic on 4/14/12 but we also discussed Jesus’ parable of the Lost Son closely examining his father’s response to him (the youngest son) upon his return home.

Rather than me giving away all the good stuff, you can listen to this message for yourself. Just click on the title of this blog post and you’ll be directed to our podcast webpage. Hope you’re blessed by this word about forgiveness and generosity!

What Makes a Dad

2011-06-20T13:28:00.002-04:00

A few people have asked for a copy of the "What Makes a Dad" poem I read on Sunday so, it's written out below. Enjoy!

"What Makes a Dad" Author Unknown
God took the strengthof a mountain, the majesty of a tree, the warmth of a summer sun, the calm of a quiet sea, the generous soul of nature, the comforting arm of night, the wisdom of the ages, the power of the eagle's flight, the joy of a morning in spring, the faith of a mustard seed, the patience of eterntiy, the depth of a family need, then God combined these qualities, and there was nothing more to add, He knew His masterpiece was complete, and so, He called it - Dad.

Again this year a great BPC Outdoor Service & Picnic!

2011-06-13T12:47:00.004-04:00

Once agin this years BPC Outdoor Service & Picnic in Riverview Park was a great success! After a very quick sprinkle the clouds broke up & the sun began to shine all afternoon and it stayed rather cool...not too hot! Thanks so much for all of your encouraging comments regarding the music & the message, Francie & I really appreciated your kinds words! And after the service...what a feast!! Thank you soo much to everyone who brought something to share. As always BPC has THE BEST cooks in the AG Valley! And... the kids has soo much fun too. Thanks to Mr Steve and our awesome summer intern Shelby for making all of that happen! And finally thanks to all the guys who transported all of the stuff to & from the park, I so appreciate all that you guys did for the Lord yesterday!

BPC Outdoor Svc & FREE Picnic at Riverview Park

2011-06-11T10:15:00.003-04:00

You don’t want to miss this Sunday at BridgePoint Church cuz it’s our 4th annual Outdoor Service & FREE Picnic at Tarentum’s beautiful Riverview Park!

The service starts at 11AM in the “band shell” area of the park so please make sure you’re there & bring someone with you for kickin’ music that will lead us into what I’m believing is a inspiring & challenging message for our church as we jump into summer 2011.

Following the service let the feasting begin! We’re having the most famous, mouth watering chicken you have ever, & I mean EVER, tasted as well as a banquet of the most delicious “blue ribbon” dishes you have ever, & I mean EVER, seen! If you call BPC home you are most definitely invited to bring something to eat & something sweet to share!

Hey kids, don’t forget to bring your friends cuz Mr Steve is having for you guys the World’s longest Slip n Slide as well as cotton candy, games and of course…CANDY!

The weather man says it’ll be a great day so please don’t come to BPC alone, bring someone with you for a great time!

PS: only if it's raining cats & dogs will we meet at the church instead.

Passing on the Dream Podcast

2011-05-16T13:42:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday I had the honor of dedicating to the Lord little Riley Borg & Isaac Brown so it was very appropriate we continue in our “Dream Chasers” series with the 3rd message entitled; “Passing on the Dream”.

Just like in Acts 2 God is still pouring out dreams & visions on all people in our time & generation. Not only does God want us to have a dream that comes from Him & reach that dream…He wants us to pass on those dreams and 2 of the ways we can do that is through speaking & praying Blessings and through Mentoring/Coaching or Apprenticing. Now, I’m not gonna give you the details of the message so you’ll just have to listen to the podcast but…I am passing along the example prayer I read on Sunday of speaking a blessing over your children. Also; I forget to credit Mark W. Merrill with the prayer.

To hear this latest podcast just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

God Bless

Example of Praying/Speaking Blessing over Children:
[Child's name], you are my [daughter, son], whom I love; with you I am well pleased. (for a teenager or young adult -You are no longer a little [girl, boy] You are now a [woman, man]. You are well equipped with everything you need to fulfill your destiny as a [woman, man] of God.) Before the foundation of the earth, God Almighty planned for your life Psalm 139 says that He created your inmost being. He knit you together in your mother's womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. All the days ordained for you were written by God even before you were born. (Here, name all of the wonderful attributes and character traits of your child. For example, for your daughter you might say something like, "God has made you intelligent--you have a strong mind. God has made you beautiful. I've also noticed since the time you were a little girl that our Lord has given you a great ability to understand right and wrong, good and evil. You get along with everyone and are well-respected and well thought of by others. You are a leader and have used your leadership skills to make wise decisions concerning your friends and in many other areas of your life.") I am beyond joyful that God has given you to our family as a gift. You are a wonderful [daughter, son]. I love you and bless you with the promises, of God. You are His and have been set apart from the world for his Holy purposes. I bless you with God's everlasting love, wisdom, peace, and joy. I bless you with sexual purity, marital fidelity, and many children of your own. May God continue to keep His hand of favor on you and prosper you in all that you do, and may you serve our Lord Jesus Christ all the days of your life. Amen.

Reaching Your Dream podcast

2011-05-08T13:18:00.002-04:00

On this Mother’s Day 2011 we examined Exodus chapters 1 & 2 where we read of a tale of 2 Moms who were from opposite ends of culture and social class - a slave Jochebed and a Princess the daughter of Pharaoh. Not only did they share a common son but also 2 qualities that describes Mom’s to a “T”; Determination and Ingenuity.

Godly determination and ingenuity when filtered thru the Holy Spirit are imparted by God to help us stay in our “seats’ during life’s Roller Coaster rides so we can not only chase after the dreams He has for us but we can also reach them!

You know the drill; click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

Happy Mother’s Day, God Bless and enjoy the message!

Having a Dream podcast

2011-05-01T17:19:00.002-04:00

My message series in May is “Dream Chasers” & the 1st podcast is entitled “Having a Dream”

The dreams & visions we’ll be talking about during May are ones that can only come from God Almighty Himself! Having a dream from God is imparted by the Holy Spirit giving you something 2 chase after that fuels your life with purpose, causes you to grow in God & glorifies the Lord along the way and just like in Acts 2 God is still pouring out His dreams & visions on all people today so, He wants you to have a dream that’s worth chasing after!

Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

God bless & enjoy!

BPC 3 Year Annversary Video

2011-04-17T19:16:00.008-04:00

Celebrating all that God has done through BPC over the past year!

Just click on the title of this blog post & you'll be directed to our Vimeo video webpage.

Palm Sunday 2011 & BPC's 3 Year Anniversary

2011-04-17T18:38:00.005-04:00

Today was a really great day at BPC cuz we not only celebrated Palm Sunday we also celebrated 3 years of ministry to Tarentum, PA & the the entire Alleghen Valley! It was so fantastic talking about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jesusalem & revisiting the vision & mission of BridgePoint Church...and that stronger than ever!

BPC was strategically planted by God's design & an incrediable home church; Allison Park Church, so we're forever greatful to Pastor's Jeff & Nick as well as the congregation of APC. Lives are being chagned forever, you can be sure of that!

The vision of BPC you ask well...ask any BPCer & they'll tell you it's all about Connecting Real People to the Real God...the misson you may also ask?? Well that just flows off a BPCers tongue with ease; Embracing Real People with the love of God through our Svc's & Outreach events...to Engage Real People in a loving realtionship with Chrsit & the family of God-the church and...to help Real People realize their purpose in life while Emerging into their full potential in God.

Thanks soo much to all you BPCers who've made it all happen over the past 3 Years, Francie & I really love you & appreciate your dedication to the cause of Christ through BPC...we can't do it all without you!

Just click on the title of this blog post & enjoy the message. Happy Anniversary BPC!

