IMPACT REPORT 2023–2024
WHOWEARE
MISSION+VISION
Gather,Group,Grow,GiveandGoishowthe bridgefulfillsitsmissionandvision.Ourmission istoconnectpeopletoGod,eachother,and ourworld Ourvisionisoftransformedpeople impactingtheirworldinChrist
Wegatherforarenewedandinspired perspective.Wegrouptoputthisinspiredlife intoeverydaypractice Wegrowthrough personalizingourfaithinJesus Wegiveto participatefullyinGod’sloveforall.Wegoout intoourworldtoperpetuateGod’sgoodness.
PASTOR’S UPDATE
BRIAN CHILDS
LeadPastor
God’spurposeineverychangeinyour lifeistomakeyoumorelikeJesus.The promiseofRomans8:28iswonderful: “WeknowthatGodcauseseverythingto worktogetherforthegoodofthosewho loveGodandarecalledaccordingtoHis purposeforthem”(NLT).Butitdoesn’t makesenseuntilyoureadthenextverse: “ForGodknewHispeopleinadvance,and HechosethemtobecomelikeHisSon” (Romans8:29,NLT).
Goddoesn’tjustwantyouinHisfamily Healsowantsyoutodevelopthefamily characteristicsofachildofGod.Hewants youtogrowspiritually.Andyourmodelfor maturityisJesusChrist
So,whatisJesuslike?Thebestpictureof Jesus’characteristhefruitoftheSpiritin Galatians5:22–23:“ThefruitoftheSpirit islove,joy,peace,patience,kindness, goodness,faithfulness,gentleness, self-control”(ESV) Godproducesthatkind offruitinyoubyputtingyouinsituations fulloftheexactoppositecircumstances, whereyougetachancetolearnand practicethesecharacterqualities
Overthispastyearatthebridge,wehave added“growth”toour4Gs,makingusa 5Gchurch Growthiswhathappenstous whenGodsupernaturallychangesthings uponus.It’scertainlybeenayearof change,ayearofchallenge,ayearof pain You’veheardtheaxiom,“Nopain, nogain” Well,thereisatruthinthat statement.Wehavegrowninsomany waysthisyear…andwiththatgrowthhas comesomesignificantchange
Wehadourfirstfullyearinourwonderful newbuilding.Wehaveseenourgiving grow.Wehaveseenstaffmembers transitionintoothercallings Wemoved totwoserviceslastEaster We‘veseen newpeopletakeontheresponsibilities ofgovernancethroughserviceonour board We’veseennewworshipleaders developed;well,forthatmatter,new leadershipinmost ifnotall ministries We’veseenaninfluxofnewpeople. We’veexperiencedthesorrowofmy ownpersonallifesituation,andwe’ve experiencedwhatitistohaveanew interimleaderandboardstewardthe churchthroughthis.Ithasbeenquite ayear!
RememberwhatIsaidatthebeginning ofthisreport?God’spurposeinevery changeinyourlifeistomakeyoumore likeJesus Godissurelyworkinginusand throughusthroughallthesechanges Wecontinuetogrowineveryway!
Iwouldliketotakewhatremainsofthis updateandexpressmygratitudetoeach ofourboardmemberswhohadtostep upinafashionthatwasmonumental. TimJenkins,inparticular,assumeda significantroleasChairmanoftheBoard Hefulfilledthistaskwithsuchsensitivity, wisdom,andstrength I’msothankfulfor Tim’sleadership!I’dalsoliketosayahuge thankyoutothestaffwhohadtostepup thisyearandfillthevoicesleftbythree wonderfulandgiftedstaffmemberswho arenowfulfillingtheircallelsewhere.We soloveandappreciateRodCohen,Emily James,andSamChung mayGodbless themintheirnewendeavors
I’dliketoexpressanotherhugethankyou totheExecutiveTeam,CynthiaYoonand JeffBoadway,forhowtheysteppedup andworkedwiththeboardtosteward thechurchthroughthispastministry year TheBoardandtheExecutive becameincrediblycloseandgrewin theirleadershipthisyear.
