Mark Willaims

There have been several of you who requested a copy of the song that Mark Williams preformed at the end of the service on 20 Dec 2009. With his permission to "give it away" we have posted it here for you to enjoy.

Celebrating Life Change

At NorthBridge Community Church, our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

One of the ways we measure this is by celebrating stories of life change. This past weekend we heard two great stories at our service. Take a moment to watch these stories from Sunday and leave a comment encouraging Pete and Susan.

ps~if vid does not play properly, try moving the slider at the bottom of the image.

Thanks,

Jame

The Advent Conspiracy

Twisted Stories

Have a TWISTED story to share?

You know, a time or season when things got a little mixed up. You found yourself more focused on "the lies" and current cicumstances but now.... you've replaced those lies with TRUTH.

So what's the story?

Please share it with us by clicking on the comments tab below.

Conversation

Christianity is more conversation than monologue. After all, Jesus was a great question asker. Great questions lead to great conversations.

It’s one of the reasons we created Starting Point, a conversational environment about the most important issues in life. Check out the video for more details.

(By the way, the next Starting Point Orientations at NorthBridge Community Church will be on October 25th & November 1st, immediately after the 10:30 service)

~jame

Soles for Souls

Today, a good number of people left church with out their shoes.

As part of our 5 Things series, Andy gave a message entitled, "Personal Ministry." The scripture was from Matthew 14: 13-21,

(Feeding of the 5,000). At the end, Andy gave a challenge to "take a step". To do what we can do and trust God to do what only he can do. If you missed it click here.

The leadership team felt led several weeks ago to do something a little crazy at the end of the message. We thought one thing we could do TODAY, to drive the point home, would be to ask everyone to literaly give the shoes off their feet (symbolizing our loaves and fishes) to those in need.

So that was the crazy ask at the end. Honestly I was kinda afraid to ask and wasn't expecting much. But God did what only He can do. The response was amazing!

So tell us by leaving a comment below: Why did you give them up? Did those shoes have a story? What do you envision God doing with them now?

All shoes will be shipped to Soles for Souls on 10/12/09

~jame

Miss last Sundays Opener?

Sorry for the poor video/audio quality. Cheapo camera. But you get the idea.

Why "Livin on a Prayer"? The mornings topic was Private Disciplines (i.e. prayer/giving) so why not? Missed the message? Download it here.

Thanks for having fun with us!

See you Sunday,

jame

Celebrating Life Change

At NorthBridge Community Church, our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

One of the ways we measure this is by celebrating stories of life change. This past weekend we got to hear Emily's story at our service. Take a moment to watch it and leave a comment encouraging Emily.

Thanks,

~jame

What is Community?

Maybe you stepped into your very first community group a month or so ago. Or, maybe you’ve been in many groups in the past or have been in your current group for a while now. In any case, it’s likely you’ve wondered WHAT a community group is all about. WHAT do you do? WHAT do you talk about? WHAT is the point?

You may have guessed that there are many answers to those questions. Each group can take on a life that looks different from the next, but we don’t want to leave you hanging. For a little inspiration on WHAT a community group is all about, here are two stories (from one of our partners, Buckhead Church. ) of groups who got creative and in turn had an incredible impact on the lives of their group members and those around them.

WHAT is Community? Community is SERVING.

Community group leader Tonia Hau and the Buckhead Church Ladies’ Daytime Community Groups organized a school supply drive for Woodson Elementary. All the donations were delivered and on display in the school auditorium on the Sunday before school began. Enough donations were collected to fill both sides of the stage with supplies and every donated backpack as well!

On the morning of the first day of school, an assembly took place to welcome the kids, and they were able to see the brand new supplies. After the assembly, children in need were allowed to go on stage and help themselves at the “School Supply Store.”

The principal of Woodson said the donations were such an answered prayer because they had more than one hundred students expected from a closed down housing development who would enter with absolutely nothing in hand. All leftover donations were distributed to the teachers for their classrooms.

—

WHAT is Community? Community is SHARING LIFE.

Community group leaders Courtney and Ron Defeo and their group have 12 adults and together will have 15 kids under the age of seven before the group concludes. In Courtney’s words, they all “desperately want some guidance and parenting advice for now and later stages.”

So, group member Anne Griffith suggested they invite older, wiser couples with grown kids to come speak to the group. During the month of June, the group had 5 different couples talk with them.

