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Featured Articles
There are a lot of great things going on in and around Riverview, and it can be tough to keep up with it all. We hand out a something called "Featured at RivChurch" at our weekend services to help with this. Each weekend there's an opportunity to read a feature story about a different ministry, project, or person connected to Riverview Church.
Here you can view articles you missed or read them again. You can also download PDF versions of the printed articles.
Click here to sign-up for the Featured Articles feed if you'd like to get these stories in your feed reader or inbox.
If there's something you'd like to see in Featured at RivChurch, please email Melissa.Kranzo@RivChurch.com.
Redemption City Church
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2013
Redemption City Church is a church plant in Grand Rapids, MI. Mike Bartlett, a Midwest transplant from the East Coast, moved there with his family in 2011 and launched the church in September of 2012. Redemption is one of many church plants around the state that Riverview Church supports. We asked Mike to tell us more.
Why Grand Rapids?
Grand Rapids (GR) was the last place in the world I thought God would call me to plant a church. (I always thought it would be Philadelphia.) Of course, God had his own plans and sent me a wife from Grand Rapids. It started with God giving my wife a heart to move back and reach her unchurched friends. She tugged me along for a visit and I immediately fell in love with the city. GR is in the process of revitalization, the arts and culture are booming, and lots of students, professionals, and young families are moving back into the city.I started interviewing pastors and ministry leaders. The unanimous response was that GR is like a donut: there are tons of churches surrounding the city, but nothing in the center. I had assumed that Grand Rapids was a “reached” city, but the further I looked into the center city area and Eastown/East Hills neighborhoods, the more I became burdened with the needs there. Many students were fleeing the “religious” suburbs to experience the freedom of life in the city. Having worked in student ministries for the last ten years, I really had a heart to reach this age group. It seemed like God had dropped me into an urban mission field in the heart of one of the most churched cities in the country.
How has Riv supported you?
Riverview has been amazing! After we moved to GR, we discovered Riv’s church planting network. Not only does Riv bring together church planters from around the state, bring in experts in the field to teach, and feed us lunch for free, but Riv even watches our kids so my wife and I can go to the church planting network meetings together. Noel [Heikkinen] was really encouraging, gave great counsel, and had a huge vision for church planting in Michigan. (We are now a part of the quarterly Acts 29 Network that Noel hosts.) Riv has also connected us with a number of families moving over from Lansing to Grand Rapids. Some of our most committed core people come from Riverview. Finally, Riv has helped us out tremendously financially. This fall we needed to raise $20,000 to buy all of our equipment to move over to Aquinas College. Riv generously offered to provide $10,000 in matching funds to help us reach our goal. We raised the funds and were able to get some great equipment to launch at Aquinas with just under 100 people.
Are there other ways we can help?
First, people can just spread the word that Riv is helping to plant a new church in Grand Rapids. It seems like Riv has connections all over the place. Plus, students are always graduating from MSU and heading to Grand Rapids for jobs. I would encourage people to tell students, friends, and family in Grand Rapids about Redemption City Church.
Second, pray for us! We are going into a really religious West Michigan, and a really irreligious urban culture. These two cultures are often clashing, and we are right in the middle trying to offer people a third way into a relationship with God through the Gospel. Specifically, pray for the students at Aquinas College as we seek to explain the Gospel clearly to a largely Catholic audience. Pray for favor with the faculty and staff as we seek to be both bold and winsome in preaching the gospel.
Third, if you are moving over to Grand Rapids, definitely come check us out. I’d love to hang out and grab coffee. If you mention you are from Riverview, the coffee is on me!
Meet a Riv Staff Person: Justin Detmers
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2013
What do you do at Riv? I’m the new Lansing Venue Director. I’m also a (Lansing) Life Group team lead, and I do some research and an occasional wedding.
Tell us about your family. Devon is my beautiful wife. I told her I’d marry her when I was only fourteen. Violet is our spunky, loving, and intelligent three-year-old, and Leo is our joyful, mischievous, and chunky fifteen- month-old.
Where did you grow up? I’m local, the 5-1-7 has always been home to me.
What’s your Riv story? In the summer of 2001, a beautiful girl (who is now my wife) invited me. I heard Steve Sommerlot preach about God’s surpassing grace; how He would take me as I am and wanted to use me for His purposes as I am. I immediately began to get involved with the high school ministry, and the rest is history . . .
What are some cool things you’ve seen happen in your ministry? I’m excited about what is currently happening and the prospect of what will happen with the Lansing Venue. I’ve been blown away by the outpouring of zeal that is stirring up inside so many of us around Riverview as we trust God and our leadership and make commitments to serve. Asa big-picture guy, I love the prospect of what a Lansing Venue means for the reputation of Jesus and the good of my neighbors in the city . . . I anticipate amazing things from our amazing God!
How did you learn about and come to know Jesus? Mostly through my dad.
What is something not many people know about you? I actually think there is such a thing as a stupid question.
What’s your favorite book? Apart from the Bible, probably something like C.S. Lewis’ The Problem of Pain or Tim Keller’s Counterfeit Gods, or maybe The Idiot’s Guide to Philosophy.
What music is in your player RIGHT NOW? Sufjan Stevens
What are some jobs you’ve had in the past? I’ve instructed courses and field-instructed teaching interns at MSU and taught high school world and U.S. history and economics. Back in the day, I painted, worked with men with brain injuries, coached track, and much more.
Who inspires you? C.S. Lewis, Tim Keller, and Teddy Roosevelt (for finishing a speech after being shot).
What were your last three Google searches?
1) “Positives, Negatives, and Neutrals by Mark Driscoll”
2) “Highlights of Shannon Brown dunks”
3) “Information on the philosophy of David Hume”
What are some of your hobbies? Reading, working out, playing basketball, film, hiking and trout fishing, gardening, and watchiong shows like Breaking Bad and Downton Abbey.
What makes you smile? Getting sushi with my wife, making my children laugh, racial harmony, and Portlandia.
What are some things that you hope to happen in or through Riv? In addition to a lot more planting of venues and churches, I’d love to see Riv blossom into a place that equips people with more formal, seminary-type training . . . so that people can love God with their entire minds and become more skilled in handling Scripture and doing ministry.
How do you take your coffee? Early and often.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
How Jesus Loves You on Valentine's Day . . . And Every Day
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2013
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (I John 4:7)
Love. We’re about to celebrate the beauty, joy, and passion of it this week — or depending on your relationship status, perhaps that’s not quite on the agenda. But with Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, it’s timely to ask, what exactly is “love” anyway? The true definition of love in our culture is hard to pin down. We often “know” what it is based on what’s shown in movies, sung about in songs, or nowadays, portrayed in newsfeeds and friends’ photo albums. This week in particular, the love of our culture revolves around strong feelings and desires, red roses, rich chocolates, all delivered between starry-eyed lovers who can’t be away from each other more than five minutes, something that someone can “fall into” and then years later “fall out of.” But is this love?
When we look to the Bible, we see four different types of love: eros, storge, philia, and agape. Eros (from which we get our English word erotic) is used to express sexual love, or the feelings between two people who are physically attracted to each other. This type of love is celebrated in the Old Testament (OT), but unlike in our own culture, and that of the New Testament (NT) culture, it is only celebrated within the context of marriage. Eros is the type of love seen between King Solomon and his wife in Song of Solomon.
Storge, on the other hand, is family love — the type of love between mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. Storge is often seen in the OT, as the family was a vital part of Jewish life and culture. It’s used to describe the relationships in Genesis between Noah and his wife, their sons and daughters -in-law, and Jacob and his sons.
The third word for love is philia, which refers to a feeling of close friendship. This type of love is not about physical attraction, but rather emotional connection. It’s felt between people that care for each other and look out for one another. This kind of love is only possible between friends or family, not between people at odds with each other. In Romans 12, when Paul encourages us to love each other with “brotherly affection,” this is the type of love he’s talking about.
The fourth and final word for love is agape, or “self-sacrificing” love. Agape love is the highest and most celebrated of the four types of love in the Bible. Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, and is possible with anyone, even those we don’t like. This is the love Jesus has for God the Father, and for us. This type of love transcends all others, and is the love that we as Christians are called to live out.
What’s interesting when comparing these four types of love is that our culture largely celebrates eros, while the Bible focuses on agape.
When Jesus says in John 13, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” . . . he’s talking about agape.
Or when Paul writes to the Corinthians saying, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” . . . he’s talking about agape.
Or the next time you hear 1 Corinthians 13 at a wedding: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” . . . that’s agape.
These verses on love, along with the majority of the others in the NT, are all referring to agape love – a love that is not self-seeking, is not physical, or emotional, or familial, but rather, a love that is self-sacrificing, and exists only because God first agaped us.
This Valentine’s Day, whether you’re celebrating eros with your spouse, storge within your family, or phileo with your friends, remember that agape — the love that motivated Jesus to die for you, to bring you to Himself, and the love he continues to have for you as he intercedes for you — is the love that transcends all else, and is the love really worth celebrating.
The Man Conference & The Woman Conference
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2013
Are you a man or a woman? If so, one of these conferences is for you! We’ll let you figure out which.
Each conference is $10, including lunch, and married couples can go for only $15 total! (Guys go to The Man Conference and women go to The Woman Conference, just to be clear.) If the cost would prohibit you from attending, simply let us know when you register and we will cover it for you. Both conferences will be held at Riv’s Holt Venue.
These conferences are for anyone, single or married, age thirteen and up. This is a great opportunity to attend an event with your father/son, mother/daughter, Life Group, and/or friends. No matter what church they attend, anyone looking to find out what God’s Word says about how we are to live our lives as men and women of God is welcome to attend.
At the Man Conference on Saturday, February 9 from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, we will examine ways that the Gospel empowers men to live out their God-given calling.
At the Woman Conference on Saturday, March 16 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm, we will focus on teaching the Bible woman- to-woman and equipping attendees with ways to get deeper into the Word.
Early registration is greatly appreciated. To register, visit MW.RivChurch.com.
The Kanaka Exhibit
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2013
KANAKA: a derogatory TokPisin noun translated “villager” or “hillbilly”
Kanaka is an exhibition of thirty photographs (displayed in the Corridor Gallery at Riv’s Holt Venue) featuring villagers and village life in the tribes of Papua New Guinea (PNG) — tribes that can now read, write, and enjoy access to the Word of God in their mother tongue thanks to translating missionaries — one of whom is Kanaka photographer Chris Jones.
Chris is a California native who moved to Jackson, MI in the fall of 2003. There he studied the Bible with New Tribes Missions and realized how lucky he was to actually have Scripture translated into a language he could understand.
In 2004, he made the decision to move to PNG to document an untouched language, teach literacy, and translate Scripture. He now lives with the Pei tribe in PNG with his wife and three other missionaries. Together, they’re working to get the Bible translated into one of the nearly 900 languages of PNG. Chris’ passion is to see every tongue, tribe, and nation reached, a passion he believes Jesus shared.
The Pei team is part of New Tribes Missions (NTM), an organization that has more than 1,500 missionaries around the world serving in remote locations. According to NTM, 2,500 of the world’s 6,500 people groups have no church, nor is there any work being done to establish one. New Tribes aims to change this.
The cultures and languages of these unreached tribes have isolated them from the Gospel. Missionaries first need to learn a tribe’s language and understand their culture in order to clearly present the Gospel and effectively plant a church. Following the pattern seen in the Bible in Acts, the missionaries are working to eventually establish mature churches led by those in the community.
The Pei are between two and three hundred in number and live in either of two villages (Paru and Pei), a hard day’s swamp hike away from each other. Many of their population speak TokPisin, but their heart language, or tribal language, is much more complex and is used far more often in daily life. Called Pefyahe, this language has no other dialects, and is the language in which these two to three hundred people need to hear the Gospel (TokPisin is grossly inadequate for this task). Known only by these two to three hundred people, the Gospel has never existed in this language, and there has never been a human being on the planet who has been able to read and write in Pefiyahe.
Within the last several decades, it has become the desire of a certain Pei man’s heart to hear the Gospel in his own language, and he has since written several letters begging for missionaries to come and share the gospel in a language he can understand.
This mission is where Chris’ team comes in, and what Kanaka represents. Kanaka is one way to share the cultural extremes present in their ministry and provide a window into the thinking and fashions of some of the remotest peoples on our planet, while also showing the huge need for church planters who are willing to go cross-cultural, often in a tribal setting.
Chris and his team have a website where they blog, post video, and share how to get involved in what they are doing. To meet the Pei Team and see what they’re up to, visit Pefiyahe.com.
If you would like prints of any of the Kanaka photos, or would like to support the tribal church planting effort, please visit Chris’ website at onechrisjon.es/kanaka.
Meet a Riv Staff Person: Josh Nunn
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2013
What do you do at Riv? I am the Tech Director. I provide oversight and training and help to facilitate the teams and team leaders of sound, lighting, and video people at the Holt and MSU (and future) Venues
Tell us about your family. I married my best friend, Lauren, eight months ago, and am enjoying our lives together.
Where did you grow up? In Reed City, MI, population 2,500. Home to one of four Yoplait yogurt factories and Tubelite, maker of Doors and Storefronts. Really, that’s it.
What’s your Riv story? My wife and I started attending Riv in August 2011 and instantly connected with the solid Biblical teaching and cultural relevance. After two weeks, we knew this is where we belonged. A few months later, I started serving by working the camera and running sound for the band DoJo. In March, I was honored to provide a couple of day-long trainings with the other sound techs, and in June, I started working with the band Wordsworth. I joined the staff as Riv’s first Tech Director in August 2012.
What are some cool things you’ve seen happen in your ministry? I’ve been blessed to work with a great team of volunteers who continually sacrifice and serve in the often thankless behind-the-scenes jobs that make services at Riv happen. It’s also been exciting to be involved with a new band coming together for the first time to selflessly bring their talents to lead people in worship.
How did you learn about and come to know Jesus? I was born and raised in a Christian home by two wonderful, loving parents. Every night they would read me Bible stories about the adventures of the Old Testament, Jesus and His followers, and Paul’s travels. It was one of those nights when I was about five years old that I had a sudden realization of just how long eternity was. The thought of spending all that without Jesus was terrifying. It wasn’t so much the idea of judgment that got me, but the idea of being completely separated from someone so perfect and loving forever. So I prayed with my parents and surrendered my life to Jesus.
What is something not many people know about you? I don’t like wearing dress shoes, so much so that I refused to wear them at my own wedding. Also, I’ve “swam” in the Dead Sea, spent two weeks hiking the mountains in Wyoming, and taken three trips to Ireland to discover they really do have bananas.
What’s your favorite book? So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
What music is in your player RIGHT NOW? Spinning some Steely Dan on Vinyl. Before that was the Beatles’ White Album.
What are some jobs you’ve had in the past? I’ve worked as a summer camp cook, construction worker, grocery store service desk clerk, event producer, tour manager, in floor restoration and maintenance, and as an oil and gas landman.
Who inspires you? My parents, my “little brother” Dave Marcus, my longtime mentor “Gus” Gustafson, my friend Pastor Wally Hostetter, and ArtPrize founder Rick DeVos.
What were your last three Google searches? “Superior Essex Single Mode Fiber,” “1979 Ford Bronco,” and “Discover Tasmania”
What are some of your hobbies? Riding my motorcycle, bicycling, and geocaching
What makes you smile? My wife, lasagna, and the open road with adventures ahead
What are some things that you hope to happen in or through Riv? I’m excited to see how God will use Riv to reach the Greater Lansing area. I hope to see Riv plant churches and start venues in more places than we could even dream about today.
How do you take your coffee? Dark drip brew or good cappuccino
Loving Lansing Through Micro-Missions
Posted on Thursday, Jan 24, 2013
Micro Missions are service opportunities in which Life Groups can serve and love the city in practical ways. These missions are a way to love Lansing eternally by making paths for the Gospel to be heard, and can also pave the way for the new Lansing Venue Riv plans to launch in the fall.
From the Christmas Eve offering this year (thank you!), there is now a Micro Mission fund. These funds will be distributed as grants (up to $1,000) to Life Groups that come up with ideas of how they can serve the community with them. The missions will be carried out from now through the end of August.
The goal of these missions is to serve Lansing in ways that are relational, communal, sacrificial, and helpful. When a group applies for a grant, the following aspects will be considered:
Relational: The goal is to build relationships with people, so the ideal mission will emphasize loving our neighbors, specifically in Lansing.
Communal: We are called by God to mission as a community. These missions are to be carried out within the context of a group, not just by one or two individuals.
Sacrificial: Those applying for grants should demonstrate a level of sacrifice in their own giving (whether that’s time, money, etc). Each Life Group member should think through what they are individually willing to sacrifice for the mission.
Helpful: This seems like common sense, but still should be considered. Will the mission idea actually help the people it is intended to help?
What sorts of things can a Life Group do, you ask? Really, anything that hits on these four aspects of service. We don’t want to limit you in your ideas — we love creativity around here! However, if some examples would help spark your creative mind, here are a few:
Yard Clean Up: Use the grant money to purchase lawn bags and pay for the disposal of yard waste. If members of a Life Group have perennial flower gardens of their own, they could also consider splitting up flowers/plants to share with whomever they are doing work for. Some of the money could also go towards purchasing the flats of annuals.
Teacher’s Lunch: Say thanks to educators by buying lunch for teachers at a neighborhood school, then distribute the lunches as a group.
Donation Garden: A Life Group, or several Life Groups, could develop, maintain, and distribute food grown at a Community Garden Plot. Some gardens have small indoor work areas that can be rented out to host classes. At the end of the harvesting season, the group could host a free class on how to make salsa, jam, spaghetti sauce, etc. They could also plant flowers in the garden and then make bouquets to distribute at a retirement center or nursing home. Most of these facilities only receive donations of funeral flowers, so residents are often thrilled to get something different.
Waste Management Breakfast: Buy donuts and coffee for the guys who pick up trash around town. It’s a great way to thank them for doing a tough job that’s so important to the city.
Free Beverages: We’ve seen how students flock to the free coffee provided by the MSU Venue on campus each week! Following the same idea, set up a free coffee/hot chocolate stand on a corner as people are heading to work. It often shocks people when they’re handed something for free, and this could also be an opportunity to tell people about the new venue. Just be sure not to hurt the business of any nearby coffee shops!
Apply for a grant online at MicroMissions.RivChurch.com.The application deadline is Thursday, February 14.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
The Origins of Christmas
Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2012
GotQuestions.org is an online resource we often refer people to when asked specific questions about God, the Bible, or Christianity. The site is easy to search for different topics or Bible passages, and the articles generally line up with our theology here at Riv. The following is an article from GotQuestions.org we thought was relevant for the time of year!
Question: Do some Christmas traditions have pagan origins?
There is no doubt that some of what we now refer to as Christmas traditions can be traced back, in some form, to pagan cultures and celebrations. The ringing of bells, for example, is generally thought to have had its origin in the early pagan winter celebration of ringing of bells to drive out evil spirits. In later centuries, bells were rung on Christmas Eve to welcome in the spirit of Christmas with joyful noise (Psalm 95:1). When Christians enjoy the beauty of a glorious bell choir ringing Christmas carols, we are reminded of the coming of Jesus into the world, not the driving out of evil spirits.
Similarly, there was an early pagan tradition of lighting candles to drive away the forces of cold and darkness. However, is it likely that our hearts are drawn to those early pagans rather than rejoicing in our Savior, the Light of the World (John 1:4-9) as we light candles? Of course not. Nor is it likely that when I give gifts to my loved ones at Christmas, the gifts will have less significance to either of us because some Druid somewhere in time offered a gift to his goat as part of some pagan ritual. No, we remember, as we should, the gifts given to the Christ-child by the Magi (Matthew 2:11). Jesus was the greatest gift ever given, and therefore His birth is worthy of celebration.
So obscure are the beginnings of many Christmas traditions that reference books and internet sites contradict one another on the details. Some of our most popular and beloved Christmas symbols are entirely Christian, and were never part of any pagan religion anywhere. At the same time, some Christmas traditions undoubtedly do have their origins in the pagan past. What is important is not the origins of traditions, but their significance to us today as believers in the Son of God. December 25 was not mentioned in the biblical narrative as the day Jesus was born, and, as such, we cannot be dogmatic about it one way or the other. But even if the date is completely wrong, there is still the opportunity for thousands of people who wouldn’t go to church any other time of the year to go on Christmas day and hear the gospel of Christ.
If you are fully convinced that you cannot, in good conscience, observe a particular Christmas tradition, do not observe it. If you are fully convinced that a particular tradition is too steeped in paganism to honor God in any way, by all means forsake that tradition. At the same time, if you are fully convinced that you can honor and worship God through a particular tradition, honor and worship God (Romans 15:5)! For Christians, Christmas traditions can be an important part of the celebration of the birth of our Savior, and they remind us of that momentous event that changed the world forever. More importantly, they bring to mind the miracle of new birth He created in us when He came into our hearts, saved us from our sins, and made us children of God by the shedding of His blood on the Cross (Colossians 1:20). It is this amazing truth that enables us to say with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
Source: http://www.gotquestions.org/Christmas-traditions.html
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Women's Prison Ministry: Sharing the Love of Christ This Christmas
Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2012
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
- Matthew 25:40
Women’s Prison Ministry is a way for women at Riverview to reflect Christ’s love to women behind bars. One way they do this is by writing letters to inmates, followed by face-to-face visits once a relationship has been established. Riv member Susan Provencal began writing to her inmate, Leslie, in 2011.
Susan’s Story
There has always been a tug at my heart for prison ministry, but I assumed I could not minister to people whose life ex- periences were so different than mine. I had no idea what prisoners truly felt or how to help them or relate to them. It was easier to stick with feeding the hungry, donating clothes, and other avenues of Christian service that I was much more “qualified” to do.
About a year ago I heard about Riverview’s letter writing ministry, and once again my heart was stirred to get involved. I attended a meeting and was told I could read a book or do a Bible study with an inmate. Now these were activities I felt comfortable doing, and if an inmate wanted help in this way, this was something I could do!
I was assigned to a woman named Leslie. Her very first letter was filled with gratitude and openness. As we corresponded over the year, we shared family stories, read books together, talked about our daily lives, and shared prayer requests, Bible verses, and sermon notes.
After about six months of correspondence, I decided to visit my Christian sister in person. All the prison procedures made me nervous at first, but getting to meet her in person was worth it. We talked for several hours, mostly about the Lord and what he was doing in our lives. The time flew and I knew this would become a regular part of the ministry for me.
Although she regularly expresses thankfulness for my letters and visits, I truly believe that I am the one who has received the biggest blessing. To see God transforming a life before your eyes is spiritually inspiring. And what joy it brings me to know my heavenly Father is pleased because what I do for my incarcerated friend, I do for Him.
Leslie will be paroled this month and will truly have to rely on God to supply all her needs. And while she has faced many hardships and used her time in prison to transform her mind through God’s Word, her reentry into a life of freedom will be equally difficult. I know she would appreciate prayers.
Leslie’s Story
In John 13:35 Jesus says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love one for another.” [The Women’s Prison Ministry] has shown me the love of Christ in a way I never have experienced. I cannot express how I have changed since this time in prison. My background is one of drug abuse problems and unhealthy relationships. I’ve found a new way to live through Jesus Christ. I now know there’s a community of people that will invite me in and show me the way. Susan and Melissa [Rumrill] have been wonderful and changed my life forever. I pray that once released I will share this same love with others and return some to you.
I was recently placed in a unit where many do not know Christ. I feel this is the first of many opportunities to share what God and your ministry have given me. I will walk in love and love like Jesus, to the best of my ability. The faith- ful disciple John said, “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another God abides in us and His love has been perfected in us.” (I John 4:12) Your ministry is doing an amazing job of helping me see God.
All of the Above Hip Hop Academy
Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2012
In today’s hyper-individualistic society, the idea of community is often an afterthought, if even a thought at all. But local artist Ozay Moore (formerly known as Othello) is aiming to change this. Ozay Moore recently founded All of the Above Hip Hop Academy, an organization of hip hop professionals who have dedicated themselves to teaching self discipline, community awareness/responsibility, artistic expression, and educational development through the elements of hip hop. The hope is that through this program, youths in the Capital area community will be inspired and empowered to not only find a productive passion, but also to define and achieve personal goals by being positive contributors in their community.
Seattle native Ozay Moore (aka Tyson Pumphrey) is an emcee, producer, educator, and recording artist who has spent the past twenty years honing his craft. With seven solo albums, four collaborative group releases, and ten years of touring the world as a certified emcee, he has found his career meaning more to him at a local level rather than as a traveling artist. In the winter of 2008, he received an opportunity to work with the Detroit Public Schools through the company The Learning Express, and he relocated from Seattle to Lansing. Here, he began writing songs with the intention of reinforcing school curriculum. Soon after, he became a resident artist for “El Arte” through the Arts integration Organization “Living Arts” in Southwest Detroit. During his residency he partnered with an English teacher to offer a spin on their textbook material from a hip hop perspective. Although he worked in Detroit, the need for effective and equally progressive arts programming in his home base of Lansing soon became apparent. With startling statistics in the local school system for teen dropouts, substance abuse, crime, and the lack of opportunities, what better place to start implementing what had worked so well in Detroit? And so, All of the Above came to Lansing.
All of the Above consists of classes that teach Bboying (Breaking), Emceeing (Rapping), Beat Making, and Graffiti Art. The program was recently picked up by the Lansing Oak Park YMCA and will be beginning this January. Classes will meet several nights a week for eight weeks, culminating with a final performance where students will have the opportunity to showcase their new skills in an event open to the public. Currently, classes are open to middle and high school students, though the plan is to eventually expand the program to include workshops for elementary students as well. Scholarships are available to anyone for whom finances are an obstacle.
Looking even farther ahead, the hope is that All of the Above would eventually have their own facility and become a 501 c3 nonprofit in order to serve as an academy for the disciplines of hip hop culture, provide the Lansing School District with an artist in residency resource, and host a mentoring program. The program costs are minimal for students, but do require a lot of time and resources from the academy. If you are passionate about the arts and believe in its ability to enrich the lives of those who participate in them, Ozay Moore invites you to partner with him in his goal — not just in raising finances, but also in impacting youth with the proper perspective of a dynamic culture. Your support can help promote positive change in our city.
To learn more, donate, or get involved, contact Tyson at OzayMoore@Gmail.com.
My Riv Story: Katie Palmer
Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2012
My name is Katie Palmer, and I work as an administrative assistant with Riv’s MSU Venue and help lead the South Wonders Chapter and international outreach. It’s amazing what God has done to bring me to this point in my life. Although I grew up going to church, my faith was weak. It was important in my mind to try to lead a good life,but despite how hard I tried, I was never good enough.I rejected God and tried to push Him out of my mind because I feared he wanted me to lead a sinless, perfect life that I knew I would always fail to achieve. Fortunately, God gave me grace and was patient with me.
I started out at MSU as a sophomore transfer from an out-of-state college, with only a few acquaintances on campus. Though I didn’t know it at the time, I was desperate for God; there was a gaping hole in my heart where God belonged. What I did know was that I didn’t have many friends; I wanted to be a part of a community, but despite my efforts, I was unable to find acceptance.
When I met a girl who attended Riverview, everything changed. She was different than anyone else I had ever met before. She cared – really cared – about getting to know me, and I could not figure out why. We had only known each other for about a week when she invited me to come to church. Despite having known her for only a short amount of time, I had already grown closer to her than anyone else I had previously met during my first month at MSU. Wanting to meet more people like her, I attended a service at the MSU Venue for the first time in the fall of 2010.
Riverview’s service was nothing I ever expected. In the past, the churches I attended lacked strong community as well as a vision dedicated to God’s mission in the world.It was immediately clear to me through the people I met and the messages I heard that this church has a powerful gospel-focused community and a strong vision to lead people to grow, serve, and go in Christ’s name. As I grew in my understanding of what Jesus had done for me, my thirst for a personal relationship with God grew stronger. I still had my reservations; I had parts of my life I was afraid to let go of, but the desire to know God was much stronger than any of my doubts.
In an effort to grow closer to God, I started attending a Chapter (campus Life Group) during the spring of 2011. I met and grew closer to men and women who had their hearts set on Christ. I also signed up to go on the MSU Venue spring break trip to Florida, despite not knowing anyone going. God came through on the trip and blessed me with a deeper understanding of His perfect plan while also helping me make new, amazing friends.
I am not sure of the exact moment I was saved, but by the fall of 2011 I had given my life to Christ. That semester, my roommate taught me how to seek God in my everyday life. My relationship with God had become powerful; the love He filled me with overflowed into my desire to serve people who did not understand the gospel. In the fall of 2011 I became involved with Riv’s international outreach, and in the spring of 2012 I joined my Chapter’s leadership team and went on the spring break mission trip to Mexico. This past summer, I studied abroad in East Asia, and while there, I shared the gospel for the first time. At the end of the summer, God saved my friend and she has since joined Riv.
Because of what Jesus has done for me, I am now blessed with being able to work for the church that has been instrumental in changing my life. I can’t wait to see what God still has in store for our church community.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Baptism Stories: Part 2
Posted on Thursday, Nov 8, 2012
Last week, we highlighted stories from Rivites who were recently baptized at Holt’s Valhalla Park. Today, we bring you a couple more. Email Tony.Pyle@RivChurch.com for info on baptism.
Kristen Kelley
I attended a Catholic church on and off with my family until my early teens. I tried different churches over the years but nothing felt quite right. So I stopped trying, content with just trying to be a good person, but not having any real spiritual direction. I heard about Riverview from a few people and liked the one service I tried, but at the time I was not ready to commit to driving from Dewitt each week. One day at work, my manager, Shawn Barker, mentioned that his family attended Riverview and that we should check it out. I went, and came back with my fiancé the next weekend. I told Shawn I liked it and he shared a few CDs of past services so I could listen in the car, and he showed me the website with past messages. I really liked what I was hearing and for once everything started to make sense in this whole mysterious “spiritual world.”
I got married the next month and Shawn and his wife Ashley gave my husband and me a Study Bible as a wedding gift. Neither of us had ever been given a Bible before. I started following along with the Text Project. I also got involved with RivKids, working in the nursery and getting to know other Riv parents. I decided to call Riverview my home church and became a member. I’ve been attending regularly for three years now. I decided to finally get baptized because as I learned what it was about; I found that it didn’t matter that I didn’t know all the books of the Bible, or that I missed some weekends when we just didn’t get up on time, or that I still struggled with sin. I had always thought: “When I become a better Christian, then I’ll get baptized.” But it’s not about that at all. I decided to get baptized as an act of obedience to my Savior, because I am saved only by the grace of God and have been so blessed in my life, much more than I deserve. I am so glad to have been introduced to Riverview and in turn to be able to introduce others. I only worked for Shawn for a short period, about six months or so. We didn’t talk about Christianity or church besides the times I mentioned above, which shows that all it takes is to plant that seed and God will take care of the rest. I ran into Shawn and Ashley in the lobby the week after my baptism and thanked him. It was very cool to be able to tell my story and see what a difference he had made in my life by just inviting me to church, where I heard the Gospel and was then saved. I can never thank him enough, but I can do my part to share the Gospel with others.
Laura Peiffer
My eleven-year-old, Devin, asked my husband and I to baptize him this past summer in our swimming pool. His request made me smile. We told him we would wait until Riverview did their next one . . . so September was perfect timing. You see, not only was Devin chosen by Christ, but he was chosen by my husband Jim and I to be our son. We adopted Devin in 2008 and we first welcomed him in 2004. He has been a joy to raise and I love how Christ has touched his life. After Jim baptized Devin, Devin sat in the water and I thought he was just watching everyone else being baptized. When I asked what he was doing he said, “I was sitting there praying.” It melted my heart!
Our eight-year-old, Landon, arrived to our family when he was two months old. He started his personal relationship with Christ at the age of five. He could not wait to be baptized and tell others about it! Right after Jim baptized Landon, Landon started jumping up and down with excitement. As a wife and a mother it made my heart happy and proud of her husband, watching him baptize our sons. Thank you, Jim!
Baptism Stories 2012
Posted on Thursday, Nov 8, 2012
Mike McElroy
I was baptized as an infant. I always knew that I had been baptized, but I now admit that I did not really know what that meant. For many reasons, some I can understand and many more I cannot, I spent virtually all of my adult life away from the church. I would sometimes go to a Christmas or Easter service with friends or family, or attend weddings and funerals where Christian rituals were performed, but I went more out of duty than out of desire to feel the love of God in my heart. For all those years I would have told you that I believed in a higher power but that I did not have (or understand) faith in the Holy Trinity of God our Father, His Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit.
Little by little I was being drawn deeper and deeper into the darkness, and because it was so slow and almost imperceptible I did not recognize my plight or the agony that gripped me. About the time I turned fifty I began to actually recognize that I was miserable. I had no idea what to do or how to escape the darkness. Then in the early part of 2010, my life began to change. Many of my darkest troubles came into clearer view and pinholes of light began to appear through all the darkness. I began to get my bearings and move toward what I now know was the grace, love, and light of my Savior Jesus Christ and the hope for salvation that he offers to all who seek him (including me!). It was still very dark but I was able to discern a direction for my life, and I chose to reach for His light. Then in an instant, in April of 2010, the Lord created a wide crack in the darkness and through it shined the almighty light of his Holy Spirit into my heart! At that moment I knew He had touched me and that my life had forever changed, but because the thought of a blessing so great was new to me, it took several months to begin to understand and embrace what I now know is God’s grace and unconditional love. I am so very thankful that He was there and eager to embrace me when I finally turned to Him with my broken heart and empty hands.
On March 13, 2011, I came to Riv for the first time. And again, in an instant I knew that my life had changed. God had finally led me home. I have learned a lot about what it means to be a Christian since then. I pray that I will continue to learn for as long as I live here on earth. One of my most valuable lessons (blessings) is in learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that through Him there is hope and salvation for all who seek Him. I also learned about the power and meaning of Christian baptism. I now understand that it symbolizes being born into Jesus Christ. In John 3:3 Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” I have been saved and I am born again into our Lord Jesus Christ. I chose to be baptized to affirm my faith in Him and to publicly make my vow to follow Him forever, and to proclaim my thanks to Him for my new life in Him. All praise to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Camrey Kline
I’ve been going to Riverview for almost two years. One Thursday, in November of 2010, I attempted suicide. The following weekend was my first time attending Riv. At the time I felt like nobody liked me and I meant nothing to any- one. But over these past two years I have felt the amazing transformation of becoming a Christian and getting to know Jesus Christ. So many people at church have made huge differences in my life, from the pastors and their phenomenal teachings to the friendly people I encounter every weekend, but the people who have changed my life the most are the leaders who have worked with me. At Chaos, (Riv’s middle school ministry) I met Gina, Erin, and Leah. These spectacular ladies have helped me understand the Bible and what Jesus did for us, and have encouraged me to strive to be more like Christ everyday. My family and friends outside of church have also made a huge difference. They all support me and accept what I believe in. My mom has been supporting me, and now I am supporting her too. Mom, thanks for everything you do for me. Ever since I’ve been part of the family at Riv I know that I don’t ever need to feel like nobody likes me or I mean nothing because there are many people at Riv who care a lot about me and have high hopes for me. They’ve also taught me that Jesus will always be right by my side and love me with an everlasting love. I’m getting baptized to show that I have put my trust in Jesus Christ, My Lord and Savior.
Compassion Thanksgiving 2012
Posted on Thursday, Nov 8, 2012
Every human being is created in the image of God. Tragically, that image has been wounded and twisted by sin. Our mission is to follow Jesus’ example, restoring what has been destroyed. This is why we are to share everything we have. In doing so, we share the gospel—fighting spiritual, emotional, and physical poverty with sacrificial love.
Riv’s Compassion Ministry exists in order to do this. The Compassion team is part of the “Go” in Riv’s mission of making sacrificial followers of Jesus who grow, serve, and go. It’s about going out and sharing in local community. Sharing time. Sharing stuff. Sharing hearts. And through it all, sharing Jesus.
This year’s Thanksgiving Meal Drive, put on by Compassion, is a great opportunity to take part in this sharing. Through this drive, Riv will be providing Thanksgiving dinner groceries for between four and five hundred local families. In order for this to happen, we need LOTS of donors. Donors can volunteer as individuals, families, or Life Groups, and can choose whether they want to deliver in person or not.
The needs of each family receiving a Thanksgiving meal are extremely diverse. They are struggling financially due to any number of issues, including recent loss of a family member, joblessness, illness, refugee resettlement, etc. Because of this, every person, family, or Life Group who delivers a meal will have a completely unique experience. Donors are encouraged to approach this opportunity with an open heart, and then see who God brings into their lives!
Amy Houser, a volunteer who delivered a meal to a family last year, shares her experience:
“I had a great experience with the family we were given. [The father] is from Nigeria and lives with his three children in Lansing. His wife is unable to be here with their family. I brought groceries and helped him bring them into his tiny home. As I looked around the small, sparsely-filled front room, I saw three mattresses on the floor, each with a blanket in the middle. The mattresses did not have sheets on them. As my eyes adjusted to the dim room, I noticed the blanket moving on one bed. The man began to introduce me to each of his kids, and as he did, a face peeked out from under each blanket. His children were almost the exact ages of my three children! They were very shy and sweet, and smiled the entire time I spoke with their dad. Above the youngest boy's bed was a sign taped to the wall that read, ‘Jesus is the head of this home.’ Tears welled up in my eyes as I read the sign. I told them I loved their sign, wished them a blessed Thanksgiving, and said that I would be praying for their family. The father replied, ‘Thank you. We are so blessed.’ His faith despite their situation encouraged me so much; I am so thankful I had the chance to meet his family.”
For more information, go to Compassion.RivChurch.com, connect with Compassion on Facebook (Compassion @ Riv), or visit the Compassion table in the lobby.
My Foster Park Story: Frank Wiggins
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 16, 2012
Riv partners with Lansing’s Crossroads Church in a weekly summer ministry that targets urban youth living near Foster Park, which is located near the intersection of South Foster and East Kalamazoo. Volunteer Frank Wiggins shares his story:
Foster Park, where is that? Even though I used to visit my sister and brother-in-law at their place on South Francis, I had never heard of it. Their neighbor and friend was opening a small community church that was involved in a ministry there. I’d never met Noah, but my sister kept me up to speed on a lot of his projects, thinking that I might be able to lend the new church a hand at some point. I would smile and nod (like you do when you aren’t truly listening), and then go on about my business.
