"Generous Persons Will Prosper"
Brothers & Sisters,

So far in 2022, American households have experienced the worst inflation in decades. Energy (fuel), housing, food, used autos and airline fares have all increased rapidly. Increased transportation costs for all the goods and services we need are being passed down the economic ladder to the consumer. Many people are feeling the squeeze on their monthly budget and they hold their breath before the cashier hits "total" when grocery shopping. Some people who may not have expendable monthly income are left with difficult decisions at the end of the pay period when their bottom line turns from black to red.

In hard financial times you could assume people would tighten the purse strings on their charitable giving. Higher expenses and anxiety about a bearish market might cause some to reduce or eliminate the amount they give to support the work of our local church.

That has not been the story at CARB this year. Our church is filled with disciples who give regularly, cheerfully and generously as a spiritual discipline. For many, it is not simply charitable giving, it is a form of worship. Healthy giving in a church is an indication of growing faith, and belief in the worthiness of the church's mission.

And according to scripture, generosity toward God is not only the fruit of faith, but can be the seed for God's future provision for us.

The writer of Proverbs 11:24-25 (CEB) gives these words of promise:
"Those who give generously receive more,
    but those who are stingy with what is appropriate will grow needy.
Generous persons will prosper;
    those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."

Did you catch that? Scripture teaches that God is generous towards those who practice generosity in their financial lives. I do not know any material possession we could purchase that is capable of delivering a promise like that.

In the way of a simple financial comparison, please note the chart below and the year to date comparison of 2021 to 2022 giving. And in addition to the great report on this chart, I am thrilled that we have already had 30 first time givers in 2022!
Thanks be to God for this amazing report!

I am humbled and grateful for the generosity and faithfulness of our members and friends. And this trajectory of more regular, generous giving will be necessary in order for us to take the next step as a congregation and break ground on a new sanctuary and campus in the future (stay tuned for an update on our construction feasibility study in the coming weeks!)

Thank you for your generosity, church family. As always, our staff and finance team members do our best to utilize our resources effectively to bring the greatest return to our ministries inside and outside our walls. We are grateful for every gift, large or small.
In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul gives a list of these virtues: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

This summer series is devoted to learning more about each fruit and how God desires to grow them in our lives. Join us on-site or online at 9a & 10:30a.

With Hope, 
Pastor Nathan
Welcoming New #ALLIN Members!
We are delighted to welcome John and Holly Evans to our Church family! John handles product support for national accounts of Crown Battery, and Holly is an 8th Grade Science Teacher at McAdory Middle School. John has already joined the Holy Roadies ministry, and Holly has been participating in the Take A Hike ministry. They have a son, Jack, who has recently moved back to the area, and is currently applying to Culinary School. We are SO glad y'all are #ALLIN!!
$5 Mission Challenge · First Light
We Need YOU - yes, we do!
It's time for VBS at CARB! 

We cannot do VBS without YOU!

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING:
  1. Do I have to come up with my own lessons? NOPE! We provide everything you'll need whether you're leading a CREW, leading crafts, music time, or Bible stories!
  2. Will I be leading by myself? No. Our goal at VBS is to have TWO adult leaders and two youth volunteers with each CREW and at each learning station.
  3. Is there a nursery for volunteers who have younger children? YES! There will be a nursery for volunteers who have children ages birth to 4K!
  4. What if I can only help during the first 3 days of VBS? Still sign up. In the memo section, let Julie and Melanie know that you'll miss the last day.
  5. How many volunteers does it take to make VBS happen at CARB? 25 ADULTS and 23 youth volunteers.
  6. Will I need a background check? Yes! This protects our children and our volunteers. The Church at Ross Bridge will run the background check at no cost to our volunteers.

We are looking for 19 MORE ADULTS and
4 MORE YOUTH to help make VBS 2022 AMAZING! 

We need morning and afternoon session leaders!

We will need CREW leaders, music volunteers, craft volunteers, and rec volunteers.

TO FIND OUT MORE INFO AND DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH VOLUNTEER SLOT, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW:
VBS REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
rIT'S TIME TO SIGN UP FOR VBS @ CARB!
JULY 18TH -21ST

COST: $35, per student

MORNING SESSION (9A - 12P): ONLY 44 SPOTS LEFT!

AFTERNOON SESSION (12P-3P): ONLY 9 SPOTS LEFT!

IMPORTANT:
1. YOU MUST PAY TO HOLD YOUR SPOT. 
2. TO REGISTER FOR AFTERNOON SPOT, YOU MUST REGISTER FOR MORNING SESSION FIRST!

To register, click the link below!
Bridge Students Updates
This week our student ministry is at BigStuf Camps in Panama City Beach, FL! We're having a BLAST, and we'd love for you to head over to our instagram page where we're posting lots of updates!!
@bridge__students

If you and your family are looking to get a student plugged in, help participate in making this awesome summer happen as a meal provider, in/out of town chaperone, or in a number of other ways, click this link below that will take you to
Ministry Engagement
Take A Hike, our women's outdoor adventure group, had a beautiful experience hiking and picnicking at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve this past Saturday. THIS Saturday, June 18th, we are headed to Cheaha State Park. Plus, each Wednesday we'll do the Bridge-to-Tower Neighborhood Jaunt @ 5:30PM. Click HERE for all the deets and dates for June's outdoor adventures with Take A Hike!
And they're OFF!! We sent our Bridge Students (and the VERY brave adult volunteers) off to BigStuf Camp down in Panama City Beach on Monday morning. They are having a BLAST enjoying big worship sets, impactful break-out group time, good food, fun competitions, and sun, sand & surf! Please be in prayer this week, that our students will return closer to God, closer to one another, and pumped up to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.
We LOVE it when our Students get involved with worship volunteer roles! If YOUR student is interested in a speaking role on Sunday mornings, or ushering, or serving Holy Communion, contact Pastor Jessica with Ministry Engagement!
Bill Bracey will share a brief devotion, drawing upon the story of the penitent thief on the cross beside Jesus Christ, and how that vignette informs our understanding of deathbed conversions. Bill will share from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 23, verses 39 to 43.
Plan to join our Bridging the Gap Ministry for Adults aged 50+ as they take in The Marvelous Wonderettes at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival on June 25th. The BGs will meet at the Chuch at 9AM for a brief meeting, then load up on the Church Bus to stop for lunch on the way to Montgomery. Contact Margaret Dunkin for all the details and to reserve your spot!