“I would suggest every group does this,” says Courtney. “It was great to shake up the ’study a book’ mold and fun to ask questions that were on our hearts.”

To wrap it all up, the group met to go over their key learnings and favorite tips from the couples.

Want to get involved with NorthBridge Groups? Click here!

NorthBridge.org Mobile Version is Here!

With technology charging full-steam ahead, we want to do whatever we can to partner with you when it comes to reaching your friends and neighbors in the 21st Century.

Beginning today, our website is now viewable via mobile browsers. Let me correct that… Not just viewable, but BEAUTIFULLY viewable by mobile browsers. So whether you are on an iPhone, Blackberry, Palm Pre, Q, Saga, or any other mobile phone with a browser, you will be able to easily navigate our website, view calendar events, and even listen to messages. If you have an iPhone, people will also be able to watch the videos that we have posted online!

We're excited about the possibilities and pray you are too.

Go check out NorthBridge.org on your mobile device now!

~jame

The Star, Cross & Crescent

Neil's Story.

It's July - And We're...Growing?

In Church world, summer can often be a deadzone. Not much happens. Now that's never really been our philosophy at NorthBridge (we have a line up this summer that we are excited about for adults and kids), but sometimes in the summer in ministry it feels like you are fighting gravity to get traction at church.

But last Sunday, as I looked out over the crowd, you couldn't tell it was summer. People are bringing their friends, filling seats and sharing the experience with each other. It's amazing. It's July, and we're growing.

2009 so far has been a strong year, but what we're really encouraged about is who is coming out. One of the trends we've seen is more and more adults in their early 20s and young families (who were previously unchurched or had dropped out of church) coming to NorthBridge.

We would never claim any credit for that kind of thing - all we can do is our best. It's God who changes lives and gives people a desire to know him better.

But we are taking a few minutes to say thank you! Thank you to God, but thank you also to you.

Thank you for serving, giving and working so hard to create the kind of environment our friends and family want to come out to - especially those who never thought they'd go to church.

I'm so thankful that we get to be a part of watching a growing number of people enter into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. People you thought you'd never see in church. Even in July.

Love doing this with you!

~jame

Last weeks Homework...

"When was the last time a sitting American President prayed out-loud or published a prayer?"

Free Rita's for the first correct answers.

~jame

What did you do after church yesterday?

We had a surprise reception to mark the conclusion of our iMarriage series.

Awesomeness!

Start a Movement.

It can be scarry being the only one but just imagine the possibilities.

How can you/we relate to this video?

~jame

Why Worry?

Rich's Story..

Worry.

Do you worry?

What things do you worry about most?

~jame

Illustrations.

I get back from the Drive conference only to find out that my daughter now has a favorite YouTube video my Father introduced to her while we were away.

I gotta tell you, the more we watch it (which is quite a lot) the more I view it as an illustration for so many things. 

Maybe it's just me but when I watch it I think about:

• This is what happened when people came into contact with Jesus.
  
• The early church.
• What will happen when we "Invest and Invite".
• How God want's to use me.
• How God wants to use NorthBridge Church.

Maybe it'll preach someday.  Until then, what does it make you think about?

~jame

Can You Imagine?

I received the email below from Mike Schulz, a regular NorthBridge attendee and volunteer.  Mike's a numbers guy, you need to know that right up front.  In fact, Mike just finished leading our first ever "Financial Peace University" class two weeks ago.  My prayer is that through reading Mike's message you would not only be inspired and challenged, as I was, but that you would also begin to dream BIG dreams and Imagine with us the exciting future God has in store for this church and those who live in the surrounding area.
~jame

I caught myself dreaming the other day after reading the fine print on the back of the Sunday bulletin that shows Northbridge's monthly giving and monthly expenses.  Giving was $27,000 in March across the 150 of us (adults only) that come to worship each Sunday.  How incredible that a church that didn't even exist a year ago is receiving that much money in contributions!  Being a numbers guy, my mind started doing some math.  $27,000 is about $180/person or $360/couple.  What if everyone gave an extra $20 per month (i.e. $5 per week)?  That's $3,000.  All of a sudden Northbridge would be covering our full $30,000/month in expenses for the same price as a #1 combo meal at Chick-fil-a.  Consider doubling that to an extra $10/person each week and Northbridge would cover it's full expenses and have an extra $3,000 leftover each month.  That's $36,000 per year!!  That's not chump change.  How much good could we do for our community if we had $36,000 to spend?  That's a fun question to answer!  Dream with me for a minute... 