Earlier this year, Noel was teaching and stopped to belabor the point that singleness is a gift from God. Sure it is, like underwear — you may not want it, but when it’s wrapped with a bow, it’s still a gift. He then said that single people are blessed because they can do a lot of things married folks can’t. Then he seamlessly segued into Riv’s plan to send 200 people to Mazatlan, Mexico before the end of 2012. I quit smiling and nodding . . . as will happen when you are un- expectedly punched in the stomach. I had no desire to go to Mexico, but as Noel had just pointed out, there was nothing holding me back. Well, there was that pesky little thing of me not being really good with swarms of kids. Then the clincher: we would be digging holes! Well there you go, that I can do. I have been digging holes in mud, sand, dirt, and even clay since I was a wee lad. I could do this . . . and if it meant being near some children in the process, that probably wouldn’t be so bad.
My goal for Mexico (and pretty much all things religion-related) was to be friendly, helpful, and dig the best holes I could dig. Holes were dug and friendships were forged. We gave thanks and sang praises at the opportunity we had to serve those less fortunate than ourselves. Commitments were made to be more charitable when we got home.
Then we got home. Now what? Like a sign from above, an announcement for volunteering at Foster Park flashed across the big screen. It said to contact Jason Helman with questions. Jason, a newly made friend from my Mexico trip, needed volunteers. Even though kids were again part of the outreach, I committed because I knew my friend needed help (in hindsight, I probably should have volunteered because Jesus wanted volunteers . . . but it’s a growth process). Plus, as an uncle four times over, I am pretty awesome at pushing swings, and all parks have swings, right? I could do this, and I would know at least one person there.
Come to find out, there’s also a community garden affiliated with Foster Park, and Riv had rented the corner plot to help teach the kids. The second week, when my swing-pushing skills were being underutilized, I moseyed over to the garden. Against overwhelming odds, one adult was trying to oversee several young would-be gardeners. Deciding that my hole- digging skills were in higher demand than my swing-pushing skills, I stayed (and found out that letting kids be kids in a garden is pretty easy and entertaining, especially when you don’t have to wash their clothes). We, two people who didn’t think we were great with kids, made it through the evening. As the weeks progressed, I carried hundreds of gallons of water for the garden. Sure, the kids poured a lot of it on unfertile areas, but most of it got put on the plants, and those plants grew. I’m sure that to many passersby, it looked like the Crossroads and Riv volunteers were “pouring lots of water on unfertile areas,” but I know that we cannot all be reapers of the harvest. Some people have to prepare the soil, some people have to plant the seed, and others have to carry the water.
I only missed two nights at Foster Park. One was work-related, as will happen, and the other was because I went to Ethiopia with my sister to bring home their two newly adopted children (an opportunity I probably would have missed, due to not having a passport, had I not gone to Mazatlan). The pastor from Crossroads seemed happy I was skipping a night and was very interested in my new niece and nephew. After all, he was that friend my sister kept telling me about, who, for the past six years, has been building a small community church and might need my help sometime.
I can’t say for sure whether I personally had that much impact on any kids this summer, but this summer had quite an impact on me. I’m looking forward to next year.
Meet Robbie and Laurie Bergman
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 16, 2012
What do you do here at Riv? We’re part of the MSU Venue staff. Rob makes videos and we lead a Life Group/Chapter together. We’re both passionate about discipleship and sharing the gospel with those who have yet to hear it.
Tell us about your family. We are both middle children of big families: Robbie’s from a family of seven and Laurie’s from a family of nine. We have been married for a year and a half. We are a bit crazy and love to be around people.
Where did you grow up? Rob grew up in the suburbs northwest of Chicago in Lake Zurich, IL. Laurie’s hometown is Metamora, MI, but she’ll be quick to tell you about her years in Phoenix, AZ.
What’s your Riv story? Riverview was one of the first churches where Laurie heard the gospel clearly preached. It had a huge impact on her life as she learned to understand God’s Word. After college, she moved to Phoenix and never thought she’d be back, but God had other plans . . . Rob met (Riv pastor) Joe Testa at Illinois State University, where they became good friends. After we got married we were looking to move to a new church and really liked Riverview. Our connection with Joe, as well as Laurie’s connection from college, brought us here.
What cool things have you seen happen at Riv? This summer we saw awesome things happen at Leadership Training. We saw five students get saved and our group from MSU really caught the mission to live for Jesus with every- thing. We often had people from Asia, South America, Africa, Europe, and many parts of the U.S over for meals. It was incredible to realize the opportunity the Lord had given us. It was so awesome to have a chance to share the gospel with the world, literally.
How did you come to know Jesus? Robbie heard the gospel through his family and accepted Christ in middle school. At Illinois State University, God used a college ministry to develop his faith and call him to a life of missions. Laurie heard the gospel at a Christian camp in middle school and accepted Christ there. She was hungry for more truth about Jesus while attending college at MSU and discovered Riverview. God used Riv to develop a hunger for God’s Word in her life.
What’s something not many people know about you? Robbie can make animal noises. Laurie has been to seventeen countries.
What is your favorite book? Rob’s favorites are Fresh Wind Fresh Fire or The Journey of Desire. Laurie’s is Power of a Praying Woman.
What music is in your player RIGHT NOW? Doug Mains and the City Folk
What are some jobs you’ve had in the past? Rob has worked at Target, painted houses, worked as a housekeeper, and in a dishroom. Laurie has worked at a golf course, Panera Bread, and State Farm Insurance, and as a bartender, waitress, lobbyist, senatorial intern, resident assistant, and pizza deliverer.
What were your last three Google searches? Rob’s were “2011 tornado outbreak,” “best smartphones,” and “kittens.” Laurie doesn’t believe in Google searches.
What are your hobbies? Rob loves ultimate frisbee, frisbee golf, skiing, sailing, mountain biking, longboarding, watching epic movies, hanging out with his wife, exploring new places, and spending time with Jesus. Laurie loves running, reading, thinking about politics, watching the Office, drinking coffee, traveling, hiking mountains, and baking for her husband.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
LEAD Featuring Dr. Gregg Allison
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
Join us on Saturday, October 27 for the next LEAD event featuring Dr. Gregg Allison, a professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
1 Peter 2:21 says, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”
As Christians, we look to Jesus as the ultimate example of life and godliness. We study his parables and teachings to learn how to think; we look to his sacrificial life to learn how to live. At this LEAD event, we are zeroing in on one specific aspect of Jesus’ life: how he viewed and used the Word of God. Jesus is the Word in human flesh. He came from the Father to bring us his truth, and so his example of handling the Word must be central to our understanding of how to do so.
The conference is from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm in the Aud- itorium at Riv’s Holt Venue. Doors open at 8:30 am and the conference begins promptly at 9:00 am. Lunch is included.
The cost is $20, or $15 for students. If the cost is prohibitive, just let us know when you register and we’ll cover it. Get more details and register at LEAD.RivChurch.com.
About Dr. Allison
A couple years ago, Riv pastor Noel Heikkinen took a seminary course taught by Dr. Allison on the purpose and structure of the New Testament church. Noel explains, “I was blown away with his commitment to Scripture as the basis for all of things he taught in class. After discovering we had a few areas of disagreement, he assigned me a final project on this topic: the appropriate implementation of the Lord’s Supper in a rapidly growing missional church. As a direct result of this study, Riverview has begun to observe the Lord’s Supper more consistently across our venues and in our Life Groups. Over time, Dr. Allison has become a theological mentor of mine, and more importantly, a friend. I am excited to introduce him to my Riverview family and hope you will take time to come learn from him.”
Dr. Allison has been teaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary since 2003, following nine years of teaching Theology and Church History at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He has served as an Adjunct at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL; Elgin Community College, Elgin, IL; Judson College, Elgin, IL; Institute of Biblical Studies, Western Europe and the United States; and the Resurgence Training Center (Mars Hill Church/ Acts 29).
Dr. Allison has eighteen years of ministry experience as a staff member of Campus Crusade, where he worked in campus ministry, as well as serving as a missionary to Italy and Switzerland and co-pastoring a church in Lugano, Switzerland. He holds a B.S. from Northern Illinois University, a M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine and numerous other books.
Dr. Allison is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, in which he serves on the editorial and membership committees and regularly presents papers at its national meetings. He is also the book review editor for theological, historical, and philosophical studies for Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.
Don’t forget to go to LEAD.RivChurch.com to register!
Interview with Artist Zahrah Resh
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
By now, you’ve probably noticed the bright and beautiful artwork displayed in Riv’s Corridor Gallery. (If not, we’re guessing you haven’t ventured past the lobby. Head down the hall to the right of the auditorium — you’ll see). Local artist Zahrah Resh’s first foray into collage, an exhibit titled “The Big Blue Marble,” is on display. We asked Zahrah to answer a few questions for us in order to get a glimpse into the mind behind the art.
How long have you been creating art?
For as long as I can remember. I love dance, theatre, music, and all forms of visual art. I always say my first art medium is food. I love cooking and creating flavorful food by mixing colorful, exciting ingredients in an appetizing dish that will feast the eyes and palate. I started painting and drawing professionally a little over ten years ago (I’m a late bloomer), and I’ve been creating profusely since then, probably trying to make up for the late start.
How do you work?
I paint/work in my little studio in the basement of my home. The rest of the space in the basement holds all kinds of art supplies, from canvas to stretchers, lots and lots of paints, paper, brushes and frames — a virtual “what’s what” in a well-stocked art store. I love the easy accessibility to my studio – just a short walk downstairs. Usually there are four to eight pieces of work in progress in my studio. If I am very inspired and focused I work fast and for very long hours at a time. I am very happy when working in my studio, even when the work is challenging and things sometimes don’t go so well.
What inspires you, and how do you keep yourself motivated?
Inspiration comes from everywhere: the melody of a song, shapes, sounds, colors, textures, and forms of nature all around us. Memories, words, lyrics, patterns, and rhythms in life are inspirational too — they make their way into my art deliberately and subconsciously. Curiosity and continuous learning about people, the world, and the universe pretty much give me the drive to keep creating art. I have artistic and personal goals that I set for myself, and being goal oriented, I guess, provides that push to keep plugging along.
How has your art and process changed over time?
When I first started creating art, I wanted and did paint many different kinds and types of art. The work varied greatly from day to day and from week to week. Looking back, I was reveling in creating art. Over time I did more reading, research, and writing of short essays on concepts for bodies of work I wanted to create before actually making the art. This allowed me to be more focused and do an in-depth study on my ideas and concepts, which led to a more cohesive, focused, and deliberate body of work. Painting is my first love, but lately, like in this exhibit, I’ve incorporated sculptures, mixed media, collage, and fiber work.
Why art?
Why not? Personally, it gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and contentment and joy when I am creating or just viewing art. It allows me to share my thoughts and feelings in images and colors when words are not enough. Art is not only created to convey beauty; it reflects the thoughts and perceptions of society, culture, practices, beliefs, and attitudes of the time. More importantly, it questions, provokes, challenges, and even inspires us to look within ourselves and at the world around us in order to be better advocates for each other and the world we live in, and also to appreciate the beauty and creativity that surrounds us.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given, or some of your own advice for aspiring artists?
- Value your talent and your work.
- No fear!
- There is no such thing as failure, just opportunities!
- Follow your dream and dream BIG.
- Always be grateful for all that’s been given to you.
Happy 35th Birthday To Us!
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
This past Labor Day marked thirty-five years since Riv’s start. Two of Riv’s pastors, Paul DenHerder and Steve Sommerlot, have been here since the beginning. Here, they take us back to Riverview Church circa 1977.
What was the mission statement? We didn’t have one, ha! We were too young and inexperienced. We just wanted to make disciples who would in turn make more disciples. We wanted to share Christ, and if enough people responded we’d have a church.
Our vision was to reach college students first, because young people are most likely to respond to the Gospel.
Staff/Volunteers/Members: Gosh, for the first few years, no- body got paid. We were all bi-vocational, meaning we had a day job to butter the bread, while evenings and weekends were spent in evangelism and discipleship out in the dorms. We had no church budget.
The twelve of us who had moved from Ames, Iowa to East Lansing all considered ourselves “staff.” Each of us had a small group of people we were discipling. We were not “meeting-focused” at first, simply people-focused. We started with the team of twelve, plus around twenty others. It took about three years to grow to 100 adults at our largest meeting, which was a Friday night Bible study. We didn’t have a Sunday morning church service for at least three years. We did meet in several homes across town on Sunday evenings to share meals and have communion.
Location: Many of our first meetings were in Paul and Ann DenHerder’s house (where three single guys also lived, including Steve Sommerlot). Their house was located at 120 Center Street in East Lansing (just behind the Kinko’s on Michigan Avenue, near Harrison Roadhouse). This was convenient because we primarily reached out in the Brody dorm complex. Later that first year, we began meeting in MSU classrooms.
Riv Life — Then to Now: Christine Barrett was the first person to come to Christ through our outreach in 1977. She was a high school student then, and is now (pastor) Greg VanNada’s wife!
In 1985, Riv sent church plant teams to five campus communities: Penn State, Western Kentucky, and Eastern, Western, and Central Michigan. One of the guys who went to Kentucky was Pete LeClerc, who Steve Sommerlot lived with and helped disciple for a couple years. Pete is hard-of-hearing, so during our leadership meetings we’d toss a ball around to whoever was talking so that Pete could read his or her lips. We really made that into a fun, crazy thing, whipping the ball around! Pete continued in ministry and today is the pastor of Crossroads Deaf Baptist Church in Indianapolis, IN.
From Pastor Paul DenHerder: When we moved to East Lansing, my wife Ann and I were praying for God’s promise in Psalm 90:17 (NASB): “And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And do confirm (give permanence to) for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.” In spite of our young and enthusiastic approach and the many immature issues we needed to work through, it’s amazing that God has given permanence to what we were seeking to do.
We were asked if we would consider moving with the team to East Lansing on a Thursday night and told we needed to decide “by Saturday.” We had the mindset of being willing to do whatever we needed to, even if it seemed ridiculous to friends and family (which it did). I think we all had a very missional perspective. Even though we were somewhat immature in the area of knowledge, we definitely had the passion and zeal to pack up and move anyway.
There are so many “then to now” stories that we couldn’t come close to fitting them all. Stay tuned for a future article with many more!
Parent Child Dedications at Riv
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." - Frederick Douglass
Parents face many challenges and obstacles in raising children who don’t just live moral lives, but who actually have a deep love for Jesus. Our children belong to God, but He has given us the responsibility to love, care for, and train them with His help and guidance and to nurture their interest in spiritual things. This is a huge task. It is also an awesome and exciting one.
At Riv, we provide the opportunity for parents to dedicate themselves and their children to the Lord and to publicly make a commitment to rely on God for His help. God has truly entrusted parents with a most precious thing. They need their spiritual family to help, support, and pray for them in this incredible journey.
Examples of child dedications are found in the Bible. First, the Bible says children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:2-3), so before anything, it’s important to recognize that children ultimately belong to Him. When parents understand it’s only by God’s grace that they have both the responsibility and gift of raising their kids, some may like to publicly dedicate their children back into His hands. In I Samuel 1, we see Hannah (up to this point, a barren woman) dedicating her son Samuel back to God because she recognized he was God’s gift to her. And in Luke 2, we see Mary and Joseph taking eight-day-old Jesus to the temple to dedicate Him. These Biblical examples are simply that though — examples; they are not commandments. Dedications are a way for parents to publicly make a commitment (which most have probably already done privately) and solicit help, support, and prayer in doing so.
People often wonder if child dedications are the same as infant baptism. They’re not. Riverview believes that baptism (immersion) in the New Testament is an act that an individual does when he or she willfully chooses to believe in Jesus; we therefore do not baptize infants. Parent child dedications do not imply salvation, but are an opportunity for parents to commit themselves to a lifestyle of nurturing their children in light of the responsibilities we see in the Scriptures.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Baptism, by Joe Testa
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
What is baptism all about?
Baptism is one of two decrees that Jesus gave to His church to perform (the other being the Lord’s Supper). Jesus established both baptism and the Lord’s Supper as acts of worship. The idea behind baptism is that someone who has become a follower of Jesus has an opportunity to stand before the church community and publicly profess their faith in Christ.
Does baptism have anything to do with salvation?
No. The Bible couldn’t be clearer that salvation is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) that comes when someone puts his or her faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-22; John 1:12). Sin caused a separation between God and us. Our broken relationship with God is mended because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. It was on the cross that Jesus took all of our sin onto Himself, and for those who respond to His finished work, He makes them righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). The big theological term for this idea taught in the New Testament is “justification.” Justification simply means that because of Jesus’ death for sin and our appropriation of his gift to our life, God renders us “not guilty” for all eternity. We cannot do anything to earn God’s favor, including being baptized.
What does the New Testament teach about baptism?
The New Testament teaches that baptism is a picture or a symbol of what has already happened to someone who has put his or her faith in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We read in Romans 6:1-4: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
The word for baptism in the Greek is the word baptiso, which means “to immerse.” The idea Paul is presenting is that when you have been immersed into Christ you are immersed into his death. As followers of Jesus, when we put our faith in Christ, the old self is crucified with Jesus (Galatians 2:20). As a person goes under the water, this symbolizes that they are dead to their old life and raised up out of the water to walk in newness of life. Baptism, in a sense, is a Christ follower saying to their com- munity: “I have believed in Jesus, and I am putting to death the old life and will live the resurrected life of union with Jesus.”1
A pastor’s response to common reactions to baptism:
1) “I need to pray about it.”
When we see clear commands in Scripture, we don’t need to pray about whether or not it is God’s desire for us to do some- thing. We simply need to obey.
2) I’ve followed Jesus a long time without getting baptized. I might be perceived as a new believer if I were to get baptized.
Pride could be a barrier to obeying Jesus. We’re told in 1 Peter 5:5 and James 4:6: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Why wouldn’t we want grace?
3) “I’m not ready yet . . . ”
Baptism isn’t something we do because we arrive at a level of maturity. It’s a first step of obedience in our relationship with Jesus. We need to be reminded that the gospel is all about the fact that we would never be good enough to be accepted by God. He accepted us while we were sinners. Jesus died for us while we were living in rebellion to God. We need to live in the gospel every day as God’s children (1 Corinthians 15:1). We don’t need to have our act all together to get baptized. If you wait until you do, you will never obey Jesus in this area.
For the full version of this position paper on baptism, stop by RivWarehouse in the lobby.
Life Group Profile by Mandy Karolkiewicz
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
Mandy, tell us why you are in a Life Group.
Riverview is a huge church. It can be intimidating to meet new people during the weekend services, and we really desired a sense of community. We wanted to surround ourselves with godly friends that we could be completely open and honest with.
How did you get together as a group?
We started meeting in August of 2011. The “original” members met at RivLink, but we have continued to grow each month. Some people joined after meeting some of our group members at a LEAD event, and others after randomly sitting next to each other at a weekend service. It’s been incredible to see God bring together such totally different people in different ways.
How often does your group meet?
Every other Sunday night. By meeting every other week, we tend to make the weeks that we DO meet more of a priority.
What does a typical meeting look like?
Typically we start out with snacks and food and mingle for a half hour or so before getting started. We usually spend a couple hours discussing the Bible and in prayer; however, some weeks we will just spend the whole time opening up about things we’ve been struggling with.
What have you studied together?
When we first started meeting we went through Francis Chan’s “The Basic Series,” a DVD set that takes an artistic look at really basic but important Biblical concepts. We are currently going through Francis Chan’s book and DVD set “Crazy Love.”
What do you do outside regular meetings?
The men in our group like to go out once a week or so for beers and Bible study. The girls like to meet once a month or so for dinner. Around Christmas we all road tripped to Frankenmuth and then Bronner’s, just for something different.
How has your Life Group affected your life?
I never thought it was possible for so many people be completely honest with each other. It’s incredible how challenging yet encouraging it can be to have friends that confess their sins and be broken in front of each other, to lift each other up in prayer on a consistent basis, and to motivate each other to grow with Jesus daily. One bit of advice to anyone looking for a Life Group: a number of us have been in Bible studies or Life Groups in the past. Some of them didn’t work out because members were incompatible, or scheduling fell through, or simply because people had moved into different places in life. Don’t be afraid to join a Life Group; if it’s not a good fit, that’s just fine! Try again.
Any Life Group moments you’d like to share?
We had a really bad snow storm, on a night that some men in our group were at Leo’s Lodge. I’d just put our eight month old son to bed when I saw I had five missed calls from Christine, whose husband Mark was with the guys. I called her and heard that my husband Kris had passed out with a really low pulse. An ambulance was on its way, and Garrett (who is finishing his nursing degree) was riding with him to the hospital. I grabbed our son and loaded the car, but got stuck in a snowdrift. I panicked since I had my son in the backseat. I called Mark absolutely bawling. Right away, he and Tony came to push me out so I could get to the hospital. They even came to the emergency room with me. It was so amazing to see what incredible friends we have — how blessed to have one friend ride with Kris in the ambulance to the hospital, two friends push me out of the snowbank, and another paid Kris’ dinner bill. Everyone got home safely and Kris is fine. Praise the Lordfor awesome friends to love on us when we really needed it!
My Mexico Story: Liana Halstead
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
I remember the first time I heard that Riverview was sending 200 people to Mazatlan. My husband and I were sitting front and center when it was announced one weekend at Riv, and I felt a quick elbow jab to my side. I turned to look at my husband and he mouthed, “You’re going.” My husband had been on the men’s trip to Monterrey and wanted me to share his experience. I shook my head no, there was no way I would be going. I had recently had twins (a boy and a girl) and there was no way I was leaving. God had other plans.
After much protest I finally told my husband that I would sign up for the last summer trip if there was still room. To my relief, there wasn’t. I had lucked out; that would be the end of it . . . until Noel made the announcement there would be one more trip and there were lots of open spaces. I followed through on my word and put a deposit down. I started fundraising and had a few obstacles getting there, but I learned when God has a plan for me, he sees it through.
I was super nervous about going with a group of people I really didn’t know and also about going to a country where I barely knew the language. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to communicate with the children. I quickly learned that hugs and smiles were all I would need.
The first couple of days we did some projects and met some wonderful kids, but I still felt like I was missing something. I wanted to feel more connected but wasn’t sure how that was going to happen. So I prayed. I prayed that God would change my perception. And he delivered.
Our group went to a home for special needs children the next morning. I was sitting on the steps waiting for instruction when an intern with Back2Back brought out a little girl who was only two months older than my children. She said, “She has no parents.” Immediately I picked up the tiny girl and she nuzzled into my shoulder. I didn’t want to put her down. I can honestly say I fell in love with this little girl. I worked harder that day than I have ever worked. My team was the concrete team and my job was filling five-gallon buckets full of sand. I was determined to get the job done as best as our supplies would allow. I knew I could take the little girl home, but I could help keep her safe.
The thing that God taught me in Mexico is that even though every project wasn’t finished and even though I couldn’t take all the children home with me, what I do still matters. It doesn’t just matter in Mexico; it matters here too. It is God’s will for me to help my neighbor, even those many miles away. It changed my heart and I started to think, “What can I do to help? How can I be useful?
I knew on my last day that I had to get back to Mazatlan as soon as possible. I posted my interest on Facebook and was told the trip in October was full. But just two days later, someone dropped out and I’m now fundraising again. God is awesome! I also decided that it was important to do more work here in Lansing. There are kids right here who just need someone to pal around with and to hear about the good news of Jesus. The Monday after I returned from Mexico I found myself at Foster Park playing and talking about Jesus with kids who may not get to hear the gospel any other way.
I’m going back to Mexico because there is much work to be done and I want to be a part of it. I think everyone should go at least once. You won’t regret it.
Go to Mexico.RivChurch.com to learn more about RivMexico mission trips to Mazatlan scheduled for 2013.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
My Mexico Story: Kim Ouellette
Posted on Tuesday, Oct 9, 2012
Over a year ago, I sat at Riv on a Saturday night and listened to a message Steve Sommerlot was giving about Riverview’s mission: to make sacrificial followers of Jesus that grow, serve, and go. On this particular evening, he was focusing on the “go.” He challenged us all to write down a step we might take to follow Jesus’s command to go and spread his compassion and love to each other. On a piece of paper, I wrote that I would go on one of Riv’s scheduled trips to Mazatlan the next year. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I left for the trip knowing that we would work at orphanages. This expectation was fulfilled. I helped build an awning one day, dug a trench for six hours that would reroute rain water on another day, and spend another loading dirt into wheel- barrows to help level out the ground where a security wall was being built. I worked physically harder than I ever had my whole life. Although this may not sound like fun when you state it so bluntly, the odd thing is that I was experiencing immense joy doing these projects. The happiness I felt in being a part of showing kindness and support to these orphanages gave me an immense feeling of purpose. Joined with my church family, the sense of camaraderie was at times overwhelming.
After we had reached our physical limits for the day, we spent the rest of our time with children who needed desperately to feel the hand of God’s love. We played soccer, blew bubbles, made bracelets, tried to speak Spanish, laughed, and loved. There were times when it was very difficult to walk away from these children in the late afternoon. The orphanages were experiencing a number of roadblocks when providing for the needs of these children, and it was easy to become angry at the circumstances in which these children of God were living.
As we visited the Salvation Army children’s home one day, we were listening to David, the director of the home, talk about his feelings about being moved by his organization to a different home within the next month. He reflected some of our feelings when he said he was angry at times. He felt it was un- fair, and that he didn’t want to leave the children in Mazatlan. But as quickly as he made these statements, he said, “But I know that God has a plan for us, and has a plan for these children. So I will trust Him and go where He says I am to go.” His faith brought tears to my eyes. I carry his words with me as I am learning to continually grow in my own faith.
On the last night of our mission trip to Mazatlan, one of our Back2Back Ministries leaders, Becca, asked us to write down one word that reflected the entirety of our week. Some of the words our group shared were:
Community
Challenging
Trust
Submission
Awesome
Love
Together
While these words may give you a picture of the feelings and thoughts you come away with after one of these mission trips, it is nearly impossible to capture in words. The only way to really understand the experience is to go.
Go to Mexico.RivChurch.com to learn more about RivMexico mission trips to Mazatlan scheduled for 2013.
Meet a Volunteer: Joel Smith
Posted on Friday, Jul 27, 2012
What do you do here at Riv?
Along with Doug Hinterman, I lead the band DoJo (Doug-Joel, DoJo, get it?).
Where did you grow up?
East Central Indiana. I lived in what you could loosely refer to as a “town” called Deerfield. It consisted of about seventy-five people, and I’m related to more than half of them!
What’s your Riv story?
My wife Wendy and I moved to Lansing in May 2004 and were searching for a church. The first one we visited wasn’t a great fit, so I actually was searching the internet and came across Riv’s site. They looked theologically solid and seemed to be really into coffee, so we decided to visit Riv next. It turned out to be the last church we would visit. Shortly after we started attending, we went to a barbecue where we met Dan Price. I told him I had led worship at the church I attended in grad school, and would love to get involved with the music at Riv. Auditions were held a few weeks later. I tried out, and was given the opportunity to start a new band that fall. I’ve been involved with the bands in one form or another ever since.
How did you come to know Jesus?
I was fortunate to grow up in a home with two parents who loved my sister and me, and loved Jesus. So I grew up in church, made a decision to follow Jesus at a young age, and have spent the subsequent twenty-five years learning more about how undeserving I am of the favor Jesus has shown to me.
Favorite book?
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Least favorite: Life Insurance and Modified Endowments Under Internal Revenue Code Sections 7702 and 7702A by Desrochers, et al.
What music is in your player RIGHT NOW?
“Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz. Next up in the playlist: Josh Garrels, Bon Iver, Matthew Mayfield, Ben Folds, The National, First Aid Kit, and The Avett Brothers.
What style of music does your band play?
Avant-garde psychedelic grindcore. Okay, not really, I don’t think that’s actually a thing. We’re kind of a folk-rock-jazz amalgamation, depending on the instrumentation we use. Think Over The Rhine or She & Him.
When did you start playing music?
I’ve played piano since I was five or six, although I only took lessons until I was about eleven. I played the trumpet in junior high and high school band. I started playing guitar around fourteen. In college I ditched the trumpet (read on to see why), picked piano back up and started singing in groups for the first time. So I’ve been doing something with music most of my life.
What’s something we don’t know about you?
I considered majoring in music in college, primarily as a trumpet player. But two weeks before I was to audition for a scholarship, I got my two front teeth knocked out by a combination of my below-average reflexes and a well-thrown baseball. That pretty much ended the trumpet as a career option for me. So instead of playing in a brass group, I took voice lessons and joined a vocal ensemble. I’d never sung (at least not in front of anyone) prior to that, but it opened the door for me to get involved in leading worship. It also directed me away from thoughts of a music major, and toward pursuing a math major, where I would ultimately meet my wife. So I am a firm believer in God’s divine providence and sovereign will in all circumstances, no matter how much they may hurt (and trust me, that baseball really hurt).
What makes you smile?
Pulling into the driveway after work and seeing my sons Jake (four) and Luke (three) come running out the front door yelling “Daddy” (typically clad only in their Star Wars underwear — keeping those two clothed is a never-ending battle). Their energy, excitement, and unconditional love never cease to make me smile.
My Story: Beth & Jason Helman
Posted on Friday, Jul 20, 2012
(Beth) When I asked my husband to go to church with me at Riv, we’d only been married a few months. I was a Christian who had become comfortable with my own sin and lack of spiritual growth, and I was left feeling like something was missing. My husband, Jason, was raised Jewish, and believed in God and in being a good person, but did not necessarily believe in Jesus and His deity. To appease me, he went to church. We attended Riv occasionally for a few years before anything really changed. We were struggling with infertility and the depression and frustration that comes with it. During this time I experienced a whole new “low.” In one Sunday service, Noel talked about how some of us had grown up all our lives in the church and were spiritually still “in diapers,” and it was time to grow up. I went home and in tears told my husband that I needed Jesus in my life and I was ready to change.
(Jason) My story started one Sunday at Riv when Noel mentioned there were spots available for the upcoming mission trip to Mexico, and my wife told me that she really wanted to learn more. Even though it didn’t interest me at the time, I decided to support her and go. After the meeting I agreed it would be nice to get away and do something meaningful to get our minds off of our infertility issues. After meeting the group we were excited to go to Mexico and help kids, but I was a very nervous about the “Jesus” part of the trip since I wasn’t really a Christian and had never done anything like this before.
If you have been on one of these trips, you know that they forever change you and that God does work in your heart and your life through your experiences that are hard to describe to others. One of these experiences happened to me when we were working in a shantytown called Cadereyta. We were there to assist in building the community church because they’d recently been moved by the government and forced to start over. We experienced every emotion that day, from complete sadness that this community was having to rebuild to complete joy when we saw that they were all working together to accomplish one goal. They may not have had a lot, but they were some of the happiest and most loving people that I have met. It was this day that I saw God at work and realized I was missing something, and so in a back room of an unfinished church, in a shantytown out- side of Monterrey, I was baptized by a pastor who didn’t speak English (with a Nalgene bottle because there was no running water) and devoted my life to Christ. My life was forever changed, in more than one way!
(Beth) Immediately after this trip, we conceived a son, Noah. If we had been pregnant earlier we never would have gone on this trip, and it amazed us to realize that this was all part of God’s ultimate plan to glorify Himself. Upon coming home, we started looking for ways to get more involved around Riv. We served with RivKids and then got plugged in with the Compassion Ministry. This led us to the opportunity to work with Foster Park. This program partners with Crossroads Church and works with kids in the Foster Park neighborhood.
(Jason) I now coordinate this ministry from Riverview’s end. We meet at Foster Park every Monday evening in the summer, from 5:30 to 7:00, and the goal is to share the gospel with inner city kids and teens.
I was fortunate to sit in on a Bible lesson from one of the Back2Back staff in Mexico this past May. Part of the lesson discussed how having God in your life is just as important as breathing. You can’t breathe all of your air for the week on Sunday, just like you can’t only serve God on Sunday. Serving God should be something you do every day. Although we have plans to stay involved with Back2Back through the mission trips at Riv, we know that it’s not enough to serve the Lord one week a year. As a family we continue to enjoy serving here at home through RivKids and the Foster Park program and encourage everyone reading this to give it a try.
Eldership at Riverview
Posted on Friday, Jul 13, 2012
The local church in the New Testament was always led by a team of elders (also known as pastors, overseers, or shepherds). Riverview functions in the same way, with a team of pastors who work together to lead the church. Each pastor has a different role, but they all work together as one team. This team structure provides accountability, protection, and shared responsibilities, among other things. It also requires a lengthy and comprehensive evaluation process for all potential elders, one that seeks to provide sufficient opportunity for men who aspire to be an elder to evaluate themselves and be evaluated by others around them. The goal is to identify strengths and growth areas of an individual, as well as confirm whether or not he will be able to serve Riverview as an elder.
What does the process of becoming an elder (pastor) at Riverview Church look like?
Phase 1: Establish an observable track record (one to three years)
Phase 2: Self-nomination
Phase 3: Qualification and preparation (six months to five years)
Phase 4: Candidate phase (six to twelve months)
Phase 5: Examination phase (three months)
How are Riverview pastors held accountable?
In an age of incredible sin among pastors, some of it very public and damaging to the reputation of Christianity, this is a vitally important question. At Riverview we answer this question with a number of layers of answers.
First, an elder must fear God and be accountable to Him. Simply, if any Christian, including a pastor, does not fear God and walk closely with Jesus then there is truly nothing that can be done to keep him from acting in an evil manner. Second, an elder must be accountable to his wife if he is married. No one knows how a man is truly doing better than his wife, and an elder’s wife must be an exemplary woman who helps her husband by speaking truthfully to him about the condition of his heart and life in a respectful manner.
Third, an elder must be accountable to the other elders. At Riv elders are in close relationships marked by honest answers to tough questions. Their wives are also close and are given the freedom to speak openly about the condition of their marriages and homes with one another so that there is never any hiding of sin among our elder team. In addition, elders do an annual “360 Evaluation” of each other. Not only is performance evaluated, but also character qualities, home lives, and personal walks with the Lord. These evaluations serve to protect, warn, challenge, and affirm.
Fourth, elders are encouraged to attend leadership conferences every year. Every other year, the church also pays for conferences for the elders and their wives. This serves to challenge these elders in doctrine, character, and ministry skills, as well as to affirm and nourish a strong marriage and home life.
Fifth, elders are held accountable financially to the church, being served by the Administrative Team. The paid staff and volunteers on this team are responsible for the financial operations of the church. The Admin Team oversees overall financial controls and reporting policies, as well as advises the elders in such things as the budgeting process, financial policy decisions, salary levels for paid staff, fund balances, monitoring 501(c) (3) law, Employment Manual decisions, Human Resources policy, etc. An annual audit is performed by an outside auditing firm and made public.
Sixth, a Stewardship Team of business-minded volunteers, who share Riv’s vision, meets every quarter. This team helps the pastors by providing an outside view on finances, policies, salary levels for paid staff, fund development outside the church, and other business matters of the church. They give advice and counsel that helps the pastors make wise strategic decisions.
Finally, should an elder ever fall into sin, they would quickly be disciplined according to the biblical criteria (1 Timothy 5:19-21).
Click here to download a PDF with a more in-depth look at Riverview’s elder process. NoelHeikkinen.com/Papers/EldershipPlan.pdf
Life Group Profile by Dorelle Less
Posted on Thursday, Jul 5, 2012
Dorelle, tell us why you are in a Life Group.
My husband and I absolutely love Riverview but we found it hard to feel connected and to get to know people when we first started attending. Joining a Life Group was such a great way to make a large church seem smaller and more personal. It also is so awesome to dig deeper into the message through the Life Group Notes. It helps to really think about the message and apply it to our lives, and also learn from each other.
How did you get together as a group?
This is our second Life Group since attending Riverview. Our first met for around three years. We loved it but with three of us having newborns all within months of each other it made it challenging to get together. We met our new group at Rivlink, and we’ve been getting together for the last five months.
How often does your group meet?
We started off meeting every other Sunday, but recently switched to every Sunday because if you missed a week then we would go a month without seeing each other.
What does a typical meeting look like?
We spend the first thirty minutes catching up about our week, usually around lots of food! Then we open in prayer, and go through the Community book (a booklet provided by Riv for new groups) and parts of the Life Group Notes. We close with prayer requests and then prayer. It’s really all about setting aside time during the week to dig further into God’s word as a group so we can learn from each other, and also do life with each other.
What have you studied together?
Primarily we center our discussion around the Life Group Notes. I love hearing the message and then having the opportunity to talk with everyone in our group about what they got from it and learn how we can make it applicable in our lives moving forward.
Do you do anything together outside of your regular meeting times?
We had a group Christmas Party, “watched” the Superbowl together (i.e. the boys watched the game while the girls hung out), celebrated St. Patty’s Day out in EL, and we’re planning a girls/guys night out in the near future. I think it’s important to do other things besides the weekly meetings to help get to know each other and change things up a bit.
How has your Life Group affected your life?
Both our first Life Group and our new one have kept my husband and me in the Word and accountable. It’s also made Riverview home. It’s a great feeling to walk into a large church and see familiar faces. It also keeps me from being a “Sunday Christian,” where I go to church, hear the message, and then forget it the following week. Every time we meet I always feel so refreshed and centered back on Christ by the time we leave. I owe a lot to both of my Life Groups.
Interested in finding a Life Group? One easy way to do so is to come to RivLink. This is an event where people meet and connect with others to start a group. Think of it as “speed dating” for Life Groups. These events usually take place the third weekend of the month after the 7:00ish pm Saturday service and the 11:30ish am Sunday service in the lobby at Riv’s Holt Venue. Go to LifeGroups.RivChurch.com to learn more.
Life Group Profile: Tom & Sandi Blaylock
Posted on Friday, Jun 29, 2012
Members of this Life Group (Tom and Sandi Blaylock, Dan and Jen Anibal, Ashley and Shawn Barker, Rachel Sablatsky, Jeff and Jill Lenkowski, Bill Penn, Jason and Kristin Salsbury, and Ken and Liz Ledford) serve together at Christ Lutheran Soup Kitchen
Tom, why are you in a Life Group?
Initially Sandi and I just wanted to make friends at a new church. We wanted more than just a Sunday morning connection. But about a year ago God began growing a vision in our hearts to get really intentional about challenging our members toward serving and sharing the Gospel with those that don’t know Christ and developing into leaders that can mentor other Christ followers. God has since grown our group and we have started a monthly rhythm of connecting with a lost world (we call this our “out”) and equipping leaders that want to grow and develop (we call this “huddle”).
How did you get together as a group?
We started meeting in January of 2011. Paul DenHerder referred a few families to us and we invited others that we already knew in our town of Williamston.
How often does your group meet?
We meet twice per month on Sunday nights for Life Group. We also meet twice per month on various nights for our “huddle” and once per month for our “out” — sometimes this is one of our Sunday night meetings, but oftentimes it’s not.
