Bellevue Community Church In Action: This is… BCC ‘Live’

by Lynnette

Church, Music And Songwriters, Nashville Fun Stuff

If you haven’t already experienced the services at Bellevue Community Church yourself, then you may be wondering just what it’s like at BCC.

One thing’s for sure: BCC is definitely not like your average, everyday church. (Our parents will be the first to tell you that!)

But it IS an enjoyable experience… no matter WHAT religious background you’re from.

Come as you are! Odds are…

you WILL have a great time

you WON’T believe it’s over already — time will go by faster than you’d imagined

you WILL feel welcomed no matter who you are, where you’ve been and what you’ve done in your past

you WON’T feel pressured to give money

you WILL walk away feeling certain that Pastor Dave was talking directly to YOU

you WON’T be raising your arms (unless you’re clapping to the beat of a song)

you WILL be laughing out loud

you WON’T see people in polyester singing badly

you WILL feel the beat of the music (some of the best Christian “rock” music mixed with “traditional hymns”)

you WON’T be sitting next to “perfect” people — they don’t go to this church

you WILL hear Bible-based messages that relate to you… and me… in the “real” world

you WON’T be contacted by anyone — your level of involvement in this church is soley up to you

you WILL feel motivated to take control and make some changes in your life

you WON’T be able to wait until Sunday rolls around again!

Are You Ready?…

Sound interesting? Sound like fun? Check it out some Sunday! You’ll be glad you did.

..Get ready to make some noise!
Now, some pictures of BCC in action…

BCC is currently in a growth mode, with more families and young children coming to Bellevue Community Church than ever before.

The “Crazy Campaign”

To accommodate the growth, they’re building onto the existing church — adding more kids’ classrooms, larger adult gathering areas, and more facilities like larger restrooms, a bookstore and a coffee shop.

It’s called the Crazy Campaign, and BCC volunteers have been pitching in in all kinds of ways to make it happen.

Website we created to inform the public and church members about the Crazy Campaign. The address is https://thatcrazychurch.com Jim and I created a website to get the word out about the campaign:

Then we went to the kick-off party for the Crazy Campaign… a single service bringing all 4000+ church members together as one united group sharing in the excitement of BCC’s growth.

Sunday, May 15, 2005
at the Curb Center
 

Example of the many big-screens used to project what's happening on stage to those sitting father in the back. These were at the Curb Center, but we use similar big-screens at BCC on Sundays as well.So, what made this different than a “typical” BCC Sunday service?… Basically, a bunch more music, some fun games, and a stage-full of children. Adding to the festivities, the wee ones were “dedicated” at this service, and the tiny tots were singing songs and playing musical instruments on stage. What fun!

The Sights & Sounds Of BCC

Here’s my photo montage of a day at Bellevue Community Church…

What BCC Looks Like…

First, there was a HUGE crowd…

We were sitting WAY in the back... by choice -- we wanted to be able to stand up while using the Zoom lens on our camera. Randy Thompson, chief of staff at Bellevue Community Church.We got there early, so we had plenty of time to take in all the sights and sounds.For the early-birds, they had plenty of fun activities to watch and/or participate in…

BCC volunteers in a hula hoop contest. Stev-o showing off his juggling skills.A 'hot air balloon' contest -- a race to inflate the balloon and pop it first. The 'oldest' guy in the contest also had the most hot air, as he was the first to successfully pop his balloon.And lots of loud music…

Our church musicians gave a special presentation at the Curb Center in Nashville. Lionel Cartwright on keyboards with lots of backup singers surrounding him.jpgClara is quite a character who also plays keyboards. Our very classy BCC horns section. They perform about once a month at BCC services.Make no mistake, it was an EVENT…

It cracked me up that this was SUCH an event that people were buying food and beverages! The BCC kids were the star of the show. They sang. They danced. They played instruments. They did karate (and broke boards).The musicians were AS entertaining - if not more - than everything else on this day at the Curb Center! Pastor Dave's entrance took the form of a loud, revving engine passing through the crowd in the darkness toward the stage...Enter, stage right… our fearless leader… Pastor Dave

Dr. David Foster entering the Curb Center on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. Pastor Dave riding into the auditorium on his Harley.Dave must've coined the phrase 'renegade for God' because the week after he used it in one of his sermons (and received cheers for it), he showed up wearing this t-shirt. BCC Pastor, Dave Foster, preaching at the Curb Center in Nashville, Tennessee.In addition to Pastor David Foster, there was a whole cast of characters…

Dr. David Foster and his wife, Paula. One of the funniest things at BCC is the 'Leonard' character personified by one of the BCC band members. He plays a janitor who is from the 'old school' and has belonged to 'traditional' churches all his life.The audience always cracks up at Leonard's take on things, especially his shock and awe over all of the fun and interesting things going on at this 'crazy' church! Lionel Cartwright is BCC's full-time music leader. He's been 'on the charts' himself as a singer and a songwriter... NOW he's taking BCC to new heights!And finally, MORE music…

Lionel Cartwright singing and playing keyboards during a Bellevue Community Church service held at the Curb Center. Lionel gets so into the music... here he's stomping his foot to the beat of the music. (Or, as Leonard the janitor says: stompin' on the devil's head.)The Bellevue Community Church band, featuring the awesome horns section. All of BCC's best singers (many of the 'famous') showed up to sing at the Curb Center.What BCC Sounds Like…

Sunday, May 15, 2005 Message — at the Curb Center

Sunday, May 22, 2005 Message — it’s not about us

UPDATE 12/2007: In case you’re wondering where Dave Foster’s new church (The Gathering) is meeting these days. It’s at the Thoroughbred 20 in Franklin TN. Yep, a movie theater… it’s still just as informal and the music and the messages are just as good as ever!