BPC's Latest Podcast

2011-04-11T16:11:00.003-04:00

During BPC’s latest podcast we asked the question; “What in the world constitutes being great?”

When I hear the word great I think of the boxer Mohammad Ali who in the 60’s/70’s continually said; "I am the greatest!" bringing attention to himself & the sport of boxing. Or maybe great is defined as something Big like…The Great Barrier Reef, something fast like…The Great White Shark or a strong country like Great Britain. In our culture UP is the path to being great but with God the path to greatness is not UP but...DOWN!

Think about Jesus; His path to greatness was not the typical one. Jesus came down into the world coming down to live among His greatest creation-people & once His life began on earth He never stopped descending. The Highest came to serve the lowest & in God’s eyes Jesus became the greatest of the great.

That’s what you’ll hear when you click on the title of this blog post cuz you’ll then be directed to our podcast page so, enjoy "Who is the Greatest? The Humble Servant, That's Who!"

3 Keys to Being an Effective Spiritual Bridge Builder

2011-03-13T13:16:00.005-04:00

Here’s the latest podcast in our Bridge Builders message series entitled 3 Keys to Being an Effective Bridge Builder. In John 4:1-26 we see the story of Jesus & the women at the well & we discovered how He used a common interest, an intriguing question and a confident response to get her thinking about her need for God. We also have to get a hold of the fact that our culture needs God too & that God has not only saved us thru the cross, the ultimate bridge, but He’s also recruited us to be spiritual Bridge Builders for Him helping to Connect Real People to Himself!

Click the title of this blog post…you’ll be directed to our podcast page…click on the message…it’s that simple & easy so, be blessed!

Bridge Builders

2011-03-07T14:49:00.005-05:00

Sunday I kicked off a brand new message series entitled “Bridge Builders.” If you’re a Christ follower then you’ve been recruited by God to be a spiritual bridge builder and even though we’re all wired up differently we can help Connect Real People to the Real God in a way that’s most comfortable for each of us.
It’s because of the Cross & through the power of the Holy Spirit that in conversation we can take people from “How about this weather!” to “Have you ever thought about what heaven’s gonna be like?” building a spiritual bridge that encourages them to cross over life’s obstacles embracing a decision for Jesus, engaging them in a relationship with God & His family, the church and… eventually helping them emerge into their full God given potential.

THE CROSS became the ultimate bridge that connects mankind to God so it’s about time you joined the workforce. God’s the architect, Jesus is the general contractor & we are the laborers cuz the harvest is plentiful!

You know the drill; just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

BPC’s latest podcast "Showing Up During Crisis"; the final message in our Home Improvement series

2011-03-01T15:54:00.004-05:00

Hey all you BPCers; just to repeat what I said on Sunday…my prayer for you during our Home Improvement series was that the Holy Spirit has showed up in your life encouraging you to take that one step closer to God especially in those relationships that hit us closest to home!

“Showing Up During Crisis” is the final podcast in this series so, just like we did on Sunday please repeat this out loud’ “In crisis, God needs to show up & so do I!” When crisis rocks our world, the world of others we are closest to & in our community God needs to show up & so do we! Big thanks to Karen & Melissa for sharing their “showing up” story, you both touched a lot hearts on Sunday!

Hey, I don’t want to give the rest of it away so you’ll just have to listen to the podcast. Click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

On Sunday I’m starting a new message series entitled “Bridge Builders” so I hope to see you at BRIDGEPoint church this Sunday! “Bridge Builders”…”BRIDGEPoint”…you’ll get it.

God Bless

Always Obey & Don't Be a Horse's Patootie

2011-02-20T14:49:00.002-05:00

When we change our attitudes through the power of the Holy Spirit we’ve transform our outlook & expectations regarding how we contribute to those relationships that hit us closet to home.. When we adjust our lives making our families a priority, especially with our kids, grandkids and even our parents & grandparents, we’re saying; You’re important to me, I value & honor you. When we submit, willingly place ourselves under Gods authority & the authority our spiritual leaders, the Holy Spirit helps us thru the refining process bringing times of refreshing & Gods hand of favor rests on our lives & all of our relationships.

This thought is at the center of this lasted installment in our “Home Improvement” message series. As we check out Ephesians 6:1-4 we discover Paul’s words to the parents n kids of Ephesus can not only apply to that type of relationship but also apply all of our other relationships as well.

The title of the message; “Always Obey & Don’t Be a Horse’s Patootie”. I know , I know… but very creative none the less…don’t you think? Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to out podcast page so listen up & enjoy!

God's Adverturer & God's Romantic

2011-02-13T15:07:00.001-05:00

So, Valentine’s Day is one of those holiday’s that hits us close to home regarding male & female relationships that are more than just casual acquaintances. While for most of these relationships and marriages Valentine’s Day sends us to cloud 9 there are however, many guys & gals out there who distain this utterly romantic celebration. Love him? You’re joking! or Give her my affections? No way! Relationships can be difficult & marriage takes work so, in order to have success in all of our relationships we’ve got to learn to be Servant Imitators of Christ! And that’s what this latest BPC podcast is all about.

Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page!

BPC Small Groups & the 1st podcast in our "Home Improvement" message series

2011-02-07T13:55:00.002-05:00

February is CONNECTION month here at BridgePoint Church so now’s the time to jump into a small group – Men’s, Women’s & a weekly study through the Book of Acts! Check out www.bridgepointchurch.cc or grab a small group information card on the table in the foyer the next time you’re @ church!

Speaking of connections, yesterday I started a new series of talks for February regarding relationships entitled; “Home Improvement” The crux of this message series is intentionally Investing in those relationships that hit us close to home. Once we’ve invested it’s now time to Invite those people around us to take a step towards Christ.

The 1st talk in the series was; “What’s Family For?” If you know Jesus then God has given you 2 families; a spiritual family & a natural family. Listen to this podcast & get an idea of how we can function effectively in both!

Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed directly to our podcast page then the rest is up to you so listen away. Hope you enjoy the message!

Picking for the Trinity; the final; message in our January series

2011-01-30T19:19:00.004-05:00

So here’s the question; if you live in PGH have you had enough of the snow yet and…are you ready for Super Bowl 45 Steelers vs Packers?? 7 days away & counting as the Steelers try for their 7th Lombardi!!

This week while you’re waiting for the kick off take a listen to my final message in our January Spiritual Pickers series; “Picking for the Trinity”. The great mystery of the Godhead-a Divine Being existing in 3 distinct Persons each displaying knowledge, intelligence, feeling, affection & wisdom. It’s all about the Father, Son & the Holy Spirit & although the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible this truth is supported in scripture as a foundational doctrine of what we believe.

Just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page and…Go Steelers!!

Pat Summers delivers "Picking to Give & Not Receive" podcast

2011-01-24T13:10:00.003-05:00

Yesterday at BridgePoint we hosted Pastor Pat & Pam Summers, our good friends & BPC Missionaries.

Pat delivered a powerful talk explaining how through BPC’s giving we’ve been able to impact lives in different parts of the world through his missionary organization; Think Missions. Pat then continued our Spiritual Pickers series with a message entitled “Picking to Give and Not Receive.” Pat centered his message around these 3 biblical points; Sacrificed or Redeemed, The First of the First and Consecrated or Cursed.

If you want to know more about Think Missions, Pat Summers or would like to get involved, just click on the link below.

http://www.thinkmissions.org/

You know the drill; just click on the title of this blog post & you’ll be directed to our podcast page. I know you’ll be blessed by Pat’s message…I was!

Picking for Gold in Relationships podcast

2011-01-16T15:17:00.003-05:00

Hey guys, here it is and right quick too!

