Resource Coordinator with Ministry in Canada, particularly with The Bridge App and the Connections Project, working from the Burlington (ON) office.
It is my honour to serve classes and congregations in Canada as a Resource Coordinator, and to assist churches across Canada as they utilize The Bridge App, a smartphone app specificially tailored to Christian Reformed churches.
I am a member of The Carpenteros and Friends, a group that began at Calvary CRC (Flamborough, ON) and has expanded to include members from several other CRCs and non-CRC churches. For the past 19 years, the Carpenteros have been supporting community development in Honduras through short-term service teams and various fundraising activities that support micro-finance cooperatives, agricultural and sanitation projects, health and nutritional training, justice advocacy, and crisis/emergency relief, in partnership with World Renew, Diaconia Nacional, and other Honduran partner agencies. Funds to support this work are primarily raised through the 'Building Hope for Honduras' banquet, normally held on the last Thurs. in September, and through a Valentine's Dinner.
In partnership with Diaconia Nacional of Honduras, the Carpenteros also coordinate the Rio Olancho Direct Trade Coffee Project, which provides training and support for coffee growers in Olancho. They are paid a premium for producing high-quality coffee, which is the exported to Canada and distributed in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
Much more than just a tool for communicating with local church members, The Bridge App connects your congregation through prayer, an events calendar, membership directory, and the capability to financially support the church budget and local ministries.
Local churches are utilizing The Bridge App for live-streaming services, accepting offerings, and managing and tracking attendance.
The Bridge App, available to Canadian churches through CRCNA Ministry in Canada, has a number of features that can assist churches during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Your church may not have video recording or streaming capability, but there are some simple solutions for sharing Sunday's sermon during this time when worship services are suspended.
The DIRECTORY function in The Bridge App can help to connect your church's members, and the photo feature is a great way to make new members feel at home.
What does ‘operational oversight’ look like among the ministry staff in your congregation? How do you decide the salary for any given position?
Members and regular guests may know the personal email addresses of the ministry leaders in your church. But for those who visit your website looking for a means of contact, what first impression are you sending?
If your church has prepared a communication plan/strategy, would you be willing to share it?
What software program is your church using to manage and schedule your various volunteers?
Ideas for new practices or programs may be plentiful, but the deeper challenge is in successful implementation and making the changes stick. In this article, five steps or stages are outlined for putting good ideas into action.
Through CRCNA Canadian Ministries and The Bridge App, we have worked closely with 100+ churches. One common piece of feedback is that churches need solutions that fit within their staff and...
The Bridge App, which is currently in use by about 2/3 of Canadian CRCs, and is being tested by several CRCs in the US, enables a local church to accept giving for the church budget and other...
Hi Bob - please email me at [email protected] I do have a few documents that you may find useful, and some notes from our meeting, but they require a bit of explanation and context.
Ken...
Thanks for sharing this, Trudy.
I have found that, when determining what to post, two effective filters are (1) does this contribute toward building community or projecting a community that others will want to be part of, and (2...
Some interesting questions and ideas you have raised here, Rachael. BTW, thank you for what you and your congregation are doing to utilize The Bridge App, as one of the US churches that have...
The Bridge App, which is available to all CRCs in Canada, has a 'GIVE' function that allows members to donate to the budget and other causes designated by the local church. While giving can...
Diverse, joyful, family.
Thank you for sharing this information, Shirley.
The Bridge App, which is now available for CRCs in Canada, has placed the very highest priority on data security for its Give function. ...
There are a number of giving/donation apps that are specifically designed for churches. Tithely is one that a number of churches are using, although I do not have any personal experience with it...