Pay Special Attention to Green!
In today's eNewsletter, new and updated items are outlined in green (like this one!) to make it easier to find the latest information. Check out what's brand new this week at BCC by closely reading all of the green items.
On Behalf of Our BCC Elders: Thank You!
This past Sunday afternoon we met on Zoom for our monthly Elder meeting. We had a great time talking about the goodness of God that is evident in our lives and the ministries of Bridges Community Church in new and encouraging ways during this strange time. Today we specifically want to express our sincere thanks to you for your gracious, ongoing, generous giving. God's abundant provisions through your general fund giving are continuing to make it possible for us to financially support our 2019-2020 staff and ministry commitments. And beyond these gifts, heartfelt gifts to our benevolence ministry are making it possible for us to help many in need, both close by and in other countries. 
 
When we had to cancel our in-person gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had no idea how things would work out, especially financially. So we prayed and hoped that we'd be able to continue our ongoing commitments and ministry opportunities. To date, that prayer has been answered abundantly in many ways, but especially where our finances are concerned, through online giving and mailed checks of support. Though we didn't doubt God's ability and desire to meet our needs, it is truly amazing and wonderful to watch it happen in such a tangible way. 
 
So for those of you who are giving, please know that your gifts are blessing many! We are so thankful for your generosity. And we pray that you are seeing firsthand the joy Jesus spoke of when He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." May He bless you in return.
 
I hope you will join with our Elders, and with me, in giving God thanks for the many ways He is meeting our needs. 
 
With sincere thanks, 
Pastor Dave
Staying Connected
God Hears and Answers Prayer
Every Wednesday since March 18, we as a church family have joined with other churches in the Bay Area to come before God's throne of grace in prayer and fasting, to find mercy and help in the midst of this pandemic. If you have not yet united your hearts with other believers here in the Bay Area on Wednesdays in prayer, we invite you to join us. And would you also join us in fasting from food as well as from the media stream of information and your social media feeds until dinner, as you seek God's intervention? We believe one of the best things we can do in times of trouble is pray alone and with others. So we invite you to join our Zoom Video Corporate Prayer time every Wednesday at noon, led by Pastor Dave. A couple minutes before noon, simply click  HERE  to join this very special time of prayer. Or for more information contact  [email protected] .
Current Worship Plans
In place of our regular on-campus worship services, on Sunday mornings simply click HERE  and it will lead you to our online ministries. You will find our current worship service (a time of worship through song and a message from one of our teaching pastors) along with links to other resources for you and your family. 
Dial In and Listen to Our Sunday Worship Service on Your Phone
That's right: If you or someone you know is not able to connect online to our worship services, you can now hear our entire worship service (music included) by way of telephone. On Sundays after 9:00AM, simply call 650-209-7367 and you will hear that Sunday's worship service. The service will be available at that number all week. Then the following Sunday the new worship service will replace the previous Sunday's recording. In the words of John Atwell, our telephone worship service connection is "worth listening to and in this difficult time it keeps us connected." That's music to our ears!
Online K-5 Sunday School!
Children's Director Alba Kellejian will be making weekly videos and lessons for remote Sunday School for our Kindergarten through grade 5 kids, as well as family devotions and more. You can find them  HERE!
Join us for Coffee with a Pastor
We recently started Coffee with a Pastor on Zoom on Sundays at 3:00PM, where people can chat with one of our BCC pastors, ask questions, and enjoy a special time of connectedness. Please pray that this opportunity would be meaningful and enable an additional time of ministry each week. Encourage and invite friends to join who are newer members of our church body! For info on how to access this Zoom meeting, email [email protected].
How We're Staying Connected
In this strange time of minimal social interaction, we are finding so many ways to stay connected to one another online. Some BCC Life Groups are now meeting regularly by Zoom, an online video conferencing tool. Whether you use Zoom, Apple FaceTime, Google Hangouts, or make a 3- way conference  call on your landline, there are lots of ways to keep in touch with one another and to continue the great connections that usually happen at church on Sunday mornings. For links to these tools, check out  connectbcc.org/stayconnected .
 
