Bridge of Peace is...

A church serving the communities of Morgan Village and Fairview with the Good News of God's unconditional love in Jesus Christ!

A multi-racial and multi-cultural community open to all people: young and old, black and white, Anglo and Latino, rich or poor, gay or straight, able-bodied or differently-abled. We are all children of God in need of God's astounding mercy and grace.

Make Bridge of Peace
Your Church Today!

We invite you in Jesus' name to be a part of this exciting newly organized church! If you already are a member of a church, synagogue or mosque, we thank God for your witness and pray continued blessings on you. But if you are not part of any religious community and have been looking for meaning and purpose in your life, visit us.

To reach any staff member of Bridge of Peace Community Church or its PEACE Center, call 856.365.1450, or e-mail as follows:

Pastor Giselle C. Coutinho
gcoutinho1@comcast.net

Laura N.Sanchez

PEACE Center Coordinator

jalnsanchez@comcast.net

Music Director Jeremy Grenhart
bassman1980@comcast.net

Miss Gerry Dutton

Administrative Assistant

Bridge of Peace is a member of the New Jersey Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Here are links to their sites.
www.njsynod.org
www.elca.org

Last change: April 27, 2009

Welcome to Bridge of Peace Community Church, ELCA!

Celebrating 8 Years in Ministry &

One Year as an Organized Congregation!

We are a Handicap Accessible Church!

Thank you for joining us!

Sunday Service: 11:00 AM

Wednesday Service: 6:30 PM (Peace Center)

Lenten Wednesday Services Begin

Feb. 17 at 6:30 PM at Church

Youth Message: Bridge of Peace and St. Matthew

in Moorestown Youth and Leaders

David's Baptism: December 2009

Mental Health Awareness Sunday: 1/31/10

Things you should know about mental illness:

PLEASE HEAR THIS: If you live with major depression or another mental illness, you are not weak or a bad Christian. You are not guilty, unworthy or unlovable.Your wife, husband, cousin, sister, friend is not weak, a bad Christian, guilty, unworthy or unlovable. You, or they, are sick. The same as if you have diabetes or cancer. Would you blame someone or withhold treatment for one of those illnesses?

God never promised that we would live without suffering. She did, however, promise that she would be with us, hold us, and help us.I thank God for that. I thank God for creating women and men who -

• Will pray with us when we are sick
• Who will comfort us
• Who have the clinical skills to provide therapy
• Who have the scientific intelligence to research and develop medications to treat mental illness...

So Remember:

• Mental illness is biological, not a weakness. The person does, however, when he or she is able, have the responsibility to work on her or his own stabilization.
• Please allow people to tell you if they are mentally ill or have a loved one who is.
• Pray with them and for them.
• Love and support them. They need you to show them that they are worth loving, that they have spiritual gifts to bring to the community.
• If you have a mental illness, help teach pastors, family and friends about it.
• If you have children, tell them. Otherwise, they wonder why you cannot always be there for them; treat them one way most of the time, but differently, and perhaps even frighteningly, at other times.
• If you see a new mom who cannot care for her baby, who is not full of joy like everyone thinks she should be…maybe it is because she is in pain that will not lift, not because she is a bad mother. Open the door for her to tell you.

If you think that you may have a mental illness, you are worried about someone who does, or you or a loved one have a diagnosis and feel alone, please talk about it (with someone who can help you). There is help and support available.

Support from one’s community of faith is an important part of the person’s treatment and recovery. People are more likely to comply with their medication therapy or participate in psychotherapy, if they can envision hope for the future.

 A loving faith community offers hope.

Information by: Laura Nicholas Sanchez (January 2010)

Family Bible Study VBS 2009

Discovery Canyon Family Bible Study

Teen Group

Children's Time

Begins: January 12, 2010 (Dinner Included)

6:00-7:45 PM

All Our Welcome

God Orders Our Steps  

One of the hopes and dreams of our multicultural ministry here in the City of Camden has been to be a "teaching site," that is, to share with others near and far our experiences and learnings as we build a church that is multi-racial, multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual. Our native languages include English, Spanish and Portuguese. As of May 30, 2008, we have grown to 140 baptized members, ¼ White, ¼ African American, ¼ Latino and ¼ of mixed ethnic background. To this end, in August we welcomed youth leaders from a number of Synods for an immersion experience. Two times this year we will host students from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia as part of their first year of field rotations.

Bridge of Peace is a Reconciling in Christ Congregation and strongly supports ministry to families with differently-abled children including designing specialized Family Bible School experiences. Please take some time to read our mission statement and view our year in pictures, and see how our partnership in mission with the wider church is making a difference in the city of Camden and beyond. Please take the time to meet our Deacon Board and Guidance Team by clicking on the links on the left hand side of the page. Through our Peace Center we provide many social and support services to our community including close to 2000 meals in November 2008. Many of our mission team partners assist us with these efforts. Please worship with us on Sundays at 11:00 AM or Wednesday at 6:30 PM. We welcome all!

Children's Message

December 2009

Thank You Mission Partners and Prayer Partners

We thank one new ministry this month who has stepped forward to provide support for Bridge of Peace. Servant of Christ Lutheran Church in Champlin, Minnesota and we thank their pastor and disciples for being in mission with us for the sake of the gospel.

In addition, we thank Diane Cone prayer partner for knitting a baptismal blanket and many “peace squares” to be shared with the congregation through 2010. Our goal is to blanket every home, business public building and neighborhood in Camden with peace and love squares to symbolize that we are a people of peace and we will take back these streets and homes block by block, square by square, and that we will overcome because we are God’s people! The light has come and the darkness will not overcome it... We know where our strength comes from... it comes the Lord! Thank you Diane for knitting!

	Merry Christmas:
	Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
	God Orders Our Steps
	Merry Christmas to All
	Pastor Giselle and Miss Chris baptizing David
	Keosha and Nicole: Evangelism Skit
	Praise Dancers
	Youth Group Singers during Ministerium Thanksgiving Eve Service

Click here to view our new calendar!

OUR SUNDAY SCHEDULE:

10:00 a.m.

Adult Bible Study

11:00 a.m. Family Praise Service

OUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

Youth Programs

Family Bible School &

Teen Topics

6:00 PM Dinner (families)

6:00-7:30 PM

(3-18 year olds)

Education Building

Adult Programs

Study the Word and Prayer Service:

NOW EVERY WEDNESDAY

Service & Study of the Word and Fellowship

NOW 6: 30 PM

In Peace Center

Regular Meetings:

Board of Deacons Meeting: May 2, 2010 at 1:00 PM

Last Thursday of the month,

6:30 p.m.:

This month moving to March 4, 2010

"Sister Support" women's ministry meeting

Peace Center

prayer, counseling and support for people in crisis. Call 856.365.1450, ext. 2.

See Services: Click Left Side of Page...

Classes

New Disciples Classes:

Begins February 14, 2010

12:45 PM

Clases para Nuevos Discípulos en español y portugués:

14/2/2010

12:45 de la tarde

BRIDGE OF PEACE

is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic church that celebrates God's unconditional love and amazing grace in Jesus Christ by ...

... welcoming people of all backgrounds & circumstances

... reaching out in love and service

... advocating for justice, peace, and dignity for all people everywhere.

This web site was designed by Hopeworks 'n Camden, a youth training program sponsored by Holy Name Roman Catholic Church, Grace Lutheran Church, and Christus Lutheran Church. For more info, visit www.hopeworks.org.