OUR FIRST YEAR
CELEBRATE AND RELIVE!
THIS WEEK'S
SERMON
Sermon 10-5 Pastor Tom
A link to our livestream will be posted prior to 10am each Sunday morning on our Facebook page.
Archives are available on Facebook Video, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.​
Every child of God is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, specially gifted to play a unique and valued role in the body of Christ. No one is without gift or purpose.
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Spiritual gifts are not our talents or skills. They are the grace of God at work within us, empowering us to match our deep passions with the world’s deep need. The gifts are given to individuals, but they are given to build and strengthen community and to meet the needs of those around us.
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Begin the journey. Discover your gifts. Talk about your gifts with others. Strive together to understand your gifts and how you can use them to serve God, neighbor, and world. You have been gifted. You have been given a purpose.
Interested in serving at The Bridge? Click here to find out more about the many ways you can get involved!
VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
FAITH BUILDERS
Faith Builders recently launched a new fall semester with 2 classes which means we'll need more teachers and helpers. Can you give one Sunday morning a month to hang out with our Pre-K through 5th graders? Teachers and helpers are needed. The curriculum is provided for you.
Sign up HERE to volunteer - current signup sheet runs through November.
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*If you have not completed a background check with The Bridge, please contact Abbie in the office(admin@thebridgeumc.org) to get this started.
MON OCT 13 | 11:00 AM
BLOOD DRIVE
Our friends at Evangelical UMC are sponsoring a Red Cross Blood Drive from 11:00AM-5:00PM in the community room at Five Points.
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To schedule an appointment call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code washingtoncomm.
TUE OCT 14 | 11:00 AM
WEEKDAY BIBLE STUDY
All are invited to join us Tuesday mornings at 11am as we study the Gospel of Mark.
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We will be meeting at The Bridge office - 401 Walnut ST in Washington. Park in the east lot and head upstairs.
Each week will be a different chapter, so whether you can make it just once or every week, we'd love to see you there!
WED OCT 15 | 06:00 PM
BRIDGE YOUTH: MID-MONTH HANGOUT
We have an exciting announcement!
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We will be offering a Mid-Month Hang Out here at The Bridge Youth Space - 401 Walnut ST in Washington - from 6:00-7:30 PM on Wednesday October 15. This will be a time for community building through playing games. We will have video games and board games to play. Also, feel free to bring your favorite board game and teach others how to play!
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We will have some light snacks and as always, bring a friend! No need to RSVP, just show up as your schedule allows.
SUN OCT 19
BRIDGE DIRECTORY PHOTOS
Ever hear a name and think "I'd probably know them if I saw them." Our updated directory we'll help with that! We're updating the Bridge directory and we want you to be the star!
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There’s still another chance to have your photo added to the directory. We will be taking casual photos of your head and shoulders again on Sunday, October 19th.
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These photos will be added to the church management app Breeze and a pdf version of the directory with pictures will be available to everyone.
SUN OCT 19 | 09:00 AM
ASK: PODCAST STUDY
Don’t have the time for a book study? Welcome to the 21st century! Join ASK for week 2 of an 8-week podcast study of “Experiencing Jesus with Bishop Mariann Budde.” Each episode is around 25 minutes. We encourage interested young adults in their 20s and 30s to join us at 9am on Sundays in room 412.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Becca Gorman
becca.e.gorman@gmail.com or Taylor Fleming taylorfleming@me.com
SUN OCT 19 | 09:15 AM
BRIDGE YOUTH: SUNDAY SCHOOL
Sunday School for Youth (6th-12th grade) takes place from 9:15 until 9:50-ish (please note our later start time this year) each Sunday morning. This second chunk of our fall / early winter schedule will run October 19th through November 16th. The youth space can be a little tricky to find, if you need assistance please ask at the welcome table just inside the main door and someone will be happy to show you!
This fall we'll be working through Can I Ask That 2 - a series that encourages students to ask tough questions about their faith even though there aren't always easy answers. Books will be provided for attendees.
SUN OCT 19 | 04:30 PM
POP IN TO A SMALL GROUP!
Have you heard about small groups at The Bridge? Did you feel like you were too busy to commit? Or maybe you weren't sure if a small group was right for you? Here's your chance to give it a try! All are invited to pop in to our small group - whether it's one time or every week - we'd love to see you!
Each Sunday afternoon we'll discuss that morning's sermon. We meet from 4:30-6:00 PM in the fellowship area at Evangelical UMC - 401 Walnut ST in Washington. Childcare is available.
