Rock Bridge in the News

We made 2 newspapers in the past few days.

• Pretty good article about Rock Bridge in today's Chattanooga Times Free Press North Georgia section (I could not find an online version of the article).
  
  
  
  • Contrary to the article I am actually ordained :)
  
  
  • The article covered our growth, our diverse congregation, our vision/mission as well as the discussions from some local businesses about us being downtown, buying property, not paying property taxes, etc.
  
  
  
  


• The local Dalton paper did a front-page story about nothing on Thursday. The story was all to say that we are not trying to buy the Dalton City School Administration building ... which is true ... we are not trying to buy that building.


• Here are some brief thoughts on this media coverage:
  
  
  
  • Rock Bridge by God's grace & power has grown quickly and that has caught people's attention.
  
  
  • Our presence in downtown and in a historic building is going to be questioned by some regarding property taxes, use of the theatre, and property expansion. Bottom line: this is America and churches do not have to pay property taxes and are allowed to own and manage property. Every piece of property we have purchased has been done legally and through the "free enterprise" system. The man who originally bought and renovated the Wink attends Rock Bridge ... I guess he is not concerned about how the theatre is being used :)
  
  
  • There is no doubt that God strategically placed us in downtown Dalton. Being in downtown was not in our plans 5+ years ago. We tried to leave downtown. In each case, God opened and shut doors that brought us and then kept us downtown. Now, He has unified our leadership and stirred our hearts for the Dalton campus to remain downtown.
  
  
  • However, this media attention and the questions being asked should not distract us from what God is doing through us!!