What does a typical meeting look like?
During our Life Group we begin with a meal, then discuss a recent message (we always open our Bibles and get directly into God’s Word), talk about our last or next “out”, and pray for one another and those God has laid on our hearts.
What have you studied together?
We stick with the Riv Life Group Notes for our group meetings, but during our Huddle we study through a DVD series based on the book Building a Discipling Culture, by Mike Breen and Steve Cockram.
Do you do anything together outside of your regular meeting times?
We try to get together once a month for breakfast or lunch and just spend time getting to know one another better and having some fun.
Examples of our “outs” would be the soup kitchen at Christ Lutheran Church in Lansing that Riv’s Compassion Ministry works with, furnishing an apartment for someone that really needed some help, partnering with the food bank in Williamston, touring St. Vincent’s Children’s Home (one of our members became a mentor and another family made a donation of supplies), and doing a fund raising dinner for some Riv families who are going to Mexico with Back2Back Ministries.
How has your Life Group affected your life?
I have been a pastor, church planter, and denominational leader for the past twenty-two years. But through this Life Group experience (along with other things God is doing in my life) I am learning more about compassion for the lost and hurting, and I am developing as a leader (both my own development and how to help others) more than I have in a very long time. Also, this has been a great opportunity for my wife, Sandi, and I to serve and lead as a team. Our Life Group ministry has brought us closer together and honestly strengthened our marriage.
Interested in finding a Life Group? One easy way to do so is to come to RivLink. It’s like speed dating for Life Groups, and it happens in the lobby once a month. Check out LifeGroups.RivChurch.com for more details and to see when the next RivLink is happening.
Mazatlan Trip, May 2012: My Story by Tim Brewer
Posted on Friday, Jun 22, 2012
Where to begin on something like this . . . in a way I trained for this trip: I changed my diet, I altered my workouts. For two months my goal was to be the most in-shape person there. I went to work, to do that which nobody else could or wanted to do physically. Yet it felt like I took more breaks than anybody else and didn’t work as hard. From a work standpoint, I failed. At day’s end on Tuesday I had already crashed and burned, not able to continue, not even for a game of soccer. People saw me at my weakest; I didn’t much like it. The flesh is weak. Though important to take care of your body, it can’t be the top priority all the time. I’ve known this, it’s not a startling revelation for me. But I now have an experience with which to remind myself: there are things I can’t do no matter how much I want to. My relationship with Jesus is more important than my ability to refuse candy. My relationship with Jesus is more important than being able to work in the sun and heat with minimal breaks. My relationship with Jesus is more important than doing the job to perfection each and every time. My relationship with Jesus is more important . . . Bottom line, there are things that I am not able to physically do, but it doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day my relationship with Jesus and what stems from that is all that is going to last.
I can’t say the work left me fulfilled or satisfied because no project was actually completed (that has more to do with my personality than anything else). But at the end there was a sense of accomplishment, even though the fence at one location that we worked on making stronger will eventually be torn down and replaced by a wall.
I can't say that I had a huge impacting experience with a child that I never will forget. Not that I gave myself many opportunities to be in a position for interaction, and the one contact I did have was because of his initiation.
So what went right for me? This was a group of people I didn’t mind being around. Was there something special about all these people? Did God randomly put all of them together and they all just happened to be those I can tolerate? Did my perspective actually change for that week or did I just choose to accept them out of pure necessity to avoid being miserably confined with no means of escape? Whatever the answer, the fact remains: I went almost a week without any feelings of dislike for somebody. There were annoyances, there were times I was rubbed the wrong way, but they didn’t bother me, I didn’t dwell upon them. For those who don’t know me, well, that’s saying something. People fall into one of two groups: either I like you or I don’t care about you. It’s a snap judgment that’s made from the first moment I acknowledge someone’s presence, and nobody has ever switched categories. Most people I come in contact with end up on the wrong side of the line. To encounter a whole group of people who avoided entering the abyss of nonexistence within my mind is nothing short of miraculous. So what does this all mean? You reflect on an experience you had, find something you want to change, plan out a course of action with tangible results, and implement it in such a way as you have no choice but to succeed at it. I need to change how I view people. So what factors from that week which precipitated my perception shift can be replicated for a more permanent solution? Was it just a break from my normal, boring, tired reality? Was it the worthwhile work? Was it being around people I didn’t really know and who didn’t really know me? Was it the isolation from the outside world? What area needs the change: vocation, socialization, location? I honestly don’t know . . .
I usually see most people as inferior. In that house with that group I felt like the inferior, but I wasn't treated as such. I was regarded as an equal. I was the cold-hearted brute only there because I was bored with life and needed a change of scenery. I didn't find the fire I’ve been searching for, but I found hope. On the way down to Mexico, during the layover in Houston,
I was walking around the airport by myself, completely alone. At the end of the week, while at the beach and shopping, everybody went their separate ways and I was left standing there by myself, yet I wasn’t alone. I didn’t feel alone — I was part of the group. I’ve played organized basketball and soccer for over ten years; not once did I ever feel part of the team. In Mexico, I felt like I belonged.
Baptism Recap
Posted on Friday, Jun 15, 2012
Baptisms are a public declaration made by those who have placed their faith in Jesus. If you’d like more info, email Tony.Pyle@RivChurch.com. Gina Kiefer and Jeremy Stringer were baptized last month at Riv.
Gina Kiefer’s Baptism Story
My story began when I was baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church. I consider this decision my parents made for me a product of incredible love for both their child and the church they belong to. It was an enormous blessing to be raised in a home that knew the Gospel and a church community that supported me. Since coming to Michigan State five years ago I made a personal decision to follow Christ. I was excited about the Gospel but unsure of the action steps that followed. I began to mature through Bible studies and was quick to serve in middle-school ministry, but the command for baptism after repentance was mis- understood. I was under the impression that my parents had made a decision for my life that demonstrated obedience for baptism.
It was during a service at Riverview when I saw fellow believers making a choice to stand before their church family and humbly demonstrate their faith in Christ that my conscience began to stir. Realizing that our faith was shared, I wanted to understand why my actions were not the same. It has been almost a year since I first began to study the Scriptures given for baptism. I searched for justification to disobey the command Christ gave and to avoid giving the entirety of my life over to Him. Instead I found that my reasons to not be baptized in faith were obvious sins. I had idolized the approval of my parents, I was proud in regards to ministry service, and was self-righteous in thinking that I didn’t need to follow Christ in this area because others already knew I was a Christian.
Baptism is an invitation to share in an experience Christ himself lived. It’s an opportunity to obey his words from Matthew 28:19. Christ saved me, so why wouldn’t I obey? My baptism is just a response to the work He has already accomplished. It isn’t about what I do; it is about what He has done.
Jeremy Stringer’s Baptism Story
I grew up in a home with two very godly parents who made it their goal to raise three godly sons. When I was five, I accepted Jesus into my heart. I understood that Jesus died for my sins and that I needed to ask for His forgiveness. After that though, I did not have much of a personal walk with Him. I appeared to from the outside because I had a great Christian resume. I went to church every Sunday, went to youth group every week, listened to mainly Christian music, and even hosted a weekly Bible study at my house with kids from my high school. Instead of using these things to bring me closer to God though, I used them for other ways to satisfy me. I used my youth group and Bible study as ways to seek the approval of others. I went to church because that’s what Christian kids did and that’s what my parents did. I listened to Christian music for entertainment.
When I arrived at MSU as a freshman, I immediately got involved in Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru). Like high school, I used this simply as something to add on to my Christian resume. One evening of my sophomore year, during Cru’s fall retreat, I felt more empty than I ever had and wondered why. I had a good life and was well-liked. I had gained what I always wanted — the approval of others — and I thought it could satisfy me. But it didn’t. I then thought about some of my friends and my dad, who I knew were walking with God on a personal level. They seemed so joyful. What was it that they had that I didn’t? God kind of smacked me in the face at that moment. I realized I had been living a double life and that the emptiness I was experiencing came from not turning to the One to fill me up. I made the decision then that I needed to start walking with God on a personal level. I started to spend time with God in prayer and read His Word. Ever since that retreat, my life has been so much more satisfying and joyful.
Am I perfect in my walk with God? Of course not, not even close. There are still times when I turn to other things for satisfaction, but God continues to work on me. Philippians 1:6 says, “. . . He who began a good work in you will carry it on to the day of completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” I was baptized to show I have put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Not only did He forgive me of my sins, but in doing so He gave me the joy of walking with Him on a personal level. He is the only One that can satisfy me — nothing and nobody else can.
Running at Riv
Posted on Wednesday, Jun 6, 2012
If you like running — or if you’d like to try to like running — come out and join the Saturday morning runners from Riv. There are two running groups, RivRunners (RR) and Couch To 5K (C25K) that meet in the parking lot of Riverview’s Holt Venue each week.
What’s the difference between RivRunners and C25K?
The C25K group, led by Holly Corr, is perfect for those who want to learn to run and work on building their endurance. This is a great place to start if you have never run before, if you’re just getting back into things after a running hiatus, and/or you want to train to run a 5K (3.1 miles).
RivRunners, led by Dorelle Less, is great for those who are a bit more experienced and and want to run three miles or more. Some RivRunners will be running in the Grand Rapids Half Marathon in October (that’s 13.1 miles . . . and there’s still plenty of time to train!), in addition to running various races through- out the Michigan area.
What does a typical Saturday look like?
RivRunners meets at 8:30 am by the shed in the parking lot; Couch To 5K meets at 9:00 am underneath the awning of the front entrance. The groups hang out for a few minutes to make sure they have everyone, then pray before heading out for a run together. The C25K group also starts each meeting by going over a specific topic (i.e. stretching, breathing, running gear, etc). It’s a great time to connect with others at Riv and in the community, pray together, and build lasting friendships. Oh, and run too! On abnormally cold days they’ve been known to skip their runs altogether and head down the road to Zeus’ for pancakes and omelets though (shh!).
Who can join?
Everyone is welcome. Dorelle Less remembers her first time coming to RivRunners. “I was so nervous! I was intimidated by the thought of a running group. I thought, what if I can’t run as far? What if I don’t know anyone? Etc, etc. The thing was, I didn’t know anyone, but I had so much fun I couldn’t wait to go back the following week.”
Dorelle encourages anyone, no matter your stage of life, to join. “We have people of all ages who come out and run with us, from couples to families to college students. Have a baby? Bring him or her too! My son Gavin is a year old and ‘runs’ with us in the baby jogger.” Janet TenHove is another runner who comes with her whole family and loves it because: “This group has got my family out and being more active together. Plus I enjoy the time on Saturday morning with other people.”
Why join?
Besides the obvious reasons — it’s the perfect way to get together with others, get a workout in, and become more physically fit — both groups are a wonderful way to find people to run with, do life with, and feel more connected at Riverview. One reason many people join is simply to meet new people. Now many of the runners have become good friends and even hang out together outside of running. Runner Danielle Kaschyk put it this way: “Through this group, I have had the opportunity to meet people who share a common interest with me at Riv. It’s really nice to see another person I know during a service, and it has definitely helped me feel more connected at church.”
Dorelle explains how these running groups are also a great way to share the Gospel with the community. “Holly Corr and her husband Joey created a running shirt a few years ago with the RivRunners logo on the front and Hebrews 12:1 on the back.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worn it either to the gym or around the community and people have asked me about Riverview and RivRunners. I also wore this when running my first marathon, and a guy who passed me said, “Thank you.” I looked at him with a blank expression, and he said “The verse on your shirt. Thank you for the encouragement.” It was such a great feeling to be used by God just through wearing a T-shirt.”
To learn more about these groups, email Dorelle.A.Less@Gmail.com or Holly.Corr@RivChurch.com, or look up each group on Facebook. Many RivRunners and Couch To 5Kers will be doing the RivMX 5K on Friday, June 15. Register at Mexico.RivChurch.com.
Mazatlan Update: High School Spring Break Trip
Posted on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Riv sent its third 2012 team, made up of twenty-eight volunteers, down to Mazatlan the first week of April. Team leader and Riv student ministries director Tony Pyle shares their experience.
A Day in Mazatlan . . .
In Mazatlan, we provided support and care for two children’s homes: Rancho de los Ninos and Ejercito de Salvacion. We completed building projects in and around the homes and provided care by spending time with the orphans who live there. Each day was typically spent working in the morning and afternoon, then spending the remainder of the day with the kids.
Each evening, our team would sit down together and “debrief,” or highlight what we had done that day and a memory that we had. As we progressed through the week, people started opening up about how God was working through this trip and how they were being challenged to love Him and serve Him more in their lives back home. The trip was a great blend of physical work to meet the needs of the children’s homes and spiritual development within a community of people.
Our Highlights . . .
The highlight of the trip for me was seeing how a group of people who did not know each other very well came together by serving as a community. Our group went from being strangers to family in the span of six days, sharing in work projects, Life Groups, and debriefing times. It was encouraging to hear how people were seeing God work in an area that many feel is hopeless.
Another highlight was getting to spend time with the orphans after our work projects were done. Very few people on our trip spoke fluent Spanish, but that did not keep anyone from playing with and loving the kids. It was encouraging to see how love was expressed through the simplest of actions: a smile, a hug, or a high five. It was evident that the kids were not only learning things from us, but we were learning a lot from them as well.
What We Will Remember . . .
The hearts of the people who lead the children’s homes really impacted our team. We watched as faithful couples dedicated themselves to loving kids who did not have parents involved in their lives. It was evident that the children felt loved and taken care of. To see adults who had brought other kids into their families and love them well was such a cool parallel as to how we as Christians have been brought into God’s family by faith. Also, two people on our trip, April Kunkel and Savanna Keasler, were baptized on our last night there. Savanna explains:
“When I went to Mexico, I had no idea that I was going to get baptized. For me getting baptized wasn’t a big deal, it was just something everyone did and in all honesty . . . I kind of rolled my eyes at it. It made all the difference in the world though — my opinion had been so wrong! Before I got baptized I was really just a ‘fake Christian,’ and I didn’t want to admit it to myself. Despite everything that was going on in my life though, I had wanted to go to Mexico for a few years. I never really knew why, not until the trip was staring me in the face while I was in the plane on my way there. I realized I wanted to go simply because God wanted me to. He wanted to change my life and bring me closer to Him.”
“After almost a week of letting God work through me, I was told that they were going to be doing baptisms. Before I would have cringed, but after those few days I jumped at the opportunity. I wanted that turning point, the milestone that baptism had become for me. I was really ready to live my life completely through Christ and stop being a fake Christian. When the time came to get into the water I was so nervous and excited. I jump- ed into the water, crossed my arms, the whole routine. Little did I know that when I went underwater I would come back up feeling completely purified and renewed by God. It was like a missing piece of my spiritual puzzle fit itself into me. My head broke out of the water and I just had this unexplainable gusto for God that I didn’t know I could have. I feel so changed from who I used to be, even now. I’m so glad that God brought me to Mexico and changed my perspective, my life, and most of all, my heart.”
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Run For Los Niños
Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Time to lace up those running shoes . . . the annual RivMX 5K to raise money for Riv’s Mexico ministry is just around the corner! The run/walk/kids’ fun run will take place Friday, June 15 at 7:00 pm.
At Riv, we take Jesus’ command to “go” and share His compassion with the world seriously. Most of the time, this takes place in everyday occurrences — over coffee with a friend, at our kids’ baseball games, or while trying to meet a deadline at work. But we also have the opportunity to share Jesus’ love with orphaned and abandoned children in Mazatlan, Mexico through our partnership with Back2Back Ministries.
This is why each year Riv holds a 5K to raise money for mission trips and helping the orphans in Mazatlan. Our goal is to assist Mexican nationals in providing both immediate (food, clothing, shelter, and protection) and long-term (education, job training, and role modeling) solutions for these children, with the ultimate hope that they may establish a personal relationship with Jesus. As we help provide a platform for kids to overcome significant physical and emotional losses, we find that there are many opportunities to share God’s offer of spiritual healing as well. 100% of net proceeds from the RivMX 5K 2012 will help with orphan care in the Mazatlan area.
This is the fifth year Riv has held the 5K. With a simplified route, utilization of the new parking lot and entrance, and a better-marked course, this year promises to be the best one yet. The race, beginning at Riv’s Holt Venue, will be held on a Friday night rather than the usual Saturday morning—no longer an interference with precious weekend sleep. An on-site massage therapist, there to help with any aches and pains after the race, will be an added bonus as well. Prizes will be awarded for each age category, as well as for winners of the overall race.
Out of town for the weekend or live somewhere else? Not a problem, you can still support the cause and run or walk wherever you are on June 15! And if you pre-register by June 1 and post your race time on the Facebook event wall, we will even ship you a T-shirt. Just make sure to include your shipping address when you pre-register.
Or want to be a part, but running or walking just isn’t your thing? No problem there either. Volunteers are still needed to man water stations, help the food team, attend the parking lot, and monitor the course. Donations are also a way to participate without breaking a sweat. Meijer and Kroger gift cards are being accepted as donations in order to buy the food provided after the race. Non-runners/walkers can also simply register (but skip the race) as a way to donate to the cause. And if you register by June 1, you’ll still get the sweet T-shirt that shows off your “race participation” to unknowing coworkers and neighbors.
Meet a Volunteer: Ann Duchene
Posted on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
What do you do here at Riv?
I recently stepped into the role of coordinating the Compassion Ministry, which means I get to oversee a collection of local opportunities to “Go.” Riv is involved in a lot of amazing and diverse community outreaches.
Tell us about your family.
I am married to the best man I have ever known. Not only is Denny a sensitive husband and exceptional role model to our children, Ramon (12 years), Brenda (9 years), and Victoria (21 months), but he knows no fear when it comes to living for God. And he makes me laugh every day.
In honor of Mother’s Day, what is your biggest joy in being a mother?
I love the connectedness, the knowledge that you belong to each other. I’m not generally great with kids (which is why I’ve never volunteered in the nursery!), so the depth of emotion parents have for their children came as a surprise. It puts so many things about God’s love into a new and more meaningful perspective for me.
What is your biggest challenge as a mother?
Two things come to mind: 1) Living in faith. I think my biggest sin issue is letting fear rule my behavior. Some days, I just don’t believe that God is big enough to handle the people and situations in my life. 2) I have an addiction to controlling my environment. Imagine my surprise in discovering that children don’t really care how I feel about my plans! Giving up my own agenda so that my kids can see a picture of Jesus in me is ongoing challenge.
What are some things you learned from your mom?
I definitely learned not to be afraid of hard work. My parents chose to have eleven (yes, you read that correctly) children AND to homeschool. Not only that, my mom did a great job keeping our home clean and we kids were (basically) well behaved. So I had a wonderful childhood, but I have no idea how my mom found the energy to get out of bed at 6:30 am every morning. Also, my parents oriented their lives around loving and serving God — and it wasn’t boring to them. They hauled the family around South America and Mexico on mission trips, invited people who needed a place to stay to live with us, were generous with their resources, and much more. So I saw that it was not only feasible, but a joy to be heavily involved in ministry while maintaining other areas of life. I’ve watched my mom sacrifice her own comfort to love other people for years. That’s a lot easier said than done.
What are some cool things that you have seen happen through Compassion?
One thing I really love about being involved in local outreach is that you get to see people previously suspicious of God, church, and religion start to change when they are touched by kindness. There are hundreds of people in theLansing area who have never felt loved by someone who loves Jesus.
What’s your favorite book?
It’s a toss-up between Jane Eyre and anything by Jane Austin.
What music is in your player right now?
A children’s CD called “Walking with the Wise.” That makes me sound like a spiritually-focused mom, but I actually keep trying to trick my kids into listening to something else. They refuse.
What are some jobs you’ve had in the past?
Interior design, display design, office administration, waitressing
What are your hobbies?
Exploring new things, being outdoors, art, yoga, reading, travel
What makes you smile?
Irony. And lilacs.
What do you hope to see happen in or through Riv?
We have so many people that are new to the faith, who are just spreading their spiritual wings — the potential is limitless. I’m excited to see how our “go” message continues to grow. I feel like there’s going to be more and more connection between the local and global aspects of that. For example, we recently brought our oldest two children home from an orphanage in Mexico after a very arduous adoption process. Now we are connected every single day to what’s going on in Mazatlan. People who were “just friends” are now more like family. They call to see how our kids are doing. We send photos and notes from our kids to them. It’s incredible to see the body of Christ functioning both here and there — loving and helping us through this new phase of life. While I don’t expect many people will have the same kind of opportunity we’ve had, I think we’re going to see more and more of that kind of give and take in the future.
The Power of One
Posted on Friday, May 4, 2012
God has the wonderful habit of taking ordinary people like you and me and doing extra-ordinary things.
Biblical history is loaded with examples of ONE person who invested whatever ability they had and watched what God did. The boy with two loves and five fishes is a classic example of this. Did he ever have a story to tell when he got home later that day! The greatest ability is availability.
How many people were chosen by God to step up to the plate, confront Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt? ONE . . . Moses!
How many people were chosen to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus? ONE . . . John the Baptist!
How many people got a burden for the city of Jerusalem and played a vital role in getting it rebuilt? ONE . . . Nehemiah!
How many people did Jesus give the “You must be born again” message to? ONE . . . Nicodemus!
How many people did God pick to save the nation from disaster? ONE . . . Esther!
In Joshua 10:14 we read, “There had never been such a day before, and there has never been another since, when the Lord stopped the sun and the moon — all because of the prayer of ONE man.” (TLB)
Yes, you and God make a majority. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “It is better to light ONE candle than to curse the darkness.”
In history many significant political events hung on ONE vote . . .
In 1845, ONE vote brought the state of Texas into the union. In 1776, ONE vote decided that English would be our language. In 1645, ONE vote gave Oliver Cromwell control of England.
Did you know that in 1923, ONE vote gave Adolph Hitler control of the Nazi Party?
Oh, the power of one . . . YOU. You can make a difference . . . a significant difference. Start where you are. Use what you have.
Do what you can as you are empowered by Him. Jesus will honor your attempts as you trust Him.
Yes, you can make a huge difference. The question is: will you? Will you go for it, invest your God-given talents, cut your anchor, repent? Get out of your comfort zone and see what He will do!
(Written by Dave Kraft at DaveKraft.org)
Top Ten Reasons We Think You Should Consider Using Your “Power of One” To Serve With RivKids This Summer:
10. The RivKids staff will make it easy for you. We promise!
9. Acting like a kid is encouraged — so you will definitely fit in.
8. HIGH FIVES for everyone!
7. You can channel your inner boy band singer and be as loud as you want.
6. You get to hype up kids . . . and then send them back to their parents.
5. Just show up ready to show Jesus’ love to kids, and we’ll take care of the rest with videos, songs, and activities.
4. Kids can (and will) teach you how to use your iPhone.
3. Being around kids makes you feel like you’re Dirk Nowitzki.
2. You’ll get the opportunity to speak God’s love to a captive audience (who wants to hear it).
1. You’ll get to help kids understand what it means to become sacrificial followers of Jesus.
Mazatlan Update: Spring Break Trip
Posted on Thursday, Apr 26, 2012
Following the guys’ trip covered here last week, Riv sent our second team to Mazatlan just a week later. Forty-nine volunteers (mostly college students) made up the team. Christine Van Nada, a staff member at Riv’s MSU Venue who’s involved in mentoring women and international outreach, and wife of pastor Greg Van Nada, shares her experience with us:
“We spent two days at Rancho de los Ninos, one of the very few homes for special needs children in Mexico. Some of the kids there have families who can’t care for them, some have been abandoned, and some are true orphans. We learned that one boy came to the home after his ailing mother told her neighbors that she planned to kill her son before she died. With no relatives and no options, she wanted to spare her son the pain of dying slowly and alone after she was gone. Someone was able to get her permission to release her son to the care of Rancho de los Ninos, and she passed away soon after her son was safe.”
“Security is a big issue for the children’s homes. At Rancho de los Ninos we dug holes forty inches wide and deep through sun-baked clay to create the foundation for a ten-foot-tall, barbed-wire-topped cement perimeter wall. If you thought that thieves would draw the line at stealing from impoverished, parentless handicapped children, you would be wrong. This home has had its water heater torn out and boosted over the current low fence multiple times. They desperately need an updated, more functional kitchen, but there’s no point in investing in appliances that will go right out over the fence.”
“Each day after working, we spent time with the children. Our students broke out of their comfort zones to give attention and affection to children with a variety of disabilities and with little common language. Through physical touch, smiles, games, and songs, they elicited smiles and laughter and formed emotional bonds. In some ways, I felt we were serving the caregivers as much as the kids. These people care for the most helpless with faithfulness, tenderness, and very little respite. Everything we did on our trip was to help them have more to give.”
“We dug for two days at the ranch, gaining appreciation for the reason road crews always seem to be leaning on their shovels, then went on to dig some more at Hogar de Ninos — a home to twenty or thirty children at a time, all cared for by one couple and a woman who runs the kitchen. Older teens help out with younger children. Andrea, one of four native Spanish-speakers on our team, was looking forward to being useful and productive on this trip. Within a few minutes of arrival at Hogar de Ninos, she stepped in a hole and sprained her ankle badly. Discouraged and tired of watching everyone else working, she hobbled to the little home of the caregivers and sat on their couch. The teenage daughter of the caregivers came and sat down as well, and began pouring out her heart to Andrea about her struggles and doubts. Not more than a couple of years older, Andrea was able to empathize and relate to all of it. The girl told her, ‘It is like you are an angel, and God put you here just to talk with me.’”
“Mazatlan is known as a seaside resort, but we only saw the ocean through the bus windows until the last day, when we all walked to the beach to spend time with God and then meet in our small groups. We had plans to spend the afternoon at a park with kids from the homes we’d visited, as well as Flor y Ser, a rescue home for girls who’ve been trafficked or abused. We received instructions on how to interact with these young women with gentleness and respect. As I spent time that morning reading the Bible, I was overwhelmed with sadness for all the things that are broken in this world that can’t be fixed. We can help a few young women out of slavery, but as long as greed or desperation provide a motive for selling them, and lust and cruelty provide a market for them, more girls will be helpless victims in this way.”
“If I had come to Mazatlan by myself, I would have been bitterly disappointed by the limitations of what I was able to accomplish. A few feet of dirt moved from a hole I wasn’t even able to finish. But because I was here with a team, together we accomplished an important piece of the work. Another team will come after us, and another, and another, to dig more holes, mix and pour cement, and continue to love and laugh with the children. Even after the teams all go home, some will sponsor children they met at the homes so that education and a career can become part of their future.”
“A friend asked me to sum up our Mazatlan experience in one sentence. This is the best I can do: God is constantly faithful to work goodness in a broken world, and he only asks us to faithfully chip away at our own tiny part of the job.”
Mazatlan Update: Guys Only Trip
Posted on Friday, Apr 20, 2012
Riverview has been partnering with Back2Back Ministries by sending short-term mission trips to Mexico since 2009, mainly to the city of Monterrey. This past February, Riv sent its first team to the city of Mazatlan. This team consisted of fifteen Riv guys, all there to help with manual labor and day-to-day operations. Here are some of their experiences from the week:
“My trip to Mexico was one of the best, most memorable ex- periences of my life. This was my first mission trip and I will definitely be returning on the men’s trip next year! I made a connection with all the guys in our group and made some life- long friendships as well. I couldn’t imagine a more rewarding experience and would recommend taking the plunge to anyone who is on the fence about serving in Mazatlan this year.”
Michael J. Suty
“It is always good to see men who are outwardly tough get vulnerable. You may be a highly skilled professional at home, but there you are transformed into a big brother to a kid who speaks a different language, or a professional pickaxe swinger under the hot Mexican sun! Four of us are in our fifties or older, and many are in their twenties. Older men taught wisdom to the younger guys, and new leaders emerged from the younger men."
"Although I was technically the trip leader, I really just helped everyone prepare. Once we were on the road, everyone took care of each other. When someone was tired, another guy stepped in. It was a great display of a band of brothers.”
“One thing I highlighted before we left is that much of the work we’d do would never seen by other people. The holes we dug in the concrete-like Mexican ground will later be filled with cement footings. The planning and framework of a playground will later be finished by another team. Nobody will notice the pole that we put in at the soccer field, but everybody will notice the night-time floodlights that the next group will install. We may not have that breakthrough moment with one of the boys from the orphanage, but we will start melting his protective wall. We just need to follow God’s opportunities, have a humble spirit, and trust that God will best use the wave after wave of faithful Riverview members who GO.”
Gary Rudnicki
“I think what I came away with most can be summed up by I Corinthians 2:2: ‘For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.’ All the things that you think are so important back here — politics, sports teams, careers — really get put into perspective when you truly see ‘the least of these.’ Whether it was playing soccer with the kids at Rancho de los Ninos, or going to the beach with the kids from the Salvation Army orphanage, showing Christ’s love to them was so much more important than anything I had going on back home. I also learned the value of a sweet mustache.”
Brian Dye
“I hadn’t been on a mission trip in quite awhile, so I was looking forward to going. It’s hard to describe, because there is really nothing that we do here at home that compares to what you experience on a trip. What is the difference? You are there for the primary purpose of getting quiet before the Lord. Even though you go to serve the Lord and the people there, you end up being blessed and served far more. Morning quiet time and small group study is the key. Even though I try to have quiet time for Bible study and prayer at home, I am distracted. In Mazatlan, the distractions are removed. There’s only the day- time work, relaxation with the team afterward, and the time with the Lord the next morning. You really bond with your team members and get close to the Lord.”
“Although we started several projects, we didn’t complete very many. This is a problem for Americans. We want to plan some- thing, get started quickly, and finish. This will not happen there. The Back2Back staff in Mazatlan understand the long-term goal and vision for our trips. Don’t worry about not knowing what you are going to do. Each team will place only one piece of the large puzzle. Because the Back2Back team has confidence in the Lord and understands the larger vision, you will be at peace.”
Paul Sisson
A Letter to the Holt Venue from MSU Venue Director Joe Testa
Posted on Friday, Apr 13, 2012
I love my role as MSU Venue Director for lots of reasons, but one of the greatest privileges is getting a front seat to see what Jesus is doing in people’s lives. Over the past four years, we’ve watched God do some amazing things. Many college students have become Christ followers, many others have had significant growth and progress happen in their walk with Jesus, and still others have experienced healing from past wounds.
Another blessing of my role has been watching people from the Holt Venue participate in the life transformation that’s happening within the MSU Venue community. One of the key things that motivated me to move to Michigan State and work with Riverview and MSU is Riv’s desire to see older people investing in younger people and younger people investing in older people. We’re seeing that happen in every area within the MSU Venue community (at the MSU Venue weekend service, within our leadership development program, Deeper, and in our Chapters and Life Groups). We love this involvement, and we desire even more of it!
So first of all, I want to say thanks to all of you who help with hauling equipment every Sunday, or lead one of the set-up and tear-down teams, or served on the welcome and refreshment teams, or are directly involved in mentoring college students. You rock! And your service to the Lord and Riverview rocks!
If you have been involved with serving at the MSU Venue in any capacity this year, we invite you to come and celebrate with us this Sunday, April 15, from 7:30-10:00 pm at the Holt Venue. We are having an end-of-the-school-year celebration, including baptisms, a time of worship, and lots of fun! Please join us—God has used you to make a difference and we want to celebrate that.
I firmly believe that we couldn’t do what we do on campus without the help of the Holt Venue. As God continues to grow things on campus, we would love to see more mentorship relationships happen between mature followers of Jesus and younger men and women.
Those of you who have been serving with the MSU Venue get a chance to be directly involved with these lives that are being transformed by the gospel of Jesus. If you’ve been thinking about serving, either by helping out with one of the operations teams or by directly mentoring college students, please email me at Joe.Testa@RivChurch.com. I’d love to help you figure out where to get plugged in during the next school year at the MSU Venue.
Thanks so much, Holt Venue, for all you do for the MSU Venue!
Joe Testa, on behalf of the rest of the MSU Venue staff and students
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
God's Not Mad At You
Posted on Friday, Mar 23, 2012
This past February Riv hosted LEAD, a leadership conference held twice a year for “those who do or want to.” The conference featured nationally syndicated talk show host, author, and seminary professor Steve Brown. Steve shared the message of God’s grace and mercy through all four sessions, encouraging attendees that “God’s Not Mad at You.”
Riv was fortunate to get Steve in the door — he’s a highly sought- after speaker who rarely takes speaking engagements, yet Riv was quickly penciled in as part of the book tour for his newest book Three Free Sins: God’s Not Mad at You. God definitely had His hand in placing him at Riv that day, both for attendees to hear his message but also for Steve to witness the community that we are so blessed to have here at Riv. “I’ve seen a lot of the ‘dead’ part of the Church that exists,” he explained. “But being here at Riv is seeing the real thing. I needed to be here. Not for you. I needed to be here for me.”
In all four sessions, Steve broke down assumptions that many people have about the way God thinks about them by sharing real-life examples and stories. His blunt humor paired with a gift for storytelling (further enhanced by his off-the-charts deep radio voice!) made this LEAD event one that will not soon be forgotten.
Session One: The Need for Three Free Sins
“It’s easier to hug a dirty kid than a stiff kid.”
In this first session, Steve introduced the concept of grace and gave relevant examples of how by showing grace and love to others, Christ’s message is best understood and spread. Grace is the concept we need to understand as the foundational truth before anything else can be correctly understood.
This can be seen in Matthew 23, a passage where Jesus strongly rebukes the self-righteous religious leaders of the day whom are all too similar to us. Instead of focusing on being “religious” or “perfect,” we are called to focus on Jesus, always acknowledging the fact that we are and always will be screwed up – and yet that God likes us and always will like us, just as we are.
Session Two: The Illustration of the Granting of Three Free Sins
“It’s not our place as people to try to make people better. Once people understand that sorry is enough, then people will on their own get better.”
Steve further explained the concept of grace by sharing how it can be practically lived out. Luke 7 shows us Jesus’ example of extending grace. During a meal at a Pharisees house, a prostitute came and anointed Jesus’ feet. Look at Jesus’ reaction to this woman: welcoming, loving, forgiving. This is Jesus’ reaction to us.
Session Three: The Commission to Share the Message of Three Free Sins
“We’re not former beggars. We are beggars telling other hungry people where we found bread.”
Steve knows from experience that sharing the message of grace with others is crucial . . . and not always easy. He stressed the need for authenticity in the Church, encouraging Christians to get out there and be real. We simply can’t be effective witnesses as long as others think we are better than they are. (In case it’s not clear yet: we’re not!)
He also explained how Matthew 13’s parable of the farmer and the seeds is meant to encourage us rather than convict us, as it is often interpreted. We are the farmers, to be throwing the seed (the Gospel) everywhere and anywhere. Sometimes it will take root and grow and eventually bear fruit. Sometimes it won’t. Sometimes people will listen to us. And sometimes they won’t. But God is the one in control, and we are not to be discouraged if people don’t listen or if the seed of God’s Word doesn’t take. We are to rely on God, not ourselves, in how people respond to His message of truth.
Session Four: Question & Answer
“Do you know what the Gospel is? You’re screwed up. Run to Jesus, He’ll fix it.”
During this hour, the floor was opened up for attendees to ask or text in questions, such as:
- Can someone be gay and go to heaven?
- Can someone commit suicide and still go to heaven?
- How do you reconcile the message of God’s grace with spiritual discipline and maturity?
- I was told by someone that bad things happen because of my sin. So is the reason I’m infertile because of my sin?
- How do I become a Christian? What does that even mean?
To hear answers to these questions, and for full video/audio from any of these sessions, click on Resources at Lead.Rivchurch.com.
Prayer at Riverview
Posted on Thursday, Mar 15, 2012
The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints . . . ”
The Bible encourages us to come to God in prayer and also to pray for one another. Rivites share prayer requests daily, giving the opportunity to join them in bringing prayers before God. To receive these prayer requests (you can view them, subscribe to them in a web-based reader, or receive them by email), visit Feeds.RivChurch.com and select Prayer Requests. To submit a prayer request, fill out the tear-off below or go to RivChurch.com and click on “Post a Prayer Request.”
Some Recent Riv Prayer Requests:
- “I am feeling frustrated with myself and my marriage. I feel self destructive and distant from everyone in my life. Please pray that my heart will accept what my brain already knows and cry out to God for help.”
- “I have been a smoker since age thirteen and I am finally quitting. I have cut back immensely, but am struggling with stopping completely. Please pray for release of this addiction.”
- “Please pray for my friends in Bosnia. They are experiencing one of the worst snow storms the country has seen. Many are snowed in, have lost the roofs to their homes, have no electricity or running water nor access to food. Please pray that their necessities would be provided for and that during this time of hardship many would turn to the Lord. So many seeds have been planted and my heart hopes for a plentiful harvest.”
- “Pray for my daughter, who is having a stressful time with her job as a coach. The parents are making her life miserable over starting positions and playing time. May she stay strong and not buckle to bullying from adults.”
- “Please pray for a friend of mine who is suffering with intense apathy and depression. She has lost her reason and desire to follow Jesus and feels no conviction for feeling this way. She’s extremely unhappy and tired of feeling as though she needs to be perfect. I think she has lost her love for Christ and doesn’t feel his love for her anymore. She is merely living with a surface belief in Christ and what he did on the cross. She needs to experience Christ’s love in an intense way. Thank you in advance."
- “Please pray for my mother, sister, and the rest of my family. I hope they are able to find joy in theLord along with peace and love in Him. Prayers for strength to walk away from sin, my mother, and addiction. I pray that God will bless us with a financial cup overflowing. Also praying for focus with school and my devotion to Him and His Word.”
- “My uncle had a biopsy on his leg several months ago and underwent surgery. Now he has been diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. Pray that the doctors will select the right treatment plan and that God will lay His healing hands on him. Pray for my family’s comfort.”
- “Please pray for me as I try to be the best parent I can to my eight-year-old daughter. I am really struggling right now to love her in a godly way. Pray for godly wisdom, patience, and peace. I want her to grow into a confident child of God without ever questioning her purpose.”
- “Please pray for my son. He is struggling with addiction. He is doing what is right and following authority rules. Pray for him to turn from sin and give it all over to God. Thank you!”
- “Pray for me. I am asking for God’s forgiveness for a sin I committed earlier this week. I pray and ask for guidance to have the strength to do the right things and be faithful to God as a Christian woman. Please pray for my ex-boyfriend who is going down the wrong path. Pray that he will become saved. Pray for guidance as I figure out the future plans of my life, including moving to Pittsburgh in the next year and a half.”
