Background: Born and raised in Rotterdam, he rode motorcyles and built custom drag racing cars at Bookhout’s Body Shop. A Bible camp on the Sacandaga Reservoir turned his life around. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Logos Bible College. He was ordained through Wide World of Truth Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas, and did an internship with Pastors Stanley and Mark Hanby at their churches in Fort Worth and Schenectady. When Stanley Hanby retired, he turned the Schenectady church over to Pastor James, who led it for 25 years. He began a new outreach ministry in Rotterdam and called it The Bridge Christian Church. Proceeds from the sale of that building on Hamburg Street have funded improvements to its current home on Crane Street in a 13,000-square-foot former appliance warehouse donated by the company’s owner, John Marcella, in 2013. Pastor James and his wife, Brita, live in Princetown and are the parents of David, who is 28 and pastor of media for New Hope Church in North Carolina, and Daneille, 23, who is one of two worship leaders at The Bridge.
After extensive renovations for six months, we began a food pantry and winter clothing program. Last year, the Junior League of Schenectady and Saratoga Counties contacted us after reading about our church helping the community. The volunteers renovated our children’s department with painting, decorating and new furniture and supplies. When Barnes & Noble was closed their store in Niskayuna, they called us and donated valuable cafe equipment and appliances. This spring, we worked with the Mont Pleasant Neighborhood Association in the church parking lot all day repairing about 100 bicycles that the neighbors brought to us. This month The Bridge collaborated with the Emily Willey Foundation and gave away 180 backpacks filled with school supplies.
A year ago, you opened the Lord’s Gym with a boxing ring and have been running a boxing program for boys and young men. You recently expanded the action in the ring to include women.
The Crane Street area is the toughest in the whole city with drive-by shootings, stabbings, gang fighting, drugs, prostitution and domestic violence. We are on a mission to change our neighborhood from despair to hope, by reaching out daily and showing God’s love to precious people.
Last month, we started a free women’s self-defense boxing class to empower women to be able to correctly defend themselves against both criminals and abusive people. Boxing can help teach women and men to develop self-respect, respect for others and personal discipline. We do not promote hitting or boxing each other, just basic self-defense protection. I am looking for a volunteer women’s boxing and aerobics trainer to work with the women. Meanwhile, David Leon from Planet Fitness is donating workout gym equipment, including a rubber floor to improve safety.
On Thursday, 125 people attended a Solemn Tribute Service at your church. Retired Fire Chief Michael DellaRocco, who led the first Urban Search and Rescue team on the scene at the World Trade Center 13 years ago, was the keynote speaker.
I am not a political person, but I appreciate the hard work of all our local officials. As a church, we regularly pray for all of our city and county officials, firefighters, police officers and first responders. The Bridge is a newly registered polling station where people in the neighborhood can come to vote on Election Day, Nov. 4.
What’s upcoming?
We going to open a small community laundromat two days a week free of charge for needy families who might not be able to afford to have clean clothes for work or school. Starting next month, we will accept new and used winter coats, jackets, gloves, mittens, hats and boots to give away to families.
We will take reservations for free dinners at the church on Thanksgiving Day.
Dec. 5 will be our outdoor Christmas tree lighting and we’ll display a huge lighted village with electric trains and lots of moving figurines in the gym.
Where do you find the time for all that you do?
God stretches my time. I have people who come alongside me and help. I reproduce myself in others and we work together The church is not a building. It is the people re-enacting the New Testament principle of loving and sharing. We’re showing Christ’s love, not just talking about it.
— Rob Brill