A fun, easy way to connect!
What are Holiday Meet-Ups?
MEET-UPS are get-togethers or acts of kindness hosted by you and we'll promote it for you!
Here's some ideas!
Christmas Caroling
Holiday Pie Baking
Gift Wrapping
Cookie Baking for Gifts
Toy Assembling
Christmas Crafts
Hang Christmas lights for seniors, single moms
Sewing / Quilting
Hiking
Bicycling
Skiing
Serving
Tennis
Soccer
Pickleball
Painting
Photography
Woodworking
Dancing
Walking
Bunko, Cards, Games
Book club
Why?
MEET-UPS are for you to deepen friendships with other Bridge family members by doing what you love. It’s also an opportunity for those new to The Bridge to connect with others and make new friends. AND it's an easy way to invite your friends who are not churched to meet your church family and hopefully join you for other Bridge events, your life group or Sunday mornings.
It's real easy to start one. Sign up below.
FAQS
Are there any caveats
about recurring Meet-Ups?
We want to ensure that meetups stay fresh and have a high level of engagement from both hosts and participants, so we require all recurring meetups to be renewed on our quadmester schedule. This gives our hosts an easy exit if they feel the meetup has reached a natural end, or if their availability changes. It also helps us be sure that no one signs up for a meet-up that has fizzled out already.
The other way to make sure that we are delivering the best experience for participants is to keep the event calendars up to date for each meetup. When a new meet-up is created, we will set up the initial event (one-off or recurring), but it is your responsibility to add events or make changes. If we see that a meet-up does not have a calendar event scheduled, we will ask you to update it or consider cancelling the meet-up.
Are meetups planned or supervised by The Bridge?
Meetups are independently hosted by people at The Bridge. They are external events planned and supervised by the meetup hosts themselves, and The Bridge communicates their events to our church body. To limit liability, we require a Release Waiver for participants in meetups with potential physical danger.
How do meetups differ from Life Groups?
Meetups and Life Groups both have an intentional, complementary purpose. Meetups are for temporary connection around similar interests, helping people to make friends from around the area. These friendships help provide a connection for people in our church who aren’t ready to join a Life Group and its rhythms. Life Groups, and the discipleship and mission they incubate, are committed, family-like communities that are indefinite and location-based.
What liabilities are involved in hosting a Meet-Up?
Meetups are events hosted by you, the host, so the liability for meetup hosts is equivalent to inviting friends to participate in a private event you’ve organized. Participants for meetups with potential physical dangers complete the sixty-second Meetup Waiver which releases the host and The Bridge from physical liability.
Can I receive funding for my Meet-Up?
In general, meetup hosts and participants must fund the event themselves and find their own venue. The only cases in which The Bridge might provide funding for your meetup is if it is service or mission oriented. Contact meetups@bridgechurch.us for more info.
What if my Meet-Up has costs involved?
No problem! If people are okay with paying the costs, you are responsible for communicating and organizing your funding.
What do I do if my Meet-Up fills up or has too few RSVPs?
If your Meet-Up fills up, email meetups@bridgechurch.us right away so we can take it down from the website. If not enough people RSVP’d, try reorganizing your Meet-Up at a later time with more notice, or try a different idea.
Is it hard to host a Meet-Up?
Not at all. We want to make is as easy as possible for anyone to host their own Meet-Up. You’ll fill out a short form with the plan for your meet up. After the details have been looked over and approved by our Meet-Ups Coordinator, you’ll receive a confirmation. That’s it! We’ll post your Meet-Up details and help you plan for a successful launch.
How will people hear about upcoming Meet-Ups?
As for The Bridge’s forms of communication, upcoming Meet-Ups will be posted on our website, occasionally shared on social media and the weekly email newsletter. Also, at the beginning of each month they will be announced from the stage on Sunday mornings. For the most part, the general ongoing traffic to the Meet-Ups homepage should help give exposure to new Meet-Ups as well as word of mouth and personal invitations from the host and other participants.
If I enjoy Meet-Ups, why should I join a Life Group?
Meet-Ups help provide a space of connection around similar interests. Life Groups are long-term, family-like communities and are the heartbeat of The Bridge. They are followers of Jesus and their friends, learning to live like family, for the good of their community. This is the place where discipleship, accountability, and mission happen. Expect to make friends who feel like family, learn the joy of serving others, and take your next step in following Jesus.
I’m in a Life Group. Why should I attend a Meet-Up?
Meet-Ups will help you make more friends and connect with the wider church family by doing things you love together. Many Life Group members appreciate the long-lasting, committed relationships they’ve found in their Life Groups, but may feel disconnected from others in their life stage, or from most of the people they see on Sunday mornings. Meet-Ups help fill this gap in relationship.
What about “gray area” activities that involve things like alcohol, etc.?
Meet-Ups communicated by The Bridge should have a primary activity that is not explicitly controversial. “Trivia Night” (at a pub in your neighborhood) makes sense. On the other hand, “Let’s get drinks” does not. Because we don’t know what going on behind-the-scenes in anyone’s life, we can’t promote public invitations to consume alcohol.