Dear Bridgetown Church,
Thinking back over 2019, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for all God has done in and through the people of Bridgetown. It is hard to believe in January 2020, we’re celebrating our 10 year anniversary as a church! This has been another year dedicated to our vision of practicing the Way of Jesus, together, in Portland. As we have been apprenticing under Jesus there has been significant growth in our capacity to give and receive the love of God. In 2019 we learned to engage God through the practices of sabbath, naming your stage of apprenticeship, community, and unhurrying with a rule of life.
Together, we took a huge step of faith in our community’s decision to purchase and remodel Holladay Park Church. In 2019, you gave generously to help breathe new life into this space, making it a beautiful home for Bridgetown Church. The building will now feature a Justice Center, as well as our offices and space for our Gatherings.
As the year comes to a close, there are so many things to be thankful for and at the top of the list is Jesus. What a gift to enjoy Jesus together as a community.
Thank you
Gerald Griffin and the Bridgetown Elders
In Portland as it is in Heaven
We want to partner with Jesus to serve our city. We dream of being a church marked by radical generosity. Each year, we budget 10% of our income for local and global justice initiatives through our partner Hear the Cry and through benevolence within our own church body. 2% of our budget goes toward Church Planting & Evangelism, directly benefiting the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus both globally and locally.
Total Giving
Figures represent our 2019 fiscal year, Oct 2018 – Sept 2019.
Hear The Cry: Compassion & Justice
10% of every dollar given to the church goes directly to justice work and those in need both globally and locally. In 2019, Bridgetown used $201,000 for Justice & $12,000 for benevolence.
Church Planting
Funds designated toward Church Planting & Evangelism directly benefit the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus. In 2019, this fund supported Saints’ Hill Church in Newberg
Net General Giving
Ministry Expenses
Ministry Expenses include but are not limited to: Kids, Youth, Young Adults, Men, Women, Bridgetown Classes, and Bridgetown Communities.
Staff Wages & Salaries
Wages & Salaries include but are not limited to: Wages and salaries for all staff and benefits for full-time staff.
Operating Expenses
Operating Expenses include but are not limited to: Building Leases, Maintenance, Utilities, Office Supplies, and Insurances.
Facilities
Costs to maintain buildings and other facility use.
Net Surplus Added
By your generosity and God’s grace, we have ended the year with a surplus of $904,444, which is added to our reserve. Our total reserve at the end of fiscal year 2019 is $1,838,709; these funds will contribute to the remodel of our new church building in 2020.
Bridgetown Building Campaign
In December of 2018 our church collectively decided to purchase a beautiful, 36,000 square foot mid-century church building in the inner east side of the city (Holladay Park Church of God). We purchased the building for a discounted $3 million, with plans to invest an additional $2 million into renovation, making this space a place we can safely and lovingly call home for years to come. From December of 2018 to December 2019, you gave generously to the Building Campaign, with the goal of paying off as much of our purchase loan as possible. We asked everyone who calls Bridgetown home to participate in some way. While we did not reach our $3 million goal, we were nonetheless incredibly encouraged by the growth in generosity of Bridgetown and our friends worldwide who helped us raise a total of $1.9 million.
This amount is all money above and beyond our operating budget and represents nearly a doubling in the largest giving year we have ever had previously. Our renovations are projected to wrap up in March 2020, and the church building is beginning to feel like home. Soon, we’ll be in our own building on Sundays, rooted in the city of Portland. To those who participated in the campaign in ways big and small, thank you. We are humbled and encouraged by you, and promise to steward your gifts well.
Sincerely,
Bridgetown Board of Directors