Southbridge Fellowship
Southbridge Fellowship is a place you want to come back to each week. The church currently meets in the Brier Creek movie theater on Sunday mornings, but they're already looking for God's leading toward a building of their own. The teaching is real, fresh, relevant, and straight from the Bible....and the pastor is easy to listen to! They truly focus on applying God's Word to life today. Lively, beautiful music is a real worship experience! Top-notch children's program and active youth group. Lots of opportunity to serve and be part of small groups called "Community Groups".
The focus of Southbridge is connecting people to Jesus for life change. This church takes many opportunities to reach out into the community and love people in a godly way. There is room for everyone here, the young and the old, dressed "up" or in jeans and a t-shirt. Come see for yourself why this young church draws people from all over the Triangle area. You could also check out the website, and download a message or two.
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From where does the name "Southbridge" come? What's the Triangle area? What has your church been learning about church planting that might be helpful to others? Might your church have hopes of planting another church within a few years? I'm guessing that you might, as I have the impression that the leadership of your church includes people who have been doing some serious reading on church planting (what do you think?). Is it difficult to start a new church without the support of a church association? I suspect that it could be quite a challenge.
Would you mind asking some people who have never before been to your church to check it out and then post a message on ChurchRater giving the rest of us a detailed report from an independent perspective, which might very well include constructive suggestions for improvement along with praise? It's easy for enthusiasts or staff members of a church to want to advertise its strengths, but newcomers might be curious what first-time visitors might have to say about a church as well. Maybe your church could offer a free lunch to every first-time visitor who posted a report (favorable or unfavorable) about Southbridge on ChurchRater.
Wow, lots of questions! I'll answer what I can... The name Southbridge comes from being in the "south" and the desire to be a church that makes a bridge into the community to reach people. I know that because the bridge has been a theme promoted here, and the pastors have talked a lot about not being a club who is just enjoying being together, but rather being the arms of Jesus reaching out into the community. We've been given lots of opportunities to do that, through the rescue mission, prayer walks, giving away our shoes one Sunday, prison ministries, adopting families, bringing school supplies to local schools with kids in need, reaching out to the local firefighters, and the list goes on and on.
The Triangle area is just what this area is called here around Raleigh. I have no idea what our church has been learning about church planting. I am not on staff! I have been at Southbridge for about a year, and we, along with lots of people we've gotten to know here, are just excited about how God is moving in this church and about the vision here, which centers around people knowing Jesus. We are in community group with several whose lives have been radically changed by God in the last couple of years, and the things they've learned at Southbridge, as well as the people who've been involved in their lives have played a big part.
I did come as a first time visitor, knowing only a couple of people at Southbridge, about a year ago. It was not as if the first few weeks, I felt like I really knew people or was connected. However, I was impressed by the kids program, I loved the worship music, and knew that it was the right place for our family to be. The messages were challenging every week, and we were learning so much from the Bible, it was awesome. I will ask some others if they would mind sharing their opinions. Thanks!
angiep - very cool story of how you showed up and got assimilated -
You said that "lives have been radically changed by God in the last couple of years"
Since this is fairly dramatic language would you mind giving our readers a "for example" - the word "radical" is well... kind of radical and can leave people feeling kind of wanting some more informaiton
Thanks
Sure thing. I may just be a fairly dramatic person. But, we've gotten to know people who were all but given up on their marriages, and who are now healing and rebuilding in ways that I find amazing. Some who have walked away from an addiction they never thought it would be possible to get past...(although I know this is a constant effort, not just something you do and then it's done). Lastly, people who have come to church and realized they never truly knew Jesus and enter into a relationship with Him...I think this is radical change! Seeing people's lives changed in many ways after meeting Jesus...wow!
angiep
very helpful detail
Thanks so much