Bridging the gap to reach more for Christ in another new church start!
David and Mindy Dye had a great desire to bridge the gap between the un-churched and the churched, and sensed a deep call to start a new congregation. They had heard that new church starts are one of the most effective ways of reaching the greatest number of people for Christ in a given geographical area, so they felt this was the direction they should take. After working with Associational Missionary, Bob Beike, in the Muskingum Valley Association, they were drawn to the area of Little Hocking, which is located near the Ohio River in Southeastern Ohio. They called the new church “The Bridge Church”. This also piggy-backed on the fact that there is a large, well-known bridge in the area that connects Ohio to West Virginia.
The Bridge Church is located in a town of approximately 6,700 people. The new church was launched September 8, 2008 with bi-monthly worship services. They began meeting in a local elementary school and still use these facilities to meet for worship services. The launch team consisted of eight people which included David and Mindy and three other couples. David related that the three other couples were retirees. One could easily jump to a wrong conclusion that this does not make a good mix for a launch team, since the primary target was to reach younger people for Christ. However, these folks all had a passion to reach the younger generation. Most of the current members and attendees are in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s.
Thus far this year, 14 new members have joined the church and six have been baptized. In addition to small groups, The Bridge has started ministries for students, children, ladies, and shut-ins. A celebration to recognize the church’s second anniversary is being planned. David likes to let it be known that the great group of people who make up The Bridge Church understand the urgency of sharing the gospel in the community. Servant evangelism projects, Christmas baskets, and a visible presence in the schools are some of the methods they use to share Christ in the entire area.
The Bridge Church is jointly supported by the Muskingam Valley Association, State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, The North American Mission Board and sponsor churches. The Bridge Church is active in supporting mission work in Ohio and the rest of the world by giving regularly to the Cooperative Program. Please pray for this church as they continue to be a light for Christ in the Southeastern part of Ohio. Is God calling you to start another new church to reach the millions in Ohio who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
