One Campus, Six Languages in Fremont

Bridges Community Church sits on Driscoll Road in Fremont, California, and the first thing a visitor notices is the way the welcome team is ready in three languages before anyone reaches the lobby. The congregation is organized into six language fellowships that share one campus, one set of elders, and one mission: "Bridging relationships to pursue the life adventure of following Jesus together." Bridges calls this arrangement its Mosaic Culture, and the name shows up on banners and shapes the way Sunday morning is scheduled. It is the way the church describes itself.

Bridges is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. The denomination shows up in the way the church is governed (an elder board shepherding the body) and in the way the church has called its current senior pastor through the Ask, Seek, Knock process shaped around Matthew 7:7-8. Bridges also partners with EFCA West.

The Six Language Fellowships

The English fellowship is the largest and serves as the primary ministry of the church. Worship is held in the Worship Center at 9:30 and 11:00 am, with the 11:00 am gathering livestreamed on YouTube.

The Mandarin fellowship, led by Pastor Chii Yang, gathers at 11:00 am in Building C, Room C100, with weekly small groups online and in person, including a Tuesday evening prayer meeting, a Friday morning women's fellowship, and a Friday evening young adult group.

The Cantonese fellowship, led by Pastor Bassy Lee, gathers at 11:00 am in Building C, Room C106. Its weekly life includes a Wednesday morning online Bible study, a Monday morning walking and prayer group at Lake Elizabeth, a couples group, a biweekly Saturday fellowship, and a biweekly Tuesday evening prayer meeting.

The Filipino fellowship, led by Pastor Joe Magpatoc, gathers at 11:00 am in Building C, Room C207. It runs life groups for young professionals, youth, and seniors, and reaches out into Milpitas, Daly City, the Central Valley, and Lathrop through Alpha groups and small gatherings.

The Deaf fellowship, led by Pastor David Fair, gathers at 10:30 am in Building C, Room C204, in American Sign Language.

The Telugu fellowship, led by Pastor Srikanth Vejendla, meets online at 9:00 am and serves worshipers from the Telugu-speaking community of the Bay Area.

Sunday Worship Gatherings

Each Sunday Bridges runs six services that share one building and the same family of faith. The English gathering fills the Worship Center at 9:30 and 11:00 am. The Mandarin, Cantonese, and Filipino fellowships all begin at 11:00 am in rooms across Building C. The Deaf fellowship meets at 10:30 am in the same building. The Telugu fellowship is entirely online.

Each service runs about an hour and includes worship, biblical teaching, and a message of hope. Communion is distributed on specified Sundays by the usher team. There is no dress code, no insider language, and no prerequisites for attending.

What to Expect on Your First Visit

Greeters, ushers, and a welcome table in the lobby help visitors find their way. Refreshments are served before and after services. The Connection card, available in print and online in English, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese, asks whether a guest is looking for a home church, is visiting from out of town, or already has a church home.

A Welcome Lunch is held on the second Sunday of every month after the morning gathering in the Bridges Café, where newcomers can meet the staff and pastors and hear what Bridges is about. Membership Matters, a two-week class held on two Sundays from 9:00 to 10:30 am, walks prospective members through the church's beliefs, mission, and EFCA affiliation, and offers the chance to apply for membership at the end.

Kids Ministry and Awana

The Kids Ministry at Bridges is built to engage children in the life adventure of following Jesus alongside their families. Babies through fifth grade have a place in the Sunday morning program at both the 9:30 and 11:00 am hours.

The Nursery welcomes the youngest children with volunteers who build trusting relationships through play, encouragement, and care. Two-year-olds through transitional kindergarten spend their Sunday mornings playing, laughing, learning Bible stories, singing, and doing small-group application activities with teachers. Kindergarten through fifth grade begin in Large Group with worship and a video-driven lesson and then move into Small Groups for activities and discussion that help them live out what they have learned. Buddies and the Bridges Crew class for children with developmental challenges are part of the 11:00 am hour.

