What To Expect
At Urban Bridge we are community of Christ followers who are actively involved in “bridge-building” in our communities. This means we want to share what we have found to be a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ, through mercy, grace, creativity, authenticity and loving relationships. Those five values drive all we do, and set the tone for our gatherings.
Sunday Mornings
When and Where
Like many churches, we have a gathering every Sunday morning. This gathering does not define all we do, but it is a meaningful time to connect with God and with each other. Each Sunday morning gathering starts at 10 AM and we currently meet at the Royal Alberta Museum, in their theater. This theater setting allows us to explore creativity in some exciting ways.
What Happens
A typical gathering may include any or all of the following;
- live performance music (singer-songwriters, bands)
- group worship (a time of led singing with words projected on screen so you can follow along)
- community life announcements
- community-building coffee time during the gathering
- group prayer (simple prayer led by a delegated person from the church)
- teaching time, led by someone from our Lead Team, a guest speaker, or a creative group from Urban Bridge (sometimes teaching is in the form of a story or theater)
- open conversation (a time for questions and answers follows every teaching time so we are all a part of what is learned
- a personal, private space to participate in the sacrament of communion, pray and/or reflect on your spiritual journey
Come As You Are, Bring the Kids
Our gatherings are very casual, and childcare is provided so if you have children you can know they will have fun in their own setting and also learn spiritual truths.
Come With Questions
An atmosphere of open conversation defines these Sunday morning times. Teaching is not top-down as much as the community is led to discover spiritual truth together in open dialogue each week.
Other Gatherings
We also get together at other times. Smaller groups meet together, often bonded through common interests (book club, film study), to serve in social action (Kairos House AIDS hospice ministry) or to develop a creative skillset together (photography group, songwriters’ group). Some of these groups meet every other month, and some every week. All are open to new members.
Good Food, Good Coffee (or Tea)
We believe in gathering together around hospitality. Soup On Sunday is an event where our community gathers together after a Sunday gathering once a month to share soup and sandwiches and grow in “loving relationships” at the same time. We have found good food, coffee and tea to work wonders in building relationships!
Missional, Not Attractional
We believe that to impact culture, we need to go into communities, and not just invite them to come to our gatherings. That is why we don’t own a building. That is why we hold events at various locations throughout the city. That is why we may just be crazy enough to support your idea for serving your community with transformational love.
An Informal Structure
We strongly believe in accountability, and so we are part of a larger organization, the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Our church also has a Lead Team, who meet monthly, and a Leadership Team, which is broader and meets a few times each year together. These groups, and so many other volunteers, lead our community of Christ followers together, as we are led by Christ.
There is only one, half-time paid staff member at Urban Bridge; Darrell Muth as Lead Pastor. Many others serve the church in a volunteer capacity.
We also have a formal membership process for those who want to place themselves in a position of formal accountability within our community. You can read more about that on our membership page, under Urban Bridge Theology.