Bridges pastor Mark Andrews initially arrived at Asbury to pastor the congregation’s remaining members while also starting the new church plant. The Asbury congregation eventually decided that the best opportunity to expand ministry in that community was to cease its own ministry and instead support the new Bridges Covenant initiative – and the congregation donated its building to Bridges Covenant.
“It was one of the most unselfish things I’ve ever seen,” says Andrews.
The building is undergoing extensive renovation. Drop ceilings are being removed, all new carpeting and tiles are being laid, and some of the space is being converted to a family ministry center. The church donated its 30 pews to a nearby small Baptist congregation, which was in need of the traditional seating, but did not have the money to purchase any. For additional photos, see Renovation.
After the Asbury ministry ceased, the building remained closed for several months for reasons that went beyond the need for renovation. The community needed to see that the congregation was a completely new start, Andrews explains. The construction work sends the message that the church plans on staying.
The renovation has become an outreach to the community, Andrews says. Dozens of people have stopped by the church to check out the ongoing work. One of the foremen, who did not attend church, asked Andrews to officiate his wedding. “I knew the pastor that rode a Harley would be willing to talk to a guy like me,” the foreman said.
Andrews says he hopes to reach other people like the foreman – those who have either given up on church or who might not feel welcome anywhere else. Motorcycle enthusiasts are one target audience.
Andrews is the chapter historian for his local Harley Davidson motorcycle club. A postcard announcing the new church has a picture of a motorcycle rider with the words, “Where is the road taking you?” The back includes a picture of Andrews wearing his leather vest standing next to his motorcycle. The invitation lets potential visitors know, “There will always be a place to hang your helmet at Bridges.”
Andrews also hopes his connections as a chaplain for the police and fire departments will benefit the work. Several firefighters have already told their chief how much they have appreciated the availability of a chaplain.
The church’s desire to offer something different is reflected in its website as well. Andrews wanted to keep the website address simple, but finding a domain name was difficult because the word “bridges” had already been locked in by other organizations in their own domain names.
The solution was to be found in the small South Pacific island of Tonga, near Fiji, which has its own domain name extension, “to.” No had yet claimed the domain name “bridges.” Hence, the somewhat unfamiliar Bridges Covenant domain name: www.bridges.to.
