Last week, we reflected on why we build a church.  This week we look at why a church needs a bridge to the community: go out of the walls in to the world to get back in the walls. 

Bridges are amazing structures that fascinate us and provide so much connection.  Imagine a world without bridges.  Imagine Washington DC, Arlington, New Jersey and New York without dry paths across the rivers.  Bridges and cities go together.  Now imagine life without another sort of bridge, one that spans from your church to your community.  Jeremiah 29:7 says, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  Just as bridges and cities go together, churches and communities are linked.  God’s people are to be connected to the city, the community, and the world.  We cannot build a church without connecting it to the community it serves and/or is planted in.Jesus called his twelve disciples together.  He gave them power over all the bad spirits, and power to heal sick people.  He sent them out to tell people about the kingdom of God and to heal sick people.  The disciples left and went through the towns.  They told the good news and healed people everywhere.  Another great bridge-building era has come.  Congregations of all sizes and in all places are connecting to their communities, providing good deeds and good news to people in poverty, families in crisis, cities in decay, and schools in need.  Many of these churches are willing to step outside the safety net of theirs pews and cross the street into real-life, real world acts of service in order to share the truth of Jesus Christ.  Building a bridge from the church to the community is possible for a congregation at any stage of life, but not necessarily easy.  Why do many churches do it?  They must.  They choose to love and serve the community for the purpose of fulfilling Jesus’ mandate to be salt and light.  “You are the salt of the earth….You are the light of the world…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-15)  While not easy, members of these churches agree that building this bridge has brought life to their churches and light to the world. That answers why we shall build a bridge.