About Us
At River Valley Community Church, we believe that the local church is the hope of the world. We define the church as the universal body of believers who follow Jesus Christ, rather than an institution, building, or specific group of people. We are committed to building a growing community of followers of Jesus Christ through Life groups, small groups of men, women, and children who share a desire to grow together spiritually. Life groups meet weekly in the homes of group members, in the manner of the Acts 2 church. We come together each Sunday for a family reunion and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
River Valley Community Church exists to glorify God and transform people through the work of the Holy Spirit into fully developing followers of Jesus Christ
We believe that the hope of the world is the local church and we are committed to connecting people to God and to one another.
As God invites all into a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ, all are welcomed into our community: those seeking to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ; and those desiring more information about the Christian life.
We meet weekly for cafe-style worship celebrations, but we believe that spiritual formation and the Christian lifestyle reaches far beyond Sunday mornings. That's why we connect with one another through LifeGroups, and participate in a variety of adult and youth connections.
Our prayer is for you to grow close to God. If we can serve you, please feel free to call on us.
Here are some of our weekly events:
- Women's and Men's Connection groups
- LifeGroups
- Weekly Cafe Style Worship
How do I get to know God?
Why do good things and bad things happen? Why is there suffering in the world? Why is there injustice? What is the purpose of life? What is my purpose? Knowing God is where we can begin to dig into the difficult questions. Knowing God is at the core of your purpose; and that truth is the truth so many of us seek.
Truth, Companionship & New Life
A wise and powerful man with religious authority came to Jesus one night seeking truth. Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him, this man said to Jesus, no doubt seeking an affirmation of his assumption that Jesus was from God. The Bible tells us that in reply, Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." This, of course, confused the man and Jesus went on to explain that a spiritual rebirth is a reality and a necessity of knowing God. (Check out the Gospel of John, chapter three, for more details on this dialogue.) At other times, we seek companionship. There are few things more debilitating to us than loneliness. There was a woman back in Jesus' day who was an outcast from her community. She had earned a bad reputation, and she wasn't accepted by the other women of her village. One day, Jesus was sitting near the well outside this woman's village when the woman came along to draw water for her household. Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water. Now remember that Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi and the woman was a Samaritan. Samaritans were hated by the Jews in that day for a variety of reasons that brings prejudice and bigotry to the surface. The cultural relationship between men and women then was nothing like today; women were not to talk to men unless spoken to first. So this woman was rightfully surprised when this Jewish man asked her for a drink. The two got to talking and eventually the woman understood that Jesus was the promised savior. She understood that He had come to her, right there in the middle of a hot desert day to reach out to her. Jesus knew, of course, that this woman had a horrible reputation and had lived a downright sinful life. Yet He walked out of His way so that He could meet this woman face-to-face and tell her about God's love for her. Imagine a God who comes to us! This woman wasn't even looking for God at the time she met Jesus. Yet she began to truly know God that day because of Jesus. (You'll find more about this story in chapter four of the Gospel of John.)
These are just two examples of how Jesus brought truth and companionship to very different people with vastly different needs. For the intellectual and religious man who came in the night, Jesus presented the truth of John 3, which tells us that we must experience a spiritual rebirth to see the kingdom of God, and that God loves people so much that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him would not perish when we die, but will have a life with God forever. For the outcast, Jesus presented the truth of John 4, which promises us that Jesus' love for us and power through us are as rejuvenating and bottomless as wells of living water.
Jesus invites us in
By the weight of loneliness, guilt, hatred, abuse, confusion, anger, lust, or anything that pulls us away from a closeness to God. He welcomes all of us who are suffocating under the weight of the burdens we carry.
The Bible shows us over and over how God intentionally pursues a relationship with the men and women and children He loves, and that He loves us all! He loves you, and He pursues you, and to you He says "come"!
Friend, it doesn't matter what you are carrying in your head or in your heart today. It doesn't matter how wonderful your life is or how horrible it is, each of us carries some sort of burden. Some burdens are obvious and scream for attention through our words, actions, or lifestyles. Other burdens are buried deep within us, hidden from those around us, so we end up lugging them along by ourselves. Whatever your burden, Jesus is willing and able to take it from you right now. Jesus says "Come"! He promises that He loves you. Because of that love, He promises that He will receive you and He promises that He will forgive whatever it is you carry.
Breathe
Will you come to Him today? Will you find your peace here? Will you get to know God today by believing that Jesus is who He says He is? He says that He's the Son of God. He says that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to God the Father unless we follow Jesus. Will you tell Jesus that you believe these things about Him? Take a moment right now, right where you are, to pause and talk to God. Take a breath and tell God that you believe in Him. Tell God that you believe in Jesus. And tell God that you would like to feel His love, His forgiveness, and the unburdening of your baggage. Tell Jesus that you would like Him to lift you to that place where you can breathe in the freshness of His love and forgiveness.
God's love for you is already there. Do you feel it? If not, ask Him. One thing is for sure: when you ask God to accept you, He absolutely will.
Give us a call here at River Valley. We'd love to hear from you and talk with you about your thoughts and questions about God's love. Our number is 630-844-9115.
|
|