- “My younger sister and I are leaving for Texas in a few hours for a mission trip. I just ask for prayers for our safe travel and for the week we are spending ministering to the children and homeless in the rural areas of the city of Dallas. Please pray that God puts those in our paths that we can reach out to, and that we have courage and strength and knowledge to bless and minister to others. And that we are open to ministery and encouragement in our own hearts from those around us. I’m expecting mighty things from God. Mucho Gracias.”
Christ-Centered Care For Those Going Through Tough Times
Posted on Thursday, Mar 8, 2012
The goal of Riverview’s Stephen Ministry is to provide distinctively Christian care to those facing life’s challenges. Stephen Ministers meet with individuals confidentially on a weekly basis, or as often as necessary, for as long as necessary. Stephen Ministers are not pastors, counselors, or therapists. Just well-trained and compassionate individuals who want to listen and help.
Stephen Ministry was established at Riverview several years ago in response to the needs of people going through difficult times. Men and women who have gone through comprehensive training to become Stephen Ministers meet with people who need care on a on-on-one basis. Everything is voluntary and confidential. Some of the difficulties that people who request a Stephen Minister are going through include: loneliness, relationship issues, life stresses such as job loss, spiritual struggles, and sin areas that need to be addressed.
Co-leaders Judy Russ and Karen Hygh contact and meet with people who are interested in having a Stephen Minister assigned to them. Judy says, “I have found this to be such a rewarding ministry. During that hour or so, I get the privilege of having a peek into the deeper, innermost lives of people. For many, it’s the first time they have ever taken a step to reach out to someone else for help. It takes a huge step of faith and leap of trust to share struggles with another person. Many people that we talk with leave with a sense of anticipation that there may be hope for their situation and are anxious to get started meeting with a Stephen Minister on a regular basis.”
However, imagine what it would be like to get to the point of wanting to work on some of your issues, only to learn that there are not enough Stephen Ministers available and that you’ll have to wait to get started. It’s a huge disappointment and some people get discouraged and decide not to get involved after some time has passed. An opportunity is lost to be able to help someone in a Christ-centered way.
The Stephen Ministry leadership team would like to increase the number of trained Stephen Ministers in order to avoid this scenario. Training normally occurs in the fall each year, but they are now considering adding an additional training session this spring if there is a positive response. If you have ever thought about getting involved in Stephen Ministry, now is the time to step forward.
Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to find yourself making a difference in the lives of other people as they face trying times? Stephen Ministry will give you the opportunity, the training, the confidence, and the on-going support to allow God to use you to make an impact.
We are looking for both men and women who are willing to serve as Stephen Ministers. The process begins with fifty hours of stimulating and useful training in Christian caring skills. This training is led by the experienced and skilled Stephen Leaders and covers a variety of topics, such as: good listening skills, Christian assertiveness, maintaining boundaries in caregiving, and helping someone who is going through the grieving process.
This may be one of the most rewarding challenges you will ever embrace. You will use the skills you learn not only in your caring ministry, but also in your everyday relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. As you consider your involvement, know that the pastors and Stephen Ministry Leaders are praying for you. This ministry will enhance how we care for each other at Riverview and take us to new levels of following Christ!
Please email Judy.Russ@RivChurch if you’re interested in learning more about the Stephen Ministry commitment and training.
Women of Faith
Posted on Friday, Mar 2, 2012
For the last few years, Riv member Laura Peiffer has been bringing area women down to Indianapolis to attend the Women of Faith (WOF) conference. She shares how it all began and how to get involved:
“In 2007, one of my best friends attended the Women of Faith Conference in Indianapolis. She came home and told me how much she loved it and wanted a few other friends and me to attend together the next year . . . so we did. The speakers touched my heart in ways that speakers had never done before. I came home refreshed and with some new goals for personal change in my life. I am still working on this journey, but I know in my heart I have given it over to God and it is much easier to deal with my struggles.”
“I went back to WOF in 2009 with some friends. At that point we had decided we were going to make this an annual trip. Well, it turned into a little more than that! At the conference, they put out an invite for attendees to bring back fifty other women from their communities the next year. One of my friends said to me, “You know you are going to do that.” I said, “No way!” Then I went home, prayed about it, and it kept coming across my mind. So in November 2009, I committed to bringing fifty ladies from our local area to the 2010 conference.”
“After I made the commitment I started to get a tad nervous, thinking, “Oh man, what have I gotten myself into?” I spoke at seven or eight local churches, spreading the word about the conference. I sent emails and did other outreach to reach as many women as possible. We ended up taking thirty-six ladies that year and I was thrilled. On the bus ride home, two women even told me they wanted to be on my WOF leadership team (which hadn’t even been started yet)! That was such a blessing to me—I was overwhelmed by gratitude.“
I thought perhaps we should start meeting monthly, but it was also on my heart to go much deeper than that. I’d learned from all the stories the WOF speakers shared that it was time to go deeper. So we started monthly meetings where we share, pray together, and just get real with each other. I love these gatherings and I love seeing them grow—in 2011 sixty-three ladies went to the Women of Faith Conference with us!”
“This year we’ve changed the schedule up a bit and decided to try something new for our monthly gatherings. One month we host a game night for women to get to know each other. Then the next month we’ll do coffee on a Saturday morning and be able to connect on a much deeper level. I’ve heard from many women that they long for deeper levels of friendship with other ladies, but that they cannot seem to connect. So that’s what I hope we are offering, both from the conference and our meetings.”
The 2012 Women of Faith Conference
What: A non-denominational Christian women’s conference featuring dynamic speakers, concerts, drama, and worship.
Who: Women of all ages and life stages who want to grow in faith and spiritual maturity. A group of Riv women are heading to the conference together and anyone is invited to join.
Where/When: Indianapolis, IN from August 24th to 25th
Why: “WOF is a time to get away and just be filled . . . filled with laughter, fun, a new outlook in life, healing, and worshiping our Lord.”
- Shannon Hartman
“[Women of Faith] made me want to be a better friend, wife, mother, and person.”
- Jenny Chaney
“Women of Faith changes my heart and draws me closer to the Lord each time I go. The speakers always seem to speak directly into my situation and I end up leaving the weekend with a com- pletely renewed relationship with the Lord. It’s amazing to feel oneness with thousands of women in that arena. It’s a small taste of what heaven will be like praising God with multitudes.”
- Tricia Pollok
For more info on the Women of Faith Conference or meetings, please email LauraPeiffer@Yahoo.com or find Laura Kellogg Peiffer on Facebook.
Update On Restore Church
Posted on Friday, Feb 24, 2012
At the end of the 2011 year, Pastor Mike Hanafee of Restore Church (a Detroit church plant Riverview has partnered with) sent out an update. Here’s what they’ve been up to!
Hard to believe, but we arrived in Detroit just over a year ago. Wow! So much has happened in these twelve months. Four of us (Clete and Ruth Bontrager, Susan, and myself, Mike) moved in with the mission of showing and telling Jesus multiple times in multiple ways to every boy, girl, man, and woman in the 48202 and 48206 zip codes in order to make disciples making disciples.
We had two main goals for year one: gather a team of committed Christians who would embrace Restore’s mission and connect with as many neighbors as possible for the purpose of making disciples. After a series of vision casting meetings we launched our first missional community in June, consisting of fifteen adults and nine kids. (We also baptized a man on my front porch in a horse trough!) We gather weekly for a meal, prayer, study, training, and strategizing. Together we wrote a covenant on how specifically we were going to accomplish our mission.
This summer we ran our Saturday Sports and Ultimate Story Outreach at a neighborhood school (next summer we are doing a full camp), held Friday night cookouts at our houses with upwards of 100 neighbors attending, and started a crew to board up abandoned houses in our neighborhood. Out of this heavy neighborhood involvement, we became known as comm- unity organizers (a first for me!) and pastors. In addition, I was elected to serve on the neighborhood board and invited to co-chair the annual neighborhood picnic for the 900+ homes in the Boston-Edison Historical District.
For our own edification in this embryonic stage of planting Restore Church, we began informal worship services the first and third Sundays at the Bontrager’s house. God has seen fit to bring neighbors, and we have had as many as fifty people attend. The joke going around is that we need to build a balcony in Clete’s living room! On some Sundays over forty percent of the attenders are long-term residents. The second Sunday of each month we hold a service project in our neighborhood. We’ve done several alley cleanups (places of illicit activity), a park project, and a free yard sale. In all our service projects we make it a priority not simply to serve our neighbors but to serve with them. Once a month we attend local churches together in an effort to learn our context as missionary church planters in Detroit.
What God has done in these twelve months is crazy! We now have over new 120 friends. By that I don’t simply mean we would recognize them on the street, but that we have been in each other’s houses, which is a very significant thing in high crime areas. Lots of people are moving toward Christ, and this week a neighbor crossed the line of faith! As a younger man, he was entrenched in the transvestite lifestyle and in recent years he turned to mormonism to atone for his sins. (Cults crisscross the city!) A few months ago, after listening to a message from Col- ossians, he told me that my preaching was destroying everything he had ever thought about getting right with God and said, “It’s all about Jesus, isn’t it?” Yep. And shortly after he put his faith in Jesus. Man, you should see the joy on his face! He’s compiling a list of people he knows who need Jesus. Pray that he would be the firstfruits of a massive harvest in the 48202 and 48206 zip codes. And pray that God would send us more leaders!
We are currently receiving from individuals and churches 76% of our monthly budget of $7,185. Your sacrificial giving means a lot and makes a world (eternity!) of difference in this highly under-resourced community. Our passion is for people in central Detroit to meet, love, and follow Jesus and help others do the same. We are deeply grateful for your help in this great mission.
Update from January, 2012: Restore has secured use of a great facility located right in our community — yes, we are excited! And we are very thankful for the people of Grace Episcopal Church for graciously opening up their excellent building to us.
- Mike Hanafee, Pastor of Restore Church
Women's Prison Ministry, Part 2
Posted on Friday, Feb 17, 2012
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then the righteous will answer him,” Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” -Matthew 25:35-40
Last week’s newsletter featured an overview of the Women’s Prison Ministry, an indie ministry at Riverview. Following are the different ways in which Riv women can serve the prisoners of the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
Bridge Builders: Building bridges in “The Valley”
At a time when budget cuts have eliminated virtually what remained of the programs for inmates in Michigan prisons, this volunteer-led twelve-step program, started in the early summer of 2010, has been a great success. Bridge Builder volunteers meet with a group of prisoners, getting to know them and watching them transition as their faith grows and God’s Word becomes applicable to their daily lives. This is the only Christian program currently available to the women of WHV.
Each session is six months long, and from the hundreds who apply, a maximum of only thirty inmates are accepted. Women from the neighboring Calgary Bible Church provide the core volunteers for the program while Riv women supplement their need. More women are needed to meet with female inmates in a group setting. Volunteers leave from Riv’s Holt Venue early Saturday on mornings and are back around Noon. This is very flexible, with days off. A background check and prison volunteer orientation are required.
Another opportunity to support this program is through the donation of gas cards to assist the women driving to and from the prison in Ypsilanti.
Visiting an inmate: “ . . . and you came to visit me.”
Visits are a rare and special connection to the outside world for those in prison. Those who choose to visit an inmate first establish a relationship through written correspondence. An inmate can then update their visitor list, which can take any- where from a few weeks to sixth months. The hope is that during the waiting period, volunteers will continue to correspond with their inmates through letters, and then begin a consistent visiting/letter writing routine.
Letters & cards: Sending support from home
Receiving mail is a highlight in an inmate’s day. It’s one of the few ways they can stay connected with the outside world, and it helps to break down the isolation and loneliness they feel every day.
Letter-writers are needed to support ladies at the prison who would like to know Christ more deeply. Writers may remain completely anonymous. Volunteers are assigned an inmate and the hope is that writers will make a goal of writing once a week. Writers often help in someone’s walk with Christ and have substantial topics to discuss when they have intentional correspondance goals, such as studying a book of the Bible together or reading and discussing a Christian book. Letters can be sent through traditional mail, or more recently (and for much quicker receipt) through JPay, the prison email system.
The prison ministry’s most recent opportunity is for those who enjoy encouraging others through cards or short notes. Most inmates do not regularly receive mail, and there are many whose birthdays or special occasions (such as Christmas) are never acknowledged. Receiving mail brings great joy to a prisoner, and to be acknowledged on a day that should be special to them can restore an otherwise devastating day.
Card-sending volunteers are added to a list and notified when a birthday or special occasion arises for one of the inmates. Card senders are never obligated to send a card, nor are they responsible for a single inmate.
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please email Lorrie.Dundon@RivChurch.com.
From a prisoner at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional facility:
“God is totally being glorified through the card ministry! The women who receive these cards are baffled by such a kind gesture, and want to know more about people who have such compassion even for prisoners. Through this ministry, women in prison who have been left behind and forgotten are starting to remember that they matter in this world, and some for the first time are reading about a love for the lost that comes from God Almighty in the person of Jesus.”
Women's Prison Ministry, Part 1
Posted on Friday, Feb 10, 2012
Prison is full of women who know they have had it wrong in the past, who feel loneliness and shame, and who are open to the gospel message of forgiveness and redemption. The Women’s Prison Ministry (WPM), an indie ministry at Riv, provides the opportunity for women to reflect Christ’s love to other women behind bars. The ministry serves inmates of the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV), the only prison in Michigan that houses females.
WHV holds anywhere between 1,600 and 2,000 inmates, around half of which are there as a direct result of substance abuse. The inmates are extremely isolated, with visits and letters their only connection to the outside world, though most prisoners don’t have a support system that provides this connection. There are no formal rehabilitation programs and very limited educational opportunities, leading to an idleness that is ripe for loneliness and depression. As a result, suicides are all too prevalent. These women need hope and an understanding of the Gospel: that past sins can be forgiven through a relationship with Christ; they need someone to encourage and pray for them; and they need to learn scriptural promises that can get them through their days.
WPM was started by Lorrie Dundon, a Stephen Minister who in May of 2009 was assigned to be a caregiver to Melissa, a young member of Riv who was facing the possibility of fifteen years in prison. (For Melissa’s story, check out “My Story: Melissa Rumrill” and “Update on Melissa Rumrill” at RivChurch.com under About Us: Featured Articles.) One day, while Lorrie was visiting Melissa at the prison, Melissa looked around the room and emphatically exclaimed, “Where are all the Christians?!” Since then, it has been WPM’s mission to bring women from Riv to the prison.
There are multiple ways in which women can serve, including letter writing or card sending, prison visits, Bridge Builders (a Christ-centered twelve-step rehabilitation program), or providing gas cards for those making trips to the prison in Ypsilanti.
WPM has recently been able to minister to deaf inmates as well — a huge blessing to these inmates, who experience isolation and loneliness multiplied exponentially because of the language barrier. One WPM signer was recently assigned to a deaf inmate named Mary. They quickly developed a writing relationship and not too long after were able to visit in person. Another inmate (who also corresponds with a Riv member) was in the visiting room and able to witness this first meeting. She watched Mary beaming with joy as she spilled out her thoughts and received encouragement through the language she knew best. At the end of the visit, as Mary sat in a chair by the door waiting for the guard to take her away, she and this inmate exchanged smiles as Mary gestured that she was very happy and thankful.
The opportunity and need in the prison is so great that anyone who simply has a heart and interest in serving these women is encouraged to get involved. For more details on the different ways to serve, check out Women’s Prison Ministry: Part II in next week’s Featured at Riv.
For more information on the Women’s Prison Ministry or to get involved, visit TinyURL.com/RivWPM or email Lorrie.Dundon@RivChurch.com.
A note from Melissa, Riv member and inmate at WHV:
“Thankfully, a card from a stranger to a prisoner at WHV can be extremely meaningful. The day I received a package of Christmas cards [from high school girls at Riv], I passed them out to every person in the day room. A lady I have never talked to, but have seen in the housing unit, read hers and started to cry. I was puzzled when she excused herself from the card game she was playing and retreated to her cell. About an hour later, she approached me to share why the card was so special to her. She wrote down her feelings so I could share them with all involved in the prison ministry. These are her words. . . ‘One of the women in my unit passed out cards that members of your church made us for Christmas. I received a card with a reindeer on it from Jenny. It had I Peter 1:7 in it. I would like to thank Jenny for taking the time on a holiday to do this. It meant the world to me! I don’t remember the last time I received a Christmas card, let alone one made by hand. And the Scripture . . . I’ve had a hard time with my faith. On June 30th I wanted to end it all. I was tired, and I had just gotten arrested. Since then, God has showed me nothing but faith, love, and forgiveness. Since I got arrested I have not gone without personals, food, even something as simple as coffee. I don’t have to look down or be ashamed when someone speaks to me. And I know I don’t have to do the things I used to do anymore in my life. Once again, thank you for being so thoughtful and showing me people care. Love, Kathy’ Kathy’s story is only one of so many — the common thread of story after story is that the women at WHV have such low self-esteem and feel so alone, but the cards they receive, even from strangers, are comforting them with Scripture and assuring them that they matter in this world.”
Leadership Training 2012
Posted on Friday, Feb 3, 2012
Many people who come to faith in Christ never learn what it means to be a disciple of Christ. That’s what Leadership Training, or LT, is all about: LT helps to develop a biblical foundation for college-age believers to live out the heart and mind of Christ every day, and as they do that, to influence the world around them for God. Joe Testa, Riverview’s MSU Venue Director, answered a few questions about Leadership Training 2012 for us.
What is Leadership Training and what kinds of things are involved?
Leadership Training is basically a summer-long experience for college students that develops character, ministry skills, and understanding of the Scriptures. We run two services each week, and we spend a whole day together working on what we call “project day.” A lot of it is spending time just working together, reaching out to people together, and working through and processing what comes up in our lives. And we have a lot of fun together! This year Riv is doing LT at the Silver Bay YMCA of the Adirondacks in New York state.
Who goes to Leadership Training?
LT is pretty much open to any college student. We really are looking to recruit from the MSU Venue and the Holt Venue. There are thirty spaces open this year. It’s a first come, first served process.
Why Silver Bay YMCA in the Adirondacks?
The Y hires people for a full-time, forty hour a week job and provides housing and food. Participants come home with about 1,500 bucks in their pockets after the nine week program. The Adirondacks are a very natural place to connect with people from all types of spiritual backgrounds and people from many different countries. The environment is very much like living in a dorm on campus. We love these YMCA camps because they hire about 200 students each summer. The people we are reaching out to are very skeptical at first about the Christian faith so our goal is to build relationships and share Christ with them in a very relational way.
When is LT 2012 and how much does it cost?
This summer’s Leadership Training is from June 19 through August 19 and it costs $695 for students. We are going to help raise this cost because it is looked at as a missional/discipleship summer program.
How did you get started with LT?
I have personally been doing LT since 1999. I saw all the impact it made on college students and saw that I could either stay in Michigan for the summer or invest my life in helping college students in their walk with God.
How do you think Leadership Training affects college students later on in life?
It impacts every aspect of people’s lives. The stuff students learn will affect their ability to be a mom or dad, husband or wife. It will help them to better reach out to their friends. Our hope is that it impacts every aspect of their lives. We each experience our fair share of trials, so it’s impacting the staff’s lives as well.
For more information on Leadership Training 2012 or if you’re interested in participating, email Joe.Testa@RivChurch.com.
Pittsburgh Church Plant
Posted on Thursday, Jan 26, 2012
Riv is excited to announce that we’re planting a church in Pittsburgh starting in the Fall of 2012. Leading the church plant will be John “Free” Freeman (former Riv MSU Venue Co- Director and current Church Planting Resident) and Ed Courtney from The Rock church at the University of Missouri. Over the course of this school year, Free and Ed will be building a team of campus staff, recent grads, singles, and families who will move to Pittsburgh. We asked Free to tell us a little more:
What is exciting about the city of Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has become a model city for revitalization in the U.S. There are over 300,000 people living in the city and and over two million in the greater Pittsburgh metro area. With a variety of top new industries, rare job growth, and a cost of living below the national average, Pittsburgh provides great opportunities for people to get jobs and be a vital part of ministering to the city or the university. Although it’s a mid-Atlantic state, the culture feels more mid-western, so it may feel more like home to midwesterners while serving as a gateway to the East for additional church planting. And it’s an exciting city! Pittsburgh has undergone a renaissance, showcasing its beautiful natural topography alongside urban architecture while still embracing its history of being family-oriented, sports-crazed, and beer-loving. Sounds like the perfect place for a college-aged church, right?
Tell us about the University of Pittsburgh.
There’s a need for a church that can meet the spiritual needs of young people at the University of Pittsburgh. There are 100,000 college students downtown, and The University of Pittsburgh, commonly known as “Pitt,” is home to almost 30,000 of them. However, the existing churches and ministries at Pitt estimate that less than 750 students are in involved in any Christian church or ministry. The need is immense! 8,500 Pitt students live on campus. Yet one of the biggest challenges for ministry has been just how integrated the University is with its surrounding city. Although there are a few young churches geared toward the neighborhoods near campus, the need for a young church that can reach Pitt students in their urban environment is huge. We believe that our team can leverage our experience in campus ministry and adapt it to an exciting big city, taking advantage of all that the city has to offer and having a major impact on the university at the same time.
Who can be part of or help this church plant?
Anyone can consider being a part, but it’s certainly not for everyone. Only some will “Serve” and even less will “Go.” A church plant has lots of exciting things associated with new adventure and opportunity. We are going to need assistance on many levels and will be asking a number of people to consider how they may help. At every level, people will need to consider the personal cost and sacrifice involved in helping make this church plant a success. It may cost money, time, relationships, or other unforeseen sacrifices.
Joining The Team: Free is joined by his wife, Beth, and their five kids. Ed is joined by his wife, Beth. Zakk Roberts and Troy Wallace (who currently serve on Riv’s MSU Venue staff) and Troy’s wife Megan are committed to joining the team as well. The team also desires that recent grads, working singles, and families will join the team. The University is a huge mission field and will require many volunteers to reach out to and disciple students, as well as to serve and meet the many needs of a new church plant. The integrated nature of the university and the city cause us to believe that the church will need an integrated team with two complementary ministry priorities. So while the campus staff and some team members will be focused on the university, others may also join the team with a focus on reaching the city.
Helping The Team: As the team prepares to go to Pittsburgh and as we are establishing the church over the next couple of years, we will need other assistance as well. Examples are finances, the equipment required for a portable church, helping team members move, or going on a spring break trip to serve at Pitt. Many team members are looking for jobs in Pittsburgh and could use contacts that may be able to help. The team also needs continued prayer and emotional support. Please consider how you may be a part of helping this church plant effort.
Interested in helping with the Pittsburgh church plant? Email John.Freeman@RivChurch.com or call Free at 517.375.2866.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
God's Not Mad At You
Posted on Wednesday, Jan 18, 2012
This February, Riv will be hosting the next LEAD, a leadership conference held several times a year for “those who do or want to.” The event will feature nationally syndicated talk show host, author, and seminary professor Steve Brown.
The God’s Not Mad At You conference will be held Saturday, February 11 from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm in the Auditorium at Riv’s Holt Venue. Doors will open at 8:30 am and the conference will begin promptly at 9:00 am. Lunch will be provided.
Steve will be breaking down assumptions that many people have about the way God thinks about them. For example, as he says in his book A Scandalous Freedom: The Radical Nature of the Gospel: “You are really and truly and completely free. There is no kicker. There is no if, and, or but. You are free. You can do it right or wrong. You can obey or disobey. You can run from Christ or run to Christ. You can choose to become a faithful Christian or an unfaithful Christian. You can cry, cuss, and spit, or laugh, sing, and dance. You can read a novel or the Bible. You can watch television or pray. You’re free . . . really free.”
Once you understand what Steve’s trying to teach — not just as head knowledge, but as a deep, experienced knowledge — it will change your life. When you truly get it, Steve promises: “You laugh more. You’re free. You walk in the sunlight.”
Steve holds a BA in Philosophy and Religion from High Point College, as well as a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Boston University School of Theology. He pastored Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church for twenty-five years, during which he started Key Life Network and wrote several books. Steve now serves as Professor of Communication and Practical Theology and Homiletics at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He also hosts the Christian talk show Steve Brown Etc., preaches at his home church in Winter Springs, Florida, and serves on the teaching staff of Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, GA. Steve is a husband, father of two daughters, and grandfather of three granddaughters.
Want Three Free Sins?
Steve’s new (yet to be released) book Three Free Sins: God’s Not Mad At You is available to pre-purchase when you register and can be picked up at the event. If that’s not enough to get you there, let’s just say that once you hear his impressive, perfect-for-radio voice, you won’t be disappointed.
Registration is open at LEAD.RivChurch.com for $20 per person (or $15 for students). If the registration cost would prohibit you from attending the conference, just select the gratis registration option and we’ll cover the cost for you, no questions asked. Monday, February 6 is the last day to register.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
The Woman Class
Posted on Friday, Jan 13, 2012
Women can often feel confused or torn as to what it means to be a “woman of God.” What does the Bible say about women’s roles, and how does this fit into the ideal that common culture holds women to?
The Woman Class is a new RivU class with the purpose of equipping women with Biblical knowledge about what it means to be a woman who follows Christ. The class is a broad overview intended for women of all ages in all stages of life who are seeking to better understand and apply what Scripture has to say about womanhood. The class was put together by a diverse team of Riv women experienced in living out the challenges and joys of following Christ, and is taught by Barb Strong and Melissa Kranzo.
The Woman Class is divided into three different sessions over the span of three weeks. It is taught from a Complementarianism perspective, which is the view that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, and church leadership. This means that God has created men and women equal in dignity and humanity, but different and complementary in function with male headship in the home and in the Church.
Week One: Defining Biblical Femininity
The class begins by looking at the Bible to see what an ideal Biblical woman is and where she came from — and how this relates to how women are to live their lives. An ideal woman, according to the Bible, has nothing to do with physical beauty, aggressiveness, or the ability to “do it all.” Through discussion about the ideals of culture and the Bible, the glaring contrast between the two becomes apparent.
This session also breaks down the specifics of how and why a woman was made, according to chapters one and two of Genesis. By looking at the origin of woman and the specific roles she was created for, women are better able to understand how and why they are to live as God intended.
Week Two: Submission
Submission is a tricky topic, often viewed as taboo in our culture, yet the Bible speaks on it over and over again — so we must as well. During the second week, women look at how they are to live freed in Christ and how this freedom is possible only by living a life of submission.
This session explains how the greatest example of submission is God himself, in the three persons of the Trinity. There is one and only one God, fully expressed in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Within the Godhead, each Person takes on a different role: the Father, one of authority; the Son, one of submission; and the Holy Spirit, one of mostly background/submission.
Time is also given to discussing what submission means and breaking down common misconceptions.
Week Three: Exposing Those Lies
The class wraps up by practically approaching how women are to live out Biblical truths. This is done by looking at some of the common lies women believe and considering how to refute them. Women often believe untrue messages from our culture, such as:
- I must be beautiful to be noticed and loved.
- I need to use my sexuality to get a guy to like me.
- No one wants to be around me.
- I can have it all . . . right now!
- I have to try harder or work harder to be successful.
By looking at these lies, women are better able to recognize what they themselves believe and what the Bible has to say on the subject.
Resources for further study, Q & A, and opportunities to sign up for and women ministries and studies are also provided throughout the class.
The next Woman Class will be offered on Wednesday evenings, February 1, 8, and 15. For more info and to RSVP (space is limited), please go to RivU.RivChurch.com.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Baptism Stories
Posted on Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012
Stories from a few Rivites who were baptized last month:
Amber Beard
"I have always believed in God, but when I was young it was almost a blind faith. I went to several denominations of church as a child. I believed in God and believed Jesus died for my sins but didn't really understand what I was believing in. As I came into my pre-teen and teenage years, I got so angry with God that I used to test him and demand that he prove he was real. I was a wayward child to say the least. Of course, Jesus never just appeared in front of me and formally introduced himself, but as time pressed on I started to see evidence of him working in my life. Over the past four years or so I’ve studied different religions and at first I was terrified that learning this new information was going to sway my faith . . . but it did just the opposite. The more I learn about history and religion, the more I am convinced that the works of my life have not been coincidence or convenience but rather God’s plan. I am sometimes overwhelmed with gratitude for all He does for me. For a while, I was making excuses about why not to get baptized because I didn’t want to be a failure — I didn’t want to be a backsliding Christian. But then I realized that I was called some time ago and I have been ready for a while. And although I have been and still am undeserving, He continues to guide me, to help me, and to work in my life. I am ready to give up the ways of the world and live for God. I am ready to be born again and really start living with God."
Gail Douglas
"My nine-year-old daughter, Abby, and I have the honor of baptizing one another. On March 31, 2009, just a week before Abby turned seven, I was reading to her from the Bible when she told me she wanted to ask Jesus to be her Savior. I helped her say a prayer asking Jesus to enter into her life as her personal Savior. I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud. As for myself, I was baptized as a baby, was raised in the church, and I have always known God’s presence and blessings in my life. I cannot give you a particular date and time when I asked Christ to take up residence in my heart, but I can tell you that it was roughly fifteen plus years ago when I was visiting a small church that some friends had invited me to. That church held its services in the Kellogg Center and there may have been thirty people in attendance. That church’s name was and still is Riverview. Wow, has it grown! So how appropriate that I am being baptized in front of my community of believers here at Riv, putting to death my sinfulness and proclaiming that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior. He sustains me and without Jesus as the central focus in my life, I would not be where I am, or who I am today. Praise God!"
Tim Hwalek
"I found Christ last year. I was born in a pseudo-Christian family, one of which went to church every Sunday but seemingly left God’s teachings at the alter. I endured three divorces as my parents divorced and each remarried, then both divorced again. Thus, the image of God was not an obvious reflection in my family. I became an atheist when I was in middle school and remained that way until coming to Michigan for medical school last year. I met some wonderful Christians in the past two years that opened my eyes and heart to the workings and power of Christ. Witnessing the many different and personal ways Christ was and remains present in their lives really made it a simple decision for me to open my heart up to Christ. For me, it was about letting go of my pride and control. I realized science and my pride could not explain everything. It was an empty and meaningless lifestyle. I had to defend and validate my life as an atheist, and I was tired of the constant battle that always ultimately ended with me having more questions than answers. With Christ, there is truth. With continuous prayer, and a weekly bible study, I accepted Christ as my holy Savior and have begun to learn about the Word of God and examples of Christ. I am now forever blessed and my life is forever changed. I no longer am afraid. I no longer have to continue to blame myself. I am strong. I feel love for the first time and can now flourish through Christ. I am born into sin and will remain in sin. However, because Jesus took upon the sin of the world I am and will remain saved, no longer hidden from God’s sight. I am reborn again. I am and will continue to redirect my heart’s desires to the heart of Christ so that I can reflect and glorify my one true love, God."
Interested in learning more about baptism at Riv or in being baptized? Email Tony.Pyle@RivChurch.com.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
New Year, New Resolve?
Posted on Thursday, Dec 29, 2011
Happy New Year! It the time when lots of people reflect back on the last year and set goals or make plans and resolutions for the year ahead. We thought GotQuestions.org had a great answer to the question of what kind of resolutions are appropriate for followers of Jesus to make. The following is adapted from that article. Check out GotQuestions.org for answers to many great theological questions.
Question: “What sort of New Year’s Resolution should a Christian make?
Answer:
The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a new year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31 and January 1. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?
Common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating more healthily. These are all good goals to set. However, I Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.
Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?
Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution.
So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions:
• Pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make.
• Pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you.
• Rely on God’s strength to help you.
• Find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you.
• Don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further.
• Don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
© 2012 Got Questions Ministries — All Rights Reserved, GotQuestions.org.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Harvest Music Fest: Music For a Cause
Posted on Thursday, Dec 15, 2011
This year, Riv hosted the second annual “Harvest Music Fest,” an event put on by Riv’s Compassion Ministry at the Holt Venue. The October concert grossed around $3,000 through ticket sales and corporate sponsorships — it is the Compassion Ministry’s sole fundraiser for the year.
Local bands The Brave Youth and Kelly Deanne and the Octagon Band performed. Tickets were sold for $10 per person or $25 per family, and as you might expect from any Riv event, included unlimited coffee!
Corporate sponsors and local businesses donated items for a silent raffle, with prizes such as original artwork, a spa package, photography packages, and a weekend getaway to Boyne Highlands. Other corporate sponsors included Ashley Mosely — Salon 130, Douglas J. Hintermann DDS, Horn Heating and Cooling, and ZZ Underwater World.
Compassion Ministry serves the greater Lansing area through partnerships with the Lansing Area AIDS Network, Rebuilding Together Ingham County, Holt Community Food Bank, Christ Lutheran Soup Kitchen, Crossroads Foster Park Program, the Riverview Meals Team, and also supports local area families at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Crossroads Foster Park program is just one partnership that benefits from the festival. Noah Filipiak, Pastor of Crossroads Church, explains, “The funds raised for our inner-city Foster Park program go to feeding pizza to these kids all summer long, and providing great prizes for them. With these huge logistical resources being provided, it allows our program to excel without any fear of it stalling out; freeing our volunteers to confidently pour the love of Christ into these youth’s lives, knowing they will see them each and every week of the summer, and beyond.”
Compassion Ministry fundraiser events are always family-friendly, and also a great way to invite those in the community to Riv. If you missed this year’s event, make sure to stay tuned for info on what’s to come next year!
For more info on how you can get involved with Riv’s Compassion Ministry, go to Compassion.RivChurch.com.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Mazatlan, Here We Come! (Part II)
Posted on Sunday, Dec 11, 2011
As you’ve probably heard by now, Riv is sending seven teams of people on mission trips to Mazatlan, Mexico in 2012. The 200 plus people going on these trips will be an integral part of Back2Back Ministries’ strategy in launching a new ministry site there with the purpose of serving orphans and impoverished people. We asked Back2Back’s Executive Director, Todd Guckenberger, and RivMexico leader Denny Duchene to answer a few questions.
Why are the children who live in orphanages in Mexico typically there? What are the living conditions usually like?
Every child comes from a different situation but most fall into a few categories. Some have been brought to a children’s home because their family doesn’t have the resources to take care of them. Some have been neglected or abused and have been removed by the government. Some have no family. The living conditions in most children’s homes are adequate by Mexican standards, but there are always improvements that could be made to create a healthier environment. A safe environment is just the beginning of what we want for these children. The next steps would be to make sure they’re growing in all five areas of the child development model: physically, spiritually, educationally, emotionally, and socially.
Wouldn’t it be better to just send the money directly to the orphanages rather than sending people on short-term trips?
There is always a need for money to help the kids and run programs, but that doesn’t account for the impact on those individuals who choose to leave their known environments to serve children in need. I can think of at least a handful of close friends who went on their first trip years ago as a chaperone for their kids. However, because of the impact the experience had on them and what God has done in their lives, they’ve returned year after year to continue to invest in the lives of children they have come to love and adore. Most of these friends have led their own trips and brought hundreds of others into what God is doing through Back2Back. It’s about changing lives, both children’s and mission team members’.
If someone wants to be involved but can’t go on a trip to Mazatlan, how can they do that?
1. Pray (for the kids, mission team members, Back2Back staff, etc.)
2. Financially support those who are able go but do not have the funds.
3. Sponsor a child through the Shelter Program.
4. Advocate for Back2Back and Mazatlan.
5. Financially support the Mazatlan ministry site, site partnerships, and staff through direct donations, advocacy, and/or fundraising initiatives.
What’s a typical day like on a mission trip?
This is one of the things team members talk about in a super positive way all the time. When you’re in Mexico you’re part of something bigger than your own little bubble. You start to think about serving other people and they are thinking about serving you. You have a time to reflect on God’s Word. You eat meals together. You plan for the upcoming day’s adventures in work projects and playing with orphans. Then you get in a van and you go do it. At night, tired out from working and playing hard, you get back together as a team and you download your experiences together. You talk about what God did in your lives, and as you hear all of the powerful stuff that happened, you leave the discussion changed forever. It’s a really good day!
How do I know if this whole thing is for me?
If you ask anyone who’s gone on one of these trips, they’ll tell you the same thing. It’s for you. There is no doubt. It’s for you because it’s for everyone who wants to dive really deep into what Jesus meant when he said to go into all the world. It’s for shy people and outgoing people. It’s for people who are used to hard physical work and people who have cushy office jobs. It’s for people who love playing with little kids and people who are seriously scared of little kids. It’s for people who are leadership types and people who like to quietly serve in the background. It’s for people who know Jesus already and for people who are curious about this whole Jesus thing. It’s for people who are really connected at Riv and for people who don’t know anybody yet. Is it for you? Yep. It is.
Go to Mexico.RivChurch.com for trip dates, to read answers to more FAQs, and to sign-up for a trip!
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Showing Compassion During the Holidays
Posted on Sunday, Dec 11, 2011
Every year, folks at Riv provide meals for hundreds of families who need a little extra help during the holidays – both families within Riv and those in the community. Here’s one Riv family’s story.
A letter from Rachel Walsh:
We heard about Riverview’s opportunity to serve our community through Compassion’s Thanksgiving and Christmas projects two years ago. We were going to be out of town that year, but still wanted to be a part, so we provided a donation to be used to purchase turkeys for LAAN. It felt great to know that we were going to make someone’s Thanksgiving a little bit better, but I had no idea at that time how much more could be done to impact the lives of others in our community with that project.
Last year, the opportunity presented itself again and we were going to be in town. My husband and I talked about it and we decided that we would like to serve two families, and that we wanted our kids to know what we were doing and why. We decided to provide for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
As Thanksgiving approached, we started talking about what we were doing with our children and why. I contacted both of the families we had been partnered with, and a woman from one mentioned that her “stove didn’t work,” so it would have an effect on what veggies and other things we brought her. After our conversation ended and I hung up the phone, I wondered if she would be able to cook her turkey. I called her back and asked her specifically, and she confirmed that she didn’t have electricity at all in her home. I offered to cook her meal at the same time that I was making ours and deliver it on Thanksgiving Day. I felt compelled to provide full disclosure to her . . . I am a pretty bad cook so she was taking her life in her hands by eating anything that I had prepared! We both were able to laugh about that! It sounded like as a single mom of three children she was in a tight financial situation and they were struggling to get their basic needs met. I asked her if there was anything that I could do for her or get her at the store . . . I was going anyway and could easily pick up anything for her or her family if they needed it. She declined. I was honestly amazed that someone in her situation would decline more assistance when offered. It made me wonder if I would have handled it the same way had I been in her situation.
Days before Thanksgiving, my five-year-old daughter Ella and I delivered the groceries to the first family. It was nice to put a face with the voice on the phone. They were thankful and the interaction remained brief.