BPC's latest Podcast, "Picking for Gold in Relationships" in our current message series "Spiritual Pickers". It's all about the importance of being in Community & building Relationships cuz "We're Better Together" let's all repeat that now..."We're Better Together..." great Job! Give yourselves a hand. (clap, clap, clap...)

You know the drill; just click the title of this blogpost & you'll be directed to our podcast page. Enjoy...once again now..."we're better together..."

Picking Over Fasting and Prayer Podcast

2011-01-11T21:55:00.005-05:00

Hey, I hope all you BPCers are enjoying our "Spiritual Pickers" series!

Every January we begin the new year with a season of fasting and prayer so for 4 days, from Sunday through Wednesday, BPCers have been setting aside extra time to pray and fast for more of God in their lives and in the life of BPC. You are invited to join us on Wednesday January 12 7pm at the church for an hour of Praise, Worship & Communion to conclude our season of prayer & fasting.

This podcast message not only talks about prayer but also highlights a type of fasting called "The Daniel Fast" referencing Daniel chapter 1:6-17 where Daniel & his 3 friends denied themselves King Nebuchadnezzar's royal food eating only vegetables & drinking water resulting in these 4 guys looking healthier and better nourished than the other young men who were the king's 3 year government training program.

If you'd like more imformation about this type of fasting, Pastor Craig Groechel recommends a book by Susan Gregory entitled "The Daniel Fast; Start the New Year with 21 Days of Fasting and Prayer". I have not read the book but if Craig recommends it then I'm sure it's worth the read!

Just click on the title of this post & you'll be directed to BPC's podcast page to listen to "Picking Over Fasting and Prayer".

Be Blessed!!

"Picking" Through the Bible podcast

2011-01-06T14:13:00.003-05:00

Here's the 1st message for the New Year from BPC in our Spiritual Pickers message series; "Picking" through the Bible or....How to read your Bible getting the most out of what you read so you can apply the principles & precepts to your life...or something like that; maybe not as long....LOL!

Just click the title of this blogpost & you'll be directed to our podcast web page.

Happy New Year & Spiritual Pickers

2011-01-01T15:09:00.003-05:00

I just want to take an opportunity on this 1st day of a brand new year & decade, 1.1.11, to wish everyone a very happy, healthy & God filled new year. And to our BPC family; we’re believing God’s best for all of your lives in 2011 as we embrace the word spoken over us, Haggai 2:9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” Now that’s really something to launch into 2011 with!!

Speaking of launching…tomorrow, January 2 @ 10am, we are launching a brand new message series entitled; “Spiritual Pickers” based on the history Channel’s documentary reality TV series “American Pickers”. So bummed though that Mike & Frankie will not be making an appearance, (Boo-Hoo) but we will have a Mike & Frankie video to show you. (I hope that make things a little better.) Our 1st message in this series is “Picking Through the Bible” or How to read your Bible so you can get the most out of what you’re reading or.... something like that. At the end of the message we’ll be having communion together on this 1st Sunday of 2011!

There are a lot of other things happening in January @ BPC so please check our website for all the “skinny”! http://www.bridgepointchurch.cc/

See you tomorrow!

BPC's New Years Eve Blessing; Dec 31 6:30-7:30pm

2010-12-30T11:22:00.003-05:00

Please be a part of BPC’s 2nd annual New Years Eve Blessing that's happening at the church this Friday December 31 from 6:30-7:30pm. My pastor Jeff Leake best describes the importance & impact a blessing has on all of our lives;

“Speaking blessing is a practice recorded as early as the book of Genesis. Jacob blesses (speaks in faith) over his son Joseph and his two grandsons (Genesis 48:15-16)
“May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
—may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.

Blessing involves several powerful ingredients:
1. Vision = the person speaking pictures a positive & powerful future for the person being blessed.
2. Affirmation = laying hands on someone and speaking in faith is security-building for a young person.
3. Prayer = as we speak in faith based upon God's promises, we align our words with God's Word and release the power of prayer.
4. Prophesy = often as I am speaking blessing, I am giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to speak through me something that is prophetic into the heart of someone. The gift of prophesy (1 Cor 14) is to strengthen, encourage, or comfort - often that is happening.
5. Protection = when I bless my kids or speak in faith over my congregation, I am extending the 'spiritual covering' of my life. I am asking God to keep that which is under my care.

If you want to be 'blessed' or to have your entire family experience a 'prayer of blessing' as we prepare to enter a new year” please come out to BPC on New Years Eve from 6:30-7:30pm.

BPC's final podcast of the Decade

2010-12-28T09:04:00.005-05:00

Well folks, here it is; BPC's final podcast of the decade! The message; "...Is a Fresh Start"...the series; "All I Want for Christmas...".

You know the routine...just click the title of this blogpost & you'll be directed to our podcast page. Thanks so much to Justin for making this happen every week!

Hoping you're blessed by BPC's final message of 2010!

An Answewr to My Prayers Podcast

2010-12-24T10:35:00.005-05:00

Every Christmas the Pastors of the Pittsburgh MCM Network colaberate on the December message series & I gotta tell ya, it's such a blessing to be a part of a great network of Churches & pastors. Throughout the year we get together twice a month for conversation, idea sharing, encouragement & a whole lot of fun.

This year 4 or 5 of the MCM churches located throughout the North Hills of PGH are preaching encouraging messages designed around a common theme..."All I Want for Christmas..." some of the message titles include; "A Satisfied Soul", "A Normal Family" & "An Answer to My Prayers" just to name a few. Checkout http://www.mcmnetwork.org/ to find out more about how you can be a part of this incredible network of churches making a difference for the Kingdom here in Southwestern PA!

Ok so, here's BPC's latest podcast "An Answer to My Prayers" in our "All I Want for Christmas" message series. Just click the title of this blog post & you'll be directed to our podcast page.

Most of the churches on our MCM Network will be having services this evening for Christmas Eve; the MCM webpage will direct you to the MCM church closest to your community so be sure to check one of us out!

If you live near Tarentum you're invited to celebrate the birth of Christ with us this eveing for our 3rd annual Candlelight Christmas Eve service beginning at 7pm; 400 East 9th Ave in Tarentum. Just look for the beautiful red brick church with the awesome white columns in the front! God bless & Merry Christmas!

BPC's newest Staff Member

2010-12-20T17:44:00.003-05:00

Yesterday during our service we welcomed a new Children’s Director to our Staff; Steve Michalowski.

Steve grew up in Mars, Pa attending Allison Park Church, with his family who are good friends with Francie & me. While in 4th grade Steve got his start in Children’s ministry helping me in Jr Church while I was the Children’s Pastor at APC. Over the years Steve continued serving kids learning alot & wanting to be a part of every aspect of Children’s ministry. After high school Steve felt called to ministry & attended the MCM Ministry School.

Steve is currently pursuing License minister credentials with the Assemblies of God & he lives at home with his family; His Dad Mike has worked at Allegheny Ludlum here in Tarentum for a number of years & his Mom Maria is the site director of Network of Hope. Steve has a younger sister Abby & a pit bull named Brutus.

Now at 22 Steve, continues to have a heart for kids to come to know Jesus & is looking forward to reaching out to the children of Tarentum & showing them the love of Christ not only through words but through his actions as well.

Welcome to the team Steve!

Also; the BPC podcast from Sunday December 12th is up so just click the title of this blog & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

You just gotta listen to this podcast!

2010-12-09T09:35:00.003-05:00

You just gotta listen to this podcast cuz we had a powerful service last Sunday! Click on the title of this blog & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

BPC hosted Pastor Cullen Allen, Director of Student Ministries at Allison Park Church/Director of the MCM Ministry School, along with a number of his ministry school students who lead us in an awesome time of Praise & Worship!