If you need help with any of these tools, please email  [email protected] .
BCC Zoom Groups
Some of our BCC Life Groups and ministries are using Zoom, an online video conferencing tool. Here are the groups meeting regularly (so far!):

ZOOM GROUP
Group Leader Email Meeting Time
Deeper Roots
Dave Stenfort
[email protected]
Sun, 9:00am
Eagles Wings Fritz Mueller [email protected] Sun, 9:00am
Common Need
Mark Chen
[email protected]
Sun, 10:45am
Alpha Kara
Al Kruger
Sun, 11:00am
Common Ground
Pat Rossler 
Sun, 11:00am
Mariners
Mel Rosowski
Sun, 11:00am
Reflections
Laura Rodolari
Sun, 11:00am
BCC Sisters
Missie Fennell
Mon, 7:00pm
Book Discussion
Steve Durand
Mon, 8:00pm
Young Adults
Dan Stockum
Tues, 8:00pm
Prayer Gathering
Dave Gudgel
[email protected]
Wed, 12:00pm
High School Ministry
Dave Kellejian
Wed, 7:30pm
College
Dan Stockum
Fri, 3:00pm
Global Intercessors
Mel Rosowski
2nd Tues./month
Mel's Missionary Community
Mel Rosowski
3rd Mon./month

We thank God that Zoom is already giving us a way to keep our groups connected, and we want to help your group do that as well! If you'd like to be in one of our Zoom Life Groups, please contact the leader listed above. If you want help setting up a Zoom connections group of any kind, email [email protected].
Connect with Us on Facebook
Are you following the BCC groups you're a part of on Facebook? Especially now, this is oftentimes the best way to stay connected to your group and get the most up-to-date information from them. Here are a few:

BCC
BCC Sisters (Women's Ministries)
YoPros (Young Professionals)
Are You Receiving Our Informative Emails?
Every week, especially now as we continue to "shelter-in-place," we are communicating important happenings to our Bridges family by way of email. On Tuesdays we send an eNewsletter (which you're reading right now); on Fridays we send a Friday Video Roundup (from Pastor Dave); and on Saturdays we send a Weekend Watch to recap what's going on in the BCC community. If you're not yet getting these weekly updates, you can get on the list by signing up  HERE .
Prayer Requests
If you have a prayer request that you would like our staff to pray over, please email it to: [email protected].

This Week's News
Final Donation Total for Walk for Life
On Mar. 7, Team BCC participated in RealOptions' annual Walk for Life & 5K Run. As a team, we had a target goal of raising $7,200 to purchase supplies for the pregnancy centers in San Jose. We were recently notified that  the final total donated by BCC to Walk for Life was $11,265.91! Wow!  Thank you for partnering with RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics and helping to serve thousands of women, men, families, and students in our community.
Reasons to Believe Meeting Rescheduled to May 22
Our May Reasons to Believe chapter meeting via Zoom will be this Fri., May 22, at 7:00PM. We will watch the April 9 video of Reasons to Believe scholar and biochemist Anjeanette (AJ) Roberts, an acknowledged expert on viruses, answering questions about the coronavirus. The delay allows Dr. Roberts to join the meeting following the video to answer our questions. She was not available to meet with us on our original meeting date of May 8. If you'd like more info or want to join the meeting, please let Kirby Hansen know by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 650-917-9107 and he will send you a link to the Zoom meeting. No need to do this if you already receive RTB San Jose e-mails, which will contain the link.
Are You Inviting Others to Join Us?
This is a great time for you to invite others -- especially those who don't normally attend church -- to join us for one of our online services. This is the most nonthreatening way for them to attend one of our Bridges services that they will ever have! You can direct them to our church webpage in a phone call or through an email or text, or you can simply click the Facebook or Twitter logos found on the "This Week's Sermon" page found  HERE . Or, you can click the brown LIKE & SHARE button located  HERE . This button will take you to our Bridges Community Church Facebook page where you can like and share a worship service with others. 
Use YouVersion Live This Sunday
"YouVersion Bible" is a free app available on most smart phones and mobile devices. Each week, we upload our sermon notes and Scriptures to YouVersion for you to use to connect more deeply with the day's Bible verses and message. You can download the app from the App Store or wherever applications for your device are available.
Did You Miss Last Sunday's Sermon?
Did you miss this past Sunday's sermon? Click to watch May 17: "Loving Well in a Broken Worldby Pastor Steve Durand. All past Sunday sermons are available on our BCC website's Sermons page.
Are You Giving Online?
We thank God for your faithful giving to the Lord through the ministries of Bridges Community Church. Your ongoing sacrificial gifts, especially in this time of hardship, are not only a testimony of your trust in our God to provide, they also express your commitment to the good work that God continues to do locally and globally through the ministries and ministers that Bridges supports. We as a church family express our sincere thanks. If you're not giving online yet, but would like to, you can do so  HERE . If you'd like a little help in getting started, check out our "Giving Online" video  HERE . Or if you'd like help from one of our staff members, please send an email to:  [email protected] . And as always, if you prefer to give by check, our church address is: 625 Magdalena Avenue, Los Altos, CA 94024.
Finance Update
As of this past Sunday, 5/17/2020, these are our current year-to-date giving figures: Actual is $1,301,954; budgeted is $1,265,237; surplus is $36,717. We are now 2.9% above General Fund budgeted contributions for the church year, which runs Sept. 1 - Aug. 31.
This Week's Message

