From where we've come

Originally named oskana kâ-asastêki, literally meaning “where the bones are piled” in Plains Cree, the land that now encompasses the City of Regina in southcentral Saskatchewan served as home and hunting grounds to the Cree, Salteaux, Assiniboine, Ojibwa and other First Nations people for 11,000 years.  The land is also the traditional home of the Metis people.  On the 15th of September 1874, the government of Canada signed a treaty with the First Nations people of the Qu’Appelle River Valley region, establishing the terms on which both communities would build their relationship henceforth.  Eight years later, in 1882, the City of Regina was founded, just 15 years after the founding of Canada, and served as the capital of what was then the North-West Territories. A major stopping point for the Canadian Pacific Railroad, Regina continued to grow slowly into the mid-twentieth century.

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The neighbourhood of Rosemont was established as a primarily residential neighbourhood in the west end of the City of Regina.  Founded in the early twentieth century, this neighbourhood is bordered by the CPR train tracks to the north, and the neighbourhoods of Mount Royal to the west, Washington Park to the east, and Pioneer Village to the south.  In 1954, Rosemont became an official neighbourhood in the Regina community plan.

Built in 1957 in the newly incorporated Rosemont neighbourhood, The Bridge Foursquare Gospel Church began as a Church of God congregation. The congregation served the community for 34 years. More than a building, the family of believers was adopted by the Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada in 1991.

On the 15th of June 1991, under the stewardship of Pastor Rock Legendre, The Praise and Worship Centre was chartered as an official church of the Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada. Pastor Rock shepherded the small community for 9 years, and in the year 2000, Pastor Paul Bamber was installed as the new lead pastor of The Praise and Worship Centre for the next 7 years. Under Pastor Paul’s leadership and the unity of the church as a whole, the congregation became a strong body of believers invested in community outreach and evangelism, hosting BBQs, clothing drives, food drives, and other neighborhood events.

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In April 2007, Pastors Johanne and Greg Spencer were named co-lead pastors of the thriving church. In 2010, Pastor Johanne established the Hot Potato Childcare Centre - later to be renamed God’s Little Blessings Childcare Centre - as a core ministry of the church, to serve the local community as a nonprofit childcare alternative. In June 2016, the 25-year-old Foursquare church was renamed The Bridge Foursquare Gospel Church Regina.  With the founding of the daycare and the changing of the church’s name, The Bridge continued its efforts to serve the immediate Rosemont community and the larger community of Regina, while offering weekly worship services to all who would attend.  As the City of Regina changed in its demographic composition, The Bridge became a diverse body of believers whose congregants came from around the world.

On the 25th of January 2019, Pastor Johanne Spencer passed away after a short battle with cancer, leaving the diverse, multi-lingual church she so loved after 12 years of devoted and sacrificial service. Her husband and long-time ministry partner, Greg Spencer, continued to serve the church body faithfully for the remainder of the 2019 year.  On the 1st of January 2020, Pastor Andrew Hall was installed as lead pastor of The Bridge Church, after moving to Canada from Portland, Oregon in the wake of Pastor Johanne’s passing. On the 25th of January 2020, the sanctuary was dedicated as the Johanne Spencer Memorial Sanctuary in honor of Pastor Johanne’s Spirit-led commitment to The Bridge Church congregation and the larger Rosemont community.  In March 2020, the daycare ministry celebrated its tenth anniversary of selfless service to the local community.

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By the year 2020, the City of Regina had grown exponentially, boasting a population of over 230,000 residents, and serves as the provincial capital of Saskatchewan. Over the years, Regina became a landing strip for immigrants and refugees from all over the world. By this time, The Bridge Church was composed of members from 9 nations, 5 continents, speaking over 7 different languages. Having, like the rest of the world, weathered the unprecedented circumstances of the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, The Bridge Church stands as a unified body of believers, prepared to make disciples of all nations in the name of Jesus Christ.