Columbia, Maryland
Life gets busy. So many of us know how easy it is to take our spiritual growth for granted when we’re juggling the demands of the day-to-day. At Bridgeway, we host a mid-week service, called Wednesday Night Alive, where every member of the family can continue to grow and thrive. It’s designed to nurture deeper spiritual understanding and to provide a spiritual boost during the week. “I love it!” says one regular attendee. “I race home from work just to make it there. I learn a lot, and I love having a time to be spiritually focused in the middle of the week.”
We begin with corporate worship because as one woman so perfectly explained, “It gets my heart and mind right after a long day at work. Life can be stressful, but taking the time to slow down and worship the Lord brings everything that’s important back into focus.” Then, Pastor David Anderson teaches a brief lesson to educate and help all of us to go deeper in our spiritual life.
There are breakout sessions to focus on the different needs within our church. One member of our marriage class walked in on a discussion about the distractions that keep couples from working on their marriage. “The overwhelming response was that kids are a major reason married couples don’t spend time together working on their relationship. Then someone acknowledged what a blessing it was to be able to come on Wednesday nights, drop off their kids, and be able to spend time with their spouse focused on their marriage.”
Programming for children and youth is also focused on building community and nurturing their spiritual growth. One teenager says, “I like how we start off with activities that include everyone. I also enjoy the praise and worship, which lets us have time to show our love for God and pray for forgiveness.” One student was overheard saying how he’d rarely attended youth ministries in the past, but his experience at Youth Alive was different and he enjoyed the good time and the atmosphere. We want Youth Alive to be a place our teens want to come and a space that draws them closer to God.
While the sessions that happen at Wednesday Night Alive are valuable, it is so often the relationships and what happens afterwards that is most impactful. One woman expressed how the conversations in the parking lot, where folks debriefed the evening, were some of her favorite moments. Another shared how much she appreciates the handouts from the teaching. “I go back and look at my notes to re-read what we discussed. I am learning more about God’s word, and I love practical applications. That’s my favorite part!”
We are grateful for Wednesday Night Alive and the ways it encourages, inspires, and educates our church so each member of the body can grow. We know we are serving our congregation when we hear testimonies like this one from one of our church members: “The additional fellowship with friends and leaders at Wednesday Night Alive reinforced what we initially received from Sunday’s services. This mid-week meeting helped my family and me to begin and grow our relationship with the Lord.”