A Hundred Years from a Pool Hall in Redford
Brightmoor Christian Church sits on 13 Mile Road in Novi, Michigan, in the northwest suburbs of Detroit, where it is preparing to celebrate its hundredth year. The story starts in 1926, when Alonzo Bates and his wife Zula launched a congregation on the second floor of a pool hall in downtown Redford. They held large tent meetings where people gave their hearts to the Lord. After Alonzo's sudden early death, Zula held the church together through her hard work, faith and sacrifice. By 1933, twenty-three-year-old Rev. Bond Bowman answered the call to pastor the church in Detroit and stayed for forty-three years. In 1976, Tom Trask succeeded him and led Brightmoor until 1988, when he was elected General Treasurer of the Assemblies of God. The current senior pastor, Jamie Kjos, was elected in August 2005 and has been leading the congregation ever since. Over nearly a century the church has moved from the Brightmoor district through Southfield to its present Novi home, growing into a 3,000-plus member congregation served by an expanding pastoral staff. A Together We Can debt-reduction campaign is bringing the church to the verge of being mortgage-free as the centennial approaches.
Sundays at 9 and 11:15, Wednesdays at 7
Worship at Brightmoor follows a steady weekly rhythm. Sunday morning services gather at 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM, with a third option on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM called Mid-Week Worship and the Word. Visitors who arrive a little early on Sunday can join Pre-Service Prayer in Prayer Room A from 8:15 to 8:45 AM. Communion is held on the first Sunday of each month. Services are livestreamed online, and sermon notes are posted afterward. Dress is casual; the lobby includes a coffee bar and café that visitors regularly mention in reviews. Inside the auditorium the worship team leads congregational singing with Brightmoor Music, the church's in-house worship and creative arts expression that records and releases music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. The mid-week service offers a smaller, more focused gathering for those whose Sundays are full. Growtrack, the four-week introduction to membership, runs in the Growtrack room at 11:15 AM on Sundays with a new introductory session on the first Sunday of every month, and visitors can sign up to begin at any point. First-time families are greeted in the lobby by Guest Services and walked through the kids' check-in process before being guided to the age-appropriate room in the Factories wing.
What Brightmoor Believes
Brightmoor teaches that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the verbally inspired revelation of God to humanity, the infallible and authoritative rule of faith and conduct. The church confesses one eternal God who exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, the only one who can reconcile people to God. Each time the congregation takes communion, it remembers that Jesus lived a sinless and exemplary life, died on the cross in their place, and rose again to prove His victory and empower them for life. Sin has separated each person from God and from His purpose. Forgiveness comes through repentance, faith in Jesus Christ, and submission to His will. The church teaches that God heals and transforms, and that to live the holy, fruitful and Spirit-empowered life He intends, believers are to be water baptized, set their minds on Him, and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Brightmoor also looks for the promised return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign, when history concludes with the wicked judged and the righteous entering a new heaven and a new earth. Eight core values shape the church's life: People, Biblical Teaching, Excellence, Reaching the Lost, Discipleship, Generosity, Next Generation, and Developing Leaders.
Brightmoor Kids: From Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Brightmoor Kids serves children from birth through fifth grade. On Sundays the kids wing, called the Factories, fills with age-appropriate rooms staffed by background-checked volunteers. Children experience worship, object lessons and Bible stories taught through the High Voltage Curriculum for K through fifth grade, with the core values that God knows me, Jesus loves me, the Holy Spirit leads me, and I am a child of God. The Gospel is taught from Genesis through Revelation. On Wednesday evenings the same wing offers separate programming by age: nursery care for the youngest, Royal Rangers for boys in K through fifth grade, and Girl Ministries for girls in K through fifth grade. The kids services run alongside the parents' Mid-Week Worship service at 7:00 PM. Kids Pastor Drew Hynson leads the ministry with his wife Alysha as Early Childhood Director, Roxanne Jones as Children's Guest Service Director, and a team of assistants. A formal Child Protection Policy requires two approved adult workers in every room whenever children are present, and preschool classrooms are under video surveillance. Children who have had a fever, colored nasal drainage, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, eye infection or other symptoms in the past 24 hours are asked to stay home. A dedicated kids YouTube channel and Instagram account extend the ministry to families throughout the week.
Middle School and High School Youth
Middle school and high school students meet in the Youth Center. Junior highers gather during both Sunday morning services at 9:00 and 11:15 AM and during a separate Wednesday evening youth service at 7:00 PM with doors opening at 6:00 PM. The youth ministry, led by Assistant Youth Pastor Ryan Gilliam with Youth Ministry Assistant Mallory Herr and Youth Worship Leader Harmony Fredericks, focuses on the big questions students are asking: Is God real? What am I created to do? Who am I? Small groups for high school and middle school boys and girls meet weekly in the fall, with locations sent after sign-up. A Youth Convention is held each November, and summer mission trips have taken students to Honduras to work with King's Castle on street and school evangelism and to Buffalo, New York to serve alongside the Dream Center with community projects and feeding programs. The youth also partner with Speed the Light, the Assemblies of God student missions initiative. The ministry communicates with families through text updates, a dedicated Instagram account, a Facebook page, and a YouTube channel.