This podcast begins while ministry school worship leader Shay is ending a song he wrote & preformed during our offering time. I then invited the church to pray for one of our BPCer’s whose a Major in the Air Force & is being deployed to Iraq for the next 4 months. Cullen then began the message portion of the service by speaking a word of Prophecy over Francie, me & BPC quoting Haggai 2:9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,” says the Lord Almighty. “And in this place I will grant peace,” declares the Lord Almighty.” Needless to say we were so encouraged & blessed by that word! Cullen then delivered a powerful message from Luke 7:37-47 about the woman who kissed Jesus’ feet, washed His feet with her tears & then dried His feet with her hair. Cullen encouraged us to “not let failure paralyze us, he reminded us “the greater the failure the greater the forgiveness” and that “God can turn our failures into fresh starts.” Cullen then invited people to receive Christ & rededicate their live to Him and quite a number of people responded to his invitation!

I’m tellin ya, if you missed last Sunday at BPC you missed a great service but…not to worry….we’re gonna have another great service this Sunday at 10am so you just gotta be there!

Reaching the Claimed Land

2010-11-30T15:31:00.004-05:00

Well, here it is...the final installment in our November message series; "Pilgrims; Moving to a New Frontier".

I hope you've been inspired & challaged as much as I have during this series! Please click on the title of this blog & enjoy; "Reaching the Claimed Land"

Back in the Saddle

2010-11-23T11:58:00.004-05:00

I so want to thank my friend Fiore Londino Sr. for speaking at BPC 2 Sunday's ago but, I have to tell you that I was glad to be back in the saddle last Sunday.

Eastward Ho! was the message; Pilgrims; Moving to a New frontier is the series. Just click the title of this blog & you'll be directed to our podcast page.

Enjoy!

BPC's lastest podcast featuring guest speaker; Fiore Londino Sr.

2010-11-16T08:31:00.003-05:00

Here’s the latest podcast from our November message series, “Pilgrims; Moving to a New Frontier” featuring our guest speaker, Fiore Londino Sr.

Fiore had an incredibly “H I P” message entitled; “Pilgrim, Not Orphans” Ephesians 1:17-21; Encouraging us that God desires we possess intimate knowledge of the Hope, Inheritance & Power we have in Christ!!

So, here he is; born n raised in the AG Valley, a great friend of BPC & Me… Fiore Londino Sr.!

Just click the title of this blog & you’ll be directed to our podcast page.

Prayer & Planning for BPC in 2011

2010-11-10T16:36:00.004-05:00

For a few hours yesterday & today I set aside some time to fast, pray & plan for BPC services & events in 2011 so, here’s a tiny sneak preview of what’ll be happen @ BridgePoint…

Our January message series will be “Spiritual Pickers” Check out the history channel’s American Pickers with Mike & Frank to get an idea of where I’ll be going with this one!

March will go out like a Lion with “Bridge Builders”, Water Baptism & BPC’s very 1st membership class.

We’re ramping up April with excitement leading up to Easter Sunday, which by the way is late in 2011; Sunday the 24th. April includes our annual Easter Bash & Egg Hunt & then on Palm Sunday it’s BPC’s 3 year Anniversary & Membership Sunday!

The 5th month of the year not only brings May Flowers but “Dream Chasers”, Mother’s Day & Baby Dedications!

Outdoor service & picnic in June at Tarentum’s beautiful Riverview Park!

B 4 U head out of town on vacation in July be sure to hook up with BPC any of those 5 Sunday’s of the month for “Getting to Know God” with topics like; “What God Knows About You”, “Where is God When I Need Him?”&“Releasing God’s Power in Your Life!”

Shall I give you August – December?? I don’t think so cuz that’s gotta be enough for now.

2011 is going to be a very exciting year at BPC & it’s going to be a very exciting year for Y O U!

BPC's latest podcast; The Call to Pilgrimage

2010-11-09T15:23:00.006-05:00

Here's the lastest podcast from BPC, the 1st installment in our November 2010 message series; Pilgrims; Moving to a New Frontier.

"The Call to Pilgrimage" is centered around Psalm 84 believed to be written by a Levite who remembers back to the time when he was close to the presence of God serving 24/7 at the Temple. Here's the great news; the presence of God is not just for the Levites & Priests, it's for you as well!

Following the message we spent extended time inviting the presence of God into our lives as we celebrated communion together. (This is not recorded in the podcast)

So, just click the title of this blog post & enjoy!

"Take 'er easy there pilgrim"

2010-11-03T16:14:00.010-04:00

Every year around this time I'm reminded of this famous John Wayne movie quote; "Take 'er easy there pilgrim" so, I figured November would be a good time to talk about pilgrims. This Sunday I’m beginning a new message series entitled; “Pilgrims; Moving to a New Frontier”

The word pilgrim reminds me of not only the Duke but THE Pilgrims; English settlers of New England who celebrated the first Thanksgiving. But a Pilgrim is…a person who journeys, especially a long distance to some sacred place as an act of devotion; a traveler or wonderer, especially in a foreign land, an original settler in a region, a newcomer to a region or place.

In a way you could say we’re all Pilgrims looking for that new frontier, a place of opportunity, peace & ease as we flee from the stress of life. Is there really such a place for us to discover? Well, I think there is & it can be found as we explore the pages of the Bible.

So, this November we’re inviting you, fellow Pilgrim, to join us in the journey every Sunday morning at 10am as we discover God’s new frontier for our lives!

Here’s the trailer for the series, just click the title of this blog or the link below.

http://www.vimeo.com/16465186

Final Podcast in our Monsters Inc series

2010-11-02T12:41:00.004-04:00

Here's the final podcast for our October message series "Monsters Inc; Things That Go Bump in Your Life."

The topic was "The Green Eyed Monster of Jealousy" As always, to get to the podcast click the title of this blog post or the link below.

Be blessed!

http://bridgepointchurch.podmatic.com/

BPC's Lastest Podcast

2010-10-27T13:38:00.003-04:00

Here's the latest podcast from our October 2010 message series; Monsters Inc; Things That Go Bump in Your Life." The talk was on "Laziness; the Living Dead Monster."

Click the link below or the title of this blog & you'll be directed to our podcast website.

Be blessed & enjoy!

http://bridgepointchurch.podmatic.com/

The latest BPC podcast

2010-10-19T22:45:00.006-04:00

So, here it is; the latest message in our October series. The title of the talk I gave on Sunday was "Lust; the Monster Under the Bed"

Just click the title of this blog post or link below;

http://bridgepointchurch.podomatic.com/

3 Steps to Living in Victory

2010-10-18T15:54:00.003-04:00

Today during my reading & meditating on God’s word I hit on this thought provoking process found in Romans so I wanted to share it as a follow up to yesterdays “Monsters Inc” message on Lust.

Roman 6:11-14 gives us 3 Steps to Living in Victory over sin:

Step 1: Count yourself dead to sin & alive in Christ.
Realize Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross put sin to death, He killed it & then He rose to new life SO, by grace through faith count yourself, consider yourself, remind yourself you are dead to sin & alive to the new life Jesus provided for you!

Step 2: Don’t let sin reign in you.
Refuse sins control & mastery (our definition of lust) over every part of your body & life. Be careful what your eyes look on & what you think about; those images & thoughts can be permanently burned onto your brain as a mental snapshots easily recalled. Saturate your mind with God’s word meditating on passages of scripture that draw you closer to God & let you eyes look on the beauty of His creations.

Step 3: Offer yourself to God.
Present yourself to God as one of His trophies of grace & give all yourself into His service leaving little or no room for anything else.

And, I love Paul’s Vs 14, “For sin shall not be your master” Tell sin; “You’ve been served”! You can speak boldly & in confidence that sin WILL NOT control you. You’ve received God’s grace so live in victory through the power of the Holy Spirit & in the name of Jesus!