I’dliketosaythankyoutoPaulLamfor consentingtocometothebridgeinits timeofneed.Thereisnodoubtthatheis God’sprovisionforsuchatimeasthis His pastoralcareandpreachinghavecarried usthroughwhatcouldhavebeena turbulenttime.
Mylastthanksgoestoyou thebridge family Thankyouforyourpatience,your understanding,yourgrace.Thereisno churchlikeyou.Youaretrulyoneofakind. IpraiseGodforyou GodisfulfillingHis purposeamongstus Heistobepraised!
FINANCE REPORT
scale Thismadeitdifficulttoanticipate whatourexpenseswouldbe.Infaith,weset abudgetthatwouldequipeachministryto fulfilltheirministryplans
TIM JENKINS
BoardMember&Chairof theFinanceCommittee
Preparingforyear-endandanAnnual GeneralMeetingcanbestressfulandbusy, butitcanalsobeatimeofrest,reflection andcelebrationaswepausetolookback onwhatwasthepastyear Ourvisionat thebridgeisoftransformedpeople impactingtheirworldinChrist.Ithasbeen anothergreatyearhereatthebridge,both inministryandfinancially Wearethankful forwhatGodhasprovided.
Weenteredintothe2023–2024fiscalyear withabudgetthatwasnotbalancedand wewereprojectingasmalldeficit Wewere planningforourfirstfullyearinournew buildingandourdifferentministrieswould berampinguptofullcapacityafterafew yearsofoperatingvirtuallyoronasmaller
Wearethankfulforyourgenerosityas year-endincomewasnearly10%higher thantargetat$1.95million Expenses alsocameinlowerthanweanticipatedin certainareasresultinginayear-end surplusof$376,000.Thissurpluswillprovide fundstogrowministriesinthefuture.
In2023–2024,thefinalpaymentswere maderelatedtothebuildingproject.With noremainingfinancialcommitments,the projectisconsideredclosedandcoming withintheapprovedbudget Furthermore, ourVisionFundinvestmentsexperienced positivegainsof$71,000,increasingthe balanceto$1.7Mwhichisearmarkedfor futureexpansionplans
Iwouldliketotakeamomenttothankthe staff,pastors,FinanceCommittee,andmy fellowboardmembersforbeingfaithful stewardsofthefinancesofthechurch Muchtimeisspentinprayerandreflection, listeningforGod’sdirectionforhowtobest allocateourfinancialresourcestothe differentministriesandpurposesofthe bridge Inparticular,Iwouldliketorecognize CynthiaYoon,DirectorofAdministration, andJenniferMa,Bookkeeper,formanaging thechurch’sdailyfinancialoperations, includingcompletinganothersuccessful year-endaudit AspecialthankstoJanet Hum,whoservedasBookkeeperforthelast twoyears,andGiselleAlbi,whosteppedin duringthetransitionperiod Iamexcitedto seewhereGodtakesusin2024–2025
WHYWEEXIST
BridgeWorship’ssolepurposeistopoint peopletoGodthroughtheuseofthearts. Wedothatbyleading,encouraging,and inspiringthechurchbodythroughChristcentered,biblicallysoundmomentsof worshipthroughsong,compellingvisuals, andinspirationalmediacomponents.
average in-person attendance
710
87 average online viewership
1618 GoodFriday+ EasterSunday attendance
1301 ChristmasEve service attendance
TEAMBUILDING
newworship teammembers
teammembers
BridgeWorshiphosteditsfirsteverWorship NightinlateFebruary.Anightoftestimony, scriptureandsong,wesawaround350of ourchurchfamily adults,youngadults, youthandsomechildren comeforanight toworshipJesus!
“TasteandseethattheLordisgood Oh, thejoysofthosewhotakerefugeinhim!” (Psalm34:8).