Thanksgiving Day came and I prepared meals for both my family and the woman who didn’t have electricity. I can’t explain how good it felt to know that God has put our family in a place where we were able to make this family’s Thanksgiving better than it might have been had Riv not connected us together. It came time to deliver the meal and my daughter came with me. The family had a girl the same age as Ella. They met and Ella was very fond of her and interested in her life circumstances. I also had the chance to invite them to come to Riverview. (I haven’t seen them yet, but it’s possible they did come. Either way, I am still praying for them to come!)
Christmastime came and Ella came with me again to deliver the groceries to the both families. This time, the little girl had written her a note and put it in an envelope with some candy. Ella was so excited to have made a new friend and wanted to keep in touch with her. Again, I asked her if there was anything additional that we could do for her, and she modestly declined. The entire experience really was awesome and life changing.
I was so glad to share this with my daughter, and have her see that we all have something to offer people in our lives — no matter what it is (I still can’t believe that out of all things it was my terrible cooking that I offered someone!). I was so glad to be able to physically reach out and connect with these families in our community. Just the brief time that I spent with this single mom made me realize that we all are so similar, no matter what our lives and circumstances look like on the outside. I hope that our family served as the feet and hands of Christ, that we were a good representation of the “Riv family” we are a part of.
I would encourage any of you who are thinking about joining this great mission during the holidays to do it! It was a wonderful thing to share with our children, and a great way to try and shine a little of Christ’s light for a brother or sister in Christ.
LEAD: Biblical Principles for Resolving Conflict
Posted on Friday, Nov 11, 2011
This past September, Riv hosted LEAD, a leadership conference held several times a year “for those who do or want to.” This particular LEAD conference featured four local Lansing area pastors, each of whom spoke on dealing with real-life conflicts in a Christ-honoring way.
What is Conflict? by Coye Bouyer
Coye Bouyer is the pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Lansing. He holds a BSW from Western Michigan University and a Masters of Theology from Dallas Seminary. He brought in energy and enthusiasm that were much appreciated on an early Saturday morning!
Coye began the session by defining conflict. “Conflict: to come into collision, disagreement, be contradictory, or in opposition. To clash, to fight, or to contend. To do battle. A struggle, especially a prolonged struggle.”
Coye then took attendees through several examples of conflict as seen in Scripture: Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25), the Israelites and Moses (Exodus 17), and the disciples (Matthew 20). He explained how conflict came into the world — through the Fall of Man (Genesis 3), and how conflict is one of the many consequences of sin. He went on to give examples of how this plays out in our own lives, then closed with a poetic free-style summary of his message that wowed attendees. If you missed this session, be sure to at least check out this ending. (After listening to the beginning, of course!)
Why Do We Avoid Conflict? By Timothy Peng
Timothy is the Pastor of Lansing Chinese Christian Church. He graduated from Pensacola Christian College with a B.A. in Pastoral Ministries and from Calvin Theological Seminary with a M.T.S in Historical Theology. He served for six years as pastor of the English congregation in the Chinese church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before starting his ministry in Lansing in 2010.
Timothy came to LEAD with a timely and unique perspective — within the past two months his church had been facing numerous conflicts that had nearly torn them apart.
He openly, honestly, and humbly shared his experiences and how just one month prior, due to the conflict, he had nearly resigned. He explained that the reason we avoid conflict is due to two sins: pride and cowardice. Both of these were examined in depth. Timothy then shared details of how both pride and cowardice contributed to the conflict within his own church, and how, by ultimately facing the conflict, humbling themselves, hashing things out, and relying on God, his church was able to work together by God’s grace in order to maintain unity.
How Should We Handle Conflict? by Noah Filipiak
Noah is the founding pastor of Crossroads Church (formerly named Barefoot Christian Church), which was established in November of 2005. Noah graduated from Cornerstone University in 2004 and from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary in 2009.
Noah first discussed how some conflict damage can be prevented or avoided. Just as buildings in some places (California) are built to withstand earthquakes better than others (Haiti), we can build ourselves up in order to avoid some of the damage that happens when conflict hits. This is only possible with the help of the Lord. However, whether we are prepared for it or not, we need to expect conflict. We live in a fallen world and we’re a bunch of sinners. If you’re ready for conflict, you can brace yourself, catch it, and manage it. If you aren’t ready, it’s going to blindside you and knock you over.
Noah then explained that the most effective way to handle conflict is through communication as commanded in Matthew 18. It’s easy and normal to avoid confrontation and communication, yet that’s not what we as Christians have been called to do. Rather, we should look at confrontation as a gift — when others confront us, by recognizing that they are helping us to see sin in our lives that is holding us back, and when we confront others, that we are giving them a gift.
For audio and video of these sessions and the Q & A session, go to LEAD.RivChurch.com/Resources.
Also, mark your calendar for the next LEAD event on Saturday, February 11, 2012.
Mazatlan, Here We Come!
Posted on Friday, Nov 11, 2011
As you’ve probably heard by now, Riv is sending seven teams of people on mission trips to Mazatlan, Mexico in 2012. The 200 plus people going on these trips will be an integral part of Back2Back Ministries’ strategy in launching a new ministry site there with the purpose of serving orphans and impoverished people. We asked Back2Back’s Executive Director, Todd Guckenberger, to answer a few questions.
What originally led you and your wife Beth to start Back2Back Ministries in Monterrey, Mexico?
When Beth and I were young we both had a heart for orphans. We had been on what we call a bad mission trip and knew that it could be so much better. We wanted the people being served to be served with excellence and the people serving to contribute to something greater than themselves. In college, a few years before we moved to Mexico in 1997, we went to Albania. There Gypsy women keep their babies up all night so that they can leave them on street corners sleeping. This encourages people to drop money at their feet. Broken by this and a few other things, we could not get it out of our system or hearts as to what God was calling us to. We started the ministry, but it is the Holy Spirit’s guidance, an unbelievable staff, and ministry partners like Riv that allow us to be succesful.
How do you see Back2Back’s mission (providing care for today and hope for tomorrow) playing out in Mazatlan, Mexico?
Our goal is to see kids grow physically, spiritually, educationally, emotionally, and socially, the five areas of our child development model. This is our focus wherever Back2Back serves. Every decision we make in Mazatlan will be filtered through this model and the specifics will be determined by need, timing, relationship, and resources. All of this will flow through God’s timing and calling as well.
What’s your strategy for Mazatlan?
1. Build a strong Back2Back community within our staff family. 2. Develop relationships with the children’s homes and local resources. 3. Begin to strategize with the homes on their short term and long term goals. 4. Connect local and US resources with the homes for the sake of accomplishing those goals.
How many orphanages will we be partnering with in Mazatlan, and what are some of their needs?
There are six homes with which we’ve begun relationships. The needs range from facility issues and construction projects to improve safety and function to psychological services, educational assistance, and vocational training for the children.
Where does Riv come in?
One of the important pieces for Back2Back in starting a new site is having partners in place who are willing to invest resources (human and financial) in order to accomplish the previously mentioned goals. We are excited about partnering with Riv because we have had a long-standing relationship through your trips to Monterrey and know that you are all in with what God is doing in Mazatlan.
What can people expect on these mission trips?
They can expect to serve and give of themselves for the benefit of “the least of these.” They can expect to see a different world from the one they are used to. They can expect to have their heart broken over a child (or children) who God loves, but who has been living through very difficult circumstances. They can expect God to show up in some unexpected way. They can expect to go home changed and transformed.
What will the conditions be like on the trips?
(This information is based on current plans and is subject to change.) Mission team members will stay in a residential home in a gated community. They’ll be transported by vans by Back2Back staff to each of the homes in which they will serve. Breakfasts will be served at the team home, lunches will be packed and then eaten at the children’s homes, and dinner will be served back at the team home with the possibility of eating out one evening.
Trips will include time for projects that benefit the homes and the children, but there will also be focused activity time with the kids that will be designed to positively impact them with respect to the five areas of the child development model. Our heart is that participating in a trip will be just a small part of what God is doing in the life of each person. We don’t desire to be a mountain top experience but a piece of the puzzle that God is putting together in each person’s life. We do hope that God brings about a certain level of conviction about responding to His commands to love and serve orphans and the poor.
Go to Mexico.RivChurch.com for more info and to sign-up for a trip.
Meet a Staff Member: Craig Hensel
Posted on Friday, Nov 11, 2011
What do you do here at Riv?
I’m one of the Church Planting Residents. I am looking forward the two year program. I love building relationships. So far, I am having a blast here at Riv!
Tell us about your family.
My wife is Jenah and our kids are Malin (10), Aiden (8), and Vienne (2).
Where did you grow up?
I was born in International Falls, MN (that’s right, it’s the Icebox of Minnesota), but when I was in the fourth grade we moved to Rochester, MN (yup, it’s where the Mayo Clinic is).
What’s your Riv story?
My family and I moved here over the summer after I served as a pastor at our last church for about nine and a half years. I was in the Re:Train program in Seattle last year and that’s where I met Noel. He thought I would make a good candidate for Riv’s CPR Program and here we are. Through the course of the program, I will be trained in the ways of Riv and find out what my niche is here.
What are some cool things you’ve seen happen?
I’ve had a great time getting to know the band leaders at the MSU Venue. It’s been a blessing to see their teachability and humility.
How did you come to know Jesus?
I became a Christian in high school. There were a number of Christians in my life who pursued me. The first person to model Jesus for me was my childhood mentor, Fritz. He ministered specifically to kids of single moms. Our son Aiden’s middle name is Fritz. Even though Fritz is now in his eighties, he’s still picking up kids to bring them to church.
What’s something not many people know about you?
I was born with a congenital hip disorder and spent a lot of my very early childhood in casts as well as six week long stretches in the hospital.
What music is in your player right now?
Jay Mascis and Tired Pony
What are your favorite books?
Total Church by Tim Chester and Still Life with Brook Trout by John Gierach
What are some jobs you’ve had in the past?
My first job was at Burger King and I also worked at a factory polishing mufflers for Harley Davidson. One of my favorite jobs was when I got to work at a camp in Colorado Springs, CO.
What are your hobbies?
Music is a huge hobby of mine, as well as fly fishing. I also love volleyball, basketball, and road biking. My wife and I really enjoy watching The Young Riders, Firefly, and Parks and Recreation episodes together. Ron Swanson forever!
Who are some people that inspire you?
My wife Jenah — her patience and drive have been tremendous blessings in my life; Fritz Wall, for showing me how to do ministry; Al Walker, for taking a large photographic company from analog to digital; and my friend Jason Ruona, for sharing Jesus with me at the school bus stop.
What makes you smile?
Watching and hearing about people being saved.
What do you hope to see happen in or through Riv?
I’d love to see band leaders and their bands raised up and sent out with future church plants. I’m hoping that more Life Group leaders are developed through their experience of being discipled at the MSU Venue. My hope is through their training at Riv, either stay around or go bless another church through being equipped at Riv.
Anything else you want to share?If you play volleyball and need a guy for a team, email me!
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Showing Compassion at Thanksgiving
Posted on Friday, Nov 11, 2011
Every year, folks at Riv provide meals for hundreds of families who need a little extra help during the holidays – both families within Riv and those in the community. This year, we will be serving around 200 local families (kids from the Foster Park Program, Riv families, and additional families in the Greater Lansing area), as well as 130 clients of Lansing Area AIDS Network (LAAN).
A letter from Nancy English, Auxiliary Services Coordinator for LAAN
LAAN is very grateful to Riverview for the many things you do for our agency. All of the donations that LAAN receives from Riv are very much appreciated, but probably the most special project you do for us is the Thanksgiving boxed meal drive.
If not for Riverview, a number of LAAN’s clients would not have a Thanksgiving dinner for themselves and their families.
LAAN has a Food Pantry, but food costs have almost doubled the past couple of years, and we can’t afford to purchase turkeys. So we reached out to you, hoping you would help, and you did! In 2009 and 2010 you provided enough turkeys and food to ensure that the LAAN clients who needed assistance received it.
Not all of the clients at LAAN use the Food Pantry — we have folks who don’t need financial assistance. But we do have clients who, without your help, would not sit down to a table with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. on Thanksgiving Day. It is difficult to choose between paying the rent or utility bills and providing a Thanksgiving meal for your family. Because of you, folks at LAAN don’t have to make this difficult choice. We hope when you gather with your family this November that you know you enabled others to do the same. With all our hearts, we thank you.
Letter from Riverview’s Barker family
Our family has participated in Compassion’s Thanksgiving and Christmas projects for several years. The first year we decided to participate, we just figured it was the right thing to do. We were very young in our faith and had only been at Riv for a couple years. It was a chance for us to step “outside of the box” in regards to our comfort zone since neither of us had grown up with that type of giving/serving role model.
Our first experience was with the Thanksgiving project. We signed up to help a family by providing a meal. We wanted the kids to be a part of it as well, so they went with us to help with the grocery shopping and to deliver the meal. We didn’t know what to expect when we pulled up in the family’s driveway. Would they be thankful? Would they feel awkward having all of us on their porch? Did we provide enough? How would this impact the family or us? All of those questions rolled through my mind as we rang the doorbell. Then the door opened and we were greeted with a smile and invited in to drop off the food. It was great feeling, that warmth and being welcomed by a stranger. We drove away with a new heart.
Since then, we’ve participated every Thanksgiving and have begun to include the Christmas project in our budget, which helps in providing a meal and/or gifts to families. Through our family’s strengthened faith, we go into both projects with a purpose and with prayer to see how God can use our family, use our excess, and most importantly, keep our hearts focused. As Christ followers, we feel a commitment to live out the message in Mark 12:30-31, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” We give because of what God gave to us in Jesus. We love our neighbor because we are loved by the Father. And we participate in the Compassion projects because they embody these key principles of our faith.
I would highly recommend either of the holiday Compassion projects to anyone looking for an area in which to serve at Riv and to step “outside of the box.”
- Ashley Barker on behalf of husband Shawn and their children Seneca, Caleb, Lukas and Natalie Barker
If you, your family, or your Life Group would like to provide and deliver a Thanksgiving meal this year, please email Ben and Jessica at Thanksgiving@RivChurch.com or call 517.768.8361. Provide your name, email, and phone number, and note one of the following: 1) I want to deliver. 2) I don’t want to deliver. OR 3) I’m flexible. Note that deliveries will need to be made on or before Sunday, November 20. Thank you for helping local families in need!
People who sign up to serve families at LAAN will bring a $15 check payable to Riverview (to cover the cost of the turkey) and the fixins to the Compassion Table at Riv on November 19th and 20th.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Riv Myths, Part II
Posted on Wednesday, Oct 19, 2011
This past summer we debunked a few myths we had heard floating around about Riv (and we hope it’s now clear — we’re not a misogynist cult where everyone drinks beer!) This week, we bring you a couple more.
“Isn’t that church only for college students?”
Nope. We have people of all ages, and many different ministries that serve all different stages of life. With that said, our average member is in his or her mid-twenties, and that has been part of an intentional effort. When we looked at the face of the American church, we realized young people were missing. Since then, it has been our dream to reach teens, college students, singles and young families with the message of Jesus.
Riverview began as a campus church, focused on reaching the college-age crowd. As our church has grown over the years our demographics have changed and our reach has increased, but our focus on reaching the young has remained.
George Barna, founder of the Barna Group, plotted the growth curve of most churches and showed that for a while the church grows, then plateaus, and then it goes into a slow steady decline. This is because people die and churches begin to have more funerals than weddings. Relevant, meaningful ministry for one generation is not relevant and meaningful for the next. So for the Gospel to go out, we must always keep our eyes young: we must pass the gospel onto the next generation.
Our dream is that as we go on, we will keep a high level of young people, but that the other age groups will grow — and that these older people will catch the vision to pass the torch onto the next generation.
“There’s no senior pastor.”
This is partly true, if by “Senior Pastor” you mean a single person who runs the show. However, we do consider ourselves as having a senior pastor: Jesus. Jesus is the one leading the church and everything we do. Under Jesus, Riverview operates under the “plurality” of leaders principle found in the New Testament.
The local church, as described in the New Testament, was always led by a team of elders (also known as pastors, overseers, or shep- herds). Instead of having just one senior pastor, we have a team of pastors with shared authority. This not only makes for a strong leadership team for increased wisdom, decision making, burden sharing, and leadership, but offers accountability and protection from pride and other sin.
Each pastor has a different role, but they all work together as one team. This structure provides accountability, protection, shared burden, and shared teaching responsibilities, among other things. As Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 4: “Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”
Meet a Staff Member: Joe Testa
Posted on Wednesday, Oct 12, 2011
What do you do here at Riv?
I’m the Venue Director with our MSU Venue. I love working with people. It’s definitely the highlight of my life. I love helping people come to know Jesus and grow up in Him.
Tell us about your family.
My wife Kelsey and I just celebrated our fifteenth anniversary and just had our fifth child. Ali is ten, Micah is eight, Anna is five, Nate is two, and Alivia is six weeks old.
Where did you grow up?
In the west suburbs of Chicago in a town called Addison.
What’s your Riv story?
I’ve been on staff with Great Commission Ministries (GCM) for fourteen years. I came to Riv three and a half years ago with a desire to link arms with a community church in our efforts to reach college students. Greg Van Nada and John Freeman were a significant part of my joining Riv’s team.
What are some cool things you’ve seen happen through the MSU Venue?
There are so many awesome things God is doing through our work on campus. I’m thrilled with the way our student leaders have stepped up. They are doing an incredible work. We’re amazed at all the internationals that we’ve gotten connected with over the past year and a half. Several of our Latino friends on campus have either just recently become Christians or have grown a lot over the past year. It’s all been so encouraging.
How did you come to know Jesus?
I became a Christian my freshman year at the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL. It was through a church on campus there and a small group that reached out to me. Those were pivotal years in my life!
What’s something not many people know about you?
I love to fish for walleyes.
What music is in your player right now?
I know this is crazy to say, but I listen to something called a radio. And to alienate me even more from anyone who is reading this . . . I listen to country music.
What’s your favorite book?
I like to read biographies. I really liked Hero for Humanity about the life of William Wilberforce.
What are some jobs you’ve had in the past?
I owned a couple landscaping/lawn maintenance businesses throughout high school and college and really enjoyed that work.
Who are some people that inspire you?
I’m inspired by anyone who lays their life down for Christ. I’m encouraged to see people follow Jesus in sacrificial ways.
What makes you smile?
Seeing God raise up people to be laborers in His harvest fields. My kids being thankful. Watching beautiful sunsets with my wife.
What do you hope to see happen in or through Riv?
I am really encouraged by so much of what’s going on right now . . . I dream about our international outreach growing. I’d love to see our Life Group ministry on campus birth many more times to be in more dorms. I’d love to see more interaction and mentorship between the olders and youngers. I’d love to help with raising up leaders to be involved with venues and church plants.
Anything else you want to share?
I just want to thank all of you who have served MSU over the last three or four years with the MSU Venue. We have been so blessed to have awesome servants within the MSU Venue, but we’ve also been so thankful for all the help that the Holt Venue has given us!
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Outdoor Baptisms
Posted on Thursday, Oct 6, 2011
Baptisms are a public declaration made by those who have placed their faith in Jesus. On Sunday, September 11, thirty-nine people from Riv were baptized at Valhalla Park, witnessed by nearly two hundred fifty Riv members who came to watch. Here are a few of their stories:
Megan Alleman’s baptism story
I’m thirty years old and have four children. I want to get baptized because I have given my life to God. In my past I’ve done a lot of good things but I’ve also done a lot of bad. Since I have given my life over to God I’ve been nine months clean from crack cocaine. I am now in school, going on my second term for a Medical Assistant, and I work as a home health care assistant, which is a field I’ve always wanted to be in. I couldn’t have done any of this without God. When I read His Word it gives me strength and hope. If I keep walking with the Lord, I know I will be able to provide a better life for myself and my kids.
Lorrie Dundon’s Baptism story
Jesus’ love for me was never questionable. I knew that God not only loved me, but also yearned to have a close relationship with me. But as I got older I became more and more neglectful of our relationship, calling upon God only when I needed Him and thanking Him from time to time for the blessings in my life. But I wasn’t very consistent and I spent very little time reading the Bible. I figured God’s way of communicating with me was mostly unspoken—occasionally in thoughts and feelings.
It wasn’t until I was well into my forties and began making a point of reading the Bible for my Life Group that I discovered there was so much more knowledge and wisdom in the Bible than I had imagined. I also realized this was God’s primary method of communication. The more time I spend reading the Word, the more I hand my life over to God. And when I let Him take over, I realize he is directing my life rather than going along for the ride. So I want to be re-baptized as an adult to confirm the fact that I am letting God lead me now.
Dan Seguin’s baptism story
Hi, I’m Dan. I am a twenty year old junior at MSU. I grew up attending a Catholic church and was very involved. I actively participated in Youth Group and took leadership when I could. However, I never fully understood my need for Christ. I thought salvation was based not just on faith, but on works also. I rarely, if ever, read the Bible or prayed, and felt no conviction from sin or desire to fight it. I may have thought I was a Christian then, but I was not.
During the first weeks of my freshmen year, a new friend invited me to a Campus Crusade meeting. There I completed a survey expressing interest in “knowing God more personally.” The idea was foreign to me, but it sounded like something I wanted.
On September 28, 2009, in response to the survey, two Crusade staff members came to my door. They gave me a little booklet titled Would You Like to Know God Personally? and asked if I could discuss it with them. However, I was working on a paper about divine providence and did not have the time. But I couldn’t keep my hands off that little booklet. I poured through it. I learned about God’s deep desire for me, but I was separated from Him due to my sin. Because of the wages of sin and death, there was no way I could ever work hard enough to remove the sin myself. Then I was hit by a bus of truth. Christ died! God sent his Son to pay the wages I could not. I screamed and rejoiced in my head, “GOD DOES ALL THE WORK! GOD DOES ALL THE WORK! GOD DOES ALL THE WORK!” I understood the Gospel for the first time and was born again in that moment.
The day before was the first time I attended a service at Riverview. The message was about being a sacrificial follower of Christ. Then, it was an idea I was not comfortable with. Now, I can’t imagine living any other way.
This Year at Riv Church
Posted on Wednesday, Sep 28, 2011
In September 2011, we used our Featured at RivChurch weekly newsletter to give Rivites an overview of what God has done over the last year and look ahead at some exciting plans for next year.
Click here to download This Year at Riv Church, our annual report for 2010-11.
My RivMexico Story, Part 2
Posted on Thursday, Aug 25, 2011
This week, we continue with some of the stories from members of Riv’s recent trip to Monterrey, Mexico. For more information on Riv’s involvement with Back2Back and future trips to Mexico, visit Mexico.RivChurch.com.
CANDACE HESKITT’S STORY
When we got to Monterrey, we had our first evening debriefing, and we went around the circle of sixty people telling why we thought we were there. When it got to my turn, I had NO idea! I hadn't even given it any thought! I just knew that four years ago I heard the stories of Mexico, and I knew I needed to go.
While we were there, I was surprised by almost everything we did. I was surprised how much devotions and prayer we had, by how much manual labor we did, by how vulnerable a huge group of acquaintances could be, by how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches one person can eat in a week . . . and by how little we played with kids in comparison. I thought that since our mission was for orphans and abandoned kids, that’s what the majority of our days would surround. By the end of the week, I realized that all the other things we spent our time doing — growing physically, mentally, and spiritually — WERE helping the kids. And they were helping them on such a larger scale then just hours on end of play. It’s so much deeper! By developing ourselves with Jesus we could show a kind of love most of these kids have never experienced. We could give them a glimpse of the promises that God has for them as orphans . . . that He will never forget them and never leave them!
ELLEN FEDOROWICZ’S STORY
In addition to spending time working at the orphanages and playing with the kids, the time in Monterrey at the Back2Back Ministries campus gave me time to explore my own level of spirituality and even to broaden and deepen it. Each day, I attended a Bible Study first thing in the morning. These were great times that allowed us to discuss various topics and have some discussions with the Back2Back staff. We then had both quiet times on an individual basis, and group times with our small group. In the evenings, once we were back from the orphanages, there was a worship service each night. One night there was even a worship service in Spanish! Another night gave us time to reflect on issues that we were dealing with and we could ask for prayer support from various Back2Back staff. I found all of these times invaluable in my walk with God and they gave me plenty of time to grow in my love for him.
SARAH BOYLE’S STORY
In Mexico, I really learned what it meant to pour your heart out for God. In working at the orphanages we met many kids with broken hearts, relationships, and lives. God put us there to help mend just a small part of these broken hearts — to slowly put together the pieces and help restore their trust in God. While we may never know the impact we had on some of the kids, I believe that God used us to get one step closer to fixing the broken hearts of these children. Leaving Mexico, I realized we too are constantly broken and need mending. God can heal us, but only if we allow him to. I am working on pouring my heart and love out for God wherever I am because I never know when I am going to run into someone whose heart is broken and God’s love can heal.
JEN GRIHORASH’S STORY
The first night in Mexico people talked about being closer to God while there. I didn’t fully understand what that meant until I returned home. It hit me my first day of “normal” life. I spend so much time planning and making decisions, without God. Now I know He is in control, but I realized how little I trust that control. Spending this week in Mexico did bring me closer to God and showed me what it means to truly trust the Lord.
If you have ever thought this may be a trip for you, GO! If you think it would really be good for you or for so and so, GO! If you are feeling called but scared to go, GO! I was very nervous to go on my own without my husband, but God gave me such wonderful peace that I wasn’t nervous at all the entire trip. Do whatever it takes to raise the money and GO!
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
My RivMexico Story, Part 1
Posted on Thursday, Aug 18, 2011
Last month, Riv sent a team of sixty people to work with Back2Back Ministries in Monterrey, Mexico. The corporate experience of the “Riv60” team was phenomenal, with many lives impacted and changed. Several team members volunteered to share what most affected them during the trip. Check out this and next week’s Featured at RivChurch for some of their stories.
For more information on our involvement with Back2Back and future trips to Mexico, visit Mexico.RivChurch.com.
TONY PYLE’S STORY:
It is hard to describe in words how much the Mexico mission trip affected me. The experiences from the trip that are burned into my mind all involve the orphans. I was constantly recalling times in my life when I was their age and thinking about where I was or what I was doing. Most times, I was doing things the average American kid does: playing on a soccer team, on vacation, with friends at the playground, or with my family. Thinking back, not one moment in my life even compared to what these orphans dealt with on a daily basis. I knew I was going to be fed. I knew I would have clothes to wear. I knew my parents loved me and supported me.
With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I noticed something in all of these kids that blew me away. They were happy. Without a doubt. I caught myself thinking, “How can these kids be happy in this situation? They don’t have anything to call their own, and their living quarters are barely livable.” As I kept spending time with them though, sure enough, they were smiling and excited to spend time with these American people who came to love them.
Looking back at my life, in my childhood especially, there were times when I can’t say I was nearly as happy as these children were. Someone had taken my toy. I wasn’t able to go the movies with my friends. I got grounded for picking on my little sister. But more than any of those, I was not happy because I did not have Christ. Christ was not a part of my life until my high school years, and before that, I had a longing for something more that I didn’t understand. These orphans are surrounded by Christ-loving people who adore them and make them feel as though they are their own.
These parents are a living example of James 1:27, which reads, “Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
God knows what these orphans need. They don’t need an Xbox 360. They don’t need clothes from Hollister. They don’t need iPhones. They need Christ. They need a community of people who are going to love them unconditionally, as their heavenly Father does. They need love and support and to be shown that they are special. Jesus came into the world to show people that they are loved. That no matter what they have done, or what is wrong with them, they are loved and desired by the God who made them. God passionately pursues us with his love and mercy, and I saw this unceasingly demonstrated by how these orphans were loved in Mexico.
I will never be able to fully explain what God has done in my heart from this trip. I do know that I will be back in Mexico next year, continuing to serve the Lord and see him work through His people. I am blessed to have experienced this trip in its fullness, and continue to praise God for his goodness and provision for his children in Monterrey.
DANIELLE PYLE’S STORY:
I have always found an urgency to influence the younger generation for Christ in our American “world,” where most people will place their faith in Jesus before their early twenties. However, the group of fourteen high school students from Riv on this trip influenced me more than I could have imagined. Throughout our time in Mexico, I was struck by these young men and women who sacrificed their summer vacation, time, energy, and comfort to be on the trip. They translated for me (thank you high school Spanish teachers!), demonstrated kindness to one another, served each orphan child in love, and shared their own stories of struggle and faith as a high school student. The pictures from the week of these students that will remain in my mind and heart forever include: a team of five high school girls and myself being entrusted to wire a newly built children’s home (not sure whose idea
that was!), the pool day with thirty little kids who had never been swimming before, bus conversations, painting a forever long outdoor fence in the hot Mexican sun, and watching Drew, Brady, Laura, Annie, Victoria, and Nick make their faith in Jesus public through their baptisms.
I am inspired by the parents of each of these students whose faith in God gave them the courage to allow their son or daughter to board a plane to Mexico with a group of (mostly) strangers for a week because he or she was ready “go and make disciples of all the nations.” I might forget some of the specific words, conversations, or teachings of the week, but I will never forget how that week made me feel and what it helped me to believe about God’s role in the lives of the next generation of church leaders.
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Meet a Volunteer: Denny Duchene
Posted on Saturday, Aug 13, 2011
WHAT DO YOU DO HERE AT RIV?
I direct Riv’s Mexico ministry . . . we’re teamed up with an amazing ministry called Back2Back out of Monterrey, MX. We send a lot of people down to work in orphanages and churches south of the border. In 2012 we hope to send as many as 200 people!
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY:
I have a beautiful, talented wife named Ann. She’s my best friend. We’ve got an eleven-year-old son named Ramon and an eight-year-old daughter named Brenda. We adopted them from Mexico and they are still stuck there as we work out a very long immigration process. Pray for us . . . we NEED to get them home. We also have a one-year-old daughter named Victoria who is a little bundle of personality.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I grew up in Detroit . . . a really different culture than Holt. I’ve lived in the Lansing area for thirteen years.
WHAT’S YOUR RIV STORY?
Ann and I first came to Riv in February, 2008. I was serving as an elder in a small church in Grand Ledge that decided to close its doors after thirty years. We were looking for a church that offered a really strong Biblical focus and a serious emphasis on actual community . . . something way more intense than just coming to a weekend service. We liked that first service a lot, but when we picked up the church’s Vision Statement at RivWarehouse, it grabbed our hearts. We view our commitment to the church as vital to our spiritual growth and we made the decision that Riv would be our “family” from then forward. We got plugged into the Mexico ministry because we were already taking teams to Mazatlan, MX for ten years before we came to Riv. One of the things that really connected with us was the specific focus the church had on reaching Mexico. It was a natural fit.
WHAT ARE SOME COOL THINGS YOU’VE SEEN HAPPEN THROUGH RIV MEXICO?
When people go on a trip to Mexico, they have some of the most intense opportunities for growth you can imagine. They have serious time to reflect on God’s Word, they are working together with a team, and they have to set aside their own immediate desires for the good of everyone. They see both physical and spiritual needs in a way that we don’t usually see in the US, AND they get to help Back2Back meet those needs. I’ve never talked to someone who went on a short-term trip with Riv and came back the same. Life Groups get formed and strengthened, personal commitments to missions, both internationally and at home, get made, and people connect to God in a way they didn’t even know they could. Everyone should go!
HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS?
I grew up in a pretty hectic environment . . . a lot of crazy stuff was going on all around and a lot of people had destroyed lives. When I was twelve, my dad, who was a pretty angry alcoholic, understood what it meant to follow Jesus and his life was completely transformed. I rejected his “preaching” for the next six years and made a lot of dumb decisions. My Dad was a faithful messenger, and when I was eighteen, in the middle of serious trouble, the truth of Jesus’ message just clicked into place for me. As the Spirit went to work in my life, things changed very quickly and while there are a ton of struggles, God’s faithfulness is clear to me every day.
WHAT ARE SOME JOBS YOU’VE HAD?
I currently work at a “utility services” company called Inspired Green that helps people who own homes figure out how to solve building problems that are bad for their families. I’ve done a lot of food service stuff in the early years and I’ve worked in a lot of different construction roles. I’ve also had a lot of experience in pastoral ministry and camping ministry.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
I read a lot. I also enjoy thinking up new business ideas, which may not seem like a hobby, but it’s a lot of fun. I enjoy outdoor things too . . . hiking, canoeing, and the like.
WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE?
Dry humor, good beer, and my family.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?
“Who dares, wins.” (The motto of the British SAS)
WHO ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE INSPIRED YOU?
Mike Calhoun was a camp director that I worked for. He was a serious man of God who loved people without compromising the truth. I learned more about leadership from him than from any other person. Second, Yves Perodin is a great friend of mine who has a heart for serving people that never quits. He inspires me to give as much of myself away as I can. Next, Paul DenHerder always inspires me to be a real listener . . . to actually identify what people truly need. And, last but not least, my wife Ann always inspires me by her quiet dedication to God, to her family, to serving others, and by being an awesome gourmet chef!
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
RivKids
Posted on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2011
RivKids, Riverview’s children’s ministry, has made some significant changes in its strategy and structure over the last couple of years. We asked RivKids Director Jen Anibal to share some details about these changes with us.
WHAT IS RIVKIDS’ MISSION?
Our goal is to partner with families to influence kids to love Jesus. The RivKids leadership team wants to see great things happen in the lives of children. We have the opportunity to share the gospel with 480ish kids (and that number is always growing) each weekend. That’s the size of an elementary school! This is why the weekend services are so important to us and why we’re laser focused on creating a top-notch environment for kids every week. We are all here with the same purpose in mind — to lead children into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
WHAT’S UP WITH THE TEAMS?
By fifth grade, kids have formed an idea of who God is and choose whether or not they want to have a relationship with Him. When you take out holidays, sick days, and vacations, the church has approximately forty hours in a given year to invest in the hearts and lives of kids. Only forty hours! That means volunteers have a very limited amount of time with kids in their classrooms. The team strategy maximizes that time each week and makes it easier for kids to connect with leaders who care about them.
The RivKids volunteer base includes over 250 volunteers divided into thirty-two classroom teams. Each team has six to eight people, with three or more of them volunteering each week, allowing for consistency without people having to serve every week. This team approach provides the consistency and familiarity that kids desire in order to begin forming relationships. It also gives volunteers the ability to take ownership of their classroom for the school year (August through May). We want to be strategic about putting positive leaders in our kids’ lives, or they will find those influences — good or bad — on their own.
250 sounds like a lot of volunteers, doesn’t it? However, to have every area in RivKids functioning smoothly, from classrooms and sound team to RivBuddies and large group set creation, we actually need 360 or more volunteers. We currently need 110 more for the 2011-12 school year!
WHAT ARE OUR KIDS LEARNING AT RIVKIDS?
RivKids utilizes curriculum from the reThink Group. Each curriculum set targets a specific age and developmental level of children and builds on the idea that spiritual growth is relationally driven. The three curriculum sets are called First Look, 252 Basics, and XP3. Our goal is to help kids see God for who He is and see themselves the way God does so they can love others the way God does.
First Look uses engaging activities to introduce pre-school children (ages one to about five) to God. It gives these young children a first impression of their heavenly Father and the wonder of His love for each of them. The curriculum keeps it simple and fun, repeating one basic truth about God all month long. It also helps children understand worship, introduces them to small group time, and encourages them to talk to God any time at any place. We want preschoolers to take a first look at who God is and under- stand that “God made me, God loves me, and Jesus wants to be my friend forever.”
252 Basics, the curriculum for first through fourth graders, helps connect the love and worship of God to good decision-making for elementary school aged students. The lessons help them see the value of respecting authority and treating their friends like they are human, not Sponge Bob. 252 Basics centers on three basic truths modeled by Jesus in Luke 2:52: “I need to make the wise choice, I can trust God no matter what, and I should treat others the way I want to be treated.” We also focus on a core virtue each month. This virtue is supported by the weekly bottom line — the learning aim for each weekend.
XP3 stands for “eXPerience three.” This biblically-based topical curriculum for our Hwy 56 students (fifth and sixth graders) centers around the three experiences these students are hungry for: wonder, discovery, and passion.
RivKids also encompasses the RivBuddies program for special needs children. We currently serve around eighteen special needs children and their families each weekend with thirty RivBuddy volunteers. In order to build a team of people caring for each child, we need at least fifty-four people serving as RivBuddies. We are currently twenty-four short.
The stakes are too high to let a generation of kids get stuck. Every generation needs personal relationships with leaders from the generation that came before. There are kids who need volunteers to step up and lead them. Could this be you? Develop that relationship. Become a baby’s first teacher. Be a welcoming face each week. God moves every day to invite you into a bigger story. Serving with RivKids just might be a part of your story waiting to be told.
Our annual Volunteer Kick Off is Sunday, August 28 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm in the Auditorium. To get involved with a 2011-12 RivKids Team, with RivBuddies, or in another area of service within RivKids, visit ServeRivKids.RivChurch.com. You can also email Jen.Anibal@RivChurch.com for more info.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
My Story, By Lorrie Dundon
Posted on Friday, Jul 29, 2011
Lorrie Dundon is a Riv volunteer who serves on the Welcome Team and coordinates an Indie Ministry for women in prison. We asked Lorrie to share some of her Riv story with us.
I’ve been attending Riv since 2002. I was raised Catholic, but my husband, Tim, wasn’t comfortable with the rituals of the Catholic Church. As Riverview’s original building was being built, every time we’d drive by he’d half-joke, “That’s going to be my church.” After it was built, it only took a few random visits before my family was hooked. The Riv feel was very different than the traditions I was accustomed to. We were blown away by the Biblically sound messages that were delivered by humble and transparent pastors who made the messages relatable through their own personal stories. I soon realized how much Scripture I did not understand. What struck me the deepest was that the pastors intentionally and creatively made the Bible relevant to young people. The first year that Riv started Stephen Ministry (a one-on-one care ministry that supports those going through difficult times), I joined. Not only did it begin to stretch my faith, I was also blessed with many new friendships. I’ve watched God grow this church and seen sacrificial members fund the building expansion and many other projects and ministries over the years. I’ve been blessed with the experience of going to Back2Back’s campus in Monterrey, and my daughters Leah and Sara have been as well. (Sara has also been to B2B’s Nigeria location.)
For a long time, I wanted to become involved with a prison ministry. I prayed about it and was trying to figure out where to start. In May 2009, through Stephen Ministry I was assigned to a care receiver, Melissa, who would ultimately be heading to prison.
I was immensely blessed to know Melissa who, through her anxiety, fear, and desperation, searched for biblical truth and forgiveness. She asked for Scripture on God’s promises and soaked it up like a sponge, which became like armor to her during depressing lows and frightening experiences. As the Holy Spirit began directing her life, she became like a light to those around her, providing hope and encouragement — both outside of prison and later within. We participated in a life group where a network of beautiful, solid Christian women came alongside her and continue to be a part of her support system. Through prayer, God has come to her rescue many times. He took a heart-wrenching, horrendous situation and through Melissa’s faithfulness He grew so many blessings that continue to multiply over and over.