Young Adults on Thursday Nights
Brightmoor Young Adults, the college-age and young-professional ministry, gathers every Thursday night at 7:00 PM in the Youth Center. The services feature biblical teaching, dynamic worship, and relational community, geared toward eighteen to thirty-year-olds. Pastor Luke Bonzelaar, who himself grew up running the hallways of Brightmoor, leads the ministry along with Worship Leader Harmony Fredericks. Several small groups for young adults meet off campus during the week, with men's, women's and co-ed options on subjects ranging from identity in Christ to fighting for faith and family. The Fight Club group for young adult men meets in Commerce, Unoffendable for young adult women meets in Novi, Playing on God's Team meets in West Bloomfield, and Something Needs to Change meets in Wixom, each designed for eighteen to thirty-year-olds. The atmosphere is explicitly welcoming to skeptics: questions are welcomed and explored together. Outdoor services are scheduled in the parking lot during warmer months, and a monthly prayer gathering is held on the first Sunday evening.
Married Life, Singles, and Encore 55+
Adult ministries are organized around four seasons of life. Married Life is pastored by Associate Pastor Jimmy Hicks, who has served at Brightmoor since 2006. Young Marrieds is overseen by Luke Bonzelaar. Singles Ministry is led by Creative Arts Pastor Robb Stancer and his wife Cheri. Encore 55+, the senior adult ministry, is also shepherded by the Stancers and includes outings and fellowship for the 55-plus community. Across these groups the church runs studies and classes including Love and Respect, The 5 Love Languages, Financial Peace University, Divorce Care, Our Journey of Hope (a six-week cancer-care training), and Confronting Cancer with Faith for women walking through cancer. A support group for parents of estranged adult children meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays under a licensed master social worker. Many of these ministries connect to the Wednesday evening programming so couples can attend a study while their children are in the kids wing, and childcare is available for several of them.
Sisterhood: Women From 17 to 107
The women's ministry at Brightmoor is called Sisterhood, a community of women from age 17 to 107 who want to grow deeper in their walk with Jesus Christ, encourage one another and pursue what God has for them. Kim Kjos, wife of the senior pastor, directs the ministry, with Lizzie Gilliam assisting. Sisterhood holds Connect Nights, Bible studies, pop-up gatherings in the summer, and a stand-alone Sisterhood app on iOS and Android that keeps women connected throughout the year. The annual highlight is the Priceless Conference, a two-day gathering held each fall that draws women from across the region for worship, teaching and fellowship. A long slate of women's Bible studies meets throughout the week, including studies of Colossians, Song of Songs, Daniel, Grandparenting, The Faith to Flourish by Christine Caine, and Every Woman's Battle. Most women's studies offer childcare and run in either the morning or evening. A weekly ladies prayer meeting gathers on Wednesdays at 9:30 AM in Prayer Room A.
Men's Ministry and the Invincible Conference
Brightmoor Men create connecting points for men and build a community that encourages one another as they learn to live totally surrendered to Jesus Christ. Otis Sammons directs the ministry. The men's side of the church runs more than fifteen men's Life Groups meeting on Saturday mornings, Monday evenings, Tuesday evenings and other times, covering topics from the wisdom of Proverbs to the book God Is My CEO by Larry Julian. Several Young Adults men's groups meet off campus for ages eighteen to thirty. The annual Invincible Men's Conference is the year's largest gathering, with teaching aimed at helping men become better husbands, fathers and leaders. Other events include a Men's Salmon Fishing Adventure weekend at the Betsie Riverside Resort and quarterly Men's Ministry Meetups in the church lobby. The men also maintain a Thursday evening prayer meeting at 7:00 PM in Prayer Room A.
Prayer and Care Around the Building
Prayer is part of Brightmoor's daily rhythm. Prayer Room A is open before Sunday services for pre-service prayer led by Mike and Karen Bulbuk, and a Wednesday after-service prayer gathering follows the Mid-Week service. On weekdays, Tuesday Morning Prayer meets from 9:00 to 10:00 AM and Monday Evening Prayer meets at 5:00 PM, both led by Pastoral Care Pastor Kathy Ramos and her team. Wednesday Morning Ladies Prayer gathers at 9:30 AM under Deborah Beeler. Thursday Evening Men's Prayer meets at 7:00 PM under Harold Thames. Saturday Family Prayer meets at 11:00 AM in the Youth Center, and a Saturday Zoom Prayer Call runs from 3:00 to 4:00 PM under Aubrey and Loretta Woodfolk. On the first Friday of each month, Friday Evening Prayer gathers from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The church also operates a Monthly Capitol Prayer that travels to Lansing to pray with and for state legislators. Brightmoor offers one or two free counseling visits to active attenders and members, and outside referrals for non-members. Funerals and weddings are coordinated through the church for active attenders, members, and Growtrack graduates.
