PastorDude - Pastor Russ' Blog
Russ Graeff, Executive Pastor - The "Brain Behind Bridgeway" speaks!
Church Marketing....Do those words belong together?
08.13.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
One of the things I was very aware of as I left the corporate world and entered into ministry some 6 years ago was that there were tons of corporate skills, concepts and ideas which would translate very well into ministry. But, there were also things which are best left in the corporate ... Read More »
The Other Part of the Ministry
08.01.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
Obviously, the first priority on a trip such as this is to minister to the kids in the orphanage. But the other really cool thing is that we get some more insight into the lives of the full-time missionaries here in Romania. We get to see first hand their sturggles and their successes ... Read More »
We Got Into A Water Fight With The Orphans...And LOST!
07.31.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
Yesterday's game was a relay race where the kids had to transport water from one bucket to another via a sponge. It was awesome! The only problem...Once the relay was over, things turned into a huge water fight! It was a BLAST! It seems every kid has a bucket or a water ... Read More »
A Day to be a Tourist
07.30.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
Yesterday was just an off day to be a tourist in Romania. We all went to Sanaia which is in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania. Oh, yes...the land of Dracula! We saw Peles Castle which was beautiful! As old as it is, the castle had electricity before New York City did. I also has ... Read More »
The People's Palace and Orphans
07.29.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
Yesterday, we went to the People's Palace in Bucharest. It is the second largest building in the world (with the pentagon being the largest). It was started in 1984 and was 90% complete in 1989 at the point of the Romanian revolution. Needless to say, you don't complete a project ... Read More »
5 Different Directions
07.27.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
Yesterday was quite an event filled day for us. A few of us went to help break camp where for the past month, orphans have been going for summer camp. It was a 3 hour drive from Bucharest, but it was a very pretty drive. Once at the camp, we could tell that much ministry had happened ... Read More »
Alpha and Omega Church - Bucharest
07.27.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
We attended an awesome church today called Alpha and Omega Church in Bucharest. It totally reminded me of Bridgeway circa 1998-99. It was small, young (avg age 22), loud, and full of energy. I absolutely loved it! It brought back a ton of great memories. Pastor Soterious Tataru delivered a ... Read More »
The Best Day Yet!
07.25.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
Today was the best day yet! The kids were on their best behavior and I have no explanation other than it was an answer to prayer. But better than that, it was awesome to listen to these kids sing songs to Jesus. They sang songs like "Little ears, be craeful what you hear.." And ... Read More »
Jungle Jive with Jesus - Romanian Style
07.24.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
We pulled off our first day of VBS with the kids in the Orphanage. The kids loved it and all had a good time. We, however, are worn out! Most kids enjoyed the Bible Story time as well as the face painting and games. These kids really love us and enjoy ebery afternoon that we spend with ... Read More »
The Incredible Power of Play
07.23.08 blogged by Russ Graeff
Today we got to go out to the orphanage for the first time and it was an incredible experience. Before I could get out of the car, I was getting mobbed with a flurry of hugs from the kids. They were just so excited to see us and knew that we were there to play. And play we did. I was a human ... Read More »