SUN OCT 26 | 04:30 PM
J.A.M. - JESUS & ME
JAM is back for the 2025-26 school year! JAM is our youth group like program for 2nd through 5th graders with a typical night consisting of activities and games, snack time, a large group lesson, and small group discussion. We'll also have some extra fun "theme nights" sprinkled in throughout the year.
Remaining dates for this fall are: October 26th, November 9th and 16th, and December 7th. We meet from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM in the youth lounge at The Bridge office - 401 Walnut St. in Washington.
Kids are encouraged to invite friends and everyone is welcome - you do not need to attend The Bridge for your child to attend JAM! To help us plan, please click here to let us know you're coming!
SUN OCT 26 | 06:30 PM
YOUTH / ASK HALLOWEEN PARTY
Who doesn't love a good mash up? This month, A.S.K. - the Bridge's young adult group - will be joining Bridge Youth for a Halloween party! Be sure to invite your friends and wear your costumes!
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We'll meet from 6:30-8:00 PM in the upstairs youth space at The Bridge office - 401 WALNUT ST in Washington.
SUN NOV 02
COLLECTION FOR SNACKPAC
For the month of November we will be collecting full size boxes of mac and cheese and individual servings of Chef Boyardee products.
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Washington Weekend Snackpac provides a free sack of nonperishable food to school children in Washington, IL who may not have enough on the weekends.
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An accompanying service project - packing the sacks - is planned for Tuesday November 4th. See below for more information!
SUN NOV 02
ALL SAINTS DAY
We will be celebrating the lives of our departed faithful on Sunday November 2nd. If you have a loved one who you would like to have included please send their name, relation, and photo to admin@thebridgeumc.org by Monday October 27th.
SUN NOV 02 | 09:00 AM
INTERGENERATIONAL BREAKFAST
One of our favorite events is returning to The Bridge on Sunday November 20th at 9:00AM. Bridge Youth (6th-12th grade) will be hosting an intergenerational breakfast. Please join us as we all get to know one another better!
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TUE NOV 04
SNACKPAC - PACK THE SACK!
Our community service project for November will be with Washington Weekend Snackpac. We'll be, you guessed it, packing sacks of snacks. It's very easy to do and with many hands we get a lot done in a short amount of time. Each person will have one food item they'll place in the sacks as they're passed assembly line style. Completed sacks will find their way to local schools where they'll go home with kids who may not have enough to eat over the weekend.
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More information and a signup sheet will be coming soon...
SAT NOV 08 | 01:00 PM
BRIDGE YOUTH: KAYAKING
6th-12th graders of The Bridge - save the date! We'll be going on our annual excursion to Eureka Lake for paddle boarding and kayaking on Saturday November 8th from 1:00-3:00 PM. More details will be shared as they become available!
SUN NOV 16 | 06:30 PM
BRIDGE YOUTH: YOUTH GROUP
6th through 12th graders are invited to join us for a night of fun! We'll have games, snacks, and all the usual! As always, feel free to invite a friend or two (or three)!
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We'll be meeting from 6:30pm-8:00pm at The Bridge office - 401 Walnut ST in Washington.
SUN DEC 07 | 06:30 PM
YOUTH: CHRISTMAS PARTY
6th through 12th graders are invited to join us for the Bridge Youth Christmas Party! The Bridge is all about giving back to our community so we'll also be incorporating a service project. More details will be available as the date grows closer. As always, feel free to invite a friend or two!
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We'll be meeting from 6:30pm-8:00pm at The Bridge office - 401 Walnut ST in Washington.
THU DEC 11
YOUTH: HEART HOUSE
6th through 12th graders and their parents are invited to join us on December 11th as we help organize gifts for Eureka's Heart House’s “Tree of Hearts” Program. This is a great way to serve local families for the holiday season. To learn more about Heart House and how they serve their community please visit their website.
There are 2 after school time slots available right now: 4:00-6:00 PM and 6:00-8:00 PM. Sign up here or email Megan (megan@thebridgeumc.org) and she will get you signed up.
BRANCHES OF WASHINGTON
PROUD SUPPORTER
The Bridge UMC is proud to partner with several local churches and members of our community to form Branches of Washington. Our mission is to help the children and youth of our community arrive at school each day ready to learn.
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Our primary means of accomplishing this is through our monthly Care Closets. Students who receive free or reduced lunch are given the opportunity to "shop" for free clothing and personal care products. Branches will also be providing breakfast and snack items for schools to distribute to those in need.
Care Closets are now being offered in all D50, D51, and D52 schools! This is a huge undertaking and we need your help!
