COME JOIN US...............for the

FRED JORDAN MISSION HOMELESS OUTREACH!!

[Saturday MAY 5th 8:30am-2:00pm]

*Meet by the Kids Sanctuary to carpool*

We will be reaching out to the homeless community in Skid Row by serving alongside the Fred Jordan Mission in Los Angeles. We have the awesome opportunity to oversee a church service: worship, dramas, testimonies and prayer as well as help to feed lunch to the homeless.

**Email thebridgeccsb@gmail.com by WED 5/2 if you will be attending, since space is limited.  

**Please let us know if you can drive to the outreach location

Here's a picture of the group that went last October. We were blessed by the Mission, and were able to share the love of Jesus to the local homeless community of Skid Row.

Fun fact: Willie Jordan [the wife of the founder] is Greg Laurie's Aunt! Cool!

To learn more about the ministry visit www.fjc.org

His AMAZING Grace: Audience of One Friday Night Event

We just wrapped up an incredible night of worship and praise to our Heavenly Father! The cool part about tonight was that everyone used their creativity to glorify God, our AUDIENCE OF ONE! He's really the One that matters, the One whom we give our attention to and credit for all of our abilities and talents. We had a fun night of fellowship, response to the Lord as well as encouragement. The event was 50's themed and was held in our church cafe. It was fun to have snacks and dress up, and to travel back in time before any of us were born! 


The vibe was relaxed, yet inspiring. We had a time of worship, a legit spoken word, a husband and wife guitar and violin performance, poetry readings, original songs, a drama, and a dance mix from the Backyard Missions team! It was a blessed night of sharing. The Lord had an important message to us, through Pastor D about God's GRACE and how the Father grants grace to his son displayed in the story of the Prodigal son [Luke 15:11-32] We were reminded that, as unworthy as we feel and know we are, we are able to come to Him to receive His grace and love. Check out some pictures below of our time together and come join us at the next event and Bridge meeting!

We hope to see you Friday at the Bridge and at our next Audience of One event. Please don't hesitate to contact Pastor D if you have a talent you'd like to share with your brothers and sisters in Christ. We would love to see you involved and being used for the Lord. Praise God!

Backyard Mission Team April 2012

This past weekend we had a special Backyard Mission trip, where 20+ of us went into the local communities surrounding our church home and dedicated our time and energy to spread the LOVE of JESUS. We spent Friday and Saturday ministering to people in Long Beach, Mar Vista, Venice, and Santa Monica. This type of trip is life changing, it shifts your entire perspective on what it looks like to serve our God. It requires great sacrifice of your time, your comforts and your willingness to be used. There is nothing comparable to being out on the streets, parks and schools encountering strangers and telling them about God and His love. It's a wonder why we don't operate like this more often, why we aren't full engaged in Kingdom building more. It's a beautiful reminder that it doesn't take much, and yet it requires obedience to decide that you will pursue Christ in this way. Many people were blessed by the trip, and the team was encouraged as well. Mostly though, we trust that God was glorified through any big or small thing we did.

Consider joining us for our next Backyard Mission outreach! You will practice being dedicated to meetings, prayer and devotional times as you prep for the trip. You may speak to a stranger about your faith and share a verse you never have shared before. You may hand food to a homeless person and see a warm smile on their face. You may hand a ticket to Heaven and ask someone "are you going?". You may wear a Got Jesus? t-shirt and have many eyes drawn to you. You may dance like a fool in front of a crowd - full of the JOY of Jesus. Others will see what you do and they may think about their relationship with God. You may plant a thought about Him in their lives that causes them to turn back to Him. You are a tool that can be used by the great Master Craftsman who has created us and called us to Himself.

Lastly, check out this AWESOME video. One of the Bridge ladies - Stephanie choreographed a dope dance that was performed Saturday on the Venice Beach boardwalk with the Rizkallas and a few High School students. The dance drew a crowd and we were able to share the GOOD NEWS of JESUS! Praise God. Great job, Steph!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7R0j5Jxink

Have a great weekend, God bless. Stay tuned for a recap of AUDIENCE of ONE which is tonight, Friday 4/27 at 7pm in the CCSB Cafe! See you there!

Discipleship Groups Wed Night {4/18/12}

Each discipleship meeting starts with tables FULL of amazing food!

Why? Because we believe that fellowship with one another is Biblical [Heb 10:25 & Acts 2:46] and super encouraging! As we gather up our array food, we exchange conversation about our day, our lives and random silly things. Here's what's usually featured: Fast food is a given - because it's cheap and flavorful. Usually Mc'd's, and Taco Bell make the table. We have Subway sandwiches, Chinese Take Out, Sushi, Pita and Hummus, Fried Chicken, Wing Stop and of course fruit to round it all off and end on a healthy note. Last night we had homemade noodles and fried rice! And you can always find cookies, sweet bread of some sort and chocolate! YUM. We are very thankful to everyone who brings a dish to share with friends!