• That's enough money to buy all the groceries a family would need for a full year for 10 families.

• or enough to give seven $5,000 cars to people who don't have a car so they could drive themselves to a higher paying job in Pittsburgh.

• or enough to buy 360 bikes for kids of needy families at Christmas.

• or enough to pay 200-300 monthly electric or gas bills for families who don't have enough income to cover their utility bills.

Any of these can be made possible when 150 unrelated people, who choose to worship our incredible God in a local public school, decide to put an extra $10/week into an offering bucket.  Crazy.  We are Northbridge, you & I, and we've been blessed with that power...the power to change lives here in Cranberry (and Zelie and Wexford and...) that may never step foot inside Haine School on Sunday but who would never forget the loving embrace of our Savior.  

Mike

We're a Different Kind of Church.

What do you love about our church?

~jame

The Well Has Water Flowing

We just received these pictures from Haiti and we thought that you would like to see them. How cool is this?

Easter

First off: a huge "Thank You" to all of our volunteers for helping make this Easter Sunday so amazing.  You're the best!

For those of you who worshipped with us Sunday, what happened in your heart to bring you closer into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ?

Comment below.

jame  

Who did you invite for Easter?

By our calculations, abut 600 of these invites were picked up last Sunday and hit the mail at some point during the last week. 

Who did you invite?

We'd love to join you in praying for them this week so let us know by commenting below.

~jame

Celebrating Life Change

At NorthBridge Community Church, our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. One of the ways we measure this is by celebrating stories of life change.

Haiti Trip Highlight Video

love cranberry / love the world

Way to be Salt & Light NorthBridge!

Back From Haiti

We have arrived safely back in the USA and wanted to thank everyone from NorthBridge who made this trip possible. God taught us many valuable lessons over the course of the week that we will be sharing with you at church next week.

One of the things that we all learned was that we should not take clean water for granted. As you can see in the pictures above the money we collected from the Advent Conspiracy is being used to dig a water well on the IDADEE property. While we were out at the site drilling was stopped because of the weather but we are confident that fresh water will be flowing from that well soon.

Besides the well being dug at the IDADEE orphanage we were excited to learn that a small part of the main building should be completed soon. With the completion of this part of the project it means that the first children can begin to move into this new haven within the year!!! It is our prayer that during our trip next year we will be able to meet some new friends that have found a home there.

Answering Your "Family Gathering" Questions...

March 8th Haiti Update

I just got off the phone with Jayson for the last time in Haiti (at least if everything goes well). They had a fantastic last full day there, and for once the sun came out for the entire day! Sundays are always a long day in Haiti... it reminds me never to complain about how long our church services are here! They went to church this morning and sat through an entire service in Creole, then went back later in the day for another entire service in English. In between the two long services, they took a long ride into the city and had lunch at a hotel there.

The hard part of the day came after all the church services when the group had to say goodbye to the kids at EBAC. After spending an entire week with these kids and building relationships with them, it's hard to say goodbye. I know that after 11 years of visiting them for Jayson, it never gets easier leaving them to come back to the states. Luckily with all the new technology it's getting better being able to keep in touch with them. We've even been lucky enough to have some of them visit us in Pittsburgh!

Tomorrow is going to be another long day for them - lots of traveling. They have to leave the dorm at around 6:30am, and well... I'm not really sure what time they get to Florida. There is a slight chance that they might be able to catch an earlier flight into the states, and if that happens they will try to get on stand-by on a 11am flight out of Ft. Lauderdale. Everyone that has a family member on this trip - keep your cell phones with you to find out the latest!

Thanks for all of your prayers for this trip - God has blessed all of them through this experience!

March 7th Update

I apologize greatly for not giving a Haiti update last evening... It's been a long week and I apparently went to bed without doing my one chore that Jayson left me to do. Sorry!

The original plan for yesterday was to take the children from the EBAC orphanage to the beach for the day. This has been a big event in the past and something that the kids always look forward to. It's too expensive for them to do on their own, so when they can get it planned when a group comes to visit it's huge. Sadly, because of the weather and the conditions of the roads, they were unable to make it to the beach. They ended up having a great time though, spending the day just playing and making the most of their time together. Our group funded a rather large "feast" for dinner and that was a great way to end the day.