During our prison visits, my eyes were opened to the fact that very few prisoners have visitors. I learned from Melissa that most don’t receive mail, either. Prison is a devastating, lonely place and suicide rates are high. These are people who need hope — they need to understand the Gospel: that past sins can be forgiven through a relationship with Christ; they need someone to encourage and pray for them; and they need to learn Scriptural promises to get them through their days. Melissa and I were discussing this during a visit as she looked around the room and emphatically exclaimed, “Where are all the Christians?!” Since then, I’ve made it my mission to bring women from Riverview to the prison, as well as provide very tangible ways to bring Christ to prisoners who are in search of hope.
If you would like to assist with the women’s prison ministry or are interested in joining the Life Group for women who have previously been incarcerated, please email Lorrie.Dundon@RivChurch.com.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
What We Believe
Posted on Friday, Jul 22, 2011
CORE DOCTRINES
We believe the Bible is inspired by God, and that it is the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. It is composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament and was written without error in the original manuscripts. It is the highest authority over all other forms of revelation.
We believe in one God in three distinct persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — each of whom possesses all the attributes of Deity and characteristics of personality.
We believe in the deity of Jesus, his virgin birth, sinless life, his miracles, his vicarious and atoning death as a substitute, his bodily resurrection, his ascension to the Father’s right hand, and his personal return in power and glory.
We believe in the salvation of all who believe by grace alone through faith alone. God declares righteous all who put their trust in Christ alone.
We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, his work to reveal Christ to the world, to convict people of their sins, and his indwelling presence in every one who believes, which enables that believer to grow in godliness in respect to his or her salvation.
We believe in the resurrection of both the lost and the saved after physical death. The believer goes immediately into the presence of the Lord and waits for his body to be resurrected to eternal blessing and glory with God. The unbeliever waits for his body to be resurrected to eternal suffering, judgment, and condemnation.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Jesus Christ our Lord.
THE CHURCH
The church must be faithful to unchanging Biblical doctrine.
The church must be faithful to minister in the context of a continually changing culture.
The church’s mission is to train people who respond to the gospel to go into the culture as missionaries with the gospel, using the gifts and talents God gave them.
The church exists for the redemption of lost people.
All believers make up the church worldwide and should meet together in local churches for worship, prayer, teaching, and mission.
The local church should be actively involved in planting new churches.
THE GOSPEL
God created heaven and earth, man and woman in sinless perfection with dignity of life, in his image.
Since Adam sinned, now all are sinners by nature and choice. All human beings are born with a corrupted nature and without spiritual life, and are totally incapable of pleasing God in and of themselves.
God is not obligated to save any person — all deserve the just punishment of hell. But in his love, God chose to elect people for salvation. That election was foreordained before the creation.
Jesus died for all, however, forgiveness of sins is given only to those who respond in belief.
The gospel should be passionately proclaimed to all people, so that all who believe may be saved.
There is no opportunity for salvation following physical death.
All believers have been assured of salvation.
Every believer should be baptized by immersion as a symbol of their new birth in Christ. Every believer should participate in the Lord’s Supper as a symbol of remembrance of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.
The worship of God is the end for which people are created, and abiding joy is only found in God during this life.
Jesus is coming back to judge all people.
When Jesus comes back, he will set up his kingdom on earth and rule until a new heaven and new earth are created to be the final eternal home of all who have believed.
PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY
We do not retreat from culture, but use discernment so as not to compromise the gospel.
We cannot isolate ourselves and families from the evil in this world nor from other believers with whom we may disagree.
We believe that the order of creation determines roles of masculinity and femininity based on our sex. We believe that God revealed himself as Father and is to be honored by that name.
We do not believe in Open Theism (that God doesn’t know the future), nor Universalism (that in the end, all people will be saved).
We are not nationalists, only desiring one nation to improve. The church has no political affiliation or agenda. Though, individuals in the church may participate in the political governing process to pass laws that are just and moral.
We are not moralists, only trying to make people “good.” We are evangelists laboring to bring the gospel to people so that they may be saved.
We believe Satan and demons are created beings who have fallen and are now enemies of God. Though they are presently at work in the world, in the end they are all subject to God. We believe that the preaching and propagation of the gospel is the church’s mandate to defeat the forces of evil.
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Riv Myths: Debunked
Posted on Friday, Jul 15, 2011
There have always been false ideas about Christianity. In the days of the early church, common culture thought Christians were wacky (see box), and while the myths about Christianity may be different today, the sense of misunderstanding remains.
So, it’s not surprising when you run into someone (or may have even been one yourself) who has a funny idea about “that church Riverview.” Here we are, to bust some of these myths once and for all.
ISN’T RIVERVIEW A CULT?
No. A cult is any religion that rejects, changes, or adds to the essential doctrines of the orthodox Christian faith. Essential doctrines are those that define a religion’s basic essence. Much the same way, say, a chicken salad must include chicken, religions have basic, essential ingredients (doctrines). Orthodox Christianity is a Jesus salad, tossed with the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and salvation by grace through faith. Check out next week’s newsletter for the full description of What We Believe, or visit About Us at RivChurch.com.
DOESN’T EVERYONE THERE DRINK BEER?
Nope. But the origin of this myth probably started with a group of Riv guys who were active in the home brew community for several years. Pastor Noel Heikkinen explains, “The guys who started this group did not do so solely because they like beer (which they do). They also didn’t do it to buck the system (which it did). They did it because they saw the increased popularity in home brewing and saw the Gospel opportunity it provided. They were able to reach out to people who were previously untouched with the Gospel. We, as a culture, are very well versed in the dangers of alcoholism, drunk driving, and the like. What we desperately need in America are examples of moderation.”
There have also been myths surrounding Riv’s stance on drinking alcohol in general. To be clear, Riverview strongly advocates against the over- consumption of alcohol. Ephesians 5:18 states, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.”
The home brew group mentioned earlier focused on the art of beer making while both modeling and exhorting moderation. The objective was quality over quantity. These men endeavored to break down misconceptions about the Biblical view of alcohol and build community and friendships through a common bond. Anyone with an alcoholic past or for whom alcohol is a temptation was not advised to join.
So it is far from the truth to say that everyone at Riv drinks beer — but it’s fair to say that some people drink beer, albeit while following the Bible’s example of warning about the dangers of drunkenness, while also calling wine (or any drink) a blessing from God.
WOMEN AREN’T ALLOWED TO SERVE IN LEADERSHIP ROLES THERE, RIGHT?
No, they can. In fact, Riv has many women in leadership roles. But in view of the parameters given to us in the New Testament, Riverview does not appoint women as elders or in a position of teaching authority over men.
Riv holds to what is called the Complementarian View (vs. the Egalitarian View), which is that men and women have different but complementary roles and responsibilities in marriage, family life, and religious leadership. This means that God has created men and women equal in dignity and humanity, but different and complementary in function with male headship in the home and in the Church.
Riverview is committed to the honoring and glorifying of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church, through numerous ministries. Many of these ministries incorporate and are led by women, who are fellow heirs in Christ and who are uniquely qualified to serve in various spheres of ministry — both to other women and to the Body of Christ as a whole. Riverview could not be or do what Jesus Christ has called us to without the invaluable contribution and leadership of the women who are part of our church family.
For a full explanation, pick up Riverview’s position paper, Women in Ministry: A Biblical Perspective, at the RivWarehouse in the lobby.
Did you or anyone you know have a funny idea about Riv before you came?
To share yours, email Melissa.Kranzo@RivChurch.com or post your myth on Riv’s Facebook wall. We’ll be debunking more myths next month.
Meet a Staff Member: Tricia Miller
Posted on Tuesday, Jul 5, 2011
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY:
I have been married for almost fourteen years to my very entertaining husband, JR. He always tells me, “Think how boring your life would be without me.” Oh, how true. :) We have two amazing kids: Ethan, who is twelve and loves playing baseball, and Hailey, who is almost ten and loves animals. I feel very blessed to have the family that I do.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP?
I grew up in Haslett. I lived in the same house from the time I was six months old until I was 19 and left to get married. (Yes, I got married really young!)
WHAT’S YOUR RIV STORY?
JR and I moved from Colorado back to Michigan in June of 2002 and started coming to Riv only a couple months after our move back. I started volunteering a few hours a week to help with RivBabies, as it was called back then. About a year later I was brought on staff to help with RivKids special events. My job has continued to evolve over the past six years, which is one of the things that I love about my job.
WHAT ARE SOME COOL THINGS THAT YOU’VE SEEN HAPPEN THROUGH RIVKIDS?
I have loved seeing kids grow up over the past six years, going from being kids in the ministry to leading other kids as part of the worship team. I love watching them grow and mature and use their gifts to help others know what it means to have a relationship with God. I also love hearing stories from parents on Facebook or in person about how their kids talk about what they learned in RivKids that weekend or how they are singing the songs that we sing on the weekends about praising God. It makes every minute of work completely worth it.
HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS?
I grew up in church from the time I was born. My grandpa was a pastor and I had many uncles who were pastors. I am thankful for the Christian heritage that I have. I feel it gave me a solid foundation that kept me out of lot of trouble growing up. I said a prayer when I was eight, but I don’t feel like it was until high school that it actually became my faith and not something that I had just because of my family.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
You might laugh, but my favorite book of all time will always be Goodnight Moon. I have probably read it hundreds of times with my kids and it is their favorite book even to this day. They still pick it out every once in a while to read. When they were little we had certain ways we would read different parts of the book. They still read it those ways. That book will always bring back memories of their childhood to me.
WHAT MUSIC IS IN YOUR PLAYER RIGHT NOW?
I actually use Pandora more than anything. The channel mix that I have going right now includes Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, U2, Bon Jovi, and Coldplay.
WHO ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE INSPIRED YOU?
My husband inspires me every day. He is an amazing father and I learn a lot from watching him with our kids. He knows how to be stern but also loving with them. I also learn a lot about leadership from him. I am always bouncing questions off of him and he is always willing to take time to help me work through any issues I may be having. He’s a pretty good guy to have around!
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
I love to garden, travel, spend time with my husband, watch my kids’ sporting events, bake, clip coupons, and find good deals online.
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT YOUR SUPERPOWERS TO BE?
To have endless energy!
WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE?
Watching my kids grow up, watching kids at Riv grasp the fact that Jesus loves them, watching my husband love my kids, and cuddling with my kids in bed at night.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU HOPE TO HAPPEN IN OR THROUGH RIV?
My hope is that kids who pass through RivKids gain an understanding that God loves them unconditionally, and that He will always be there for them. I hope that each week the kids can learn something that they can apply to their lives, either now or down the road.
HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?
I am allergic to caffeine so I don’t drink coffee. I am more of a hot tea drinker. I love herbal blueberry tea.
Africa Revolution
Posted on Friday, Jun 24, 2011
Riverview encourages people to grow, serve, and go. Annie and Allan Greig, who attend Riv along with their one-year-old son, Judah, (and have another baby on the way!), are one couple living this out. In 2005, Annie and Allan founded Africa Revolution, a ministry focused on community care and development in vulnerable communities in Southern Africa.
Africa Revolution (AR) began when Allan, a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute Graduate School, took a team of grad students to South Africa on an exploratory church-planting trip. There he met a young man, Eric, who reminded him very much of himself, with one exception: Eric was dying of HIV/AIDS. Eric was lying in a dark back room in the final stages of his life, unable to sit up or even talk. Allan explains, “After my feeble attempts to encourage him and pray with him, I felt the Lord say to me, ‘This is where my people and my Church need to be.’ It broke my heart. That was my moment of obligation.”
A few years later, in December of 2005, he took his then-new-girlfriend (now wife) Annie out for their first fancy date and told her he was quitting his job to start a ministry. From that moment on, she was on board. They were married the following year and launched AR. “Since then, we’ve slowly grown and matured,” Annie explains. “We’ve moved from trying to do too much with too little to now focusing on investing deeply into individuals’ lives, so that they are equipped to be agents of change.”
Africa Revolution’s mission is “to see the Kingdom of God made manifest in the lives and communities of those we serve.” The focus of their service is not only to the vulnerable (orphans, widows, and the poor) but also to those wanting to come alongside the vulnerable. They believe that all of us are in need of transformation, and so desire to facilitate, educate, and equip those who want to be in relationship with the materially poor.
AR is specifically focused on three areas: widow and orphan care, a volunteer discipleship program, and various empowering partnership projects. For widow and orphan care, they come alongside local churches that are already taking care of orphans and widows in their community, becoming a part of already existing efforts. Their Vision Year volunteer program is a one-year discipleship program designed to equip team members, as well as serve the community. Recently they have been able to incorporate African volunteers in this, and are thrilled about the opportunity of these cross-cultural teams. Their third focus, Projects, are simple ways to support work within their programs, such as providing computer classes or food parcels to the community. In all they do, they seek to empower individuals to transform their community through discipleship-based ministry — or in other words, to make disciples who make disciples.
Allan is originally from Zambia and South Africa, but that’s not the only reason they felt compelled to serve there. Africa is well known as a place of great need, where many live in physical and spiritual poverty. But Annie and Allan also see Africa as a place where God is at work, a place with a great hunger and thirst for grace and truth where the gospel must be proclaimed and portrayed in the midst of great suffering.
While their official job titles are “missionaries,” Annie and Allan don’t see their calling as different from other Christians. “We believe all Christians are missionaries in a sense, “ they explain. “We are all ambassadors for the King.” They do, however, recognize that their day-to-day may differ from the average day job. “There is a lot of juggling, and we are constantly dealing with bizarre situations. We once picked up a drunken man and put him in a shopping cart so his drunken wife could push him home. Another time we got to take food to a witch doctor and talk with him about Jesus. There are always lots of decisions to be made, lots of traveling, lots of people, and plenty of transitions. However, there are many myths surrounding missions and missionaries. It is not glamorous or always full of adventure, and we are not super Christians — it’s hard work and we do occasionally break the speed limit on the way to the 9:30ish church service. But, we love what we do, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
For those interested in finding out more about AR, Allan and Annie especially enjoy getting to know people personally and seeing how God can connect them specifically to the work in Africa, whether it’s through prayer, supporting the vision financially, volunteering with them here in Lansing, or heading to Africa as part of their one-year volunteer program. Through all they do, the Greig’s long to see the incredible love, compassion, grace, and mercy of God made manifest in hurting places and hurting people.
To find out more, visit AfricaRevolution.org, or email Allan at Allan@AfricaRevolution.org.
Music at Riv: Singing a New Song
Posted on Friday, Jun 17, 2011
When it comes to music at Riv, one thing you can expect each week is to never know what to expect. With nine bands between the Holt and MSU Venues (six at Holt, three at MSU), each with their own unique spin, worship plays out differently every week.
There are several reasons for Riverview’s multiple band and style approach. The first is practical. When doing music at multiple services, band members volunteer twelve (or more) hours on the weekend, plus another couple of hours at practice mid-week, so there is a need to alternate people. Instead of rotating musicians within one band, whole bands are kept together and rotated. It’s helpful when bands aren’t “on” every weekend so they can work on their chemistry as a group and be more creative in their songwriting and arrangements. The second reason is intentional. Until recently, there was never a genre of “worship music.” As a congregation with diverse styles and tastes, it’s nice to sing in a way that reflects this. The third reason has to do with one of Riv’s main missions: GO. As a church increasingly focused on planting new churches, it’s important to be forward thinking with how this plays out. When sending people out to new venues, Riverview hopes to send them equipped with a band. Having multiple bands means that when the time comes, we can be ready to send some out.
Churches typically include singing as part of their services, but have you ever wondered why? Nowadays, the terms “worship” and “music” are often used interchangeably, and while music is surely worship, it’s only a part. Worship is simply our response to God’s initiation in our lives. In the Bible, worship is offering up our bodies as living sacrifices, and never defined just in terms of music. But there are acts of worship all throughout Scripture that include music (Acts 16:25, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, and throughout Psalms). God has created music to be a conduit that expresses feelings, emotions, and truths, and we are told to sing songs to God and to each other. The Bible never says this must be done in a church service per se, but we do so because this is where we meet collectively.
Riv Pastor Dan Price oversees all things music and also leads his own band. His goal for the music is the same as Riv’s mission for the teachings: to teach, encourage, and challenge people by helping them come into a real understanding of who God is. This means that sometimes the music is full of joy, love, and praise, while other times it can be dark and filled with despair, as in Psalm 88, showing the realities of our state and relationship with God. The goal of worship is not to have a feel-good experience (though that can definitely be the case at times — God is GOOD), but to thank him for what he’s done and realize that we are desperate and our sin is dark. In leading the music, band leaders try to strike a balance between these truths.
Riv also aims to sing songs that are both vertical and horizontal, meaning the songs are about either glorifying God or teaching and exhorting one another. This idea is based on Biblical principles, where we are instructed to “sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs to God” (vertical, Colossians 3:16) and also to speak “to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs” (horizontal, Ephesians 5:19).
Original songs written by the band members themselves are a significant part of Riv’s approach, based again on Biblical principles. In several different areas of the Psalms it talks about singing “new songs” to Lord. (Psalm 33:3, 40:3, 96:1). We are all image-bearers of God, created to reflect God’s character and glory. (Genesis 1:27, Colossians 3:10) Part of this includes being creative and “singing new songs.” This approach may be new to some who come from other churches where only familiar or traditional songs are typically sung, but Dan describes why we do it differently. “In any other time or culture, it would be weird to think of not writing your own music,” he says. “Because we live in a culture of packaged worship music handed to churches, people expect certain songs. But I think this should be the exception, not the norm. Of course, it’s important to have theologically minded people writing these new songs. But when you do, it’s actually much easier to line up your music with what you’re teaching theologically as a church.”
Overall, the purpose of Riv’s music is to respond as a congregation to God's initiation in our lives. Dan explains, “During the week, we are all spread out, hopefully extending worship in the way we live. But then we get this chance to come together on the weekend and respond in thanks to God as a congregation - it's a cool thing. My hope is that this is a time where people are real and passionate because God is real and passionate, and what we are singing about are the deepest truths that we know.”
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Overview: LEAD Featuring Dr. Bruce Ware
Posted on Friday, Jun 10, 2011
Last month, Riv hosted LEAD, a leadership conference held several times a year for “those who do or want to.” The conference featured Dr. Bruce Ware, a highly esteemed theologian, author, and Professor of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Resurgence Training Center (Re:Train). The following is an overview of the topics discussed by Dr. Ware. If you missed the conference (or were there, but are still trying to wrap your brain around it, as many of us are!) you can hear the full teachings at Lead.RivChurch.com.
Session One: God’s Holiness and Mercy
Dr. Ware opened the conference by explaining why knowing God is so important, and what A.W. Tozer meant when he said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” The meaning? It’s in our nature to seek to become like what we adore. The more we know and adore God, the more we seek to become like him. The more we adore something else, the more we seek to become like it instead.
Dr. Ware then explained God as both Transcendent (other than us, bigger than us) and Immanent (yet with us) and why this reality is truly amazing.
Session Two: God’s Love
God’s love is complex, not simple. There exists a Universal Love, which He has for all humanity, but also a Redemptive-Covenantal Love, which He has for his children alone.
The picture of this redemptive-covenantal love was looked at in Isaiah 43:1-7. God views His people as His own special ones; just as a husband has a universal love for all women (as fellow human beings), he has a further, special covenantal love for his own wife. As a husband uniquely loves his wife, so God loves us.
Dr. Ware explained that through Isaiah 43, God’s formation on His people was established (vs. 1); His commitment expressed (vs. 2); His love expanded (vs. 3-4); His pledge extended (vs. 5-6); and His end for His people extolled (vs. 7).
Just as God’s redemptive-covenantal love for his people was demonstrated in the Old Testament through the Exodus, so it is in the New Testament in the Cross. The Cross is the fulfillment of the Exodus and God’s expression of love to us. Also discussed was how God’s greatest display of love can only be seen against the backdrop of his just judgment of sin — in the Exodus, with the plagues sent on Egypt, and in the Cross, with the wicked- ness and evil of those who put Christ there.
In closing, Dr. Ware explained, “As a wife is to relish, not resist, the exclusive love her husband has for her alone, so God’s people only know His deepest human-directed love as we relish, not resist, the fully unmerited and undeserved exclusive love that God has for His people alone . . . Embrace this special love, this redemptive-covenantal love of God for His own. Be humbled by it, be filled with joy over it, and be empowered to live lives that express the depth of our dependence upon and gratitude for such unspeakably lavish, costly, and undeserved love.”
Session Three: God’s Sovereignty
God has Divine Sovereignty, meaning that God exhaustively plans and meticulously carries out His perfect Will as He alone knows is best, regarding all that is in heaven and on earth. He does so without failure or defeat, accomplishing His purposes in all of creation from the smallest details to the grand purposes of His plan for the whole of the created order.
Dr. Ware explained how this Sovereignty is shown through Isaiah 44 and 45, which shows God’s Sovereign control over nature and nations (44:24-27); over Cyrus (and shed light on this prophecy, 44:28-45:4); and over the full spectrum of life, both good and evil (45:5-7). Dr. Ware discussed how God fully controls both good and evil, yet is also wholly good and not evil in any respect.
The session concluded by looking at how God’s divine sovereignty is fully compatible with human responsibility, especially as it relates to our suffering, prayer, and salvation.
Session Four: Q & A with Dr. Ware
During this hour, the floor was opened up for attendees to ask Dr. Ware questions. Dr. Ware displayed his brilliance in answering complex and difficult questions, such as:
• If God is Sovereign and in control of evil, how do you explain in Job where Satan was the one causing the evil?
• When looking at God’s love for Israel, does God have the same love for us Gentiles?
• How can we reconcile God’s heart for pain vs. his causing pain?
• How can we retain our free will if God shapes our will?
• In the Bible, it says that God “hated” Esau. Does this mean there are disposable people?
• How do we come to God with a right spirit to change things if everything is already part of his sovereign plan?
To hear the answers to these questions, including one point where Dr. Ware managed to collectively, as Riv Pastor Noel Heikkinen would say, “melt our brains,” visit Lead.Rivchurch.com/Resources.
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
High School: In Their Element
Posted on Wednesday, Jun 1, 2011
The Element, Riv’s ministry for ninth through twelfth graders, gives students a place to learn about being a Christ-follower in an inviting and relaxing atmosphere.. Students play crazy games, are challenged with engaging teachings, and are encouraged to share their lives with peers and leaders in Life Groups.
The Element meets Sundays from 4:00ish - 6:00ish pm in the Chapel at Riv’s Holt Venue, and holds Blend events (fun monthly activities) at various times throughout the month. The Element will also be holding Bible studies this summer, studying through the book of Ephesians These will take place every Thursday night from 6:30-8:30, beginning June 16.
Students are welcome to attend a meeting or Blend whenever they would like. For more info, please email Tony.Pyle@RivChurch.com.
We asked Riverview high school students, “Why do you go to Element?” Here’s what they said:
Meghan Hanrahan, 12th grade
I absolutely love Element. I was new this year, and from the ?rst day I felt so welcome. I love how the leaders have such a deep understanding about God’s Word, and they are always helping me understand more. Everyone at Element is passionate about God, and I have made some really awesome friends.
Mallory Potter, 10th grade
I go to Element because I love being surrounded by amazing people who encourage me and build me up. Everyone is so enjoyable and awesome, which helps me grow closer to God.
Jenny McKee, 10th grade
I come to Element because it strengthens my faith in God and allows me to share my life with people I can trust. Everyone is welcome at Element and no one gets left out no matter who you are. Element is a fun place to learn, grow, and build relationships that will last a lifetime.
Kailee Barnes, 9th grade
I come to Element because every time I go, I learn something new about God and my relationship with Him grows. It’s an amazing place to be: fun people, crazy games, and good food! Element is a MUST!
Melanie Moore, 9th grade
The people at Element are like family to me. I come to Element because it’s amazing to be in an encouraging and godly community. The friendships are incredible, the message is relatable, and the games are so much fun! Element is one of my favorite parts of the weekend.
Zane Perez, 9th grade
I go to Element to get closer to God because it is hard with the environment I live in. I also come because of the great community.
Katie Dearman, 9th grade
Element has helped my growing in Christ so much, along with having a great time with all my friends. Out of all the youth groups I have been to, Element is my favorite. I LOVE Element! :)
Savanna Keasler, 9th grade
I really love Element because it gives me a chance to connect with people and just hang out. In life groups, you get advice on stuff, and you can really relate and take it with you. So it’s pretty sweet. I de?nitely recommend you go. And I love my church friends!
Betsy Borton, 9th grade
I love Element! I love the friendships I’ve made and all the things I’ve learned about God. I would really encourage all high school students to come to Element and enjoy the fun and love there.
Claire Orme, 12th grade
Element provides me a place to learn more about God and to grow in my faith. God has graced me with the gift of leadership and Element helps me to pursue that gift and learn how to lead by example for God.
Amelia Schon, 10th grade
I felt completely comfortable with my Element life group as soon as I started coming. I can trust them to listen and respect what we share. Element is open and friendly and good at including everyone.
Megan Blaylock, 10th grade
I love Element because of the new friendships I have made, the way that the leaders really connect with me, and the spiritual growth I get out of it.
Traiya Friar, 11th grade
The reason I keep coming to Element is because everyone makes me feel welcome and comfortable expressing how I feel about certain biblical things. The leaders are really cool because they don’t act like they are better than us, and they make everyone feel welcome to say how they feel. I just love everything about it!
Esther Hentschel, 11th grade
The Element is an amazing place to meet Christian friends and learn more about Jesus. I have grown so much more in my understanding of God and my faith since I have started going.
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The Corridor Gallery at Riverview
Posted on Friday, May 27, 2011
Every few months, the Corridor Gallery at Riverview’s Holt Venue features artwork from different talented artists.
The Corridor Gallery is about building a sense of community through art – making Riv a place where people want to spend time. We hope to build authentic relationships by encouraging a welcoming atmosphere where people can find common ground through art. The Corridor Gallery’s contributing artists are from both inside and outside of Riverview. It is art for and by the community, hosted at Riv.
Currently on display is local artist and Riv member Robert (Bob) Jaruzel, as well as collective works by RivArt, a Riv indie ministry led by Bob and his wife Sara. If you haven’t had a chance to view the current exhibit, grab a coffee and head down the hallway to the right of the auditorium to have a look.
Robert Jaruzel’s Artist Statement
The landscapes of Michigan are the most common subjects of my work. Since 2003 I have been painting scenes from Lake Superior’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Other common inspirations for my work are the forests, fields, and marshes of the Houghton Lake area that I was surrounded by growing up. I approach my subject loosely, giving myself freedom to enjoy the spontaneous nature of the painting process.
I have discovered that the versatility of acrylic paint is a perfect compliment to my style of painting. I appreciate being able to utilize both thick and thin applications of paint, building up multiple layers of texture and color with a painting knife and liquid glazes.
As much as my work is rooted in nature, I find that painting the landscape also allows me to dig deeper into the internal, expressive process of painting. I am constantly learning and experimenting with the physical and emotional effects of color, value, and design relationships. The finished paintings are a result of both concentrated effort and a willingness to allow the painting to develop on its own.
I started the group RivArt to provide an opportunity for other artists to join with me in focusing the creative process on serving God.
About the RivArt Collages
This collection of mosaic images has been put together using a palette of painted papers. These papers were created by many different members of the Riverview community over the past several years during RivArt meetings. Each collage is assembled by a single artist, but contains the collaborative effort of all those involved in the process.
RivArt provides an avenue for combining our shared love of making art with our desire to love God and love people. Finished collages are donated to silent auctions and organizations that help people in need. All money collected through the sale of RivArt collages will be donated to Lansing Area AIDS Network’s food pantry and RivMexico.
Upcoming Exhibit: The Mid Michigan Photography Club
Photographs by members of the Mid Michigan Photography Club (MMPC) will be on display in The Corridor Gallery beginning Friday, June 17.
The MMPC was founded in 2006 by Ron St. Germain with the help of June Cooke. Ron is a professional photographer in the Lansing area and the recipient of twenty-seven professional awards for published works, including five at the highest international level. June is a local artist and part owner of “The Creative House.
The MMPC meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 6:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Lansing at 510 West Ottawa Street, Lansing, MI 48933. Guests and prospective members are always welcome.
The club offers many opportunities for local photographers to meet, share information, and expand their photographic skills. Most meetings include a program segment where club members and guest speakers share their expertise on a wide range of topics in photography. They also encourage members to participate in many activities throughout the year, including gallery shows, club photo competitions, and field trips.
Visit MMPhotoClub.com for more information.
An opening reception is held for each new exhibit in The Corridor Gallery. Free coffee and hors d’oeuvres are served. All ages are welcome. The opening reception for the Mid-Michigan Photography Club exhibit will be held on Friday, June 17 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
Are you an artist interested in displaying your work? Anyone is welcome to submit. Submissions are reviewed based on quality, originality, and their suitability for a community setting. For more info or to submit your work, email Kristie.Henry@RivChurch.com.
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Riv Baptism Stories
Posted on Friday, May 20, 2011
Baptisms are a public declaration made by those who have placed their faith in Jesus. Baptisms are symbolic of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and how we as Christ followers associate with this. In Romans six, Paul explains: “Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was . . . We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.”
This means that eternally, we will live through Christ. And it means in this life, we are no longer slaves to sin. These are the beautiful truths symbolized by baptism.
This past March, dozens of people were baptized at Riv and shared their testimonies from the stage. Here are a few of their stories:
Hannah:
“I’m a senior in high school and I accepted Christ into my life when I was a sophomore. This upcoming fall I’m going to college far away, my friends are going to be changing, and I’m not going to see my family that often — so everything that I’ve known up to this point will be changing. I realize that Jesus Christ will be the only constant in my life. He will always be there for me, and He always has been there for me; He is yesterday and today and forever. I accept Jesus as my Savior and this is why I am getting baptized.”
Catherine:
“I’m twenty years old and I go to Michigan State University. I grew up in a Christian home. My parents have been married twenty-five years, and I have a great family. I went to church every Sunday, every Sunday night, every Wednesday; it was the perfect home.”
“Then came middle school and then high school and all the pressures of the world that weighed on me to fit in. In high school, I would make myself throw up to try and be skinny enough. I would try and make myself fit in in ways I shouldn’t have. And then, I was noticed by a boy. He was an older boy, and he said he loved me. Someone loved me! I mean, how awesome is that? I gave myself away to this boy who loved me, and I was broken.”
“And then college. College, wow. I wasn’t happy, so in college everyone told me (and I saw) that to be happy I had to drink. I had to party. And so I did. And waking up at 3:00 am on a bathroom floor — that wasn’t fun and exciting and that wasn’t what made me happy.”
“About a year ago, I was at the end of my rope. I was depressed. My boyfriend who ‘loved me’ broke up with me. I had nothing. I had no money for college. I was in this really dark place.”
“And then, I rediscovered this old friend, and his name is Jesus. And He came into my life and He transformed me. A couple of things: First, because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I know I am forgiven of my sins and my past. And I know that I am broken, but I am beautiful in Christ Jesus. And second, no one is ever going to love me like Jesus can, and so today, I want to be baptized to show I am a new creation—the old is gone, the new has come.”
A Review of Dr. Ware's Father, Son, and Holt Spirit by Pastor Noel Heikkinen
Posted on Friday, May 13, 2011
There are few biblical concepts that seem more out of reach to the mind of mere mortals than that of the Trinity. To try to mentally grasp the concept of a God who is both one and three at the same time can cause many followers of this triune God to throw their hands up in the air and chalk the whole thing up to “mystery.” While there truly is a mysterious component to the Trinity, Dr. Bruce Ware argues that it is a tragic mistake for a Christian to not seek to understand it. In his book, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance, Dr. Ware asks a series of penetrating questions:
“. . . would God have chosen to reveal himself to us as the one God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, unless he knew that this would be important to our understanding of him and of our faith? Must it not be the case that God cares greatly that we ‘get it,’ that we see him for who he is? And must it not matter to our own lives whether or not we understand him as the triune God that he is?”
Starting from this premise, Dr. Ware traces both the Biblical and historical developments of the doctrine of the Trinity in a surprisingly short (just 158 pages) and easy to understand way. His book reveals the depth of teaching about the Trinity in Scripture, even when the word “trinity”
is never explicitly mentioned on its pages. Ware explores the revealed relationships between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and the roles they have played with one another from eternity past to eternity future. Most powerful for me was understanding the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit, how it affected Jesus’ life and ministry on earth, and how it affects the life and ministry of his church today.
This book is not just a doctrinal treatment of the subject; it seeks to explore how God’s triune nature can and should affect the life of every follower of Jesus. An accurate understanding of the Trinity will change not only your relationship with God but also your relationship with fellow Christians. For instance, Dr. Ware shows that Jesus’ example of submission to the Father should challenge our cultural definition of freedom:
“Freedom is not my deciding, from the urges and longings of my sinful nature, to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, how I want to do it, with whom I want to do it. According to the Bible, that is bondage, not freedom. Rather, true freedom is living as Jesus lived, for he is the freest human being who ever lived. In fact, he is the only fully free human being who has ever lived, and one day we will be set free fully when we always and only do the will of God. So, what is freedom? Amazingly, Jesus’ answer is this: Freedom is submitting—submitting fully to the will of God, to the words of God, and to the work that God calls us to do.”
If you have ever wrestled with the concept of the Trinity (and who hasn’t?), I highly recommend you read this small book. You will learn to love God in a richer and fuller way.
10 REASONS TO FOCUS ON THE WONDER OF THE TRINITY
1. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important distinguishing doctrines of the Christian faith, and therefore is deserving of our careful study, passionate embrace, and thoughtful application.
2. The doctrine of the Trinity is both central and necessary for the Christian faith to be what it is. Remove the Trinity, and the whole Christian faith disintegrates.
3. Worship of the true and living God consciously acknowledges the relationship and roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
5. The Christian’s growth in Christlikeness or sanctification is rightly understood and enriched when seen as the work of the triune God.
6. The triune relationships of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cause us to marvel at the unity of the triune God.
7. The triune relationships of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cause us to marvel at the diversity within the triune God.
8. The triune relationships of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cause us to wonder at the social relationality of the triune God.
9. The triune relationships of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cause us to marvel at the authority-submission structure that exists eternally in the three Persons in the Godhead, each of whom is equally and fully God.
10. The doctrine of the Trinity—one God existing in three Persons in the ways we have described—provides one of the most important and neglected patterns for how human life and human relationships are to be conducted.
Dr. Ware, a highly respected theologian and author, will be the featured speaker at Riverview’s next LEAD on Saturday, May 21. For more information or to register, go to Lead.RivChurch.com.
Copies of Dr. Ware’s Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are available for purchase at RivWarehouse in the lobby of the Holt Venue, along with another of his books, Big Truths for Young Hearts
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Big Truths for Young Hearts, by Bruce Ware
Posted on Friday, May 6, 2011
“Imagine a respected theologian devoting himself to training a new generation of pastors and scholars in the seminary classroom. Now imagine him driving home at night to teach that profound theology in simple terms to his children at their bedsides. Now imagine this father compiling those bedside conversations into a book available to all pastors, parents, and children alike. Imagine no more. My friend Dr. Bruce Ware has done it.”
—C. J. Mahaney of Sovereign Grace Ministries
Dr. Bruce Ware is the author of Big Truths for Young Hearts, a book written to equip parents to guide their young children through major Biblical truths in an understandable, chapter-a-day format. Dr. Ware, a highly respected theologian and author, will be the featured speaker at Riverview’s next LEAD, held Saturday, May 21. For more information or to register, go to Lead.RivChurch.com.
REVIEWS OF BIG TRUTHS FOR YOUNG HEARTS BY RIV PARENTS:
By Tara Klan
Big Truths for Young Hearts is a great tool for both children and their parents. It offers modern day examples that are easy for older children to relate to and understand while not diluting the truths it is teaching. The book addresses a range of Biblical truths from basic to complex.
As parents we cannot teach things correctly which we ourselves do not understand. This book has shed new light on many concepts that I heard about while growing up in the church but never fully understood.
Having young children, I have often struggled with how to teach God’s commands in an applicable way while we sit at home, are running errands, and when we go to bed. This book has helped me to communicate more simply and effectively on a level my child can understand. When my four year old asked how plants grow, I was able to explain that, “God knew how to make things grow and created them so they grow according to a lot of very complicated rules He put into every living thing.” This is something I had known but previously had a hard time verbalizing to my child.
I appreciated that the book was written with short enough chapters that
it could be used as a daily devotional to focus each day on a truth about God. At the same time, I could easily stretch the chapters out into weekly devotionals as my children and I wrestle through each truth and its application to our lives and memorize the verses to support those truths. The thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter lend them- selves to igniting discussions between parents and children about how God’s greatness is applicable to everyday life and how that should affect us.
By Melissa Kranzo
I recently borrowed Big Truths for Young Hearts from a friend, but by the time I was a quarter of the way through, I knew I would be buying my own copy (and probably more, to pass along to friends). This is a book I plan on referencing often with my nieces and working through entirely with my daughter when she gets a bit older.
Big Truths for Young Hearts was written by Ware at the urging of his two daughters, who learned theology from their father through day-to-day and bedside conversations over the years. The book includes Ware’s explanations, analogies, and examples as taught to his young daughters that in turn serve as examples to parents of how to relay such truths to their own kids.
Big Truths for Young Hearts provides an excellent theological foundation for kids and adults alike. I began the book expecting to come away with insight on how to communicate Biblical truths to my daughter in simple terms — Biblical truths I believed I was already clear on. I quickly realized I had some things to learn and think through myself.
As explained in a review by Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., LCPC: “The book covers the classic core doctrines of systematic theology.” (Shh. Just don’t tell the children the “theological terms” in the parentheses below!)
Chapter 1: God’s Word (Bibliology) and God’s Own Life (Theology Proper)
Chapter 2: God As Three in One (Trinitarian Theology)
Chapter 3: Creator & Ruler of All (Theology Proper, Sovereignty and Glory of God)
Chapter 4: Our Human Nature (Anthropology) and Our Sin (Hamartiology)
Chapter 5: Who Jesus Is (Christology)
Chapter 6 The Work Jesus Has Done (Christology/Soteriology)
Chapter 7: The Holy Spirit (Pneumatology)
Chapter 8: Our Great Salvation (Soteriology, Election, Sanctification)
Chapter 9: The Church of Jesus Christ (Ecclesiology)
Chapter 10: What Will Take Place in the End (Eschatology)
Each chapter is short, about three pages, and can be read in devotional form along with your kids. There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter that are well crafted to spark dialogue and apply the truth of each topic. Each chapter also ends with a memory verse that embodies the main idea just discussed.