Last night's passage came from 2 Timothy 4:1-8.

The memory verse for the week was v.7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" Paul the Apostle was speaking of his life as he neared his end. His letter to Timothy was to exhort/encourage and instruct him on how to remain faithful to God. 

The boys gathering to hear Jun share a devo

A few key points from the night:

(v.2) "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching"

Here we are given a direct command. We are to preach the Word/Truth, about Jesus Christ and His love. We are to be prepared to share His Word with all people. We can do this by reading the Bible on our own [personal devotionals] and spending time becoming familiar with His scriptures. That way, when we give advice or encouragement to a brother or sister, we aren't only giving our opinion, but we are giving the hope we have found in God. A great scripture to crossreference here is 1 Peter 3:15 "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."

We can also 'convince' someone they may be choosing a destructive path, and use scripture as support to point them towards Jesus and away from sin.  In the same way, we can 'rebuke' or 'correct' a friend, family member or coworker who may be in harms way due to a choice they are making - and need to know the saving Truth of Jesus. Any words spoken, must be done in LOVE, as we follow our perfect example - Jesus!



The ladies listening to a devo from Mercedes

(v.5) "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry"

This verse is a warning, to be a watchman, like in [Ezekiel 33] and "walk circumspectly" [Eph 5:15] which means to consider all circumstances and consequences. That's a lot of big 'c' words! The reason we are to be aware is because we are living in a time where people look to other things that often oppose God and do things "according to their own desires" [2 Tim 4v.3]. Paul is encouraging Timothy and us to take heed, and follow through with our personal responsibility and mission given by God. Paul himself had endured much affliction and persecution for the Gospel and stands as a credible source to speak this into our lives. Our aim is to endure, to keep our faith in God and as a result we will earn a crown of righteousness, as we have loved Him well.

 

See you next discipleship [every other Wed]!

Did you know???

Did you know that Pastor Dennis [Mascardo] is the Bridge Pastor and the Missions Pastor? Well, now you do! God has called this man, father, husband, mentor and friend to both roles and he does them most excellently. We like to call him the 'busiest man we know' haha! Yet he is able to do all things with the grace and strength of Christ. No credit to him, all credit to Him! 


Today Pastor D lead a missions meeting for our upcoming BACKYARD MISSIONS TRIP [April 20-22] Please keep our team in prayer! One of the Bridge leaders Anthony, shared an awesome devotion on Galations chapter 3: Victory in Jesus!

What is a BACKYARD MISSIONS TRIP?
Glad you asked! It's 3 days where we set aside our work and the comfort of our daily lives to step into local cities and share the love of Jesus and the message of His hope and salvation. This upcoming trip, we are going to Long Beach, Watts, San Pedro, Venice and Santa Monica next weekend to share the LOVE of CHRIST with those in the local communities. 


Many of the Bridge young men and women are apart of this team. Here we are above, practicing 4 dances and 4 dramas that we will take to the streets as a means to get the attention of the folks at the High School, boardwalk, promenade and the streets of Los Angeles.  All the places we walk, dance, serve and stay we want to shine for the Lord and leave an impression of His love. We desire to be available for however God wants to use us! We know He is already ahead of us, that we go in His authority and aim to follow in obedience to His calling on our lives. 

Friday Night Study {James 4}

Friday night we had a wonderful study of James chapter 4! The night's events included small group time, which allowed for sharing about the areas that God was speaking to us from the reading. A. Martinez led a dynamic time of worship, Alex and Tita gave the announcements and everyone enjoyed prayer, laughter and even some foos ball.

We celebrated Pastor Dennis' wife Xu's birthday with two delicious King's Hawaiian cakes: passion fruit cake and chocolate cream and both were a big hit.  Lots of sugar and big smiles during fellowship after the study.  We are grateful beyond words for Xu. Her compassion, sacrifice and kind heart, demonstrate to us a godly woman who loves the Lord, her husband and her kids. 

Road map of James 4

(v.1&2) We often quarrel, fight, and covet due to our sinful desires for pleasures in this world. These misdirected passions cause conflicts within our selfs and with others.

(v.3) We ask out of selfish motives, but rather should ask God for all our needs.

(v.4) When we are friends with the world, we cheat against God and are considered His enemies.

(v.5) The scripture tells us that God is a jealous God. He cares about us and is righteously jealous for our attention and affection. 

(v.6) God gives us an abundance of grace. He "resists the proud but gives grace to the humble"

(v.7) We should strive for humility and resist the Devil so he will flee.

(v.8) Draw near to God with a pure heart! We have the natural tendency to have a divided loyalty between Christ and the world.

(v. 9&10) In our somber moments, rely on the Lord, knowing we are sinners but can come to a place of humility before God.