Today the group went to the market and did some shopping. I know from Jayson's past trips that it is really hard for them not to spend a ton of money there because one, most of the items that you can buy are really cheap... and two, the Haitians selling in the market are just so needy it's hard to turn them down. Anyway, be prepared for lots of Haitian items to make there way back to the 'burgh. One great note is that the sun finally came out today, and they were excited to report that most of them got sunburned. Only Pittsburghers would say that... They finished their day spending time with the kids at the EBAC orphanage again, and even though it didn't follow through as planned, they had a great day.

Please be praying for their last full day in Haiti tomorrow and that they would have some energy for the long travel home on Monday!

March 5th Haiti Update

Good Evening Everyone!

Talked to Jayson again and got the news for the day. Like I said before, the weather has changed their plans... who would have ever thought it would be rainy and chilly in Haiti in April?! Even though the weather didn't cooperate, they still had a wonderful day.

In the morning the team traveled to a school to pass out Christmas gifts to about 200 students. The bags contained a hygiene kit and a small Christmas present for each student as well as many coloring books - the kids obviously loved them. Jayson had the chance to tell the gospel while at the school, he said it went well, but no-one laughed at his jokes... I guess some things never change... hahahaha!

A little later in the afternoon the team traveled to the new orphanage to spend some time with the kids in the community. The original plan was for it to be a special "kids day", but because of the rain they really didn't know what to expect. To their surprise about 350 kids showed up to hang out and play in the pouring down rain. The team had the chance to play lots of games with the kids, pass out candy and prizes, and most importantly build relationships with the kids. They also had the exciting chance to see the rig set up for building the well that we at Northbridge make happen! I'm sure that you all remember the money that we raised through the Advent Conspiracy Project at Christmas time... well it's working! Because of the rain, no one was working today - but it was still exciting to see the work that had been done and what an impact it will make on the neighborhood.

As I said yesterday, the change of plans has been a little nerve racking, but God is so good and faithful! This trip has been such a blessing to both the team and the people that they are spending time with in Haiti. Please continue to pray for safety for the team!

More tomorrow - Katy

March 4th Haiti Update

I lucked out again tonight with another phone call from Jayson in Haiti. They had a great day, and spent most of it helping at the EBAC orphanage. The team was able to meet the children, play, help teach, and do a lot of cleaning around the campus. Overall it sounded like a good day.

The weather continues to be a little frustrating for them - still rainy and for the first time ever, even a little chilly. This has made most of the roads around the area pretty impassable, so it's changed their plans a bit. There is still a ton of work and play to be done, so not to fear - they just have to be a bit flexible.

Tomorrow they are hosting a large (and I mean LARGE) event for all of the children in the area, so please be praying for that. As you can imagine, kids in Haiti don't get a ton of "events" just for them, so this is a pretty big deal. I'm sure that everyone will have a blast!

Thanks again for all of your prayers... keep them up!

Katy

March 3rd Update

Good Evening Everyone!

I was lucky enough to talk to Jayson tonight all the way in Haiti! Things seem to be going smoothly, which is awesome! They left very, very early this morning (around 6:30am) from Ft. Pierce, FL. The plane stopped in the Bahamas to refuel - then off to Haiti.

They were surprised when they arrived that the weather was actually rainy and a little cool for Haiti, and that made the drive from the airport back to the orphanage not so wonderful, but they made it safely none the less.

Please continue to pray for safety and for smooth planning for this next week. The not so normal weather may impact some of their plans, so hopefully things will go well anyway.

Thanks for all of you that helped support this trip and made it happen - I know they are all loving their time there! I hope to hear from Jayson again tomorrow or Thursday, so please keep checking for updates on this blog!

Katy

Haiti 2009

We depart today for Cap Haitian, Haiti and are asking for your prayers. We will be spending the night in Florida and then leaving for Haiti at 5:30am tomorrow. During the week we will be working with the kids at EBAC orphanage and IDADEE orphanage. I should be able to post a few updates over the course of the week so stay tuned.

120,000

Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the start of the season of Lent. Traditionally this is time when the Christian church begins a period of reflection and repentance before the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter.

This year NorthBridge will be posting a reading plan for the season of Lent. If you did not make it to church this week please go to www.northbridge.org and download your schedule to follow along.