I’ve been a Christ follower for over a decade, and Big Truths for Young Hearts clarified aspects of theology for me that I had unknowingly always glanced over. The title suddenly took on new meaning as I read — when I initially picked up the book, I had interpreted “Young Hearts” to mean the young in age. However, I found that “Young Hearts” applies to more than just an age; my own heart is a “young” ten years old and still has much to learn and apply. I wish I had known about this book as a new believer, but I’m glad to have it as a resource now, both for my kids and myself.
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The Parenting Class
Posted on Friday, Apr 22, 2011
“The experience of parenting comprises one of the most influential aspects of spiritual transformation we can ever know. Not only for our kids—but for us as parents.”
- Gary L. Thomas in Sacred Parenting
Parents can feel tremendous pressure to provide their kids with just the right “package” of experiences to help them get ahead in life. Whether it’s going to great lengths to make sure their kids have the best education available, or rearranging schedules around a myriad of practices, per- formances, games, and events, parents can do a lot to try and create the “ultimate” experience for their children. It’s all too common for parents to feel that forgoing an activity might mean depriving a child the opportunity of a lifetime.
Experiences can be great for our kids, but they can also become serious hardships when they eliminate balance in a family, steal time from the parents relationally, or most importantly, rob the family’s time of growing in their spiritual walk with God. Bringing up children in an atmosphere of love, support, discipline, and Biblical truth is a parent’s most important role and responsibility. So how, as parents, do we go about doing that?
Riv’s Parenting Class explores the many issues that confront parents today and discusses how to raise kids in a way that provides a healthy balance of love, discipline, experiences, and training in what it means to love God and serve Him with their lives.
We live in a culture where human relationships continue to deteriorate within family units. The very fabric of society is being torn apart right in our own homes. Riverview’s approach is not to confront and change the “anti-family” trends through legislative efforts or to create certain reforms in our culture, but to promote and encourage parents to understand the most important need of our children—trusting Jesus for themselves. Only as individuals are transformed by the gospel of Jesus will society experience any significant transformation.
The goal should be more than just raising kids who don’t do drugs or abuse alcohol, who are not sexually active before marriage and stay out of prison, or simply getting our children to conform to the model of “nice Christian kids.” The goal is to shape and influence our kids so they will grow into young adults who actively love God, honor Him, and live their lives centered on Scripture.
Riv’s class specifically focuses on developing common sense and applying time-tested Biblical principles. The Scriptures provide principles that guide us in raising our children from birth into adulthood. The class is NOT a formulaic approach to parenting and family life. The goals are to
present the principles of Biblical parenting with as much clarity as possible and help make sense of parenting duties before God. This means parents will not get all the “how to’s” for engaging children in household chores, organizing schedules to limit TV time, or getting children to sleep through the night. There are no regimented programs or turn-key parenting systems presented. Rather, the goal is to help parents learn how to address the issues of a child’s heart and apply Biblical principles that lead to God- honoring and responsible adults. The class teaches how to apply and consistently obey principles laid out in Scripture, such as:
- Constantly teaching and modeling for our kids the truth from God’s Word (Deuteronomy 6:7)
- Loving, disciplining, and correcting them when they do wrong (Proverbs 19:18)
- Not provoking our children to anger (Colossians 3:21)
- Bringing them up in the discipline/instruction of God (Ephesians 6:4)
The class is taught by Riverview pastor Paul DenHerder, a parent of four who brings decades of experience and wisdom. Laura Peiffer, a parent who recently took the class, shared, “Paul’s insight and experience as a parent was a true eye opener for us. He was not only being a teacher and using Scripture to back up his words, he also told us his real life struggles and made it more real for us.”
The three-week class covers different topics each week: Week One focuses on Biblical teachings regarding children and parents as well as common myths and misunderstandings about raising Godly kids.
Week Two looks at the difference between allowing kids to be kids and living with childish-immaturity vs. willful disobedience, and also addresses important attitudes and behaviors kids need as they grow and mature in obedience to their parents, and ultimately, God. The class will discuss how to train, instruct, and discipline our kids, as well as how NOT to exasperate them with our actions or inactions.
Week Three discusses how our own spiritual journeys must drive our parenting. We often focus on helping our kids grow but neglect our own spiritual growth . . . and end up doing neither very well. To effectively love, train, instruct, and discipline our kids we must consider our own spiritual walk first and foremost. The basic tools and principles for disciplining and training our children are discussed: guidance, example, explanation, reprimand, restriction and punishment.
The next Parenting Class will be held at Riv’s Holt Venue on Sundays May 8, 15, and 22 at 9:30 am in Room 201. Childcare will be provided through RivKids. RSVP at RivU.RivChurch.com or by calling the office at 517-694-3400.
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RivMexico: Winter 2011 Guys' Trip
Posted on Friday, Apr 15, 2011
This past February, a team of guys from Riv went to Mexico for a short- term mission trip. Mike Lily, who was part of this team, shares his story:
On February 5, a team of men set out from Riv headed for El Limon, Mexico, by way of Monterrey. Back2Back Ministries does not send many teams to El Limon, so as part of this team I was thinking we had an excellent opportunity to do something HUGE for the kids this week. I had no clue that God was pretty much planning on the opposite: doing something HUGE for us men.
The work of this trip was pretty comparable to many of the other work missions I’d been on before. Dust, sweat, bad jokes, and good friends passed the work hours till the evening came, when we were able to play with the kids. Laughing, running and playing with the forty-two children that call Casa Hogar Mama Paulito home began to work on the hearts of the seventeen gringos who were there to stay with them that week.
I’m a hobbyist photographer, so I naturally started taking photos and showing the kids themselves on the camera. They all loved having their picture taken, but when the young boys would get bored and scamper off, a couple of girls kept coming back with sheepish grins and kept after me to shoot photos of them and their friends. My camera became a tool to reach out and attempt to talk, play, and show attention to these kids.
The interactions that have stuck with me the most are those I had with a twelve-year-old girl, Valeria.* One particular evening I sat holding on to the end of a bunch of string she was using to make a bracelet, with her patiently enduring my attempts at speaking Spanish, and in turn she was working diligently on her English. That night is when God really started painting the picture of what He was doing through us in El Limon. While Valeria was making her bracelet and my other little friends were busy at work making bead bracelets and playing games with the guys, it occurred to me that at this moment not one of us wealthy, educated, privileged gringos brought a single thing to the table that these kids needed . . . Each kid there has a story locked in his or her heart, stories of being abandoned, neglected, and abused. All God wanted was for this team of men to have the faith to show up. Time and time again, God works despite our faults, and this time God was using us to show these kiddos that they are special and important to Him. That He would send a bunch of guys from Michigan to play with and be their friends. That though some people may have short-changed them in life, He NEVER would.
The interesting thing though was that while God was using us to show love to them, he was using the kids to perform heart surgery on our team.
The last evening with the kids, we were flat out schooled on what it means to love, what it means to worship, and what it feels like to be completely humbled. I’d never witnessed worship like this. Though I didn’t understand the words, I do understand the precepts of what that they were singing out to their Creator, dancing and jumping the whole time. The difference is these kids KNOW what it means to be set free by the saving grace of God. They know how it feels to have their chains fall off. They under- stand that every good and perfect gift comes from God.
At the end of the evening the leaders of the home asked us to gather in the center of the room so they could pray for us. I expected the head of the home, Fernando, to pray and we’d call it a night. Fernando started praying, and then each of the kids started as well, praying that God would bless our team, that God would provide for us and our families; they prayed for the friends they had made, they thanked God for loving them through us, they prayed and prayed and prayed. It’s a humbling thing to stand before forty-two abandoned children, each of whom is praying that God would PROVIDE for your needs, PROTECT your family, BLESS your friends . . .
Valeria sought me out at the end of all of the excitement on the last evening to tell me in her beautiful broken English that she would remember me, and she gave me a note that she had written in English. In that note she asked if I would be her friend, and told me she couldn’t wait for me to learn Spanish. The following morning when the group was loading up and saying our final goodbyes to the home leaders a few of the young girls stuck their heads out of the doorway. One was Valeria, and she shouted, “HOLA MIGUEL! HASTA LUEGO!” She took a piece of my heart that I didn’t know I had. I’m certain each of the guys could also rattle off a list of kiddos there that impacted them in ways they never expected.
Riverview has encouraged each of us to consider going to Mexico on one of these trips. God is using the people on these trips to reaffirm to these kids that He is a loving God, that He is willing to send people from all over to come and play with them. If you are a goer, then go well. If you are a sender, then send generously. As for me, thank you, Riverview, for sending me.
*Name has been changed.
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RivMX 5K 2011: Run for Los Ninos
Posted on Thursday, Apr 7, 2011
Riverview partners with Back2Back , a ministry focused on helping the thousands of abandoned or orphaned children in Mexico who live daily with little material or spiritual hope. Our goal is to reach every child God brings into our path by helping to meet their personal needs, developing long-term relationships with them, and supporting their spiritual growth so they can establish a personal relationship with Jesus.
Riv has several opportunities each year for people to go on a week-long mission trip to Mexico. We’d love for every single person who attends Riv to consider going at least once. We hope these short-term mission trips can have long-term impact and bring lasting hope to these kids.
Once a year, Riv holds a 5K to help raise money for these trips and other Back2Back needs. Last year’s proceeds enabled Riv to send a team of six men down to help after Hurricane Alex. Having funds available to use specifically for Mexico allows Riverview the opportunity to help out quickly in an emergency situation or provide extra supplies the teams may need. All the money raised for RivMX for the year is brought in by this one event. This year’s RivMX 5K is called “Run for los Ninos.” 100% of net proceeds will benefit RivMexico mission trips and Rancho de los Ninos in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Rancho de los Ninos is a home for children without families that began in February of 2004. They currently have twenty children, ages four months to twenty-three years. Their mission: To provide a home where children know they are welcomed, wanted, worthy, and loved. Their goal: A home for every child. Since they are the only children’s home in Mazatlan who will accept children with special needs, approximately half of the children at Rancho de los Ninos have some level of disability.
Rick Norquist, who started the home with his wife Janet, recently shared some of their current needs. “We are honored to have the privilege of ministering to these great kids, whom we know have a special place near to God’s heart,” he said. “Recently we have been barraged with those unexpected events that come to every family occasionally. One of our two vans, a 1998 Astro, suffered significant damage in a collision. We estimate the cost of repairs to be around $1,000 US dollars. Our Toyota, a 2010 fifteen passenger van that was a gift to us from a church in Oregon last year, was vandalized. We are happy they weren’t able to steal it, but in trying to start it without a key, the would-be robbers caused significant damage, also costing us over $1,000 to fix. We always have a long list of projects that get done as we have the funds, such as a new roof on our
front porch, purchasing of a couple of computers for our teenagers to use for schoolwork, pouring a new driveway, and the list goes on.”
These are just a few examples of the specific needs the 5K Run / Walk / Kid’s Fun Run hopes to meet. This year’s event is Saturday, April 23 at 10:00 am. Runners should plan to arrive by 9:00 am the morning of the race. There will be awards, prizes, food, and beverages afterward. The run starts at Riv’s Holt Venue and winds through nearby neighborhoods, which runners enjoy because of the lack of traffic and ease of navigation. Strollers are welcome, but please, no pets. (Note of caution: Riv pastor Steve Sommerlot has been spotted throwing water on unsuspecting runners in years past!)
The registration and payment deadline is this Sunday, April 10. Checks can be made out to Riverview Church, with “RivMexico” in the memo line. Payment can also be made via the kiosks in the lobby at Riverview's Holt Venue. Registration is online at Mexico.RivChurch.com.
The pre-registration race fee is $15 per person and includes a race T-shirt. After April 10, the late registration fee is $20 per person and T-shirts will be available only while supplies last. Children under the age of twelve are free. T-shirts for children under 12 are $10 each.
Questions? Call the Riv office at 517.694.3400 or email Info@RivChurch.com.
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Art In (And On) The Body
Posted on Friday, Apr 1, 2011
The Corridor Gallery at Riv’s Holt Venue and RivArt (a ministry focused on making art to help people) are just a couple examples of Riv’s dedication to art. The current Corridor Gallery artist, Curtis Conwell, not only creates paintings and drawings, but also creates art often kept “under wraps.” His specialty? Tattoos.
In Curtis’ artist statement, he explains: “I’ve been doing [tattoos] for fifteen years. The number of paintings will probably never surpass the number of tattoos I’ve done . . . probably. There might seem to be a little ‘darkness’ to some of my pieces. I assure you, it’s a playful darkness. It comes from looking at life with the lights turned down, a contemplative eye. A little squint on reality . . . or at least my perception of it.”
As recently as a generation ago tattoos were often viewed in a negative light, commonly associated with crime or rebellion. Today the social stigma has drastically lessened—especially in such a young-focused church as ours. Formerly, tattoos may have been viewed as an indication of a negative past; nowadays, they are often embraced as simply a form of artistic expression, a way to show others who you are and what you value. It can even be used as a tool to testify about a believer’s own faith. Several Riv members use it as such.
Sean White (whose tattoos may look familiar if you’ve ever sat toward the front at the Holt Venue—he’s a regular on electric guitar) has four tattoos: a cross, an elvish saying, a sun, and a signature.
The elvish reads: “Forth and fear no darkness.” Sean explains, “It’s a line from The Return of the King, the third book in the Lord of the Rings series. It’s also in the movie. The king says it to the Riders of Rohan right before they charge into a huge battle and certain death. It is translated into one of two complete ‘elvish’ languages that Tolkien created for the books. I got it as a reminder to not be afraid or worry about my past mistakes, but to push forward because I have Christ and therefore I have nothing to fear, not even death. I chose the elvish language because I really admire that J.R.R. Tolkien created whole languages and a rich world full of amazing ideas and characters. It also means people will have to ask me what it means, which means I might get the chance to tell them about my faith. Or they’ll just think I'm a nerd. Which is fine with me.”
Randi-Kay Anthony is another inked Rivite—in fact, all of her work has been done by featured artist Curtis Conwell. She has three tattoos: a face in a garden, a cross with lyrics, and the name of a student.
Randi-Kay explains the progression of the face in the garden: “It was originally an Ichthus fish with the date I gave up my life to Jesus. I wanted to add to it by incorporating the word ‘faith,’ based on finally letting go of my own life and asking God to save me from myself. After a few sketches the fish turned into the ‘F’ for faith. I wanted to ink the date 12.2.06 in larger with a different tattoo. It became a joke between Curtis and I to change the fish into an eyeball to mask the date that was inside the fish. I loved the idea, which then spiraled into turning the tattoo into a silhouette of a face in a garden, similar to a painting I have from a very close friend. The creative evolution of this tattoo is my favorite piece of art.”
Long-time Riv member Justin Detmers, explains his ink: “The tattoo on the inside of my left arm has ‘Jeremiah 20:9’ written in Hebrew and below it, surrounded in flames, it says, ‘Like a fire in my heart.’ The tattoo was inspired by a passage that Bible scholars call ‘Jeremiah’s complaint.’”
“In the scripture, the prophet was suffering for his allegiance to God— specifically for speaking God’s message to a very proud Israel. Jeremiah said what was true, not what was popular, and that meant severe rejection, physical abuse, and even chains. So Jeremiah vents to God, ‘You deceived me, LORD, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me . . . So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.’ At this point, Jeremiah was losing it; he wanted to throw in the towel and quit being God’s prophet. But then at verse nine, there’s a sudden turn. ‘But if I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.’ When the going got tough, he actually leaned into God, instead of pulling back . . . I want that disposition.”
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Meet a Volunteer: Judy Russ
Posted on Friday, Mar 25, 2011
WHAT DO YOU DO HERE AT RIV?
I helped launch Stephen Ministry at Riv several years ago and still serve on the leadership team. The ministry is all about training people in the church to care for Riv people who are going through difficult times on a one-on-one basis. I talk to people who are struggling with various issues and try to connect them with the best Stephen Minister possible. I also lead an eight-week women’s Bible study about four times a year.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAMILY:
I married my high school/college sweetheart, Mark, twenty-eight years ago. My daughter Danielle is married to Tony Pyle and my son Derek is married to Ashlea. They all live in the Holt/Dimondale area.
WHAT’S YOUR RIV STORY?
Mark and I attended another church for many years. About ten years ago, we decided to find a church that taught sound biblical truths and could create an environment that would foster our teenage kids’ spiritual interest and growth. I had been very involved with our previous church, so I took a much-needed break from ministry. When Riv was looking for someone to start a caring ministry to help others, I knew it was a perfect fit for me to jump back into serving others in the church.
WHAT COOL THINGS HAVE YOU SEEN HAPPEN THROUGH YOUR MINISTRY?
Many lives have been changed as a result of Stephen Ministers’ involvement with people they’re caring for. People have accepted Christ and gotten involved in Life Groups. Marriages and relationships have been strengthened. Stephen Ministers love on people so they can see how much God loves them. The way they view God becomes more loving as a result. Another cool thing that happens is that our Stephen Ministers develop their leader- ship skills so that they can then serve in other capacities at Riverview.
HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS?
I was brought up in the church but never really understood what Christ dying on the cross meant for me personally. It took some stupid choices on my part that put me on a gurney in the ER, with all my vitals shutting down, to get me on my knees, praying out to God. The sin and shame I felt was huge but the love and forgiveness of Jesus overwhelmed me. My life has never been the same since.
WHAT IS SOMETHING NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I’ve had Rheumatoid Arthritis for about twelve years. I don’t talk about it much because I don’t let it define me as a person and I don’t like whining. I’m grateful for the awesome meds I receive to keep me active . . . I hiked forty mountain miles this summer without too much pain.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE BOOKS?
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and Crazy Love by Francis Chan
WHAT ARE SOME JOBS YOU’VE HAD?
I met my husband at Jon’s Country Burger, a Lansing icon. I was a waitress and he was a cook . . . so romantic. I’ve worked for Community Mental Health, Peckham, Inc., MSU, Origami Brain Injury Center, and have owned and run a medical billing business for the past eleven years. I love having my own business. It gives me lots of flexibility for my family and Riv.
WHO ARE PEOPLE THAT INSPIRE YOU?
My dad was an amazing musician who served the church faithfully with his talents. He really inspired me to step out and serve God without fear. My mom inspires me because she became a widow at a young age and raised a couple of rebellious teens on her own. Even though she’s experienced a lot of pain in her life, she has always been there for me and I count it a privilege to help her now in her aging years. My husband Mark is such a servant to everyone he meets and knows. He’s never met a stranger. We were in New York City and he spent the entire day talking with homeless people in Central Park. I mean, who does that?
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
I love to cruise junk and thrift shops and buy broken, discarded stuff (furniture, architectural pieces). I bring them home and turn them into something new and different. I guess I’ve always liked saving things; it’s sad to see them thrown out.
WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE?
My kids and their spouses. I love how they love God and are serving Him in so many capacities. It’s all I ever wanted as a mom. Plus, they’re a blast.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU HOPE TO SEE HAPPEN IN AND THROUGH RIV?
That families and marriages would continue to be strengthened and that people in the church would hunger for going deeper in their relationships with God and dedicating their lives to Him. Having a strong and faithful family is one of the greatest blessings one could receive and I’m hoping people will see the value in that and fight for it, no matter what the cost.
HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?
Full throttle with all the fixin’s. I don’t do foo-foo coffee, though.
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Retrouvaille
Posted on Wednesday, Mar 23, 2011
Studies released in the last decade have proven again and again that divorce is all too common. And while this in itself is not surprising, one study done by the Barna Research Group has found something that could be: Christians are just as likely as non-Christians to break the knot. According to the 2008 study: “. . . when evangelicals and non-evangelical born again Christians are combined into an aggregate class of born again adults, their divorce figure is statistically identical to that of non-born again adults: thirty-two percent versus thirty-three percent, respectively.” 1
While it’s been debated that these statistics don’t tell the whole story — just because someone says they are “born-again” doesn’t always mean they are a true Christ follower — what it does show is that those of us who call ourselves Christians are statically no better off than the rest of the world in marriage.
Retrouvaille is one ministry that is working to change this. Retrouvaille is an international program for couples with marital problems, including those who are considering or who have already gone through a separation or divorce. It is not affiliated with Riv, but Riv couples who have attended testify that attending Retrouvaille changed and saved their marriages. If you feel lost, alone, or bored in your marriage; if you’re frustrated, hurt, or angry with your spouse; if you’re constantly fighting, or simply shut down; if you’ve thought about separation or divorce; if talking about it only makes it worse — Retrouvaille may be able to help.
The word Retrouvaille (pronounced re-tro-vi with a long i) is a French word meaning rediscovery. Retrouvaille is “an international community of disciples committed to the continued healing of their marriages and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, sharing their stories, talents, and gifts to promote and spread the healing ministry of Retrouvaille.” 2 It is not marriage counseling, a retreat, or a sensitivity group. There are neither group dynamics nor group discussions during the weekend; the only discussion that takes place is between the husband and wife.
The Retrouvaille program offers tools needed to rediscover a loving marriage relationship, with the main emphasis on communication. The program consists of a weekend experience combined with a series of six to twelve post-weekend sessions over three months. The weekend provides a safe setting that encourages couples to learn communication in marriage in a respectful manner. Additionally, the post-weekend phase of the program is as critical as the initial weekend experience. The degree of disappointment, deterioration, and despair in hurting marriages cannot be healed in one weekend. Restoration takes time. The post-weekend sessions provide support as couples discuss concepts such as the importance of communication in marriage, intimacy, and many other topics.
Some couples come to Retrouvaille during the initial signs of a marriage problem. Other couples are in a state of despair and hopelessness and the program is their final option. Many lawyers and judges send couples to Retrouvaille as a prerequisite to filing for a divorce or rendering final decisions. Many marriage counselors send their clients to Retrouvaille as a prerequisite to the counseling. These professionals know that the tools of com- munication in marriage taught in the program are often what couples need.
Retrouvaille is led entirely by couples who have at one time been helped themselves by the program. A team of three couples and a priest or minister and spouse lead the Retrouvaille weekend. The presenting couples have grown through serious disillusionment, pain, and conflict in their own relationships. These couples share their own deep and personal hurts, which in turn helps the participants express some of their own pain with their spouse. In sharing their values and insights, the team couples offer a message different from society’s model of independence and selfishness. Hurting couples are invited to see how listening, communication, conflict management and forgiveness are healthy tools for building a stable relationship.
Retrouvaille is Catholic in origin, but couples of all faiths and those with no faith tradition are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Christian Multi-Denomination (CMD) weekends are also available in some areas. On CMD weekends, a Christian minister and spouse take the place of the priest on the presenting team. Atheists, agnostics, and those of various religions are respected for their beliefs and encouraged to attend for the benefit of their marriage. No attempt is made to convert anyone to a religion. Saving a marriage is the focus.
As for cost, each couple is asked to make a donation to help cover the program expenses. This one donation covers all the expenses of the weekend and the post-weekend sessions. Costs vary from location to location depending on the hotel, meals, and materials. A registration fee is required when you register for the program to confirm your accommodations. If price is an issue, however, don’t let that stop you. No couple is ever denied the chance to save their marriage because of a lack of funds.
Upcoming Retrouvaille Dates in 2011 in Michigan:
Detroit: 4/29, 6/17, 8/19 and 10/28
Grand Rapids: 6/3 and 9/16
Lansing: 4/1, 8/5, and 9 /30
There are additional Midwest dates and locations available. For more info, or to sign-up, visit Retrouvaille.org or call 800.470.2230. All contacts are held in the strictest confidence.
Footnotes:
1 Barna.org/Family-Kids-Articles/42-New-Marriage-and-Divorce-Statistics-Released
2 All information about Retrouvaille in this article is from Retrouvaille.org
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Starting a Life Group
Posted on Friday, Mar 11, 2011
Living interconnected lives in a way that fosters spiritual progress is extremely important for everyone desiring to follow Christ. Living life “in community” means being a part of something that matters, having face-to-face interaction, knowing others, and being known. Since these kind of life-connections don’t usually come about casually, we need to be intentional about doing life together in a meaningful way. This is where Life Groups come in.
The goal for Riv’s Life Groups is to create environments where Christ-centered relationships can develop and people can learn together how to live Biblically. There are four “marks” of an effective Life Group. The group should connect relationally, study and apply Scripture, pray for and with one another, and be on mission.
Chris and Abby Rierson got involved with a Life Group because they were looking to meet people at Riv and wanted to share their lives with other Christians. “Joining a Life Group is a perfect opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the Bible and Christian faith in a smaller, more intimate setting,” they explain. “Before joining a Life Group at Riv, many of us were either new to the area or had a lot of college friends move away. We all agree that being part of a Life Group has really made Riverview Church and Lansing in general feel more like home. We also feel that our Life Group has played a huge part in keeping us accountable spiritually — it definitely helps keep us on track with our individual spiritual growth.”
There are a few different ways to get involved in a group. One is to attend RivLink, an event where people meet and connect to form a group. Middle school, high school, and college-age students can join an age-specific group. Or you can start your own.
Riv Pastor Paul DenHerder and James Granger lead a short seminar for anyone who would like to start a group. This informational discussion explains the steps necessary to get started and considers the following issues that should be considered and planned out in order to end up meeting the four marks of an effective group.
PEOPLE
Who will be in this Life Group with me? There are two main pathways in this area: folks can come to RivLink to meet people who are looking for a group, or they may already have an existing network of people they know and would like to form into a group. Existing networks could be due to proximity, life stage, circumstances, etc. For example, at a recent “How To Start a Life Group” seminar, there was a couple who were gathering other couples in Williamston, and woman who was in a divorce recovery group who was also interested in starting a Life Group in that area.
CONTENT
What will the group talk about? Riv provides sermon-based notes to serve as the main content for Life Groups. Over half of Riverview Life Groups use this approach. Other groups study books in the Bible or use topical discussion content that is guided by Life Group coaches.
INERTIA
How should the group get moving? This is an area where the persistence and initiative of a leader is key in fighting through the natural resistance that often interferes when something new is getting started.
ADMINISTRATION
Who will take care of the details? For example, where and when will the group meet? For how long? What about childcare? Who will bring food? How should the group communicate? There is typically an organizational component to a successful Life Group.
The “glue” that holds all of this together is the wisdom and discernment of the Life Group leader. In the midst of starting a Life Group, all sorts of questions might arise. For example: Should we add a new couple? What about the person who hasn’t been showing up — how can we help him or her get connected? What if there’s a disagreement about the content? Riv provides a coach for each new Life Group. This person is a valuable resource and can help the group work through various issues like these. In addition, the leader is to take the initiative and approach these tricky situations with grace and truth.
Starting a Life Group is a step of faith. Riverview encourages people to be faithful and diligent and let God take care of the results. Life Groups often go in a very different direction than was envisioned by those who started them. Leaders of groups are often able to see God’s sovereign wisdom through that process.
The next “How to Start a Life Group” seminar will be held Sunday, March 20 from 10:45 - 11:15 am in Room 201. If you would like more information on the upcoming seminar or about Life Groups in general, please email Pastor Paul DenHerder at Paul@RivChurch.com.
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An Inside Look at RivBuddies
Posted on Friday, Mar 4, 2011
RivBuddies ministers to families with special needs children by providing one-on-one adult support for a child participating in RivKids during weekend services. For more info or to volunteer, please email RivBuddies@RivChurch.com.
VOLUNTEER PERSPECTIVES
“I have been working with my RivBuddy for about six months and absolutely adore him, as well as the other kids I have had contact with. My buddy is a six-year-old autistic boy, but very high functioning. He loves trains! There is a train table in his classroom, and when I first met him, he didn’t want any other kids playing with the trains. As he has continued to spend time in his classroom, I have noticed he has become better at sharing the trains (most days), as well as going to large group, dancing, and singing. It warms my heart to see him grow. The rewards have been not only watching him grow, but knowing I am allowing his family to attend service, and serving God through helping to shepherd one of his many children. And, of course, the smiles, hugs, and joy I receive from my buddy!”
- Kim Oullette
“When I was seven years old, my best friend introduced me to her aunt, Pidgy. I have no idea where her nickname came from, but she was her mom’s youngest sister and had Down syndrome. That was my first exposure to persons with special needs. A few years later, I became a Girl Scout and our Christmas project each year was making gifts for people who were institutionalized (how many disabilities were handled back then). Then I married, and my husband had a cousin with Down syndrome. At family weddings, I would dance with this cousin, Dick, because he loved to dance and loved petite women and I am vertically challenged! But all this time, I never saw the plan God had for me. I never even considered that this was my calling; after all, my mom was a teacher and I used to joke with her that I didn’t have the patience for that! Years passed and then I came to Riverview. I knew I needed to get involved to really feel like a part of the church. I struggled to figure out where I might become involved. My daughter was part of Young Life and that’s how I came to know James and Laura Granger. One day they asked me if I would be a “buddy” to one of the Riv kids who just needed some extra help focusing in services. The rest is history . . . The Riv Buddy ministry has been a part of my life for five years now. I joke that my mother must be laughing at me in heaven because I have found that I do have patience. Special needs are now my passion. I love all the children in the RivBuddies program, and am especially close to the child that I have worked with the longest. He is like the son I never had.”
– Jackie Jason
PARENT PERSPECTIVES
“We are, of course, thankful for teachers that understand our son and are available to assist him, and sometimes manage him, individually. We are also thankful, though, for this ministry because it allows us to attend services. We are taught and built up in God’s word because of the service of the Buddies. It’s easy to see how RivBuddies blesses the children, but it is also
a true blessing to the parents to be able to worship where we otherwise wouldn’t be able to. I want to thank all the RivBuddy volunteers for that gift.”
- Jodi Wiley
“Gifts from God come to us on a daily basis. Some we see; some we don’t. Some we don’t recognize as the gifts they truly are; some we question and let pass us by. As a parent of a son with Down syndrome, I can honestly say I am ‘guilty’ of these things in terms of my faith struggles and my interpretations of the countless gifts God has so graciously given to me. Riverview was introduced to me this past fall by my fiancé, Shawn. We had been looking for a church that we could grow into as we embarked on our journey of blending our families, both physically and spiritually. In the past, my experiences with finding worship that fully encompassed the needs of each of us, especially Ben, our son with Down syndrome, had been a struggle. In fact, there had been an extended time in which I had given up and wasn’t attending church at all, as it had simply become an overall negative experience for all of us. Upon my research into the location, teachings, and philosophies at Riverview, I stumbled across Riv- Buddies and sat staring at my computer in awe! I immediately emailed Miss Amanda, requesting more information about the program and how it would best meet our son’s needs. She responded literally within five minutes and the rest, shall we say, is history! For the first time, we are able to attend church ‘worry-free.’ Ben is happy, safe, and understood. The Oasis Room truly lives up to its name, providing Ben with a calm and nurturing atmosphere, as well as Buddies, peers, and sound, spiritual companionship. As I mentioned earlier, gifts from God come to us on a daily basis. I am so very grateful for the gifts of Riverview and RivBuddies.”
- Wendy Schmit
Click here to download a PDF of this article.
Restore Church
Posted on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2011
The name says it well: Restore Church, a new church plant in Detroit, is all about restoring the city through Jesus Christ. Restore’s mission is “to show and tell Jesus to every man, woman, & child in the 48202 and 48206 zip codes in order to make disciple-making disciples, saturating the city with the presence of Christ." Mike Hanafee and Clete Bontrager, along with their wives and kids (nine in total) recently moved to the Detroit area from Portland, Oregon to plant the church.
Why Detroit? Mike is originally from the area and Clete is from Indiana, but their nearby roots weren’t the only reason they landed here. Mike and Clete had separately been thinking about bringing the gospel to a place in need for some time. In Portland, Clete’s family had started working with the homeless and felt an urge to go somewhere no one else wanted to go. They began praying about different areas, specifically areas people were moving away from. Mike, who pastored their church in Portland, was impacted by a short-term ministry opportunity in inner city Denver and had been thinking along the same lines.
Last February, the two decided to take a trip to visit some areas they were considering. The first stop was Detroit, to be followed by several other cities. They never made it past Detroit. That week, they drove 1,571 miles around Detroit in ten days, scouring the city nearly twelve hours each day. It was on these drives they felt God cement a desire in their hearts and minds for Detroit.
Detroit is known as the graveyard for church planters. Take any class on church planting, and you’ll be told to go where the area is growing and business is booming. In Detroit, the population is dropping. What used to be a population of 2 million is now 800,000. The high school graduation rate is 25% in some neighborhoods. Crime is prevalent.
But Restore Church sees these “setbacks” as opportunities. There are many areas within Detroit that have been designated for restoration, including the area that Mike and Clete’s families have settled in. “We see a surfboard that we need to jump on and a wave that we can ride into the new city,” Mike explains. “With all this revitalization, which is needed for the city but won’t last eternally, we see a great opportunity to bring eternal restoration through Jesus Christ.”
Jesus’ command to make disciples who make disciples (sound Riv-ly familiar?) is one the Hanafees and Bontragers take seriously. If they launched a public worship service this spring, they estimate they could have a decent turn out, but they’ve decided to not go this route. Clete explains, “We’re looking for more indigenous people; we’re trying not to be a drive-in type church.” This means instead of bringing an already established church into central Detroit (the Potted Plant Approach in church planting lingo) they want to organically build a church from within (the Native Soil approach). The focus right now won’t be on the facility and the service presentation, but rather on developing long-term relationships. They believe the Gospel movements that last are those that disciple first and then send out.To begin establishing relationships in the area, they are working on something they call the 32:6 initiative. Between the five adults that are involved in planting Restore, they hope to begin growing relationships with thirty-two local people. The prayer is that six of the thirty-two would come to faith in Jesus over the next months.
The Restore families have had some great opportunities to meet people. Over the holidays the Bontragers made gift baskets for their neighbors, and from this outreach were invited to a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party. They went, and were able to hang out all night and into the morning with new friends. Mike met a guy who’d just bought an old, beautiful home in the neighborhood that needs a lot of work. He went to see the new home and visited for hours, and is now discussing plans with the new home-owner to restore alleys behind nearby homes — once lavish, beautiful areas where carriages pulled up, now overgrown and full of illicit activity. Another morning, Clete went out to shovel a neighbor’s driveway. The woman was amazed at this act of service coupled with the holiday gift basket she had received. Especially in these crime-ridden neighborhoods, where the elderly shut themselves in and families try to stay indoors as much as possible for safety reasons, reaching out to people is anti-cultural and shocking. Just doing small acts of service or reaching out in simple ways has been a significant way to establish relationships.
For anyone who wants to be involved in hands-on effort, Restore has a church building that is in need of a ton of rehab. Any groups that would like to a part of the demo or restoration are welcome. There are also some ball fields across the street that are in need of some TLC; part of their vision for community involvement is to get some neighborhood sports leagues going.
They also welcome anyone who wants to come down to visit for an after- noon or a couple hours to learn more about their mission, even if it’s just to know how to better pray. Mike explains, “Jesus builds his church with everyday people. God’s not looking for ability; he’s looking for availability. Anyone can make a difference. Our plan is nothing new or sexy or innovative — it’s simply love God, love people, open up our homes, and show them Jesus. You can do it in inner-city Detroit or the suburbs of Lansing — any- where you are.”
To find out more, visit ResDetroit.org, or email MikeHanafee@ResDetroit.org or CleteBontrager@ResDetroit.org.
Click here to download the PDF of this article.
The Lord's Supper, by Noel Heikkinen
Posted on Friday, Feb 18, 2011
The Lord’s Supper (also commonly referred to as “Communion” and the “Breaking of Bread”) is a practice instituted by Jesus on the night he was betrayed. At the close of a Passover meal he was celebrating with his disciples, Jesus said, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:15-20, ESV)
The early church picked up this practice and immediately instituted it into a regular part of their life together. At Riverview, we seek to obey Jesus by practicing the Lord’s Supper regularly as well.
WHY DO WE TAKE COMMUNION?
First, we do it to obey Jesus, which we think is a pretty important reason all by itself. Additionally, the Bible gives us at least four other great reasons:
1. It helps us remember Jesus’ work on the cross.
2. When we do it, we proclaim our salvation in symbolic form.
3. It is a celebration of the unity we have because of our mutual salvation.
4. It is a declaration that Jesus will come back one day to set up his Kingdom and we will get to celebrate with him.
WHAT DO THE BREAD AND WINE SYMBOLIZE?
Bread is used in the Lord’s Supper to symbolize the human body of Jesus Christ in his incarnate state, which was offered as a sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world. It is the common practice at Riverview to use cut up bread pieces as well as gluten-free crackers for those with dietary restrictions. Wine, likewise, symbolizes the blood of Jesus that was shed during his crucifixion, fulfilling the Mosaic Covenant and inaugurating the New Covenant.
WHY DO WE USE GRAPE JUICE INSTEAD OF WINE?
To serve and love those who struggle with alcohol in our church family, we use grape juice instead of wine during our weekend services. This is fine Scripturally because Jesus uses the phrase “fruit of the vine,” not “wine.” Many of our Life Groups use wine during their observances of the Lord’s Supper because they have freedom to do so.
DO THE BREAD AND WINE LITERALLY TURN INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS?
This is a view that is held by many in the Roman Catholic church because Jesus said, “this is my body” when referring to the bread and “this is my blood” when referring to the wine. Of course, Jesus also said, “I am the gate” and “I am the vine.” In each of these instances, he is using symbolism to make a point. When we take communion, we are symbolically remembering the work of Jesus on the cross.
WHEN DO WE TAKE THE LORD’S SUPPER?
At Riverview, it is our practice to take the Lord’s Supper every other month during our weekend services. We don’t do it every week because we don’t want it to become a trite ritual during the service, empty of meaning. Additionally, many Life Groups at Riverview incorporate communion during a meal they take together in their homes. This was a common practice with many of the early churches in the New Testament.
WHO CAN TAKE COMMUNION?
Communion is reserved for any follower of Jesus who is not currently under church discipline. Anyone who would like to take the Lord’s Supper is asked to examine him or herself so that they don’t take it in an unworthy manner.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TAKE THE LORD’S SUPPER IN AN UNWORTHY MANNER?
One of the great things about the Lord’s Supper is that it proclaims to the world the unity we have because of our common salvation. It doesn’t matter if you are a college student or a single mom, a millionaire or unemployed — we are all one in Jesus. In the book of 1 Corinthians, Paul chews out the people for making their communion meal all about the “haves” and making the “have-nots” feel excluded. This division directly contradicted the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. He told them to examine themselves to make sure they were not taking communion in an “unworthy manner.” Following Paul’s example, we encourage all those who want to take the Lord’s Supper to make sure they are not living in division and relational strife with other believers. If they are, they should take care of it before partaking in the bread and the cup.