Let that be an ecouragement to all of us.

Check out our latest podcast

2010-10-13T11:55:00.003-04:00

Here the latest message from our Monsters Inc. "Things That Go Bump In Your Life" series. Pastor Justin Cluck preaches on "Guilt The Monster Right Behind You." Just click on the link below:

http://bridgepointchurch.podomatic.com/

Miraculous Moments Video

2010-10-06T21:18:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday we began a new segment entitled "Miraculous Moments." Miraculous Moments are incredible testimonies from members of our church in which God stepped into their lives and performed a miracle. Our first installment was played this past weekend and displayed Melissa Welsh's testimony of God's miraculous healing. If you have a testimony you would like for us to share with our church please send me a comment and let me know.

Let's celebrate the great things God is doing in our midst.

Check out the video here:

http://www.vimeo.com/15615541

October Buzz Video

2010-10-05T21:27:00.001-04:00

Here's all the happenings for the month of Oct:

http://www.vimeo.com/15582055

New Podcast Posted

2010-10-05T20:35:00.002-04:00

Check out our latest sermon from this past weekend. The title is "Anger...the monster within you." Just click on the Title of this post or the link below.

http://bridgepointchurch.podomatic.com

Hard Work, Practice & a Desire to Improve

2010-09-30T10:54:00.003-04:00

If you have some time here's a interesting article on "What It Takes To Be Great."

Research now shows that the lack of natural talent is irrelevant to great success. The secret? Painful and demanding practice and hard work

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm?postversion=2006101715?

Living in Freedom Podcast

2010-09-29T13:37:00.012-04:00

Here is the first podcast of BridgePoint Church. This particular message is the last message from our "Dying to Live" series. The message talks about how God intends for us as believers to live in freedom. It also includes the testimony of Chuck Seibert. God intends for us to live in peace no matter the circumstances of our lives.

Just click on the title "Living in Freedom Podcast" and it will redirect you to the webpage with the audio podcast. Click on play next to Living in Freedom and the podcast will being playing shortly.

Sit back and enjoy the Word.

the Floors are In!

2010-09-28T18:21:00.002-04:00

Thanks so much to our good friend Pastor Pat Summers, his brother Mark, Tom & Justin for doing such a great job today with the floors in the kitchen & classroom at the church. Really appreciate you guys donating your time & talents...you guys are THE BEST!

October Message series

2010-09-27T16:25:00.002-04:00

With the change in seasons each October brings a "chiller" in the air so, it's with that thought in mind I invite you to join us every Sunday at 10am for my message series "Monsters Inc; Things that Go Bump in Your Life"

Each week I'll be talking about those monsters that try to take over our lives. I'm sure you've run into them before they are...

Anger, the Monster Within Us; Guilt: the Monster Right Behind Us, Jealousy; the Green Eyed Monster, Laziness; the Living Dead Monster and Lust; the Monster Under the Bed

Come on, we've all struggled with these so isn't it time for you & your friends to get rid of those pesky monsters! Learn how every Sunday in October, you'll be frightfully glad you did!!

Welcome to the BPC Staff Justin & Erica Cluck and Janay Teamer!

2010-08-30T16:16:00.004-04:00

At BPC this past Sunday we hit yet another milestone in the life of our church as we welcomed Justin & Erica Cluck & Janay Teamer to our Staff! Justin & Erica have relocated from Mobile, Alabama, Roll Tide! (just thought I’d throw that in there) & Janay has relocated from Michigan, Go Blue! (thought I’d throw that one in as well) All are CBC grads & went to school with our son Gregory.

About 3 months ago I sensed that in order for BPC to continue to grow & reach more people for Christ we needed to add staff, passionate, called of God leaders who have a “Whatever It Takes” mentality to see the kingdom of God advanced in Tarentum & the AG valley. So our search began with prayer, fasting & much needed & appreciated guidance from our great MCM leaders P’s Jeff & Nick.

Through a posting on CBC’s website God connected us with Janay. I just knew after our 1st phone conversation that she had an undying heart for seeing unchurched people come to Christ! Just yesterday she hit me with another zinger, “Pastor” she said, “people who haven’t eatin in 3 days just aren’t gonna listen to what we have to say. We got to meet their felt needs 1st then give em Jesus.” Needless to say Janay is more than ready to go!

I have to credit APC’s SR High Yth pastor Brad Harvey for this one. A few weeks back Francie walked into Brad’s office on a Wednesday saying; “Hey Brad, we’re looking for staff; worship & kids. Do you have any friends?” Brad’s reply, “I have these 2 friends & they would be great!”
We met Justin & Erica & I have to tell you that after hearing Justin play & sing I knew this guy had the stuff-a heart for God & a gifting for worship. And Erica just has a tremendous love for kids wanting them to know that God really, really loves them! Justin & Erica are so ready to go as well! As a matter of fact all 3 ministered during our service on Sunday & I have to also tell you they did great, like they had been doing it all their lives. I was so happy I cried…just a little. God is soo good & He knows exactly what (& who) we need!

So, please join Francie & I as we welcome Justin, Erica & Janay to the BPC staff and...Steeler Country! (OK, so they lost to the Broncos last night, remember its just preseason!)

CityReach 2010 & a Big Thanks to our awesome BPC Interns Caleb & Josiah!

2010-08-20T18:04:00.004-04:00

BPC CityReach 2010 was FANTASTIC!! What a great week it was….VBS Jungle Mania for Kids happened Tuesday - Thursday thanks to Lauren & her team, Daniel Elevlyck from Mission SOS delivered a power message on Thursday night, the Friday Night Block party was “off the Hook” with games, candy, food & a bunch of other cool stuff! And…our Sunday morning comeback service was just as AMAZING; rocking music, multi media & giveaways. Congrats to Keith for winning the BIG giveaway; a Nintendo Wii. The best part of the service was when 12 people made decisions for Christ! Almost 500 people came through our doors during CR 2010! Yes sir, it was an INCREDIBLE week of ministry.

Thanks so much to all you BPCers who jumped in to help & make it all happen, you guys are THE BEST!! Also, a BIG thanks to Josiah who did such a great job coordinating all of CityReach and a BIG thanks to our CR Teenagers from our home church APC & to our BPC area coordinators!

Speaking of Josiah…and Caleb; thanks for being such great interns during the time you guys were with us. You worked very hard in everything you put your hands to! All of BPC so appreciates each of you for everything you did as you served the Lord with excellence & great attitudes! Francie & I thank you guys for a job well done! You will be in our prayers as each of you continues to follow God’s plan & purpose for your lives! Be blessed as you both have blessed so many others!

Former Pittsburgh Steeler STEVE AVERY at BPC this Sunday August 8 2010 at 10am!

2010-08-03T16:37:00.005-04:00

You DO NOT want to miss BridgePoint Church this Sunday August 8 at 10am; we’ll be hosting former Pittsburgh Steeler STEVE AVERY!

Steve will be joining us for our August message series; Road Trip Lesson from the Journey. This Black & Gold alum will be sharing a few lessons he’s learned while navigating the Road Trip of Life via the NFL!

We’ll also be welcoming BPC’s very good friend Pastor Nick Poole who’ll be delivering a powerful message.

So, put on those pads & buckle up your chin strap cuz training camp has begun & Sunday at BPC is gonna be a winner!

I Can't Believe It's the middle of the Summer Already!

