2008 Woodie Awards
New local church focuses efforts on Miami students
Sarah Foster
Issue date: 8/21/07 Section: Community
"(We're) pretty packed," she said. "If you measure involvement in terms of going to masses, it's grown. But the ministry stuff and retreats and religious education, music ministry-it starts off strong and then it dwindles. You have those people who stick to it and those who just dwindle off."
To assist in The Bridge's search for students, the university provided the church with contact information for all incoming first-year students, Moore said. The pastors sent an e-mail to first-years in June and said they were blown away by the amount of responses and hits on The Bridge Web site.
"We've seen a lot of interest from students about wanting to be part of the worship band," Moore said.
Moore is originally from Mississippi and began working with the North American Mission Board-the domestic missions agency of the Southern Baptist Convention-two years ago, signing on to work full time October 2006.
The Mission Board has strategic areas where it looks for to start congregations. Moore said that after discussion and prayer, he decided to move to Ohio. Originally he hoped to work in conjunction with the ministries in Oxford, but felt called to start planning a church in Oxford.
Moore noted that The Bridge's mission appears to attract those who typically do not attend a religious service-a potentially different approach than other area congregations.
The Bridge hopes to sponsor a weekly coffee hour, as well as several other kickoff events including a late night pancake event. The Bridge is located at 210 Tallawanda St., in between the fraternity houses Kappa Sigma and Delta Tau Delta.
"Miami is such a prestigious school and there is a lot of pressure to fit in," Moore said. "Our whole mission is to provide a church where students feel welcome to be who they are and find their identity and be comfortable about that."
Moore said the church would have the house for at least a year.
The Bridge is holding its preview service at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 in the Shriver Center, with its first regular Sunday service at 7 p.m. Aug. 26, also in Shriver. The Bridge will partner with Crosswalk Ministries, a statewide organization connected to the CMC, for these services and other events that are held on campus, Moore said.
To assist in The Bridge's search for students, the university provided the church with contact information for all incoming first-year students, Moore said. The pastors sent an e-mail to first-years in June and said they were blown away by the amount of responses and hits on The Bridge Web site.
"We've seen a lot of interest from students about wanting to be part of the worship band," Moore said.
Moore is originally from Mississippi and began working with the North American Mission Board-the domestic missions agency of the Southern Baptist Convention-two years ago, signing on to work full time October 2006.
The Mission Board has strategic areas where it looks for to start congregations. Moore said that after discussion and prayer, he decided to move to Ohio. Originally he hoped to work in conjunction with the ministries in Oxford, but felt called to start planning a church in Oxford.
Moore noted that The Bridge's mission appears to attract those who typically do not attend a religious service-a potentially different approach than other area congregations.
The Bridge hopes to sponsor a weekly coffee hour, as well as several other kickoff events including a late night pancake event. The Bridge is located at 210 Tallawanda St., in between the fraternity houses Kappa Sigma and Delta Tau Delta.
"Miami is such a prestigious school and there is a lot of pressure to fit in," Moore said. "Our whole mission is to provide a church where students feel welcome to be who they are and find their identity and be comfortable about that."
Moore said the church would have the house for at least a year.
The Bridge is holding its preview service at 7 p.m. Aug. 21 in the Shriver Center, with its first regular Sunday service at 7 p.m. Aug. 26, also in Shriver. The Bridge will partner with Crosswalk Ministries, a statewide organization connected to the CMC, for these services and other events that are held on campus, Moore said.
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