Missions in Metro Detroit and Around the World
The Missions and Outreach ministry at Brightmoor, led by Missions and Outreach Pastor Liza Munro and Assistant Missions Pastor Stephen Lupo, divides its work between local and global outreach. Rahab's Outreach serves those bound by human trafficking in metro Detroit. The Prison Ministries team ministers to 1,200 incarcerated men and women across five metro Detroit facilities. Community BBQ Outreach brings food and fellowship to under-resourced neighbors in Detroit and Pontiac on a regular monthly schedule. Life Challenge partners provide life-skills classes and mentoring for men coming out of addiction. Protect Life Ministry educates, prevents, equips and supports women who have had or are considering abortion. Evangelism training helps ordinary people reach their own networks of neighbors, co-workers, family and friends. Globally, the church runs the Kingdom Builders initiative that supports more than 130 missionaries and missions projects on five continents (North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Eurasia), with short-term trips running from Mexico to Egypt to Alaska to the United Arab Emirates. Recent years have included teams to Norway, the Czech Republic, India, Guinea, Nicaragua, Pittsburgh, Roscommon, El Salvador, Wales, France, Kenya, Japan and Hungary.
The Grupo Hispano and Spanish Interpretation
Spanish-speaking ministry has been part of Brightmoor since 2015, when José and Kristeen Hurtado, who came to Brightmoor from La Paz, Bolivia in 2010, began a small Spanish Bible study in a home. The Grupo Hispano de BCC now gathers on the first and third Friday of each month at 6:30 PM in the Growtrack room for fellowship, worship, Bible study and prayer. Worship services are also interpreted into Spanish on Sunday mornings at 11:15 AM and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM, with receivers available at the Spanish ministry kiosk in the lobby. The Spanish interpretation is also broadcast on the church's YouTube channel. The Hurtados lead the ministry and can be reached at grupohispano@brightmoorcc.org or (734) 358-7568. The site is available in Spanish, French, Romanian, Arabic, German and Hindi, and the Spanish version of the site includes information about Growtrack in Spanish, prayer requests, and the streamed interpretation channel.
Foster Care, Camps, and Mentoring
Foster care outreach is one of the most distinctive expressions of the church's mission. Royal Family KIDS Camp is a five-day residential summer camp for children ages 6 to 11 in foster care who have experienced trauma, with separate Teen Camp weekends for older youth. Royal Family KIDS Mentoring Club provides monthly group mentoring from October through May for foster children, and BFT Teen Mentoring serves youth in foster care ages 12 to 18. Study Buddies Cafe offers tutoring to youth in foster care. Open Arms is a support group for host, foster, adoptive and kinship families that meets on the fourth Wednesday at 7:00 PM. The New Foster Care Bridge Program supports young adults aging out of foster care with transitional services. Group Home Visits reach boys and girls in local residential facilities, and TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention) training is offered annually for parents, teachers and volunteers. All camps are free for foster youth, and volunteer counselors, mentors and support staff are recruited each year.
Novi Christian Academy and Train Station Preschool
Brightmoor shares its 13 Mile Road campus with Novi Christian Academy, a Christian school serving students with academics, athletics, fine arts and student life activities. NCA is described as part of the church family, with graduates frequently returning to serve on staff or in ministry. A satellite school, Train Station Preschool, operates as a separate preschool on the same campus with its own approach, calendar, application process and team. Together the two schools provide an education pathway for Brightmoor families from infancy through graduation. The school is one of the strategic growth areas identified in the Together We Can campaign.
Brightmoor Music, Media, and The Chosen
The technical and creative side of the church is anchored by Brightmoor Music, an in-house worship and creative arts expression that exists to experience and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ through worship and creative elements. Solomon Kasper is the Music Pastor and Darlene Jebson is the Director of Worship, with a full technical team led by Technical Director Jimi Herr, Assistant Technical Director Sam Ridgell, Video Coordinator Joe Nelson, and Video Editor Mason Logerquist. Brightmoor Music releases singles and albums on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube, and contributes to the church's seasonal productions, including Christmas at Brightmoor, a tradition since the early 2000s that draws hundreds of volunteers. The church is also following along with The Chosen, the crowd-funded series by Dallas Jenkins, watching each episode and pairing it with the corresponding Bible text from the NIV or NLT. Sermon notes for each week's message are posted for download.
Together We Can: A Debt-Free Future
In 2015 Brightmoor invested in a 26.9 million dollar expansion. To accelerate the repayment of that original mortgage, the church launched Together We Can, a debt-reduction campaign with a goal of becoming mortgage-free by the hundredth anniversary. Most recent reporting puts the mortgage at 298,118 dollars, down from a previous balance of 2.89 million dollars and well under the original 20.25 million dollar loan. The campaign has averaged monthly payments of around 173,285 dollars, well above the required mortgage payment, saving over 500,000 dollars in interest. The campaign supports greater investment in missions and outreach, expansion toward a multi-site church, growth of Novi Christian Academy, partnership with SAGU-Detroit, and strengthening the Brightmoor Legacy Foundation. Pledges and gifts are accepted online, by texting GIVE to the church number, by mail to the Accounting Office, and through creative giving strategies including stock, real estate and estate gifts. Beyond Together We Can, the Brightmoor Legacy Foundation supports the long-term future of the church and its ministries.