What a thought provoking article John. Thanks for taking the time to research and write this so that others can be touched by the witness of those that you have interviewed. I do see God working in and through these people as they are able to demonstrate that we have a God sized hole in our hearts that needs to be filled.
Grant Cassidy has hit the nail on the head by mentioning The Bridge App. Many of our churches in Canada are already using The Bridge App. It is also now available to our churches in the US. Once information has been populated into the app, members can update it themselves. A geo-locate feature allows members to click on the address which then brings up a google map. Direct dialing, emailing and texting are also welcome features. To learn more about the app or to get your church started in using it contact us at [email protected].
You are correct in noting the importance of privacy for personal information.
The Bridge App, by design, supports this perspective. When a church signs up for The Bridge App, as your church has, they have the ability to utilize the directory function. This function not only allows the church office to keep up-to-date information for all its members, but allows members of that church that have downloaded the app and been "verified" by the church office, to have access to that information so that they can easily connect with these members. Whether it be by phone, or email, connecting can be done directly through the app. The location of members residences can quickly and easily be pulled up through the app as well.
Members also have the option of choosing to not have their information display on the app. The church office will still have that information available to them, it will simply not be reflected in the app.
The app developer has placed a strong emphasis on privacy. You can read their privacy policy here.
If you have further questions about The Bridge App, you can connect with me, Dorothy Vandersteen - Program Manager for The Bridge App at [email protected].
Dee and I worked together in my role as administrative support for the Candian Ministries Director. What fun it was to help organize meeting planning and logistics for Board of Trustee meetings that were held in Canada. For 7 years I had the pleasure of assisting Dee in the work for the annual meetings of synod by managing the work of the synod office. Dee, I will miss your wonderful smile and encouraging words. You were a wonderful mentor to me. I wish you the most restful and fulfilled retirement season. And, keep smiling that wonderful smile!
Keeping in touch with its members should be of utmost importance to all churches. That being said, no church is like the one down the street and what works for others may not work for them when it comes to church bulletins.
The Bridge App has proven to be a solid solution to churches in Canada and the US that have signed up to use it. When the church administrator creates a church bulletin it can easily be uploaded to The Bridge App for all members in the church to see. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg! Any other communications from the church to its members can flow through the app. Based on input from churches, features like Prayers, Announcements, Bible, Church Directory, Watching of Sermons, Events Calendar, Devotions and processing of Donations can all be achieved. Most churches do not need to pay for the use of the app as the cost is covered by their classis.
The mission of The Bridge App is simple - to create a bridge between ministry resources and local churches and their disciples, with an aim to strengthen individuals within the local church context.
No, the PAR program is not ending. Rather, we are encouraging churches to migrate their recurring giving so that it is managed by way of The Bridge App. PAR administrators at the churches in Canada who utilize this program have received detailed communications outlining the step-by-step process that can be taken to achieve this migration.
Thanks for introducing this topic. These questions have come up many times with our Canadian churches that are using The Bridge App. A good number of them have embraced the app as a definite vehicle to use in making their regular donations. Members have expressed appreciation for a tool that allows them to continue to donate to their church and its specific causes regardless of whether they are present at church. Being away on business or on vacation is no longer a barrier to maintaining their pattern of giving.
A resource article that I have shared with churches and one that others may find helpful is the article in the December 2018 issue of The Anglican Journal. This article is entitled "Managing Church Giving in an Age of Electronic Money" (scroll to the end of the document) and provides some helpful insights to various aspects of electronic giving.
The CRC churches in Canada are using The Bridge App . This app is designed to have "Prayers" as one of its features. Various church staff have the ability to post prayers on the app. Depending on the type of prayer and the urgency status given to the prayer when it is posted, app users will receive a push notification on their phone and can read the prayer announcement immediately. Other less timely prayers can be assigned a less urgent status in which case app users will read the prayer when they access the app on their mobile device.
In my home church our Pastor, Director of Care, Prayer Chain Organizer and Director of Community Development all have access to publishing rights in the app. Members have expressed a great appreciation for this feature of the app. For some of our snowbirds, they no longer experience the challenge of distance from their church community.
One of our churches had this to say, "This past Spring our congregation lost three members, all to cancer, and all in a short time frame. Our elders were able to reach our congregation (for prayer support) through The Bridge directory to relay the initial news, and we were so thankful to be able to then use The Bridge to pass along other information regarding the funerals, such as the date and time. What a wonderful tool to have at our fingertips."
If you have any questions regarding The Bridge App, email [email protected].
Thanks so much for sharing the story of your mom Rod. It resonates with what a few of my friends and family are experiencing. May God give us the grace and patience to walk alongside our aging family members in these changing situations. Your mom sounds like a wonderful lady!
The Bridge App is a digital solution created for the CRC that over 50% of the CRC's in Canada are using. Based upon requests from churches, the app now features the ability of churches to create "Custom Fields" that can hold information that is important to the church (ie. date of baptism, membership status, etc.). The app also features: Directory, Prayer, Announcements, Devotions, Give, Bible, CRC Resources and Watch features. There is also a section that is dedicated solely to news and information updates on CRC information called "Connected".
The Bridge App is offered to CRC churches at a price that is reduced by 40% over the public price. For more information contact:
Posted in: The Gospel According to Frontline Healthcare Workers
What a thought provoking article John. Thanks for taking the time to research and write this so that others can be touched by the witness of those that you have interviewed. I do see God working in and through these people as they are able to demonstrate that we have a God sized hole in our hearts that needs to be filled.
Posted in: Best Tool for Church Pictorial Directory?