Awana extends the discipleship work into the week. From September through May, on Thursday evenings, Awana welcomes children from age three through twelfth grade for Bible teaching, scripture memorization, small group discussion, and games. The clubs are organized by age: Cubbies for ages three through transitional kindergarten, Sparks for kindergarten through second grade, T and T for grades three through five, Trek for sixth grade, a student leader Trek for grades seven and eight, and Journey for grades nine through twelve. Each clubber memorizes a weekly Bible verse and earns stickers and patches along the way.

Middle School and High School

Students in grades six through twelve have their own Sunday morning gathering at 11:00 am in the Bridges Youth Room (C108) under Pastor Ray Tang. They dig into Scripture, grow in faith, and build friendships together. On the first Sunday of every month, after the gathering, the youth ministry hosts a relaxed lunch with a built-in activity so students can deepen friendships and still be home in time for the rest of their Sunday. Winter and summer camps give students space to connect, worship, play, and grow together away from the campus.

Life Groups

Life Groups are the small fellowship groups at the heart of Bridges. The church organizes them around five verbs: exploring God's word together, encouraging one another toward spiritual transformation, empowering each other through prayer, equipping new leaders for ministry, and engaging neighbors with the gospel. Groups meet in homes, on the campus, and online across Central, North, and South Fremont, as well as in Pleasanton, Milpitas, Daly City, and the Central Valley.

The catalog is wide. An ESL Conversation and Bible Discussion group meets on Sunday mornings on the Main Campus. A Cantonese Couples Group meets on Sunday afternoons in North Fremont. A Single Parent Support Group meets on Sundays. A Pleasanton-Tri-Valley group meets on Sunday afternoons in a hybrid format. A Monday morning Bible Verse prayer group meets online. Pancakes and Prayer meets on Tuesday mornings in Central Fremont. Saturday Men meet on Saturday mornings in Room C203 for breakfast, scripture, and small group discussion. A BSF Men's Life Group meets on Friday evenings to work through an in-depth Romans study. The Art of Grief, a grief support group, meets on Sunday mornings on the Main Campus.

Alpha

Alpha runs alongside the life group system as a structured way for anyone, no matter their background or beliefs, to explore the big questions of life and faith. Sessions typically begin with food and connection, then move into a talk and open small group discussion. Alpha is offered at no cost, and anyone can host a group.

English Alpha groups meet on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays across the Fremont area and online. The Filipino fellowship hosts additional Alpha groups for young professionals, youth and young adults, and seniors on Sundays, with other meetings on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in Milpitas, Daly City, the Central Valley, and Lathrop. The Cantonese and Mandarin fellowships run their own Alpha groups, and the student ministry hosts a youth Alpha on Sundays.

Prayer at Bridges

Prayer is woven through the life of the church. On Sunday mornings, a virtual group gathers to pray over the upcoming worship gathering. On Monday mornings, a virtual group meets to pray over a weekly verse. On the first and third Tuesdays of the month, an in-person group gathers to pray over church families and, on first Tuesdays, serves pancakes from a different part of the world.

A Prayer Wall maintained by the church lets the body share prayer requests that are then circulated through a prayer email. Visitors and members are welcome to subscribe.

Disability and Inclusion

Bridges Crew is a ministry for youth and adults with developmental challenges that meets on Sundays. Volunteers help participants experience Christ's love as they worship together and hear God's word. Bridges Crew Buddies is an inclusive program that places a one-on-one buddy alongside preschool and elementary children with developmental challenges so they can participate fully with their age group.

Compassion in the Tri-City Area

Bridges serves the wider Tri-City area (Fremont, Newark, and Union City) through three overlapping streams.

Impact Days take place roughly four times a year. Volunteers serve under-resourced families and senior citizens through hands-on projects such as yard beautification, food packing and distribution, prayer outreach, and bicycle repair.

The Bridges Compassion Network is the local outreach hub. A liaison reads a weekly Compassion Network email, shares community needs with the Bridges team, helps plan events such as Easter and Thanksgiving meal distributions, and recruits volunteers.

