Brothers and Sisters, 

God is on the move in and through our congregation in worship, discipleship and missions - there is much to communicate & celebrate!

But in this newsletter I feel led to offer our pastoral support to you as we enter the final weeks of the election season. We felt led to provide this because we are all aware of the sad state of the collective political and cultural discourse in our country in recent years. And the closer the election date draws, the higher the temperature seems to rise. If we are not guarded, the sensational cycles directed at us will make us ideologically driven and emotionally reactive.

What is the result of combining strongly held opinions about what we believe must happen in an election WITH uncertainty about what the election outcome will be? Fertile soil for the enemy to sow seeds of fear, suspicion and anxiety in our hearts and minds. This is a form of spiritual de-formation.

In contrast, Jesus promises us: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14)

That is an amazing promise: we can access the peace of Jesus in anxious times! 

To assist your spiritual health this season, we have assembled a simple prayer guide for you.

It invites apprentices of Jesus to focus upon him and his Kingdom teachings as we engage politically as best we can in an imperfect world. It provides ways to pray for ourselves, our fellow citizens, our leaders and our national future. It encourages us to seek God’s wisdom in our civic engagement and to embody Christ’s character in how we conduct ourselves. We believe this guide can create time and space in our spiritual lives to keep us Christ-centered and grounded in anxious times.  

One final word of Hope...

As we participate in the upcoming political processes, please remember that regardless of any election, our church’s call to unity & mission will remain unchanged:

• To proclaim Jesus Christ as our risen Lord, in whom we trust
• To follow him as our rabbi and continue his ministry on earth
• To love each other generously, regardless of political opinions
• To respond to the spiritual and physical needs of our world locally and beyond

We will remain unwaveringly committed to Jesus and his Kingdom because one day the political kingdoms of our world will pass away and he will bring heaven to earth forever! In the meantime, we work for his Kingdom, and we do not allow our hearts to be troubled or afraid.

I am joining you in prayer.

With hope,

Pastor Nathan

Our monthly mission focus for October is The Foundry. Each Sunday of October in worship we will feature an aspect of their Christ-centered substance abuse recovery ministry, and the unique ways we partner with and support them throughout the year. Each week during Holy Communion, you may leave a gift for The Foundry at our altar rail. We are already looking forward to hosting the men of The Foundry for a Christmas dinner!

3rd Grade Bible Presentation

Sunday, November 3rd at 10:30AM

On Sunday, November 3rd we will present all 3rd graders with a new Bible. Children who are members or attend Bridge Kids on a regular basis can participate!

Parents must fill out the form below for their 3rd grade student!

3rd grade Bible Presentation

BRIDGE STUDENTS

FALL RETREAT RECAP ON THE WAY! >>>

In the meantime...RIP to weekly Bridge Student Emails! 



The week of Sunday, September 15th, we began posting all information for weekly ministries and special events will be on our student website page: 

www.rossbridge.church/bridgestudents

After some discussion with staff, we believe this will be more beneficial for families to have a single place where all information is posted with weekly or daily updates. We recognize that most parents are receiving many emails with updates from their student’s schools and extracurricular activities. Moving forward, for the latest information available for upcoming ministries, you will only need to bookmark and visit the page above. It will include links to sign up for events to bring a meal on Sunday nights and other helpful information!

We hope this simple change will make information more accessible and lighten your inbox load!

Anticipating halloween candy,

Lawson, Director of Bridge Students

Ministry Engagement

This is just 5 of our 14 small groups participating in Practicing the Way. Iron Sharpens Iron men's group, Prayerful Parents of Teens, Salt & Light moms of Teens, Ignite Men's Fellowship, Amazing Grace Bible Study group.