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Dear Bridge Church Family

We're in a meaningful season in the life of The Bridge Gulf Coast Church—one that will shape our ministry and mission for years to come. Our One Fund Initiative, Wholehearted, is now underway, and while the road ahead calls for real commitment, we don't walk it alone. We have each other, and we have the presence and love of Jesus Christ.

 

As your pastor, I want to invite you into this season in four simple ways: Pray, Study, be Present, and Share.

 

However you're able to take part, know that it matters. We're grateful to walk through this together as we seek to live out Christ's calling in this time and place.

 

Rev. Dr. Leanne Burris

Wholehearted Giving

Pray, Study, be Present, and Share

Join us in Prayer

There's power when we come together to ask God to use and bless our church family. We'd love for you to walk through the 40-day prayer guide with us. Our Prayer Team has also set aside Tuesday, October 6 as a Prayer and Fasting Day.

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Join our study

This Bible study is an invitation into the true riches Jesus promised—a chance to grow together as groups, families, and households. We hope adults, youth, and children alike will find a study that fits.

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Be present

New guests join us most Sundays, and it's your presence that helps them feel welcomed the way you once were. Being present also keeps you connected—and connection happens when we choose to show up for one another

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Share God's work

If you know a friend or neighbor who might want to see what God's doing in our midst, consider passing it along. Think of one person you could share this with this week. You never know what God might do with a simple invitation.

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Building The Bridge

The Bridge began not with walls, but with worship with a Core Team hosting monthly pop-up gatherings along the coast, the very first drawing 120 people to the Ohr O'Keefe Art Museum. That spirit of movement found a home on September 11, 2016, when 130 people gathered for the inaugural worship service of The Bridge UMC. Rev. Leanne Burris preached, Sydney Smith led worship, and the Biloxi High School Show Choir lifted their voices! Growth came fast, and so did the need for space: the lease expanded, classrooms and a kitchen took shape, because disciples were making disciples and needed room to do it.

With the pandemic behind us, The Bridge set its sights on going deeper and reaching wider launching Backpack Buddies to serve the community and adopting a new leadership structure built for what was ahead. In a bold step of faith, the church detached from the UMC, brought on Cliff as full-time co-pastor, and was consecrated as The Bridge Gulf Coast Church. Membership surged over 60% in a single year, and as the congregation outgrew its space once again, leadership sensed the same call that had started it all: it was time for a new campus one big enough to carry the vision and mission still unfolding.

In the last year, our membership has grown by 40% and our attendance has grown by 70%. We have added a second worship service on Sunday morning and added a junior youth group to accommodate our growing tween population. We have doubled in nearly every area of ministry, and the space that fit us well two years ago no longer serves us or the vision God has given us.

Over this past year of growth, we've prayed and discerned that now is the time to begin acting. The choices we make today are what will allow us to keep living out our mission to create generational disciples. Our lease ends in 2028, less than three years from now, and we hope to step into a bigger space, supported by a stronger budget and a stronger leadership team.

Where We are Going

We cannot faithfully serve God in the world while staying where we are — unmoving, unchanged, unyielding. Every branch that bears no fruit is cut off and thrown into the fire. If we shrink back now, we will miss the chance to see God's glory shine through our need as He fulfills the desires He has placed in our hearts. We will miss what He wants to teach us about ourselves and about Him in this season. And if we default to the safety of staying the same, we will lose the force to shape the generations still to come.

Growing the space in which we worship, serve, and learn grows our capacity to invite others alongside us. Growing our budget allows us to say yes to more of the ministry opportunities within our reach. And growing in the depth of our discipleship ensures we're forming more — and more mature — citizens of the Kingdom of God. If we aren't intentional and faithful to grow, we will, more likely than not, stagnate and die. Growth requires nurture. Time alone doesn't guarantee it — decline can happen just as naturally as growth. Real growth, the kind that connects more people than ever to God's love, requires the wholehearted effort of the whole body: committed to prayer, presence, giving, serving, and witnessing to what God has done in our lives.

Give to Wholehearted

Our Wholehearted Goals

How do I give to the campaign

You give the same way you already do. Nothing about your regular giving changes. Behind the scenes, we simply divide it into three areas: 54% to the Building Fund, 42% to the General Fund, and 4% to the Mission Fund. So at a glance, you can see exactly where your generosity goes.

This one gift does three things at once: it meets the everyday needs of our church budget, builds a healthy reserve for the missions we support, and grows our space so we can welcome and minister to more of our community. But more than that, giving wholeheartedly forms us. It's not just how we fund a building or a budget; it's part of how we grow as disciples.

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