2010-06-30T11:16:00.009-04:00

O.K. so, July 4th marks the middle of the summer & I can’t believe it’s here already! While you’re spending extended time with family & friends be sure to make room in your schedule for BridgePoint’s summer events! Here’s what’s up in July…

Sunday July 4th I’ll began a new 4 part message series entitled “The 180 Project: Jonah Discovers God Allows Spiritual 180’s.” Based on the book of Jonah, we’ll track Jonah’s life through “U Turns”, “Do Overs”, “2nd Chances” & “Life Recycled.” Each week there will be something special & maybe a little surprise!

The Mark 2x8 summer reading challenge continues through the month of July. BPCers are reading the Gospel of Mark twice in 8 weeks concluding on Saturday August 14. The book of Mark tells the story of Jesus in its clearest form. It’s the most uncomplicated of the Gospels & the easiest to understand. Mark records more miracles than any of the other Gospels. Challenge yourself to read through the Gospel of Mark twice by Aug 14, it’s not too late to jump in!!

CityReach is fast approaching & we want to be spiritually ready for our Biggest Outreach of the year!! On Tuesday July 13 & Wednesday July 14 we’ll be fasting & praying for CityReach & everyone is encouraged to participate in some way. And…it’s not too early to sign up to help with CityReach, just hook up with our Super Intern & CityReach Coordinator Josiah Smith!

On Sunday July 18 following the service we’ll have a FREE luncheon & everyone is invited! Ladies you’re encouraged to bring your “Blue Ribbon” dish to share with 6-8 people & Guys, you can bring a dessert or a bottle of pop. If you can’t bring something…please come anyway cuz there is ALWAYS ENOUGH to go around!

On Tuesday July 27 @ 7pm our Super Intern Josiah Smith will be leading an outreach event at Tarentum’s Skate Park down on 1st Ave. There will be food, skateboard tricks & competition as well as giveaways & prizes! Get with Josiah if you want to help out!

July is just getting rev’ed up & so are we @ BPC!!

a BPC summer has already started

2010-06-07T17:39:00.006-04:00

O.K. so, summer officially begins on Monday June 21st but at BPC we’ve kicked things off a little early! Here’s what’s up for June…

Yesterday June 6 we held our very 1st annual “Bring a Friend Breakfast” in the lower level of the church. At 10 am it was all you could eat eggs, bacon, sausage; you know “THE works”! Afterwards Caleb led an “off the hook” time of praise & worship then Jim B. stepped to “lay down” the word of God. I’ll tell Ya, everyone was truly blessed! I’m so looking forward to our next “BaFB”!!

We also introduced another one of BPC’s summer Interns…he’s a local guy hailing out of Johnstown, PA by way of CBC-Central Bible College in Springfield, MO…Josiah Smith!! Josiah will be the “point man” for our summer outreaches to the community that will also include…CityReach! He joins Caleb Aston (worship) as our BPC “Dynamic Duo” 2010 summer interns!

Sunday June 13 is our 3rd annual “Outdoor Service & Picnic” at Tarentum’s beautiful Riverview Park down on First Street & everyone is invited. The service kicks off at 11am with awesome worship & then I’ll be delivering a message that’ll be sure to “get you going”! At Noon let the feasting begin!! BPC will provide the chicken & drinks all you gotta do is bring a side dish, salad & dessert. We’ll also have a few games for the whole family to get involved in. No sweat if it’s raining “Cats n Dogs”, we’ll meet at the church at 10am & have our svc in the sanctuary & the picnic in the lower level of the church.

On Sunday June 20 we’ll not only be honoring Dad on his special day with a “very use able” gift, special speaker Cullen Allen, Father of 3 boys and Yth Director of APC & Director of the MCM ministry school, will be with us. Cullen will preach a powerful message & also be giving us the “411” on the MCM student’s recent 2 week Mission trip to Tanzania.

To close out June 2010, Josiah will be preaching on Sunday the 27th so, you don’t want to miss that!!

Don’t wait for June 21st to begin your summer…join us at BridgePoint Church cuz the fun has already started!!

APC's Apex @ BPC

2010-05-25T20:15:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday BPC was honored to host Apex, the young adult ministry of APC, as part of their “Missions Trip to Nowhere” meaning rather than doing mission work overseas they decided to “stay at home’ ministering in the “Burgh” through the MCM Network of Churches.

Teams of young adults gave up their weekend to share the love of Christ in places like the Southside & Millvale as well as a few other locations in the network. Children’s programs, community service projects & ministry to the homeless were on their radar for the weekend. In addition to that some of their time was spent at PNC Park handing out FREE bottles of water in the Name of Jesus as people were going into the stadium. On Sunday morning a team lead by P. Nick Poole came to BPC to pass out flyers promoting the church before the svc, ministered an “Off the Hook” children’s ministry presentation for the kids in Jr. Church & presented a thought provoking drama for the adults. It was a really great morning to be in church!

Francie & I want to say thanks so much to pastor’s Dave (of APC’s Apex ministry) & Nick as well as the team of young adults for coming to minister at BPC. We were blessed to have you guys & really believe the Spirit of God used you all so powerfully not just at BridgePoint but throughout the entire MCM Network!

What motivates us @ home & in the work place?

2010-05-25T17:23:00.004-04:00

Yesterday while checking FB I found this video on Geoff Pound's profile page as one of his status updates for May 20th.

Dan Pink very creatively illustrates his talk regarding "what motives us in the work place & at home?" Very interesting, enjoy!

The Church-medieval bubonic plague-Renaissance & the Age of Reason-science-cancer-Pentecostalism-Holy Spirit

2010-05-20T14:42:00.002-04:00

This is a long post but worth the read!

I’m currently reading a book by Tony Campolo entitled, “Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God.” In chapter 12, “How to Think About God without Being Brainwashed by Modern Philosophies” Campolo writes, “The scholars responsible for social commentary tell us in the postmodern era science will no longer be king. More & more, our modern society will come to believe that there are different kinds of truth, and that perhaps the most important of them don’t really lend themselves to the judgments of reason & empirical investigation.”

Campolo then explains what he calls “the demise of modernity.”
“The social philosopher Jeremy Rifkin offers us a scenario for the demise of modernity that I find very interesting. Rifkin argues that we are giving up on science because it has failed to provide us with a cure for cancer, just as the medieval people lost confidence in the church when it failed to deliver them from the bubonic plagues.

In medieval time, the Church held sway over society; all ideas & discoveries had to pass religious tests before they were accepted by the general public. What the Church declared unacceptable was squeezed out of the halls of academia. But the Church lost its absolute hold over the people of Europe, largely in response to the bubonic plagues. When the plagues hit Europe, people turned to the Church for help. The Church readily made promises that, if people would just rely on their faith, do homage to their religious institutions, and make offerings to God, they would be spared. The people heeded the advice of their clerics. They made novenas. They went on pilgrimages. They sacrificed their worldly goods in accord with the directives of their spiritual leaders. But the plagues hit them anyway.

When the horrors of the plagues eventually passed away, the Church’s authority was left greatly diminished. The church seemed to have survived the onslaught but, in reality, came out of the ordeal deeply wounded. It still elicited reverence, but people began to look elsewhere for answers to questions & solutions to their problems. That opened the door for reason & science, and the Renaissance and the Age of Reason were at hand.

Science today has become too haughty. Humble science has become Scientism. It has taken on religious character and, in its own way, has become a religion. The devotees of science too often have made it the basis for determining, in absolute terms, what is true & what is false. That which does not yield to its methods of investigation is discarded as meaningless superstition or having only aesthetic value.

This reign of reason & science as the ultimate arbiter of truth has been seriously challenged of late by another plague: cancer. One out of three of us will be touched by it, and there seems to be a high likelihood that things will only get worse in the short run, if indeed they ever do get better. In the face of the threat of cancer, we called on science to help us. We were told by our research scientists that, if we just threw enough money their way, they would find a cure for the scourge. They lead us to believe that, if we believed in them & did our obeisance (expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy), than they would find the cause of cancer & deliver us from this dreaded disease.

