Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission: Enriching the relational, educational, physical, vocational, & spiritual development of youth & young adults in Round Lake; Empowering youth & young adults with a love for learning & the resources for an abundant life; & Equipping youth & young adults to become mature mentors & leaders who faithfully serve their families, schools, churches, and communities.
Our Vision: To be a bridge which engages youth & young adults in their daily lives, instills in them a hunger to excel in life & avoid the pitfalls of destructive choices, and connects them with people & resources who will inspire them in their ongoing growth & development.
Our Vision: To be a bridge which engages youth & young adults in their daily lives, instills in them a hunger to excel in life & avoid the pitfalls of destructive choices, and connects them with people & resources who will inspire them in their ongoing growth & development.
Our Values
We are guided by our Christian faith & convictions, which includes loving God & loving our neighbor. We are a cross-cultural, co-ed, relationship-based Christian outreach to youth & young adults. We work with young people & their families who come from a diverse background (regarding ethnicity, education, income, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc.), regardless of spiritual interest (students choose which activities to participate in) and in beneficial ways in which we find common ground. All students are welcome & encouraged to participate in Bridge activities, even if they embrace views that are different than ours, regarding religion, gender, sexuality & so forth (The Bridge offers multiple activities that are not specifically spiritual or religious in nature, and all activities are open to students regardless of one's beliefs).
One of the great needs in our modern day culture is for people to respectfully engage with those we disagree with, and work together amidst our differences, promoting peace & justice in our communities and nation. This is in keeping with how we implement the mission of The Bridge, which is further explained under our "Guidelines & Policies" (see above). Regarding sexual behavior and the promiscuous culture that we live in (which is severely harming both youth & adults), see the information available on our "Sexual Risk Avoidance Education" link listed above (under "Referrals"). This is provided by Healthy Choices, which is an organization that does presentations in public schools as well as churches and other places.
We emphasize the importance of a relationship-based Christian outreach that is holistic in its mission, offering relational, educational, physical, vocational & spiritual enrichment & guidance. We reach out with the love of Christ, and work together with parents, teachers, coaches, organizations & others with the goal of raising up young people to be leaders in their families & communities, who are servant-hearted & responsible in life and cross-cultural & global-minded in their world view.
We believe in the individual beauty, worth, equality & uniqueness of every person, male & female, young & old, from every ethnicity, and regardless of one's religious beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity. All people are created by God and in His image, and every person is loved by God. But we have also all fallen short of glorifying Him and living up to His standard of morality & justice, and we are accountable to Him as our Creator & Judge. God commands all people to repent & put our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and to live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God, as we proclaim His excellencies & good news to the world.
This good news of the gospel is life-transforming and directly relevant to many things young people are searching for. Among other things, this includes the joy of finding our ultimate identity & self-worth through our relationship with Jesus Christ (not in our social status, accomplishments, wealth, education, talents, gender identity, popularity, what others think of us, etc.). This Christ-centered identity & self-worth is revealed through His Word and experienced through the life-enriching companionship of a loving community. Such a life includes obeying Christ's call in the Spirit's power to love God & one another, and to embrace His truth & protective boundaries regarding gender, sexuality, celibacy & marriage. As we journey together by faith we are empowered to face & overcome the various challenges of life, including the ones many young people experience each day (e.g., loneliness, low self-esteem, depression, abuse, suicide, sexual promiscuity, gender dysphoria, racism, bullying, social media exploitation, cancel culture and so forth).
One of the great needs in our modern day culture is for people to respectfully engage with those we disagree with, and work together amidst our differences, promoting peace & justice in our communities and nation. This is in keeping with how we implement the mission of The Bridge, which is further explained under our "Guidelines & Policies" (see above). Regarding sexual behavior and the promiscuous culture that we live in (which is severely harming both youth & adults), see the information available on our "Sexual Risk Avoidance Education" link listed above (under "Referrals"). This is provided by Healthy Choices, which is an organization that does presentations in public schools as well as churches and other places.
We emphasize the importance of a relationship-based Christian outreach that is holistic in its mission, offering relational, educational, physical, vocational & spiritual enrichment & guidance. We reach out with the love of Christ, and work together with parents, teachers, coaches, organizations & others with the goal of raising up young people to be leaders in their families & communities, who are servant-hearted & responsible in life and cross-cultural & global-minded in their world view.
We believe in the individual beauty, worth, equality & uniqueness of every person, male & female, young & old, from every ethnicity, and regardless of one's religious beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity. All people are created by God and in His image, and every person is loved by God. But we have also all fallen short of glorifying Him and living up to His standard of morality & justice, and we are accountable to Him as our Creator & Judge. God commands all people to repent & put our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and to live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God, as we proclaim His excellencies & good news to the world.
This good news of the gospel is life-transforming and directly relevant to many things young people are searching for. Among other things, this includes the joy of finding our ultimate identity & self-worth through our relationship with Jesus Christ (not in our social status, accomplishments, wealth, education, talents, gender identity, popularity, what others think of us, etc.). This Christ-centered identity & self-worth is revealed through His Word and experienced through the life-enriching companionship of a loving community. Such a life includes obeying Christ's call in the Spirit's power to love God & one another, and to embrace His truth & protective boundaries regarding gender, sexuality, celibacy & marriage. As we journey together by faith we are empowered to face & overcome the various challenges of life, including the ones many young people experience each day (e.g., loneliness, low self-esteem, depression, abuse, suicide, sexual promiscuity, gender dysphoria, racism, bullying, social media exploitation, cancel culture and so forth).
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Luke 10:27b You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (ESV)
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
Isaiah 58:6-8 "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."