Hello, my name is Omar King, and I have the distinct privilege of being the Bridge Director. Before providing more information about this exciting Bridgehaven initiative, I want to say a bit about me. I began counseling at Bridgehaven since its launch in 2012. I’m considered the O.G. of the group given my tenure. I came onto the Bridgehaven staff having previously served on staff at the Summit Church as a pastor and counselor. I earned my Master of Divinity with a concentration in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2010 and cut my teeth in counseling under the supervision of Dr. Brad Hambrick in the years that followed. My training from both formal seminary education as well as roughly two years’ worth of practical counseling training equipped me to make a smooth transition into the counselor role at Bridgehaven.
I love Bridgehaven. I am not waxing hyperbolic but mean it genuinely. Why? First, because of the calling on my life to counsel, specifically, pastoral counseling. For twelve years now, Bridgehaven has been a central vehicle for injecting meaning and purpose in my life, personal and professional satisfaction. Second, I have observed and participated in the evolution of this beloved organization and, as such, the years on staff have solidified my investment. And third, I love Bridgehaven because of the unique culture created embedded in our mission and values. We often refer to Bridgehaven as a family. What has allowed our organization to thrive and be a ministry others desire to be a part of is the effort we put in to cultivating and maintaining an interpersonally healthy working environment. We care just as much about the personal health and enjoyability of our counselors work as we do the quality of counseling we provide to others. For these reasons, and so many more, I am grateful to God for providentially orchestrating my life’s path to include working at Bridgehaven.
That said, for several years now, our ministry has undergone many important and positive changes. The overall health and vitality of our organization’s infrastructure has exponentially increased. From a greater attention to detail in our policies and procedures, to improving existing systems and adding new relevant ones, to increasing and steadying our bottom line, Bridgehaven has evolved to heights I did not think possible. God has blessed us immensely. Because of this elevation, we can support and invest in the development of new ideas and initiatives before now were untenable. The Bridge is one such initiative. Essentially, the Bridge is our attempt to provide high quality resources to the faith community in accordance with our mission and values beyond our day-to-day counseling responsibilities. Like most counseling organizations which have a resource page where visitors can peruse content like blogs, articles, upcoming events, workshops and presentations developed by their counseling staff, Bridgehaven staff can now put our energy behind producing the same for our audience. We have always believed in the proficiency and skill of our counselors to create content that is informative, relevant and helpful to our clients and beyond. Those who have supported and benefited from our organization directly can now hear from us beyond their counseling sessions. While others who indirectly support what we’re doing can continue to be encouraged and educated by the resources we put out and can stay connected to what we’re doing.
Bridgehaven is poised to extend our reach to those who are interested in consuming practical and theologically rich resources that align with how they desire to grow in their walk with and commitment to Jesus Christ. To love God, others, and their world. As the Bridge Director I get to oversee and participate in the development of these resources to ensure our audience receives what we claim and intend. I’m excited to engage in this new enterprise and hope you will join me and our entire staff as we launch the Bridge! So many good things to come. Stay tuned!