References:
Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; Acts 2:46, 20:7;
1 Corinthians 10-11; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25; 1 Corinthians 11:26; 1 Corinthians 10-11; Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18;
Revelation 19:6-10; Col 1:20; Exodus 24:6-8; Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:4; John 1:17; 2 Corinthians 3:5-6; Hebrews 10:14-18; Matthew 26:26;
Matthew 26:28; John 10:7; John 15:1-5; Acts 2:46, 20:7
© Noel Heikkinen 2011
Finding God's Will Conference
Posted on Friday, Feb 11, 2011
Last month, Riv hosted the Finding God’s Will conference. The conference had 560 people from around the Midwest in attendance. Dr. Gary Friesen (known as Dr. G) and Pastor Kevin DeYoung led teaching sessions, as well as a question and answer panel with Riv Pastor Noel Heikkinen.
SESSION ONE — THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRADITIONAL VIEW
Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor at East Lansing’s University Reformed Church and author of “Just Do Something,” opened the conference by pointing out problems with the “Traditional View” of God’s will — the idea that God has a specific individual will for each of our lives that can be known ahead of time.
When people speak of God’s will, there are often three different ways the will of God can be interpreted. The first two are in the Bible. The third is not.
The Will of Decree/God’s Sovereign Will: Whatever happens is known by and has ultimately been determined by God. Example: Anything that happens is God’s Sovereign Will. God is in ultimate control of everything.
The Will of Desire/God’s Moral Will: God has a desire for our lives. This can be disobeyed. Example: God wants believers to marry other believers (God’s Moral Will). But this doesn’t always happen.
The Will of Direction/Traditional View: The belief that God has a specific plan for each of us he wants us to discover ahead of time. Example: I should live in Fargo vs. Los Angeles. The Bible won’t tell you what city to live in.
This third view would have us looking for the perfect choice to make and assumes that inward peace and “open doors” confirm a correct direction. Kevin argued that this often results in paralysis; when we aren’t sure what to do, we just don’t do anything.
SESSIONS TWO & THREE — THE WISDOM VIEW
Dr. Gary Frieson, Professor at Multnomah Bible College, Elder at Imago Dei church in Portland, and author of Decision Making and the Will of God, discussed the “Wisdom View” — the view that God does have a specific plan for each of us, but this plan cannot be known ahead of time. Instead of looking to God to reveal the one correct choice, we are given the free- dom and wisdom to make our own choices. We are fully equipped to choose on our own when we follow Scripture and are helped by the wise counsel of others.
Dr. G explained:
1. Where God commands something, we must obey.
2. Where there is NO command, God gives us the freedom to choose.
3. Where there is NO command, God gives us the wisdom we need to make a choice.
4. After we choose something that is moral and wise, we need to trust the details to God.
Each area was supported with numerous scriptural and real-life examples describing how God gives us the freedom, responsibility, and wisdom to make these choices.
SESSION FOUR — THE WISDOM VIEW APPLIED
Pastor Kevin DeYoung practically applied the Wisdom view to real-life situations, namely deciding on a job, a call to ministry, and marriage.
For all three, Kevin explained that the specific job, ministry, and person are all secondary — what matters most is whether we are glorifying God in the process of making our choices and if the results of the choice will be bringing us closer to Christ.
QUESTION & ANSWER PANEL
Questions ranged from “What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?” to “Where did the Traditional View originate?” to a twenty-nine-year-old woman asking, “Where are all the single guys?” Questions that could not be covered due to time were addressed in a follow-up class held at Riv’s Holt Venue the next Sunday.
In summary, the will of God is to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength. We have the freedom to make our own choices and allow for personal preferences, as long as they’re Biblical and beneficial.
If you missed the conference or are interested in learning more, check out GodsWillConference.com/Resources for books, audio, and other resources from the conference.
QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN MAKING A DECISION:
- Is it moral?
- Is it wise?
- Which decision will help me to best love God and people?
- What will best promote the kingdom of God?
- What decision will help me best grow as a believer?
- Which decision will best promote God’s glory?
Update on Melissa Rumrill
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 1, 2011
Last year, Featured at Riv Church published a letter from Riverview member Melissa Rumrill, who is currently serving time in prison. The car accident that resulted in her sentence took the life of her good friend and left her with physical injuries that required multiple surgeries. Many Riv members responded to her first letter, saying they were personally touched and were praying for her. We asked Melissa to share an update with us to let us know how she’s doing and how we can keep praying for her.
The holiday season is over now, and virtually all of the prisoners at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility are relieved. There are Christmas trees on display in the housing units and gift bags were distributed to each inmate, but these niceties hardly temper the sting of loneliness we feel. For each individual in prison, remaining hopeful is a daily battle. For me, faith in Jesus and the love I feel from the body of believers keep me from giving up.
Thankfully, I have stayed connected with Riverview during this first year of incarceration. Through written correspondence I have even developed friendships with women from church who I did not know before. I am still close with my Stephen Minister; she visits me every month and we talk on the phone at least once each week. In a few months though, we will have to stop communicating so she can volunteer with a group of women who have an outreach program at this facility on Saturday mornings. She, and anyone else who has a passion for prison ministry, will meet with a small group of inmates regularly, helping them to know Christ and to live for Him. I will miss the sweet fellowship I have had with my Stephen Minister, but I know there are many other people who support me.
The Riverview community not only takes care of me, but also embraces my family. One of the pastors visits me, and he periodically checks in with my mom to find out about our family’s needs. There are a handful of people from church who visit me and talk to me on the phone and also spend time with my mom and brother. Knowing that my family is being encouraged, comforted, and lifted high in prayer makes it easier for me to get through each day.
If the parole board grants me a release on my earliest out date, I still have about sixteen months left to serve, but my days seem to pass quickly right now. Recently I was blessed with a new job as a classification clerk. I spend thirty hours per week working at a desk and handling all kinds of paper- work. The office I work in is on the opposite side of the prison grounds from my housing unit, so getting to and from work I walk at least two miles each day. All the walking makes my arthritic ankle very stiff and sore, and increases the pain I have in my hips. I am as fully recovered from my surgeries as I can be, but I will need an ankle fusion and a hip replacement some time after I get home.
Please pray that I would stay healthy and strong for the rest of my time here. Please also be praying for my protection; there have been acts of violence among inmates, suicides and attempted suicides, and an outbreak of lice and MRSA (a very difficult-to-treat bacterial infection). Pray that I might have peace in the midst of this sorrowful, ever-changing, hard environment. And please remember to pray for the victims of the car accident I caused, as well as the victims’ loved ones, that they may be comforted and their hearts healed. I am continually comforted and encouraged by the mail I receive, including cards, letters, books, and the Life Group Notes each week.
Since I have been in prison, I have been afraid that I would be forgotten. But each day when the mail is delivered, I am reminded that God and His people are walking with me, and that I am not alone. Officers and prisoners often comment about the amount of mail I get. This gives me an opportunity to talk about my support system and most importantly, why there is such an outpouring of love: “Because He first loved us.” The love I have been shown by Riverview compels me to love and serve the other women in this prison. It is my hope that God will continue to use me to be a beacon of His light in a dark place, to uplift other prisoners with His love much like he uses the Riverview community to support me.
For women who would like more info on the prison ministry, a training will take place this month. This woman-to-woman ministry begins in March and lasts about six months. Depending on the amount of sign-ups, this could be a weekly or bi-weekly/flexible opportunity. Please email Lorrie.Dundon@RivChurch.com for more info or to sign-up.
Epic Café: A Positive Taste of Riv
Posted on Friday, Jan 28, 2011
Thousands of students arrive on Michigan State University’s campus every year; most have no thought of going to church. Some have never been to a church in their lives. Others have grown up attending services every Sunday, but only because they were forced to go. Still others have had church as an important part of their lives, but at some point fell away. Whatever the situation, these students arrive on campus and walk to and from class each day, with church the last thing on their minds.
Until life happens. Maybe it’s the stress of school, a broken relationship, or a party gone wrong — something that causes a student to start looking for help and answers. At that moment, if they’ve never been to or aren’t aware of a church nearby, where can they go?
Epic, the college ministry at Riverview, hopes students will think of Riv. This is why they’ve started Epic Café, an outreach that serves students free coffee on campus each week. The hope is to make a positive impression so that when the hard moments come, students will think of Riverview, the church that has been giving them a cup of free coffee every week for the last year.
Epic Café is open every Thursday during the semester from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm, serving coffee next to “The Rock” on MSU’s campus. Riv staff set up a canopy (like what you’d use for tailgating) with banners advertising free coffee and put out self-serve carafes for students walking to and from classes. Around five staff members man the tent each week; one brews coffee from across the street and runs the carafes back and forth while the others mingle and talk with students. Students who already attend Riv often stop by on their way to and from class to hang out and help mingle.
John Freeman, (aka Free) Riv Campus Co-Director, says the reaction from first-time students is often incredulous. Free says, “A common question we get is, ‘Ok, what kind of credit card or mailing list do I have to sign up for? What do I have to do?’ We tell them, ‘Well, you do have to pour it your- self.’ They’re surprised there’s no catch — it gets a really positive response.”
The Epic Café tent is set up directly across from the Erikson Kiva, where the MSU Venue service is held, making it easy to show students grabbing a coffee where the service happens. Most students would have no idea a church service is held in the Kiva each week, so the outreach is a simple and personal way to make it known.
Spreading awareness of Riv’s MSU Venue is one of Epic Café’s main goals. Traditional advertising is one way to let people know about a church on campus, but the hope is that Epic Café can be another, possibly more effective, way to spread the word. Free explains, “There are tons of students on campus who have no idea there is a church here. We could put an ad on the radio, chalk the sidewalks, or hang ads on the doors — but everyone is doing that, and the students get so many ads every day. We wanted to do something that was more in line with who we are. Epic Café is a way to do something face-to-face while tapping into the compassion element by giving away something with no strings attached.”
The café serves around 300 cups of coffee each week. Epic Café cups are printed specifically for the outreach, with the MSU Venue’s location and starting time printed on each cup — an easy reference for students once they’re back in their dorm rooms. This means each week, at least 300 people are getting personal invitations to go to church.
While there is yet to be a formal poll, attendance at the MSU Venue does seem to be affected. Every week, new people are showing up, and when the staff asks them how they heard of Riv, many say it’s from getting their coffee. “ There do seem to be a lot more new people coming week in and week out,” Free says. “We don’t have any hard data, but we definitely have a sense that having this presence on campus is making a difference.”
Another unexpected but exciting benefit is that the staff is beginning to develop relationships with the coffee-drinking regulars. Recently, one student who had been coming by regularly sought out the staff for help. Riv campus co-directors Joe Testa and Free had been chatting with this student for a few minutes each time he would stop for coffee throughout the year. During his most recent visit, the student pulled Joe and Free aside. He knew they were “church guys” and shared some recent struggles, asking for prayer on the spot. Moments like these have been encouraging for the staff.
The Epic Café is all about giving students a positive taste of Riv so they’ll keep coming back for more. Whether it’s an Epic Cafe regular or a first- time passerby, when a student gets to a place where they’re looking for more, we hope they’ll remember the warm cup of coffee served to them by Riv, and realize there’s a church out there that cares.
My Life Group Story, by Kristy Kellom
Posted on Friday, Jan 21, 2011
WHY ARE YOU IN A LIFE GROUP?
Survival! Sometimes life is just hard. This is a group that I can be real with and share the tough stuff of life. We encourage each other and grow closer to God together through Scripture and prayer.
HOW DID YOUR LIFE GROUP GET TOGETHER?
We started meeting in the summer of 2009. We started this group kind of organically — I was friends with each of these women before the group started. This is kind of an unconventional group; we actually meet online via webcam or conference call depending on the week. Each of us has been a part of Riverview at some point, but now lives in a different area of the country (except me, I’m still here!). In the beginning, my friend Katie and I had been meeting relatively regularly to talk about God. She was going to DC for a summer internship and wanted to keep it up, so we started our “webcam Bible study.” The rest is history — and a year and a half later I am so grateful for these women in my life. They challenge me and I’m encouraged by how I’ve seen them grow exponentially in their faith in the last few years.
WHAT DO YOU DO DURING YOUR MEETINGS?
Sign online, catch up for about a half hour, dig into Scripture via Riv’s Message Notes or another selected study, share prayer requests, and pray. We meet for about two hours a week — which may seem like a lot, but since we’re all over the country it’s the only time we get to see each other.
WHAT HAVE YOU STUDIED AS A GROUP?
Riv’s messages, Jennifer Rothschild’s Me, Myself, and Lies, The Freedom Journey from Crossroads Church (The church one of our group members attends in Cincinnati), Romans, and other Scripture based on situations that have come up in our lives.
HOW HAS YOUR LIFE GROUP AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?
Life Group Member #1: It makes me realize that we are not alone and that “it’s not about me.” It was so hard to get past the things happening in my own life to open up and see how others are doing. I think this study has helped me see that my life is not the most important thing and that I am hopefully growing and reaching out to others more than I have in the past.
Life Group Member #2: My group has affected my life in ways I can’t really reflect in a brief answer. It has positively affected my own personal relationship with God (obtaining a greater understanding of who He is, what He wants for me, and how He loves me remarkably). It has positively affected my relationship with my significant other (having ideas, struggles, and challenges to share with my boyfriend and strength and support for the two of us in making what God wants for us a reality, i.e., abstinence, great love, great respect, etc.). It’s positively affected my relationships with others (assisting me in getting outside of my egoic self and having a better vantage into “another’s situation” with greater truth and grace).
Life Group Member #3: These women have EACH impacted my life in so many ways — I’ve been so encouraged by each of their walks and growth with the Lord and some of the really difficult decisions they have made to keep God first. They have helped me through some very difficult times in my own life and just knowing they are praying for each other and me is a HUGE blessing. They keep me accountable, share serious wisdom from the Spirit, and ask tough questions. I LOVE searching the scriptures with them and seeing how God answers each prayer in ways we didn’t expect, but usually far better than any of us could have come up with. A group like this is rare and I thank God for them daily.
Life Group Member #4: Wow, exponential growth in my relationship with God, and such a deeper caring and love for the ladies in my group. Life is so much easier knowing that I can be honest with them about my struggles, and they will give me Godly wisdom (and lots of love!) to keep moving forward and not quit.
ANY INTERESTING STORIES TO SHARE?
One of the girls became a Christian in January of 2009 at Riv! Her name is written under the carpet in the auditorium. If you’ve been around for a while, you may remember the week we went to the new auditorium (which was under construction) and wrote names of the people we were praying would come to know Him on the floor. The carpet was going to be installed the next week. During a later weekend service, Noel Heikkinen explained what it meant to be a Christian, and she told me she believed all those things and had put her faith in Jesus. I showed her where her name was written and welcomed her to God’s family. God is so cool and I am so in love with what He is doing through Riverview.
RivLink is one of the easiest ways to find a Life Group. The next RivLink events will be held at Riv’s Holt Venue on February 19 and 20. For more info, go to LifeGroups.RivChurch.com. Would you like to share your Life Group’s story with Riverview Church? Please email Melissa.Kranzo@RivChurch.com.
Financial Peace University
Posted on Friday, Jan 14, 2011
Last month in our sermon serie entitled “He Gave; We Give,” pastor Noel Heikkinen taught that Christians are called to be generous, just as God has been to us. In addition to giving, God has a lot to say to us about money. There are over 800 verses in the Bible that talk about how we should handle our cash.
In these verses, God gives us some key pointers: Planning is important; [1] Money should be handled responsibly; [2] Be content; [3] Be careful about lending; [4] Be careful about debt; [5] Don’t put your trust in money; [6] Living well with money takes hard work and diligence; [7] and as we looked at here in Featured at RivChurch last month, give. [8]
If the current economic situation is teaching us anything, it’s that we can’t put our trust and security in money. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be wise with what God has given us. While we shouldn’t be putting all of our hope in money, we should, as God’s stewards, be striving to use what God has given us in the best way possible.
Riv offers a financial course that can help you work towards doing just that. Financial Peace University (FPU) is a thirteen-week course that teaches practical financial skills and decision making. Each class covers a different topic, such as saving money, living on a budget, communicating about money, eliminating debt, understanding investments, and experiencing the joy of giving.
FPU is a Biblically-based program started by Christian financial advisor Dave Ramsey. The goal is to help people understand their finances and how money relates to them financially, emotionally, and spiritually. The program is offered in schools, churches, and workplaces across the US. According to the Financial Peace University website, over one million families have completed FPU. On average, they’ve paid off $5,300 in debt and saved $2,700 by the time they reach the last week of the program.
Riv did their own poll during an FPU class to see how these averages panned out. There were sixteen Riv families in the class, and they were polled once on the first night and again on the last night of class. The total starting debt per person was $34,700. In the end, the average debt was $29,300, resulting in a difference of $5,400. As for savings, the total emergency fund for the entire group at the beginning of the course was $0.00. Zilch. By the end of the class, the group had a combined emergency fund of $25,158. The stats seem to be holding up.
FPU was introduced to Riv by Rodney Bashore. Rodney first became involved when he was encouraged to attend a private class led by Riv members Jake and Nikki Gatian. At first, he was hesitant and chalked it up as a scam, but he went anyway. Instead of the sham he expected, he found a simple way to manage his money. As he followed the concepts from the class, his life and heart changed. It has transformed not only his financial life, but his spiritual life as well. He then saw the potential to help others as he had been helped and organized classes to be offered through Riv. Since then, Rodney and class leaders John Bush and Matt Jabs have facilitated eleven classes, with two more beginning this year
(in January and March). Just as Rodney had hoped, others who have been through FPU are now experiencing the same heart and life change that he did. About 15% of past class members are now either leading or co-leading FPU classes.
FPU is for anyone and everyone. Age, circumstance, and situation don’t matter. The Riv classes have had members from their teens all the way up to retirement. Any age is welcome, and all can benefit. Free childcare is also provided thanks to Rodney’s wife Donna and her mother, Linette Wilson.
FPU meets for two hours (at most) one night a week for thirteen weeks. Upcoming classes begin this month. The course is free, and the cost of the materials is $100. (Dave Ramsey and Riv make no profit — the cost strictly covers the materials). This means that if you know someone who has taken the course who can pass the materials on to you, you can take the course for free. Or if you yourself have already taken the course and want to pass your materials on to a family member, they’ll be able to go through the course without having to buy the kit. Many parents or family members do this to help others experience the program. (It is, however, recommended that each household have and keep at least one kit so the tools are always available.) Another added benefit is that once you go through FPU, you are always able to come back to a class and participate again (and again and again) for free, whether it’s at Riv or another venue. Sometimes a refresher on a topic years later can be helpful.
The next class starts this Tuesday, January 18 at 6:30 pm. Interested in signing up or have questions? Email Rodney.Bashore@RivChurch.com. FPU classes are also offered at other locations in the area in case the date or time of a current Riv class doesn’t work with your schedule. Locations and more details about the program are available at DaveRamsey.com/FPU.
[1] Proverbs 6: 6-8, Proverbs 21:5, Proverbs 27: 23-27, Luke 14:28-30
[2] Luke 16: 10, Proverbs 15:22, Matthew 25:14-30
[3] Philippians 4:11-13, 1 Timothy 6:6
[4] Psalm 112: 5, Psalm 37:21
[5] Psalm 37:21, Proverbs 22:7, Proverbs 22:26-27, Romans 13:8
[6] Psalm 23:1, Proverbs 10:4, Ecclesiastes 5:10, 1 Timothy 6:7-10
[7] 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Proverbs 13:11
[8] Proverbs 3:9-10, Proverbs 3:27, Proverbs 11:24-25, Proverbs 28:27, Mark 12:41-44
To sign-up for the “Becoming a Self Feeder” class, go to RivU.RivChurch.com. The class will be limited to the first forty people who register.
Becoming a Self-Feeder
Posted on Tuesday, Jan 4, 2011
“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.”
- I Corinthians 3:1-2
The first century church in Corinth struggled because of spiritual immaturity. Without question, the issues they faced (immorality, lack of unity, lawsuits among believers, etc.) were very serious. But based on the size and experience of their church, these were problems they should have already put behind them. Paul’s rebuke in his first letter to the Corinthians couldn’t be any clearer — he calls them “infants in Christ” when they should be “people who live by the Spirit.” He’s basically saying: grow up!
The Corinthian struggle is our struggle. Just like the Christians in Corinth, we face temptations and distractions that can cause us to take our eyes off Jesus and stagnate in our spiritual growth. Because of this, one of the most critical steps in the life of any Christ follower is to move from “milk” to “solid food.” A recent survey done here at Riv shows we have a ton of people who find it challenging to “feed” themselves with God’s Word. In our community of faith it is very common to hear statements like:
“I’m so new to Christianity and to the Bible, where do I start?”
“I just don’t have time to read the Bible.”
“When it comes to the Bible I’ve tried and failed so many times, I finally just gave up.”
“I’ve been a Christian for such a long time, but I’m just not growing. Why is that?”
Maybe you identify with one of these patterns and have been frustrated with the lack of progress in your spiritual life. If so, the upcoming “Becoming a Self Feeder” class may be worth checking out. This class was first offered as an hour-long seminar at the LEAD event this past May. Because of the positive feedback, it has now been expanded into three sessions, which will take place on Sundays January 16, 23, and 30 from 11:30 am – 12:45 pm in Room 201 at Riv’s Holt Venue.
THE CLASS BREAKDOWN
Week 1 (Sunday, January 16): This class focuses on the different stages of spiritual growth as taught in the Bible and a “diagnosis” process for each person who attends. Each class member will leave with a clear and realistic view of their own spiritual life, with accountability and an action plan with steps to help move forward during the first week.
Week 2 (Sunday, January 23): This class is entirely “hands on.” Using examples from the Bible and best practices from mature Christ followers, class members are taught principles to apply as they build their own plan for spiritual growth.
Week 3 (Sunday, January 30): The final week’s class focuses on application and obedience. Looking specifically at the promises and commands found in the Bible, class members receive direction and accountability as they apply the truths of Scripture to their daily lives.
The class is taught by Pastor Greg Van Nada and James Granger, two men with a significant amount of experience helping others learn to “feed” themselves.
Riverview pastor Greg Van Nada has been involved in ministry for over thirty years, leading and coaching people of all ages in their journey with Christ. He is currently the national campus director for Great Commission Ministries and is also helping Riverview develop a network of future pastors and church planters. Greg and his wife Christine live in East Lansing and have four children.
James Granger has been the Area Director for Young Life in Greater Lansing for the past eighteen years, working with teams of college students and young adults to reach out to middle school and high school students throughout the Lansing area. James does a bunch of teaching and mentoring with young folks and also serves as volunteer coordinator at Riverview. James and his wife Laura live in Mason and have three sons.
To sign-up for the “Becoming a Self Feeder” class, go to RivU.RivChurch.com. The class will be limited to the first forty people who register.
Our Life Group Story
Posted on Friday, Dec 24, 2010
Members of this Life Group include Marty and Jerilynn Lepak, Mark and Janet TenHove, Aaron and Melissa Adams, Clint and Michelle Gilsdorf, and Chris and Kristi Daymon.
WHY ARE YOU IN A LIFE GROUP?
Riverview is such a large wonderful church, but there are so many people. Life Groups help to break down the barrier and allow us to get to know one another on a more personal level.
HOW LONG HAS YOUR LIFE GROUP BEEN TOGETHER, AND HOW DID YOU MEET?
We met at one of the RivLink Sundays with Paul DenHerder roughly two years ago. It just so happened that we were already sitting in a circle as a group, got to talking to each other, and decided to form our Life Group right then with the people in our circle. It was the best decision ever!
HOW OFTEN DOES YOUR LIFE GROUP MEET?
All of us have children involved in lots of activities with school and we all work or attend university classes, so we decided to meet every other week. It allows us not to burn out or feel stressed about meeting every single week. It works out quite well. We meet every other Friday.
WHAT DOES A MEETING LOOK LIKE?
Eat, talk, laugh . . . eat some more, talk, sometimes with our mouths full of food, eat . . . but seriously speaking we do have snacks (more like meals) and the children usually play in one area of the house while the adults meet in another area. We generally go over the Life Group Notes from the previous week and we share about our week and pray for each other. We have tried a few video series, however the Life Group Nessage notes seem to work the best for us.
WHAT HAVE YOU STUDIED AS A GROUP?
We really haven’t taken on any separate study topics. We go over the printout of sermon questions and discuss our findings. Right now it is Revelation that Steve is talking on. Very interesting.
DO YOU DO ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF REGULAR GROUP MEETING TIMES?
Yes . . . the girls have had a few “girls night out’ times and we have had summer picnics and movie nights.
HOW HAS YOUR LIFE GROUP AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?
It has given us all friends within the church that we can turn to. We are a positive life source for each other and enjoy one another’s company.
ANY INTERESTING STORIES TO SHARE?
I think one of the most interesting things about our group is the amount of children we have. There are twelve children that are present at the meetings ranging in ages from eight to sixteen. These twelve children get along and play wonderfully together . . . no broken bones! They hang as a pack and the older ones will sometimes take the younger ones to the park and watch them. Sure, there’s a lot of noise, but never any fights. They are great children.
Interested in finding out more about Life Groups? RivLink is one of the easiest ways to join a group. The next RivLink events will be held at the Holt Venue on January 15 & 16, 2011. For more info or to RSVP for childcare, please email Kim.Rudnicki@RivChurch.com.
Would you like to share your Life Group’s story with the rest of Riverview Church? Please email Melissa.Kranzo@RivChurch.com.
Click here to download a PDF version of this article.
Tithing & Giving, Part 2
Posted on Friday, Dec 17, 2010
In part one of this two-part article, we discussed tithing as covered in the Old and New Testaments. While at one point it was mandatory (for Israelites under the Mosaic Law), believers are no longer held to it (or the rest of the Law), since we are now under the New Covenant established after the death of Christ. However, the New Testament has a lot to say on the subject of giving. It is one of the most written about subjects in the New Testament, which teaches specifically on four areas of giving: the amount, the purpose, the manner, and the motivation.
THE AMOUNT OF OUR GIVING
• We are to give in proportion to our prosperity. The more God has entrusted to us, the more we ought to give.
• We are to be faithful in following through on commitments we make.
God leaves the amount of our giving up to us. We should seek the Lord and be faithful in our convictions regarding the amount and direction of our giving.
THE PURPOSE OF OUR GIVING
There are three general needs that are to be met through our giving:
• To meet the needs of other believers: Believers are to generously give to meet the needs that other members of the body of Christ have.
• To meet the needs of the pastors and other workers in the gospel: Believers are to provide for and assist their pastors financially so that they can give themselves fully to the work.
• To meet the needs of unbelievers: We may be in a position where we are able to meet the need of someone who’s not a Christian or give to a secular charity. We have the freedom to do these things, keeping in mind that we still need to provide for fellow believers.
THE MANNER OF OUR GIVING
We are to give:
• Anonymously—This protects us from seeking to please others and the temptation to give in order to impress people.
• Voluntarily—We are not to give grudgingly or under compulsion. Our giving is to be an overflow of thankfulness towards the Lord.
• Expectantly—In our giving, God can bless us in this present life. This does not mean that God wants us to give in order to get. If we are blessed, it is so we are able to give more. We can also expect God to bless us in the life to come.
• Cheerfully—Giving ought to be seen as a great privilege, not as a heavy burden or joyless duty. Joy and cheerfulness results from becoming a part of the awesome work God is doing.
• Sacrificially—Does our giving cost us anything or are we just giving God our leftovers? Obedience to Him requires that we live by faith rather than by sight, giving ourselves first to the Lord.
THE MOTIVATION FOR OUR GIVING
There are three main factors that should motivate us in our giving:
The example of Christ in II Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Christ laid down the right to His place in heaven, lived a poor life, and ultimately gave up His life in order to save us. Christ didn’t give just ten percent of His resources to obtain spiritual treasures for us — He gave one-hundred percent. We ought to strive as disciples to be like Him.
The command of Christ in John 15:12-13, “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” We will know if we really love our brothers and sisters when we are willing to give in order to meet their needs.
The ownership by Christ of us: When we become believers, the true owner of everything we have, including our finances, is the Lord Himself. We are stewards, or managers of someone else’s property. We are not to ask, “How does God want me to use my money?” but rather, “How does God want me to use His money to accomplish His purposes?”
In short, the Scriptures do not teach that the tithe is mandatory for New Testament believers. Instead, Christians are to be generous, sacrificial, expectant and cheerful givers. Does that describe you? If not, God says we can go to Him in prayer and ask Him for the power and grace to obey Him fully in all things.
Excerpted and edited from Route 66: Honoring God with My Giving, by Chuck Wynn. For a copy of the full paper, visit RivWarehouse in the lobby.
Click here to download a PDF version of this article.
Tithing & Giving, Part 1
Posted on Friday, Dec 10, 2010
Giving is one of the most misunderstood topics in Christianity. The idea that a believer in Jesus Christ is obligated to tithe, or give ten percent
of their income to a local church, is widespread. Some churches require members to submit their income records to ensure that they are indeed giving ten percent. Other churches teach that anyone who does not tithe is robbing God and is therefore under the curse described in Malachi 3:8-10. To understand what the Bible actually teaches on the topic, we need to look at both the Old and New Testaments.
TITHING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Before the Mosaic Law was given to the Israelites, there are only two instances of tithing mentioned in the Bible. In the first instance, Abraham gave a tithe to the king and priest Melchizedek as a way to thank God for helping him rescue Lot from captivity. In the second, Jacob vowed to pay God a tithe if He fulfilled the promises made to him. In both cases, Abraham and Jacob gave ten percent of what God gave to them, but they gave voluntarily — nowhere is it mentioned that God commanded they give, or that the amount be ten percent. Their tithing seems to be a response to the specific instances, and not something they often practiced.
Once the Israelites were given the Law, the tithe became incorporated into the over six hundred commandments they were to follow. The Israelites were now commanded to give three different tithes.
The first tithe was collected from their harvests and flocks to support the Levites, who served as the priests of Israel. The second tithe provided food and drink for the religious feasts and festivals the Israelites were required to take part in. As for the third, every third year a tithe was collected for the poor of their towns, including the aliens, orphans, and widows.
At this point, tithing under the Mosaic Law was mandatory, and totaled 23.33% of an Israelite’s income. (Twenty percent of his produce and flocks, plus an extra ten percent every third year.) Tithing was similar to our governmental taxation today. Since Israel was considered a theocracy (a government where God ruled over them), the people were responsible for supporting God’s workers (the priesthood), holidays (the annual festivals) and the poor (aliens, widows, and orphans) through this legally required tithe.
However, this tithe has been set aside, along with the rest of the Law, with the beginning of the New Covenant established after the death of Christ. It is no longer operative and believers are not held to it.
TITHING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
There are only four passages in the New Testament that mention the tithe. In three of these instances, Jesus is referring to Pharisees who tithed while under the Mosaic Law. Jesus condemns their hypocrisy for neglecting the weightier matters of the Law — justice and the love of God —while keeping the others, such as tithing. The fourth instance is simply a reference back to when Abraham paid tithes to the priest Melchizedek, and is used in comparison as a way to show Christ as our high priest, not in relation to Christian giving.
In the entire New Testament, there is not a single command for Christians to tithe. However, the New Testament has much to say on the subject of giving. In fact, it is one of the most written about subjects in the New Testament.
The New Testament teaches specifically on four areas in regards to our giving: the amount, the purpose, the manner, and the motivation. Pick up next week’s newsletter to read Part II, which covers what the Bible has to say about giving, and how it applies to us today.
Excerpted and edited from Route 66: Honoring God with My Giving, by Chuck Wynn. For a copy of the full paper, visit RivWarehouse in the lobby.
Click here to download a PDF version of this article.
Finding God's Will Conference
Posted on Tuesday, Nov 30, 2010
“If there really is a perfect will of God we are meant to discover, in which we will find tremendous freedom and fulfillment, why does it seem that everyone looking for God’s will is in such bondage and confusion? ”
– Kevin DeYoung
Do you worry that you don’t know God’s perfect will for your life? Is that even possible to know? Many Christians struggle with life-changing and everyday decisions while trying fervently to find God's will, yet often God seems to be silent.
The Finding God’s Will Conference, which will be held at Riv’s Holt Venue on Saturday, January 22, will examine the problems of traditional teaching, explore how the Bible instructs us to know God’s will, and teach us how to make confident decisions from Biblical wisdom.
If you've ever asked questions such as, “Does God have a plan for my life?” “Does God give me feelings that should direct my decisions?” or “How do
I know if I’m going to the right school, marrying the right person, or pursuing the right job?” then this conference is for you.
The cost is $20 per person or $30 per couple, and $10 for students. All tickets include lunch. The registration and payment deadline is Monday, January 17. You can register online at GodsWillConference.com or inquire at the Riv office.
SPEAKERS:
Garry Friesen
Garry is known as Dr G. at Multnomah Bible College, where he has taught for thirty-four years. He is the author of Decision Making and Will of God, and a contributor to How Then Should We Choose: Three Views on God’s Will. He mentors six men students at his home, Aslan’s How. He is elder chair at Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon. This year he is living in Michigan caring for elderly parents.
Kevin DeYoung
Kevin is the Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, across the street from Michigan State University. He serves on the board of RCA Integrity, a renewal group within the Reformed Church in America. He is the author of Just
Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will. Together with his wife, Trisha, Kevin has four children: Ian, Jacob, Elizabeth, and Paul.
Noel Heikkinen
Noel spends the majority of his time pastoring and teaching at Riverview Church, surfing the internet on his iProducts, and hanging out with his smoking hot wife and four wildly talented children (his words). He currently serves on the board of directors for Great Commission Ministries and plans on spending the rest of his life figuring out how to vicariously plant hundreds of churches without ever leaving Riverview.
Can’t attend the conference, but still interested in learning more? Riv offers a class through RivU, Decision Making and God’s Will. Go to RivU.RivChurch.com for the latest class schedules.
Or, check out these books:
- Decision Making and the Will of God, by Garry Friesen
- How Then Should We Choose, edited by Douglas F. Huffman
- Just Do Something, by Kevin DeYoung
Go to GodsWillConference.com for more details and to register.
Click here to download a PDF version of this article.
Olders & Youngers
Posted on Friday, Nov 26, 2010
At Riverview, the average person is in his or her twenties, and that has been part of an intentional effort. When we looked at the face of the American church we realized young people were missing. Since then, it has been our dream to reach teens, college students, singles, and young families with the message of Jesus. Whether you are a “Younger” or an “Older,” we hope you’ll be part of our mission to reach young people, both in the Lansing area and around the world. The following is an excerpt from Pastor Noel Heikkinen’s paper “Olders and Youngers.” For the full version, stop by RivWarehouse in the lobby of the Holt Venue.
Young and old is relative in some ways; when I talk about Youngers, I am talking to everyone because we are all younger than someone. Statistically, there is only one person in our church who is older than everyone, so suffice it to say: you are a Younger. And when I talk about Olders, I am talking to all of you because you (except one person) are also older than someone.
Our mission is to make sacrificial followers of Jesus. Our specific focus is teens, college students, singles, and young families. We desire to be multi- generational, while maintaining a young focus. This is hard. But it is vital!
Our dream is that as we go on, we will keep a high level of young people, but that the other age groups will grow. But that will only happen as older people catch the vision to pass the torch onto the next generation.
We need Olders who will train Youngers. Olders, with their experience and character and passion, are a history book dog-eared with the cool things God has done. They must embrace the Youngers — training them, loving them, and passing the baton on to them.
And for Youngers, I think every young person should have I Timothy 4:12 as a life verse: Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
THIS VERSE POINTS TO FIVE AREAS IN WHICH YOUNGERS SHOULD BE PROACTIVE IN SETTING AN EXAMPLE . . .
YOUR SPEECH
Your speech reflects your heart! Do you set an example in the way you state your opinion?
YOUR LIFE
If you espouse a biblical message and live an ungodly life, you are a hypocrite.
YOUR LOVE
Are you pouring your life out for others? A lot of young people have a deep desire and expectation that other people will pour their lives out for them, especially older people.
YOUR FAITH
One of the most inspiring things is the faith of Youngers. When you live a life of faith, you remind Olders of their faith when they were young and it’s inspiring.
YOUR PURITY
In our culture, purity is not a common commodity. I hope the young people in our church are being sexually pure because that would be an amazing example to set in this culture.
Some of you are frustrated because you want to be a leader but you are not there yet. If you want to be a leader, there is one way to get there. (This is for everyone: Olders and Youngers alike.) What makes a leader? What is the defining quality that separates a mature Christian from the pack?
It comes down to one thing: leaders serve. It’s what Jesus did.
OLDERS: You should know that Riverview will (as far as we can see) always focus young. Will you commit to be mission-minded? Will you commit to help us get the Gospel to the next generation? Will you help a Younger to catch a vision for Christ? Don’t know any Youngers? Look around and find one.
YOUNGERS: Will you make this a place where Olders feel honored and served? Will you go against the grain and look for ways to do stuff for the Olders? When you are struggling, will you seek out someone older than you and ask their advice? Don’t know any Olders? Look around and find one.
At Riverview, we know we will always have the tension of wanting to be multi-generational, but we are targeting young and we are committed to that. And we’re also committed to the dialogue on how to make that work. We know it will be hard, but can you commit to be there with us?
My Story: Mike Nichols
Posted on Friday, Nov 19, 2010
My name is Mike Nichols. I am a senior at MSU, and I was recently accepted for a three-year staff position with Great Commission Ministries doing campus missions for Riverview Church. Here’s a little bit about how I feel God has led me to the decision of pursuing this position.
It began with me committing my life to Christ towards the end of my first semester on campus. This was in the Fall of 2007, and Jesus completely turned my life around. The difference of Jesus Christ in my life has already impacted me so much and will continue to impact my life forever . . . because I’m going to heaven, baby.
As I grew in my faith, I decided that I wanted to help lead a Bible study, mostly so that I could learn more about God for my own sake. But through my experience helping lead a Bible study, God showed me that He could use me to impact and influence the lives of others. I realized that this meant a lot to me. God has and is continuing to do so much in my life, and I want to be a part of God working in and transforming the lives of others as well.
I also love the Bible. I absolutely love reading it, studying it, and talking about it with other people. It is the window through which I can learn about my Lord and Savior. The idea of growing in my understanding of the Bible and talking about it with others as part of my job has been extremely appealing.
When I seriously began to think about a career in full-time ministry, I wondered, would it be at MSU? