SERVE

DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know it takes dozens of people each and every Sunday morning to make our worship service happen? Did you know we have ministries that serve our congregation and communities outside of Sunday mornings? Regardless of how long you've been going to church, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, whether you're 9 or 90 - we really do have something for everyone!

Scroll down to learn more about the many opportunities we have to serve at The Bridge!

HOSPITALITY

Our hospitality team works to provide a welcoming environment to our church family and guests. This ministry includes a variety of roles - including greeters, ushers, valet, and those who prepare and serve our coffee and treats.

Time commitment is typically 1 1/2 - 2 hours, 1 Sunday per month.

Chair: Sharla Davis

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

SETUP / TEAR DOWN / TECH

This team sets up and tears down our worship space each and every Sunday morning. Work includes unloading the trailer, setting up chairs, setting up the stage, setting up A/V equipment, and then packing it all up at the end. This is a small team that does a lot of work for our church - they could really use, and would really appreciate, more help!

Time commitment is typically 1 1/2 - 2 hours, 1 Sunday per month.

Chair: Trevor Bartolomucci

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

WORSHIP

Our worship team is responsible for planning various parts of the worship service each week, including - announcements, slideshows, selecting praise songs, the musicians and singers, etc.

Time commitment is typically 1 hour before worship, 15 minutes during worship, and a 30 planning meeting via Zoom on weeks you serve.

Chair: Heather Longfellow

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

TRADITIONS

Our traditions team works to keep our United Methodist traditions alive each week. This includes the reading of announcements and scripture prior to the sermon, helping prepare and serve communion, and providing alter decorations.

Time commitment is typically 30 minutes before or during worship on Sundays you serve (depending on the role).

Chair: Heather Longfellow

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

Our Children’s Ministry has many opportunities to serve as a helper or a teacher. Sunday School, Faith Builders, nursery, and our children’s table/play space could all use more hands. Many will tell you this is the most fun and rewarding way to serve! A background check is required and we'll help with that.

Time commitment is typically 30 minutes to 1 hour per week with some preparation and review of materials ahead of time. This would be a rotation - not something you'd do every week.

Chair: Heather Garety

Want to learn more? Contact kids@thebridgeumc.org

YOUTH MINISTRY

Our youth ministry would appreciate donations of snacks and drinks for our events. We're also open to participating in unique events or service projects you may be aware of and willing to help coordinate. A background check is required and we'll help with that.

Time commitment is typically 30 minutes (providing snacks/drinks) to a couple of hours (events/service projects).

Chair: Jessica James

Want to learn more? Contact youth@thebridgeumc.org

PRAYER

The prayer team holds our congregation in prayer daily. They also pray for our worship service, pastor, and servant leaders each week and support the administrative work of our church by praying for our church council and ministry teams. Connecting to God can happen all the time, but our Prayer Team consistently makes time for it.

Time commitment is typically less than 30 minutes per day.

Chair: Laurie Estenson

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

CONGREGATIONAL CARE

The Congregational Care Team’s work is mostly done throughout the week as they visit shut ins, send gifts to the ill or injured, and support the bereaved with funeral meals. Similar to the Prayer Team, each week will vary depending on what life throws our congregation’s way.

Time commitment is typically averages 1 hour per week.

Chair: Carl and Kenda Bond

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

DIVERSITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE

Diversity and Social Justice Team members work in small sub-groups to put together projects, events, or educational opportunities corresponding with the social justice topics they are interested in. Meetings are on an as-needed basis, but support is provided.

Time commitment varies depending on the project, event, or educational opportunity.

Chair: Audrey Bartolomucci

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

MISSIONS

If you feel like your church should be doing more in the community - this is the team for you! Our missions team works to identify ways to serve outside the church. Each month we work with a different organization to collect items they need and whenever possible we combine that with a service project. As a member of this team you would help find organizations to partner with, communicate with them to see how we can best serve them, promote the event within the church, and assist with the collection of donations and the service project. You can learn more about our missions team here.