Not only did we hear them out, but for more than half a century we gave them the best we had. Yet, while there have been many advances & a lot of new treatments found, the gurus of the scientific world have yet to utter the words we long to hear: “We’ve found a cure for cancer!”

And when faced with the limitations of science, people increasingly turn elsewhere for help. There are many who are convinced that one of the main reasons for the incredible growth of Pentecostalism in America is that, now that the “experts” have declared that they have no cure for cancer, people are searching for some good news from faith healers.

As science has failed, panic-stricken people have turned, not only to the kinds of cures that they believe will come from faith in the work of the Holy Spirit, but also to the New Age cures. Everything from tapping into the magical powers of crystals to the techniques of transcendental meditation are being tried. In desperation, they are looking outside the realms of reason & science.

Whatever the cause may be, science has lost its hammerlock on the public consciousness. There is a growing awareness that there may be another kind of truth that lies outside the canons of logical empiricism that has long dominated our thinking. Talk about miracles is no longer laughed out of the courts of sophisticated discussion. The evidences of public acceptance of the miraculous are all around us. A television series on angels is a blockbuster on the Nielsen rating scale. Pollsters make it clear that religious skepticism is increasingly beating a hasty retreat. Those who run for public office know that it helps their public images if they declare themselves to be people of faith. Teen challenge-a Pentecostal-based ministry to drug addicts-has a cure rate that is more than triple that of any other treatment system presently in place, and it’s workers readily talk about casting out demons as part of the therapy they offer. It is easy to find people with PhD. degrees who unashamedly talk about living in the context of spiritual warfare, wherein they claim to be struggling against “the principalities and powers” of Satan. More of us than not believe in miracles that defy any kind of scientific explanation. To those scientific rationalists who claim that such things don’t fit into their world-view, or Weltanschauung (as they call it), there is an increasingly common response that God is greater than their Weltanschauung. Many of us hold fast to the biblical claim that God is able to do abundantly more than any of us, with all of our scientific categories, could ever hope or think.”

We need the Power of the Holy Spirit working through us!

Celebrating a New Life at BPC!

2010-05-18T14:42:00.002-04:00

“ Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you. The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” Psalm 139:16 The Message

Last Sunday at BPC we celebrated a brand new life! It was an honor for me to dedicate Nicholas James Eckman to the Lord! Congratulations to Dad Mike & Mom Kara as well as Grandpa Pete & Grandma Sue & the rest of their family & friends, we are so excited for you guys! Little Nicky was sharply dressed in blue & white and handled himself very well during the dedication up in front of the entire BPC congregation. Everyone stretched forth their hands as a sign of blessing as I prayed for Nicky & his parents. Francie then presented Kara with 3 single white roses (1 for Mom & 1 for each Grandma) and Mike with Nicky’s certificate of dedication. Following the service we all headed down to the Lower Level for a luncheon.

At BPC we recognize that children are a gift & blessing from God so we celebrate that! We take special time out of our service to pray for each infant & child; that God would give them good health & kept safe in our world. We pray for Gods protection over their lives as they grow up to know & serve the Lord as He reveals to them His purpose for their lives. We also pray for the parents & extended family; that God would bless them with wisdom & peace as they do their best to honor Him & create a healthy environment for their children to grow up in.

Yes Sir, when we dedicate babies & children at BPC it’s a very special time. In fact, it’s a celebration of a new life!

God gives us what we really need!

2010-05-11T10:34:00.002-04:00

I’m currently reading a book by Tony Campolo entitled, “Following Jesus Without Embarrssing God.” Tony is a sought after Christain speaker, Professor of Sociology at Eastern College in St. Davids, PA & the author of many books. Below is some of Tony’s thoughts on prayer;

“Our prayers are immature. When we pray, our incredibly limited understanding & our shallow spirit keep us from praying as we should. But we need not fret, because the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit is always there lifting up the prayers that we ought to have prayed to the heavenly Father but were not able to pray. The Holy Spirit actually prays for us!”

Tony then tells a story from when he was 7 & wanted to be a Cowboy. After asking his father to help him be a cowboy Tony said his father’s response was, “Let’s just wait & see.”

“I’m so glad my father didn’t give me what I thought I wanted at the age of 7. Suppose that I, at the age of 17, had asked my father about going to college & he said. “College! You can’t go to college! When you were 7, you said you wanted to be a Cowboy. I went ahead & bought you a ranch in Texas with 50 head of cattle!”

“I would have said.”How could you?” Being a cowboy was the request of a kid who really didn’t even know what life was about.” “Fortunately, because my father didn’t give me what I, in my immaturity, had throught I wanted, he was later able to give me what I really needed. So it is when we pray to our Father.”

Roman 8:26-28 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Get Your Tweet on in Church?!

2010-05-03T10:43:00.003-04:00

Below is an interesting article I found regarding the use of Twitter in Church. What do you think?

Thou Shall Twitter in Church
by Scott Williams

“Thou Shall Not Twitter in Church.” Says who?!

I haven’t seen that anywhere in the Bible. But I have seen Twitter in the Bible: “Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter…” (Isaiah 38:14 NAS). In all seriousness, there are many people who believe you shouldn’t tweet in church. As a pastor, I would say, “Get Your Tweet On!” As a matter of fact, I say “Tweet and tweet often!”

Many times “church people” can look at a particular methodology or technology as a negative thing. Technology is basically neutral; it’s what you do with it that allows it to have positive or negative implications. I know there are some varying opinions about texting and utilizing social media during church. Personally, I use the YouVersion Bible app on my iPhone during church and it has this great option of sharing scripture instantly with the Twitter world. Not only can you share scripture with YouVersion, but also any person sitting in any church service around the globe can share thoughts, points and notes from sermons as they are happening.

Today, we live in more shared world than ever as information access and connectedness just happens. The beauty of this world is that people can engage with God, engage with their pastor and share pieces of those engagement with the world, all at the same time. There are entire real, living, breathing online church services where online congregants share information throughout their service. These services are just as real and God encountering as a physical building. Again, I say “Tweet and tweet often!”

Here are 5 Reasons To Twitter During Church:
1. You have the opportunity to be a real-time extension of your pastor’s voice while he or she communicates God’s Word. You and your pastor can do some tag team teaching while you are being fed all at the same time.

2. If the pastor shares something that moves you, inspires you or changes your life, there is a good chance it will have the same impact on the lives of some of your Twitter followers as well.

3. When Jesus said “Go into all the world and preach the gospel,” ‘all the world’ applies to the Internet world, as well as the Twitter world. Do your part by going into all the Twitter world, tweeting the good news.

4. You will have a stored database of your compelling thoughts and notes from your favorite sermons. Use a hashtag to keep up with the information that you share. We could even implement a universal Twitter In Church hashtag. Any suggestions?

5. Many times people suffer from (SADD) Sermon Attention Deficit Disorder. So instead of just wandering off into space, simply wander off into the space of the World Wide Web. It’s better use of your time tweeting great thoughts instead of drawing on the back of offering envelops.

Some people, including pastors, get upset and complain about these techie people being a distraction when they are using their mobile phone Bible and tweeting in church. I think doodling on the offering envelopes is more distracting. Hmm... I haven’t seen a big push to remove those offering envelopes from the pew.

Thou shall Twitter in church! Remember God’s omnipresence applies to Twitter as well… get your tweet on!

Congradulations on your Masters Degree Alexandra!

2010-05-01T15:55:00.005-04:00

Today my daughter Alexandra graduated with her Masters Degree in Counseling from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, MO.

