We’re an island church, but we are by no means a “church island.” We intentionally stay connected to the world around us by building bridges wherever we can to places and people who need the ministry we have to offer. In the process, we’ve learned how much ministry they have to offer us. We didn’t invent this idea. We learned it from God, the greatest Bridge-Builder the world has ever known. Through the gift of his Son, Jesus, God bridged the gap between heaven and earth, connecting us to eternity. Christ also became a bridge to connect us with other people on the planet too long separated by race, age, culture, and a myriad of unhealed wounds, unresolved conflicts, unforgiven sins, and un-relinquished prejudices. Rather than accepting human excuses for maintaining divisions, Christ revealed God’s reasons for making connections.

It is a profound joy to witness the bridges Christ has built among us and the bridges he’s inspired us to build with one another.

In our congregation bridges are built through our cooperation with the other churches on Anna Maria Island engaged with us in All Island Youth and All Island Denominations. Look elsewhere in this issue for photos of our youth working with other youth around the country to help with the recovery of New Orleans through a cooperative mission work project with the International Council of Community Churches. Take note of our outreach in mission and ministry to people who are elderly, homeless, young parents, youth searching for a spiritual foundation, children at risk in a dangerous world, adults recovering from addiction, migrant families needing hospitality and support, hungry people needing a meal or a new way to earn their own way in the world, missionaries who proclaim Christ with powerful words and deeds in all corners of the globe, and many other connections based on sharing ur spiritual, emotional, and material resources to build bridges in Christ’s name.