They're "tight" with Jesus!

October 09 at BridgePoint Church continues to be AMAZING & yesterday during our svc we had a 2nd round of water baptisms. I had the honor of baptizing 10 people in the name of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit!

The Bible is clear, after giving your life over to Christ the very next step is to be water baptized following the example of Jesus who was baptized by His cousin John in the Jordan River. Now you may say, “Hey, (you don’t have to say “Hey”) I was baptized as a baby.” Well so was I & I appreciate so much that my parents wanted to do that for me. The problem was…I didn’t understand what was going on (I was an infant) and it wasn’t my decision…I guess it was just “what you did” back then. (Hey I’m not THAT old!)

When I gave my life to Christ as an adult I saw that in order to truly follow Him I should get water baptized showing the world that I belong to Jesus! When I went under the water it symbolized that I died to my old way of living & when I was raised up out of the water it symbolized my being raised up to into a new life with Christ. I guess you could say that water baptism is the “Wedding Ring” of the Christian life telling the world that “Jesus & me are tight!”

At BPC we provide all the necessary clothes & products one needs to get water baptized making it sooo easy to take this step. Thanks to Lisa for coordinating the whole thing & to Jim for being my “wing man” in the tank. (I really don’t want to drop anyone-that would be my bad.) Also thanks to Debbie & James for snapping some great pictures! Before the service 3 people were scheduled to be water baptized & when I challenged everyone else…7 people responded & came forward to take this next step with Christ!!

The church we meet in has a built in baptismal tank…with a heater!! It’s big enough to fit 6 people standing at once. So, with the water warm & excitement in the air the baptisms began & one by one those 10 people showed everyone they were tight with Jesus!

Congratulations to Art, Ellie, Pete, Sue, Abbie, Louise, Terri, Cassie, April & Michelle! Francie & I are soo excited for you & we are praying that God will continue to bless your lives because of you obedience to the King of Kings!

BPC's Spiritual Breakthrough Event

Yesterday at BPC during our Sunday AM service we concluded our Spiritual Breakthrough event at the church and…I’m here to tell ya, it was sooo nice having the SBT in a church building!! 14 people went through this eye opening, life changing weekend & when they left after the service on Sunday they were “armed & dangerous” as P. Jeff says in the teaching. They are now ready to carry out their authority in Christ & claim the victory in their lives!

At BPC we teach sessions 1-5 & 7 via DVD on the big screen & I’ll just say it; nobody & I mean nobody teaches the SBT like P. Jeff! “It’s like he’s in the room with us” is one of the many comments we get regarding his presentation of the material. And Debbie Lynch has done an amazing job putting the whole package together for the church plants!

On Friday night after worship people begin to settle into a grove warming up to our presenter & engage into the material of sessions 1 & 2. At the end of the night people are “jazzed” & ready to come back bright & early on Saturday AM. Saturday begins with a continental breakfast & then we get into the remaining 5 sessions with breaks & lunch in between.

But by far, the most impactful moments of the SBT event are the prayer partner sessions which are always incredible times of forgiving, healing & restoration. It’s so great to see the look on people’s faces when they come out of their prayer sessions; peace, joy & a big sigh of relief due to a unloading of burdens that may have weighed them down for quite some time. Breakthrough has truly happened!! Thanks so much to our prayer partners this term, Francie, Debbie, Marie & Dan, for leading people in life changing, breakthrough prayers!

On Sunday AM I preach session 6, False Identity to a New Family Line, to the entire congregation. This teaching is so important that I do not want anyone to miss out! Because of Christ in our lives we no longer have to be chained to our past or even to what has been passed down through our ancestors. We have received an inheritance from Christ that is unmatched & we are challenged to live like it!

Our SBT event concluded with our monthly lunch & thanks so much to everyone who brought something to share! The food as well as the conversation is always delicious & enjoyable!

And now…to everyone who went through BPC’s SBT, know that Francie & I love you & along with your prayer partners will continue to pray for you as you apply this material walking in Forgiveness & Freedom as you live Fruitful lives here on planet earth for Christ!

October 09 - an Incredible Month of Ministry at BPC!

Sunday October 4th began an incredible month of ministry at BridgePoint Church!

We celebrated our 1st service in our new location, the First Christian Church building located on the corner of East 9th Ave & Corbet Sts in Tarentum. Over 105 people joined in! Last Sunday we held a family service in our new sanctuary where Pastor Cal preached a message entitled "The Greatest Commandment" to not only his Jr. Church kids but their parents as well.

This Friday, Saturday & Sunday, October 16 - 18, we'll host our 2nd Spiritual Breakthrough Event. 20 people will be going through this life changing teaching & it will be such a blessing having this event in a church building!! After the service on Sunday we'll have a FREE luncheon down in our HUGE lower level so, invited your family & friends to join us!

Next Sunday, October 25, we'll have our 2nd Water Baptism service & again it's going to be such a blessing having this in a church. An added bonus...the church building has a built-in baptism tank that's about 4' deep x 7' long x 5 ' wide...it can fit about 6 people!!

On Halloween night from 6pm - 8pm we'll be hosting our 2nd annual "Treats n Eats" outreach with food, candy, games, candy, music and fun...did I mention CANDY? It's all FREE so, if you live in Tarentum or the surrounding communities come to BPC on Saturday October 31st.

Pray with us as we believe many will make decisions for Christ during the month of October!!

AMAZING was the Word for Yesterday!!

Yesterday was just an AMAZING day at BridgePoint! We held our 1st service in our new location, the First Christian Church building at the corner of E. 9th Ave. & Corbet Sts in Tarentum. The building is incredibly beautiful & well maintained both inside & out. It certainly will be a “breath of fresh air” sharing the love of Jesus from a place that has been preaching the gospel since 1923. Thanks to all of you BPCers who helped move to the new building & get things ready for the service, you guys are the best!

At 9:30am the BPC worship band along with Kate Griffin & the APC Choir began playing & singing, the atmosphere was both exciting & electric as we all lifted our voices in praise to God. After worship I gave a few words of instruction regarding how to get around our new “digs” & I then thanked the Lord for everything He’s done at BPC & in the lives of all those who’ve come through our doors since we launched the church. Also, I wanted to say thanks to P. Jeff,
P. Nick, the board & congregation of APC for believing in the vision & mission of BPC. It’s such a blessing & honor to be a part of the MCM Pittsburgh Network of Churches.

I then expressed a special thanks to the leadership & congregation of First Christian for so graciously allowing us to share their building. We honored those 6 who were in attendance with our applause! And then I expressed my love & thanks to my incredible wife Francie for her AMAZING support & love for God, me & BridgePoint. I’m so tellin you, it was an AMAZING morning!

The message was on 1 Corinthians Chapter 13. God has given each of us a gift to be used by Him to not only encourage us but also to help advance the kingdom of God here on planet earth. We must align ourselves with His purposes loving Him & loving people! I then invited everyone to join me at the altar (Yes, we now have an altar area-YAY!!) so we could cry out to God for the people & community of Tarentum!! It was AMAZING (there is that word again-I’m tellin you yesterday was AMAZING) to see the altar area filled as people closed their eyes & lifted their faces & hands towards heaven! To close the service I prayed over the people the Priestly Blessing found in Numbers 6:22-27.

We then made our way downstairs to the lower level where we enjoyed a continental breakfast together. Thanks to Pete, Sue & Maggie for making that happen! It was so exciting to see the place packed with people talking, laughing & having a really good time. Many wanted to stay into the afternoon. (It was a good thing the Steelers were playing at 8:30pm yesterday!) Needless to say a lot of lingering was going on.

Yesterday truly was AMAZING but here’s the best part… we have only just begun & we are so excited to see all that God has for BridgePoint in the future as we continue to Connect Real People to the Real God in Tarentum & the entire Allegheny Valley Area!!