When Life Hurts
Speaker:  Pastor Dave Gudgel
Message Title: A Tale of Four People
Scripture Focus: 1 Samuel 25

More Announcements
BCC Office Closed
Although the BCC office is closed, let's not allow this to stand between the staff helping in whatever ways we can. Our pastors and staff are just a phone call or email away. If you call the office at 650-948-5698, one of our staff or pastors will get back to you as soon as possible. Or you can send a general email to [email protected]

Since we will not be in the office to receive your offerings, please give online HERE or send your donations by mail to: 625 Magdalena Ave, Los Altos, CA 94024.
BCC Pantry
Many in the BCC church family have donated items for the BCC Pantry. Here are some of the items we have on hand: toilet paper, paper towels, soap, disposable gloves, face masks, and disinfectant sprays. The pantry was initially set up to help our seniors, but the supply has outpaced the need. If you or someone you know has a need for the items listed, please let Sujana Panthulu ( [email protected] ) or Mark Liu ( [email protected] ) know and we can share these items with you. The Pantry is open by appointment only, so please contact Sujana or Mark first.
How to Help and Get Help
How can we help you? We want anyone who needs help to get it -- picking up groceries, setting up tech tools or equipment, running errands, etc. We have a team of people who are ready and willing to help. Just let us know your need, and we will make sure you're taken care of. Please click HERE to let us know what you need.

If you're able and willing to help others during this time, especially those who cannot leave their homes, please click HERE.
BCC Church Directory
We are working on producing a new church directory, which will be available sometime in the next couple of months. In the next week or so, we will be sending each household that we have on record an email of what we plan to publish. You will be given a chance to give or deny consent to publish the info or provide updates. Many of you would like to have a photo included. In order to do this, we will be asking you to send us a photo -- individual, couple, or family picture -- either via email or U.S. mail. For now, you can prepare by getting a photo ready (or take a selfie). More info will be provided in the email to come. Questions? Contact  [email protected].
BCC 80th Anniversary
This coming fall we're going to be celebrating our 80th anniversary as a church. As we are making plans and gathering information, we'd love to hear about the things that stand out in your minds. We are currently compiling a decade by decade list of the major events and ministries that were a huge part of the church over the years. There are some that are continuing today, but many that aren't. So while you have some extra time at home, it would be very helpful if those of you who have been around for a long time could think through each decade (50s, 60s, 70s, etc.) and list the things that stand out in your mind from each of them. Then pass that information along to [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your help as we prepare for this celebration!
LACS Job Openings
Los Altos Christian School is in the process of interviewing for a few open positions. For more detailed information, click HERE.
Contact Us
Bridges Community Church 
625 Magdalena Ave. 
Los Altos, CA 94024 
Ph: 650.948.5698 Fax: 650.949.6052