Grant Cassidy has hit the nail on the head by mentioning The Bridge App. Many of our churches in Canada are already using The Bridge App. It is also now available to our churches in the US. Once information has been populated into the app, members can update it themselves. A geo-locate feature allows members to click on the address which then brings up a google map. Direct dialing, emailing and texting are also welcome features. To learn more about the app or to get your church started in using it contact us at [email protected].
Posted in: Church Privacy Policy Templates for Ontario?
You are correct in noting the importance of privacy for personal information.
The Bridge App, by design, supports this perspective. When a church signs up for The Bridge App, as your church has, they have the ability to utilize the directory function. This function not only allows the church office to keep up-to-date information for all its members, but allows members of that church that have downloaded the app and been "verified" by the church office, to have access to that information so that they can easily connect with these members. Whether it be by phone, or email, connecting can be done directly through the app. The location of members residences can quickly and easily be pulled up through the app as well.
Members also have the option of choosing to not have their information display on the app. The church office will still have that information available to them, it will simply not be reflected in the app.
The app developer has placed a strong emphasis on privacy. You can read their privacy policy here.
If you have further questions about The Bridge App, you can connect with me, Dorothy Vandersteen - Program Manager for The Bridge App at [email protected].
Posted in: Dee Recker Retires After 23 Years! Share a Memory or Note Here
Dee and I worked together in my role as administrative support for the Candian Ministries Director. What fun it was to help organize meeting planning and logistics for Board of Trustee meetings that were held in Canada. For 7 years I had the pleasure of assisting Dee in the work for the annual meetings of synod by managing the work of the synod office. Dee, I will miss your wonderful smile and encouraging words. You were a wonderful mentor to me. I wish you the most restful and fulfilled retirement season. And, keep smiling that wonderful smile!
Posted in: Should Churches Print Bulletins?
Keeping in touch with its members should be of utmost importance to all churches. That being said, no church is like the one down the street and what works for others may not work for them when it comes to church bulletins.
The Bridge App has proven to be a solid solution to churches in Canada and the US that have signed up to use it. When the church administrator creates a church bulletin it can easily be uploaded to The Bridge App for all members in the church to see. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg! Any other communications from the church to its members can flow through the app. Based on input from churches, features like Prayers, Announcements, Bible, Church Directory, Watching of Sermons, Events Calendar, Devotions and processing of Donations can all be achieved. Most churches do not need to pay for the use of the app as the cost is covered by their classis.
The mission of The Bridge App is simple - to create a bridge between ministry resources and local churches and their disciples, with an aim to strengthen individuals within the local church context.
For more information, contact us at: [email protected].
Posted in: Electronic Giving and YOUR Church
No, the PAR program is not ending. Rather, we are encouraging churches to migrate their recurring giving so that it is managed by way of The Bridge App. PAR administrators at the churches in Canada who utilize this program have received detailed communications outlining the step-by-step process that can be taken to achieve this migration.
Any further questions can be sent to [email protected]..
Posted in: Electronic Giving and YOUR Church
Thanks for introducing this topic. These questions have come up many times with our Canadian churches that are using The Bridge App. A good number of them have embraced the app as a definite vehicle to use in making their regular donations. Members have expressed appreciation for a tool that allows them to continue to donate to their church and its specific causes regardless of whether they are present at church. Being away on business or on vacation is no longer a barrier to maintaining their pattern of giving.
A resource article that I have shared with churches and one that others may find helpful is the article in the December 2018 issue of The Anglican Journal. This article is entitled "Managing Church Giving in an Age of Electronic Money" (scroll to the end of the document) and provides some helpful insights to various aspects of electronic giving.
Posted in: How Does Your Church Share Prayer Requests?
The CRC churches in Canada are using The Bridge App . This app is designed to have "Prayers" as one of its features. Various church staff have the ability to post prayers on the app. Depending on the type of prayer and the urgency status given to the prayer when it is posted, app users will receive a push notification on their phone and can read the prayer announcement immediately. Other less timely prayers can be assigned a less urgent status in which case app users will read the prayer when they access the app on their mobile device.
In my home church our Pastor, Director of Care, Prayer Chain Organizer and Director of Community Development all have access to publishing rights in the app. Members have expressed a great appreciation for this feature of the app. For some of our snowbirds, they no longer experience the challenge of distance from their church community.
One of our churches had this to say, "This past Spring our congregation lost three members, all to cancer, and all in a short time frame. Our elders were able to reach our congregation (for prayer support) through The Bridge directory to relay the initial news, and we were so thankful to be able to then use The Bridge to pass along other information regarding the funerals, such as the date and time. What a wonderful tool to have at our fingertips."
If you have any questions regarding The Bridge App, email [email protected].
Posted in: Walking Toward Jesus
Thanks for sharing this story Trudy. I too had a lump in my throat as you and Kendell were holding hands walking towards Jesus!
Posted in: You Write the Caption!
For those of you in the back pews ... could you wake up and pay attention!
Posted in: Picking Up a Calendar
Thanks so much for sharing the story of your mom Rod. It resonates with what a few of my friends and family are experiencing. May God give us the grace and patience to walk alongside our aging family members in these changing situations. Your mom sounds like a wonderful lady!
Posted in: Track Church Membership Using Excel?
The Bridge App is a digital solution created for the CRC that over 50% of the CRC's in Canada are using. Based upon requests from churches, the app now features the ability of churches to create "Custom Fields" that can hold information that is important to the church (ie. date of baptism, membership status, etc.). The app also features: Directory, Prayer, Announcements, Devotions, Give, Bible, CRC Resources and Watch features. There is also a section that is dedicated solely to news and information updates on CRC information called "Connected".
The Bridge App is offered to CRC churches at a price that is reduced by 40% over the public price. For more information contact:
Canadian churches - [email protected]
US churches - [email protected]