The Bridge

Groovy. And not in the ironic, "retro" meaning of the word. But the dictionary definition:
groov-y  [groo-vee]   –adjective, groov -i -er, groov -i -est.
1. Slang. highly stimulating or attractive; excellent: groovy music; a groovy car.
Highly stimulating. From when you first show up and see a group of colorful, animated, smiling people outside to when you're invited to a BBQ picnic at the end to most everything in between:

• the music (which I enjoyed here more than anywhere: thanks to Todd and Angie Fadel and their fantastic band, Agents of Future).
• the sermon, which involved an open discussion--class was in session, really--on a few verses from the Bible.
• the congregation: mostly young people, but more than a few people over 30, 40, and 50, too. But they were all "into it." Not a wandering attention span in the whole place.
• the action: you could see that this was a church that was working hard to make the community an better place: food for the poor, help for the homeless, hope for all.
• the offering, which was collected in plastic Halloween buckets (spiderman and batman heads).

I'll admit: I am biased. I typically like stuff kind of outside the mainstream. Probably only because that's where I happen to find things that are more "real" to me.
For example, I'd rather go see a band in a bar than U2 at a stadium. Nothing against U2 of course--they were once a band in a bar, too.
But as alternative as it looked, the process at The Bridge was as traditional as you'd find at any mainstream church--call to worship, the reading, the collection, the sermon.
It was how we went through that process--the energy, the honesty, the community--that made it exceptional.
I fully understand that this kind of church may not fit everyone--e.g., the volume may be a bit too loud--but for someone looking for a "working church" (one that gets things done) that makes church engaging without using PowerPoints or fog machines, The Bridge will fit you well.