(v.11&12) Don't judge others! Let God be the Judge, as "He alone has the power to save and to destroy"

(v.13-14) When making our life plans, recognize that God plans out each day. Don't spend our time worrying about what's next, but focus on an eternal perspective.  We must look to God's will and not our own. 

(v.15-17) Rather than boasting in our own plans, we take the attitude of Christ and say "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this and that"

~ Come and join us at the Bridge every Friday night in the Jr. High room at 7:30~

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!

UPCOMING EVENT 4/27/12 Mark your calendar!

***CLICK ON THE FLYER TO SEE THE INFO***

{DON'T FORGET TO DRESS IN YOUR 50'S ATTIRE}

[Easter] Resurrection Day 2012!

CCSB EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE {6AM}

"He is risen! He is risen, indeed!"



The red/white cross is made up of a 300 member choir!
*Photo courtesy of Bryanne 

{Matthew 28: 5-7}

"But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”



Good Friday April 6th

Join us tonight for GOOD FRIDAY service at CCSB as we remember our Lord as He went upon a cross, to die for our sins.  We will partake in communion as a church to honor and remember His body and His blood that was shed on our behalf. Pastor Alistair Begg puts it in a beautiful light:

"In the Incarnation, subtraction didn't happen—Jesus did not lose some of His deity in order to become a man. In the Incarnation, division didn't happen—Jesus did not become a combination of man and God (50% man and 50% God, or 60-40, or 70-30). In the Incarnation, addition happened—Jesus became what He had never been, man, without ceasing to be what He had always been, God. He didn't turn into a man, He became a man while remaining God, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9)"

See you tonight @ 7:30pm in the main sanctuary [The Bridge will join the rest of the congregation]. Our speaker tonight will be Pastor Bill Welsh. Have a beautiful [Good] Friday!

Wed Discipleship 4/4

^{{2 Timothy 3: 10-17}}

^"10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, ¹¹ persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. ¹² Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Smelly, but OH SO yummy! Fellowship 3/30/12

After Friday's Bridge meeting we headed to Furusato in Gardena for a fabulous time of fellowship. Furusato is a Korean BBQ restaurant that is all you can eat for only $10! What a deal. About 25 of us headed over to enjoy briskett, pork belly and chicken which we grilled up and ate to our heart's content. 


We also celebrated two birthdays [Pastor D came and led everyone in a boisterous rendition of Happy Birthday]! Happy Birthday to Jared and Stacie! [We won't mention their ages as those #'s are getting higher]Haha. There was lots of getting to know one another, laughter and fun. We were all stinky from the smoke, but left with full bellies, happy hearts and big smiles. It's always cool to get fed spiritually AND get fed with KBBQ!

We have fellowship at least once every month, so sign up for the email updates or check back in at the blog here to find out our next yummy-hang-out-food-time! 

Good News: You're FORGIVEN! Fri March 30th

Worship team singing songs of praise to our King!

Leo and Sandra share our announcements for the week 

Friday night the young adult group gathered for a message on forgiveness, humility and servanthood.  The Bible passage for the night was Luke 7:36-50: Jesus anointed by a sinful woman.  


In this story, an unnamed woman [her lack of identity helps us to relate to her, as "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Rom 3:23] come to see Jesus while He is having dinner at Simon the Pharisees house.  [A Pharisee was a religious leader who was concerned with strictly following the law and used his authority to maintain that others did as well].


At the dinner, the sinful woman, a prostitute, broke an alabaster jar of perfume on Jesus' feet and washed His feet with her hair (v. 38).  She was overwhelmed with love for Jesus and His forgiveness on her life.  The Pharisees did not find her actions acceptable, yet Jesus reminded them that, "her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little, loves little" (v.47). Jesus was telling them that understanding the depth of forgiveness from Him will produce an outpouring of love and service to Him. 


Pastor Dennis shared how God's Word in this passage can relate to our lives in many ways. We should set out with a purpose and intent to anoint Jesus - to serve Him and humble ourselves before Him.  We should take the posture of the sinful woman and not of the Pharisees who barely even offered Jesus a foot wash or a warm welcome. We learn from the sinful woman that what she valued in life [the costly perfume] was only worthy of the feet of Jesus, and could not compare to His ultimate goodness and value. 


We are challenged to check ourselves if we are more focused on RELIGION vs. a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus.  In the moments of our daily lives, are we overwhelmed with thankfulness and a recognition of God's forgiveness of our sins or are we more concerned with rules and judging others?  Is there something you value or love more than Christ? If so, you can pray to be broken and humbled, and figuratively speaking - break those things at the foot of Jesus. This will bring you freedom.  God's forgiveness for you is ready to pour over you. 


We closed the night by taking communion [Matt 26:26-29] and breaking into small groups to share our personal understanding of communion. It was a beautiful and sweet time of responding to the Lord and worshipping and thanking Him!

Representing Christ's body and blood