Francie & I are so proud of her! Alexandra has worked long & hard to achieve this great milestone in her life. As a matter of fact she is the 1st Krowitz in my family to have a Masters Degree, quite the accomplishment!

Thank you so much to Jesus for all He is doing in Alexandra's life! God has great plans in store for her! As a father I also want to say thanks so much to all of Alexandra's teachers, pastors & more recently her professors, thanks for all the time & effort you spent pouring knowledge, Godly wisdom & insight into our little girl. Your investment into her life will bring great reward!

And I want to say thanks to my wonderful wife Francie & my awesome son Gregory for being the THE BEST Mother & Brother a girl could ever have! I am so proud of you two as well!

Alexandra, I love you so much! Enjoy this once in a life time experience & have fun doing it!!

Your Dad

BPC new message series begins this Sunday May 2nd

2010-04-29T18:04:00.002-04:00

What's Your Favorite Jesus Parable & Why?

2010-04-26T16:48:00.005-04:00

Well, yesterday we finished the series based on the life of Joseph; “How to Keep From Going the Wrong Way.” Through these talks we’ve tried to answer the question; What was it about Joseph that caused him to succeed in everything he did? “Because the Lord was with him” really has a lot to do with it but why was the Lord always with him?

From the pit to the palace Joseph always responded in a way that pleased God …with humility. When his brothers, what we may call “good for nothings” came to Egypt to buy grain, Joseph, with a snap of his fingers, could have had them all executed but…he didn’t. He said; “Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

So, what is it that God is looking for in us? It’s the same thing that He saw in Joseph; Humility, it’s what keeps us from going the wrong way in life.

This Sunday I’ll begin a new message series based on the parables of Jesus. What’s your favorite story that Jesus told & why? I would love to hear!

Tarentum Clean Up Day tomorrow 9am-Noon

2010-04-23T09:34:00.002-04:00

Reminder to all BPCers; “Tarentum Clean Up Day” is tomorrow morning, Saturday April 24 from 9am - Noon. We’ll meet in Riverview Park at the stage at 8:30am.

This is a great opportunity to show the love of Christ to our community in a practical way. Even if you can only come for an hour, I’m sure it will be much appreciated & so worth it!!

6 H2O Baptized at BPC & Joseph goes from the pit, to prison to the palace

2010-04-19T14:37:00.008-04:00

Yesterday at BPC was a real “Home Run”! It was such an honor to water baptize 6 people, a Mom & her 2 sons, a brother & sister and a young adult! I love these H2O Bapt. svc’s, I get so “pumped” when people who’ve made a decision for Christ are ready to tell the world that they love Jesus & so love following Him! As each person came up out of the water all of BPC shouted & cheered them on. Congrats to Maggie, Julian, Roman, Levi, Lexi, and Jeff! Yes sir, these are exciting times to be living for Kingdom things & to be a part of BPC!

Hey, FYI. This Sunday I’ll conclude our series of talks entitled, “How to Keep From Going the Wrong Way” which is based on the life of Joseph, Genesis chapters 37-50; here’s a quick review so far; As the #2 man in Egypt Joseph….
• Remembered the Pit; He wasn’t alone at the bottom of that dried out cistern cuz God’s presence & power was with him bringing future promise & purpose to his life.
• Relied on the Power; while in prison & asked to interpret dreams Joseph said; It’s beyond my own power to do this but God in His power can tell you what your dreams mean & set your life at ease!

Up to this point Joseph’s life shows us how to keep from going the wrong way. It’s through his response while in the pit & in prison that his Technicolor dream would eventually come to pass. By responding in a way that honored God Joseph turned his setbacks into opportunities & the Lord allowed him to succeed in everything he did. Oh, that those things would be said of our lives! This Sunday Joseph’s Technicolor dream becomes reality, his “Big Bad Bro’s” do bow down to him and I’m sure you have an idea of what happens next…or do you?

BridgePoint Church…it’s all about “Connecting Real People to the Real God”!

BPC tomorrow @ 10am is gonna be "Off the Hook"!

2010-04-17T11:13:00.004-04:00

You gotta come to BPC tomorrow at 10am & bring someone with you!

We’ll continue in our series of talks entitled “How to Keep from Going the Wrong Way”. Joseph goes from the Pit to the Prison but Relies on the Power of God to spring him from the slammer. We are going to be water baptizing some folks so if you want to get in on this bring a towel & a change of clothes. If you’re on the fence & decide to go for at the last minute no sweat, we’ll have everything you need to make this happen for you. (a towel & clothes to take the plunge). Before we call it a morning we’re having a FREE Luncheon and we always have enough to go around.

If you’ve never been to BridgePoint church before, tomorrow is the day to check it out cuz it’s gonna be "Off the Hook"!

A Big Thank You

2010-04-13T08:10:00.001-04:00

A BIG Thank You to all of you BPCers for praying & giving to our special offering on Sunday to help those families who were affected by the fire last Monday in West Tarentum.

This week I’ll be talking with them, praying for their needs & passing on the blessing in the name of Jesus.

Thanks so much for all you do in the name of Christ. BridgePoint church is about “Connecting Real People to the Real God” & it’s such a privilege when we partner with Him helping to meet the needs of the people in our community.

Once again, God Bless.

West Tarentum Fire update & BPC Special Offering this Sunday

2010-04-06T13:21:00.004-04:00

This morning I had an opportunity to pray for & speak with the owners & some of the people who were affected by the fire that hit 2 homes on W. 7th Ave in West Tarentum on Monday afternoon. The Red Cross is doing a great job meeting their immediate needs & BPC wants to help as well. Everyone I spoke with was very grateful that we’d want to do something for them so…

If you want to help these families in some way, BPC’s very own Karen Kemp will be leading the effort. Tonight at 6pm Karen will be at the gym, the James 5:16 Center which is right across the street from the homes that were burned. You can Facebook or call Karen at 412.719.9896 if you want to help.

This Sunday, April 11 during our 10am service, BPC will be taking up a special offering towards the effort so please begin to pray. Checks should be made out to BridgePoint Church and in the memo section please write “West Tarentum Fire Victims.”

God Bless & keep praying for the owners & families!

BPC effort to help W. Tarentum families affected by Monday's fire

2010-04-06T08:18:00.002-04:00

If you live near the Tarentum area you’ve probably already heard about the fire on Monday afternoon that ripped through 2 homes & damaged a third in West Tarentum on the 300 block of West 7th Ave. These homes are right across the street from the James 5:16 Center, the boxing gym where BridgePoint church met in for a year & a half before moving to our new location at 400 E. 9th Ave in East Tarentum. Go to the link below to read about the fire & see the video.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/23057312/detail.html

BPC is beginning an effort to help those who were affected by the fire. Over the next few days Karen Kemp with be talking with the families to see how we can help. To get in touch with Karen call her at 412.719.9896.

I pray that God will bring His love & comfort to everyone who was affected by this fire. Stay connected to the efforts through my blog, Facebook & Twitter to find out how you might be able to help. Karen will also be giving Facebook updates as well.

BPC Easter Season Outreach Recap

2010-04-05T14:47:00.004-04:00

Through the month of March BPC was gearing up for our Easter season of outreach services & events that included a FREE Luncheon, 2nd annual Easter Bash & Egg Hunt, BPC 2 Year Anniversary celebration on Palm Sunday and of course Easter Sunday.

Over the last few weeks we saw about 450 people, almost 40 1st time guests & about 16 people make decision for Christ!

I am very grateful to God for all He is doing through BPC & so thankful for all of you BPCers who generously give of your time, talents & resources. Over the last few weeks you have worked so diligently partnering with God right up to Easter Sunday!

Needless to say I am “pumped” & so ready to launch into spring & straight through towards summer! Connecting Real People to the Real God” is what it’s all about…Baby!!