The Benevolence Fund, supported by the congregation, has distributed more than $150,000 since the pandemic to individuals and families navigating crisis. Members and regular attenders can apply for one-time help with utilities, transportation, rent, or food. Members of the Tri-City community can apply for help with transportation, utilities, or food. The fund does not cover credit card bills, fines, storage fees, or attorney fees.

Bridges Builders is the church's volunteer handyman life group. Members of all generations use their skills, experience, and willingness to serve others in home repairs and maintenance, bicycle repairs and tune-ups, automotive help, transportation assistance, facility improvement, and community outreach. Builders serves Bridges members, local families and individuals in need, students and young people who rely on bicycles, single parents and widows, and families receiving assistance through the Benevolence Fund.

Bridges Eats is a monthly lunch held on the second Sunday of the month in the Bridges Café. A different menu each month celebrates the Mosaic Culture, and proceeds go toward Student Summer Camp.

ONE Event, Membership, Baptism, and Child Dedication

The ONE Event is the church's annual all-church gathering. The language fellowships come together for a multilingual, multicultural service that reflects the church's mission. It is also a time when families present their children for child dedication.

Child Dedication is offered twice a year, on Mother's Day and at the fall ONE Event. The ceremony is a public moment for parents or parent figures to declare their faith in Jesus Christ and their intention to raise their child in a Christian atmosphere. Bridges holds that dedication is neither a requirement for salvation nor a guarantee of a child's happiness, and that baptism is reserved for those old enough to decide for themselves to follow Christ.

Water Baptism at Bridges is offered for those who have already made a personal decision to follow Jesus. The baptism process walks candidates through the meaning of the step and helps them prepare a testimony.

Membership Matters is a two-Sunday class for those who want to learn more about Bridges, the EFCA, and what it means to become a member of the church.

What Bridges Believes

Bridges Community Church is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. The church affirms the statement in Galatians 3:26-28 that all who believe are equally co-heirs in the Kingdom of God. The congregation has named five values that shape its life: Mosaic Culture, Family Enrichment, Community Impact, Compelling Content, and Intentional Risk.

The Mosaic Culture statement commits Bridges to celebrating different backgrounds under Christ and to welcoming all believers to the table of communion and to full participation in the life, leadership, and ministries of the church. The church teaches that salvation is by faith alone and can only be received when a person is old enough to decide for themselves whether to walk with the Lord. Water baptism is reserved for those who can personally understand and respond to the gospel.

Leadership

Nate Glaze serves as Senior Pastor and oversees the English ministry. Chii Yang is the Mandarin and Life Group Pastor. Bassy Lee leads the Cantonese fellowship. David Fair is the Deaf Pastor. Joe Magpatoc pastors the Filipino fellowship. Srikanth Vejendla pastors the Telugu fellowship. Saúl Valadez Radaíd is the Worship and Creative Pastor. Ray Tang is the Family and Impact Pastor. Angela Sparks directs the Kids Ministry.

The Elder Board includes Bobby Zachariah as chairman, Souvik Banerjee as secretary, Eugene Choi, Jeff Chou, Nate Glaze, Ray Tang, Rick Dickinson, Robert Lee, and Ted Saito.

Stay Connected

Sunday gatherings are livestreamed on YouTube at 11:00 am, and sermon notes for the current week are posted for download. Past worship gatherings are available on Vimeo. RightNow Media is offered as a free resource to Bridges attenders and members for Bible study, marriage, parenting, leadership, and other topics. The Digital Bulletin gathers quick links to current opportunities, and a newsletter arrives by email twice a month. Giving is handled through an inFellowship account or as a guest, and gifts of stock can be transferred through the church's Charles Schwab brokerage account.

Those who want to take a next step can fill out a Connection Card online or in person, attend a Welcome Lunch, join a Life Group, attend Alpha, take a Membership Matters class, sign up to serve on a ministry team, or request child dedication. The church office is open during the week and can be reached at (510) 651-2030 or office@bridgescc.org.