Yaay..... Aargh! Ever had a situation where the enjoyment of the good news was sobered with a dash of ice-cold water? We were rejoicing at the success at obtaining our Property Tax exemption from the State of South Carolina, when we got the news that the exemption only takes effect from January 2009 and we are still liable for our 2008 property taxes. So, we need to pay $2300 by the end of November to avoid our building being put on auction.
Fall Semester off to a Good Start. We started the semester with our Smoothie Giveaways at Clemson and SWU's Orientations. It was good to meet new students and see returning students we had missed during the summer. Our Sunday Night suppers have been a blast with up to fifty students spending the evening at our ministry center.
Sunday Morning Worship Gathering Grows During the Summer. What a blessing is has been to see the great group of people God is sending to be part of our growing community. During our first summer ('08), our Sunday morning's sometimes consisted of Mary & Ken meeting together :-). I am please to tell you that we were never alone on Sundays this summer, and we had up to twelve people attending at times. But something the numbers could never illustrate is the rich diversity of people that have become a part of the Bridge community.
Main Street Deli & Coffeehouse is Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year for 2009. The announcement was made at the annual Chamber Spring Fling Banquet. The Clemson Area Chamber and the Central Area Business Council have been a great resource for the business end of our ministry over the past year.
Our Ribbon-Cutting Celebration took place on March 3. The Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce gave us an official ceremony that was attended by many local community and business leaders as well as our ministry board.
Work Days at Main Street Deli & Coffeehouse. On January 2 & 3 we will be doing some maintenance and clean-up projects around our facility. Let us know if you can come and help by e-mailing us at ken@clemsonbridge.org
Marketing Intern Assigned for the Spring Semester. Clemson University Communications major Erin Sanders will help market our ministry and Main Street Deli & Coffeehouse with the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce as well as on the University Campus.
The Bridge is Awarded Grant of $40,000. The Cannon Memorial Trust has made a donation to our ministry for the purpose of reducing our building debt. The money has been banked and our mortgage has been reduced by one third.
Our Attorneys Bill Has Been Paid! An outstanding amount of almost $6000 has been due since March this year. It has been paid up. Praise the Lord!
Our Community Appreciation Dinner was held on November 9th. About 25 students hosted the evening and fed a small group of folk from the community who attended. The food was good and we all got to know a bit more about how The Bridge ministry works.
"The Bridge" Sunday: November 30th. The South Carolina District has set aside Sunday November 30th as "The Bridge" Ministry Sunday. Churches are being asked to set aside time in their services that day to pray for us.