In part of today's reading the prophet Jonah is instructed to go to the city of Nineveh and proclaim that they repent so the Lord will not destroy the city. He eventually goes and when they do repent Jonah is angry because the people that lived there are his enemies. This short book of the Bible then concludes in a very peculiar way -- with a question. God says to Jonah, "But Neneveh has more the 120,000 people who do not know their right from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned with about that great city?"

Are you concerned with the people in our city who do not know God?

Got Hope?

Jesus doesn't take lightly the reality of hardship and trouble. Although he doesn't prescribe any steps to erase the pain, he does offer himself as a source of hope. He has overcome the world, and that includes suffering and pain. 

So I'm wondering... How does that affect your ability to trust God with the parts of your life that you can?t see or understand?

jame

How do you see it?

Thoughts?

jame

Crosswords

Many people know that Jesus died on a cross nearly 2000 years ago and that the cross has eternal significance in the future when we die. But what does the cross mean for us today? During this series we will explore some new ways to look at what God may be telling us through the cross and its significance for our every day lives.

Service Times: 9 & 10:30AM

Who Are You Doing Life With?

In order for us to continue to grow in our relationship with Christ, we need other people who are pursuing this same goal. Let this be the year that you connect or reconnect into community. To get connected into a community group, just click here!

Time, Place & Plan

On Sunday Andy gave us this challenge: "This week, spend a couple minutes at a specific time at a specific place with a specific plan to read the Bible."  

Ready to do this?

Click here to download a list of reading plans or feel free to do your own thing. 

When you get a chance, leave a comment letting us know how it's going.

This is gonna be great,

jame

Special Guest at NorthBridge This Week --POP ROCKS

Don't miss the Pop Rocks this week at 10:30am. They ROCK!!!

Text Part II Weekly Reading Schedule

Daily Reading

This past Sunday was the beginning of our latest series, TEXT.  For the past week, I have been thinking about the various methods used over the years that really helped me stay in the habit of  "daily reading God's Word."   

Daily devotionals (free one's from church and store bought), accountability group, carrying around a verse in my pocket, set morning ritual, having a small Bible that always goes with me and my latest fave: YouVersion and their one year reading plan.

What's currently working for you?

~jame

Prayer for the President.

Andy prayed for the President today. Looks like he also bought a new suit. In his own words, "I pray for the President.  I ask others to pray for the President.  I was asked to pray for the President in front of the President."

Pretty cool Andy.  Good job.

Who did you pray for today?

~jame

Today.

No matter what your political view, today is a momentous day in the history of our country.

A black man will lead the free world.

Racism will not be solved.

The economy will not suddenly get better.

Wars will not cease.

It is just a man, a sinful, broken man, who will place his hand on the Word of God and make a bunch of promises. 

The biggest moment today will be when you decide whether to complain and debate about policies, decide to place all your hope in just a man, or decide to fall on your knees and pray for the leadership of our country.

What will today mean to you?

~~taken from Ragamuffin Soul, 1.20.09

Our Building Project.

Who are you "Just Asking" this week?

Stories?

Thoughts?

What makes our church sticky?

Why do you think people stick around NorthBridge and what do they love about it?

So Worth The Risk...

Risk.  Life is full of it.  Managing risk is something we do everyday.  We decide how fast to drive on the ice or if we can make it across the street without being hit by a truck.  Life is risky.  But you must risk if you want to gain. 

At NorthBridge, we try to make your step into a community group as risk- free as possible.  But it is never risk-free.  Nothing worth doing is risk-free.  But the benefits are many.  Community group is your place to connect, your place to grow and learn, your place to be cared for. 

8 week starter groups are forming on January 31.  Stay tuned for more…..

Risk it!!!

Rollie  

Are you in a group yet??? 

Go Buckhead!

Buckhead Church (a North Point video church just like us) posted this on their blog Monday:

Today was one of those days to remember at Buckhead Church.

We had over 7,000 people attend our worship services, an all-time record.

Over 500 children were on UpStreet. Another record.

Over 1,700 small group guides for the Balanced series were purchased. 

We celebrated some amazing baptism stories as well.

Incredible!  Just Incredible!

Thoughts?

Crazy things can happen when we "JUST ASK".

Below is a clip from Penn (of Penn and Teller, famous Vegas magic/comedy act) sharing about an encounter after one of their recent shows.  FYI, Penn is a pretty outspoken atheist.

Our fear does more damage than the reality of what would happen if we sowed true compassion.

Thoughts?