Time commitment is typically 4-5 hours per month. That includes a 1 hour meeting and assisting with the collection and service project.

Chair: Shelley Davis and Erin Atterberry

Want to learn more? Contact info@thebridgeumc.org

BRANCHES OF WASHINGTON

Branches of Washington is a multi-church organization, including The Bridge, whose goal it is to help children come to school feeling good, feeling good about themselves, and ready to learn. We accomplish this primarily through in-school Care Closets - monthly giveaways of clothing and personal care items. Opportunities include collecting and processing donations, assisting with the transportation of donations to and from schools, and helping kids shop during our giveaways. A background check is required (for in-school volunteers) and we'll help with that. To learn more about Branches of Washington and how you can help, please click here.

Time commitment is typically 2-5 hours per month depending on the role.

Chair: Alisa Smith-Reetz

Want to learn more? Contact brancheswash@gmail.com

OTHER

We believe everyone is unique and so are our God-given talents! It's quite possible your gift doesn't fit into one of the traditional boxes listed above! If you have a unique way in which you would like to serve we would love to hear from you, just send an email to info@thebridgeumc.org

SMALL GROUPS

At The Bridge our small groups are made up of facilitators, hosts, and the group members themselves. Groups tend to form in early to mid-September so we'll usually start looking for facilitators and hosts around mid-August. This would be a commitment of one "school year." If you're interested in facilitating or hosting a group please let us know!

FACILITATE

ChatGPT defines the role of a group facilitator as - “...a person who helps to guide and manage group discussions and activities in order to achieve specific goals or outcomes. They act as a neutral party who promotes open communication, fosters collaboration, and ensures that all participants are heard and their contributions are valued. A facilitator typically does not take an active role in the conversation or provide solutions, but instead serves as a guide to help the group members generate their own ideas and come to their own conclusions.”

Simply put, as a facilitator you would help lead the group. That may require some advance work. For instance, you may want to open with an ice breaker, you should probably be familiar with the material ahead of time, and you may want to come with a list of questions to discuss. A good facilitator will also look for ways to encourage participation from all members of the group.

HOST

Hosts have two primary roles. First, they open their homes for groups to meet. As a host, you'd probably want to have room for 8-12 people to comfortably meet. Second, they handle communications within the group. So they may send reminders about meeting times, homework, etc. They would also be the ones to contact if you can't make a meeting. Some hosts may also provide drinks and snacks (or coordinate that with the group).

JOIN

You can learn more about joining a small group on our Adult Ministries page, just click here!

MEALS

Our meal train and funeral meal ministries are amazing ways to bless a family going through a difficult time - not just by lightening their burden but by showing someone cares. It seems so simple but these ministries really do make people feel loved when they need it most! If you would like to bless a family in this way please let us know and we'll add you to our list.

MEAL TRAINS

Our meal train ministry gives you the opportunity to prepare and deliver a home cooked meal for someone going through a challenging time, a major life event, or that just needs a little extra help. Meal trains will be posted to our Facebook Group when a family is in need and will include a link to sign up. Families will provide information like the # of people who will be eating, what they like, don't like, allergies, etc. It will also include information on how they would like the meal delivered - leave it at the door, come in and visit, delivered, etc. Just sign up for an available date and list what you plan to bring!

Even if you don't cook you can still participate! Families will often list their favorite restaurants so you may also have the option of picking up a meal, having it delivered, or giving a gift card.

FUNERAL MEALS

After most funerals our care team will host a potluck-style meal. We phone families who have signed up to contribute items - lemonade or tea, breads, salads, sides, hot dishes, desserts, etc. We rotate through the list so you won't be called every time! And if you're busy, no problem, we'll just call the next person on the list and will try you the next time through. Providing meals also saves money for the family and is one less thing for them to think about as they're grieving.