EverySunday,ourincredibleHostMinistry TeambringsforwardGod’sgoodnessby welcomingandgreetingnewandexisting guestsofthebridge.OurAtriumTeam welcomesguestsastheyenterthedoors Asguestsmovetheirwaytowardsthe auditoriumorthenewbalcony,theyare guidedtotheirseatsbyourfriendlyteamof auditoriumushers
AfterSundaygatherings,ourguestsenjoy coffee,teaandbakedgoodsservedbythe HubCaféTeam.OurConnectionsTeam continuestoserveouronlinecommunity andengageinpersonwithnewguestsat thenewConnectionsCentre.Thisyear,we connectedwith177newguestswhotookthe initialfirststepwithourConnectionsTeam
177 newguests through Connections
Discipleshipatthebridgeiscentredaround our5Ggrowthpath.Asachurch,wegather, group,grow,give&go Everythingwedo throughdiscipleshipismeanttoconnect peopletoGod,eachotherandtheworld. Wesawsomanyindividualsgrowinginfaith andcommunitythroughintentionally leadingpeoplethroughourpathway!
Rightliving,belonging,andrelationshipsare desiresweallhave.Humanweakness,hurts, habits,andhangups;weallhavethem.We believethatitisinourgroupsthatwecan experiencesustainablegrowth Ingroups, wehelponeanotherinourgrowthinChrist andinourrelationshipswitheachother. Atthebridge,wegroupforgrowth.
Inthe2023–2024ministryyear,weoffered GroupforGrowthinSeptemberandagain inJanuary.GroupforGrowthincludes SeasonalGroups,Alpha,andLifeGroups
70% ofSeasonalGroup participantswere newtothebridge andattending agroupforthe firsttime
3035% ofAlphaand SeasonalGroup participantsare nowconnected intoaLifeGroup
41 LifeGroups
347 participants inLifeGroups
56 LifeGroup leaders
13 newLifeGroups startedin 2023–2024
94 newparticipants inLifeGroupsin 2023–2024
3 Alpha groups 41 Alpha participants
2
13
7 support groups offered
143 participated insupport groups
4
15 seasonal group leaders
Eachyear,wetakeupaspecialofferingatour ChristmasEveandGoodFridayservices.Thisyear, ourChristmasEveOfferingwascollectedinsupport ofourfourcommunitypartners(listedbelow)and ourGoodFridayOfferingwascollectedinsupportof ourOnMissionministry.Thetotalscollectedwere:
$59,550
$7500+ worthoffoodraised inDecember2023for MarkhamFoodBankand Master’sPantryatUAC $3520 raisedinFeb2024tosupport OutoftheCold/BlueDoor inYorkRegion
childrensponsoredat thebridgesince2018
thebridgeprovidesmonthlyfinancial resourcestohelpasurvivorofchildabuse inSriLankareceivecareandsupport
Wecontinuetosupport4international missionariesand4localmissionaries: MISSIONARYSUPPORT AshleyChan
PRAYER CONNECTION
20+ 79 23
prayerand careconnections eachweek
prayerpartners prayingforrequests sentweeklyand monthly ServicePrayer Teammembers ministeringona weeklybasis
16 prayerpartners onaveragemetfor ourweeklyonline prayergatherings
Therearethreedifferentteams andmorethan35volunteers currentlyservinginthethree areasofCareMinistries.
Hospitality Team Care Connection Prayer Connection
35+ totalnumber ofvolunteers
1232 requestsshared andprayedforin the2023–2024 ministryyear
Overthecourseofthisministryyear,we’ve celebratedmanysignificantmilestones. WewelcomedournewChildren’sPastor, VeronicaPaxton,embracednewprocesses, andwarmlyreceivednewfamiliesintoour community Wesuccessfullyhostedboth SportsCampandAdventureBibleCampto concludetheyear,whilebuildingdeep,loving connectionsamongourchildren,volunteers, andfamilies
Thisyear,weintroducednewsafetyand discipleship-focusedtrainingforour volunteers,ensuringtheyarewell-equippedto leadandcareforourgrowingcommunity We implementedabuddysystemtoprovide1:1 supportforchildrenwhoneedit,launcheda KidzoneMissionsTeam,andaddedlive worshipforGrades1–5,enrichingtheirworship experience.Additionally,wecreatedaprocess forconsistenthuddlegroupsinKidzoneto enhanceunityandfosterconnection
WeexisttoconnectkidstoGod, oneanother,andtheirworld inChrist Wedesiretosee transformedkidsimpacting theworldaroundthemoutof anoverflowoftheirpersonal relationshipwithJesus!
