The Bridge celebrates 90th birthday, new church in Prospect Heights
The Bridge, a nondenominational church in Des Plaines, celebrates two milestones this weekend: its 90th anniversary in the community and the start of construction on Bridge Randhurst, its second campus, in Prospect Heights.
Its 90th celebration begins with an open house from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at its Des Plaines campus, 946 E. Thacker St., followed by a 3 p.m. worship service. During the open house, guests will see the new Heritage Wall, which documents church history in photos.
"We're excited to celebrate an incredible birthday," says the Rev. Brian Nelson, executive pastor, "but we're also looking forward to great things by (being close to) Randhurst."
The need for a second campus comes after numbers have swelled to more than 1,000 worshippers on a typical weekend. The new church will be located at 302 E. Euclid Ave., site of the former Prospect Christian Church, which merged with The Bridge last year.
"What's cool about this is that back in 2006, our church was almost dying. We had about 200 people and our finances were struggling," says Nelson, who grew up in the congregation and returned seven years ago as worship pastor. "At a time when other churches are closing, we feel extremely blessed and fortunate to be in this position."
When the church was struggling, its elders made a conscious decision to change the culture of the church and to look outward. In doing so, they built a passion for caring about the people in their own backyard, namely in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Rev. Scott Ziegler, lead pastor, says the congregation changed the name of the church to The Bridge to reflect its change in culture.
"We wanted to remind ourselves that it is out in the community where we live our faith," Ziegler says.
This renewed emphasis on culture led to more relevant services, Nelson adds.
"Between our culture and our services - which feature relevant music and teaching that applies to everyday life - we have just drawn people to us," he says.
Worshippers now come from around the Northwest suburbs, as well as the city of Chicago.
Church members rallied around the idea of building a second campus, and within six months, pledged $2.4 million. The city of Prospect Heights approved the plan in April 2016.
The new church will look much like the Des Plaines facility, Nelson says, with lots of glass on the exterior, as well as a 350-seat auditorium, a large children's area and bright, welcoming lobby. Both locations will feature live music and live teaching at every service.
The church dates to 1927, when a group of Des Plaines families started with Sunday School classes for local children. They soon formed the Bible Faith Church of Des Plaines, and over the years, the congregation has had a series of dynamic pastors.
"What has happened since that early gathering of a few dozen people is no less than remarkable," Nelson says. "God's hand has been evident in every stage of our journey, and we want to celebrate."