KIDZONESUNDAYS
Thisjourneyhasbeenatestamenttothe faithandprayersofourvolunteersand congregation,andabeautifulreminderof thepowerofworkingtogetherasonebody. Becauseofthisunity,we’veseengrowthin ourvolunteerbaseandresourcestosupport theincreasingnumberofchildrenjoiningus inKidzone.
Sunday morning attendance
newLIT+adult volunteers onboarded
Weareincrediblygratefulforourdedicated Kidzoneleadershipteam:GabyCardenas, SarahChung,SarahDimilta,AvaHa,Elissa Lam,MaureenWon,andJoanneWilliams. Thisyearalsosawtheformationofournew KidzoneVisionteam,whichincludesHeena McKoy,RebekahLedlie,AmandaChan,and VictoriaMaietta. 700+
attendeesforthe KidzoneChristmas Presentation
7 childdedications overthe2023–2024 ministryyear
66
volunteers served
SPORTSCAMP KIDZONELUAU
500 people participated over
children attended 75 volunteers served 86 children attended 60 volunteers served 25
thanineweekAlphayouthprogram Ourstudents enjoyedgroupdiscussionsastheyexplored theirfaithandwerechallengedtogodeepe Theyalsohadtheopportunitytoattendan all-dayAlpharetreat,whichfocusedonthe HolySpiritanditsroleinourlives
InFebruary,wesawthereturnofthestudent leaderprogram,whichiscomprisedofsenior highstudentswhovolunteerinthejuniorhigh program.Thisgrouphelpsplan,organizeand executesucheventsastheJr.HighRetreat, theyear-endpartyandtheGrade8dessert night Ithasbeenajoytoseethemgrowas leadersastheyusetheirgiftsforChrist
InMay,wesaidfarewelltoPastorRodafter sevenamazingyearsinouryouthministry Theyouthhostedalovelyfarewellservice forhimwithformeryouthandparentsin attendance.WewishPastorRodallthebest inhisnewpositionatYongeStreetMission
OURMISSION
WeareallaboutbuildingChristcenteredrelationshipswithyouth, withthehopetoinspirethemto growintheirfaithinJesus.
66 averageJr.High Fridaynight attendance 46 averageSr.High Fridaynight attendance
23 totalfirst timeyouth 146 youthwho attendedat leastonce
112 102 attended year-endparty attended Septlaunch
4 on-site socials
26 adult volunteers
9 student leaders
Inthisministryyear,GodhasledourYoung Adults(YAs)throughseasonsofgrowthin buildingcommunity,diggingdeeperin theWord,andlivingouttheirfaith From guestspeakersencouragingchallenging discussionsandashifttowardsdiscipleship inpeer-ledBiblestudies;toweeklysports nightstopick-uppickleballandsummer softball,wediditall!Wealsostretchedour understandingofsharingGod'slovewith strangersbyvolunteeringforHomeless ConnectToronto Wejourneyedtogether throughchurchstaffchangesand collectivelyexpressedourappreciationto PastorSamforhisover14yearsofministry atthebridge,asGodhascalledhimtofull timechaplaincyatPeople'sChristian Academy Inthemidstofchange,God continuestoleadHisYAministryfaithfully andhasgrownourleadershipintoateam withavarietyofgiftings,astronglovefor Jesusandunityofvisiontoservetogether
WHYWEEXIST
Weexisttocreateacommunity whereyoungadultscan connecttogetherand experiencetheloveofGod!
Thisyear,wehad19 YAsservingtogether inlocalmissionsat HomelessConnect, onecookingworkshop, oneuniversitystudent’s schoolsend-off,and twointer-church worshipnightswith TheOliveBranchand CornerstoneYAs.
GRAND OPENING
OnSeptember10,2023,weheldourgrand openingcelebrationandFallMinistryKickOffevent!Wealsotooktheopportunityto expressourdeepappreciationforallthe workputinbyKarenHeppner,NeilMaskery andKevinAide,whowereinstrumentalin leadingusthroughthehugetaskthatwas thebuildingproject
OURTEAM
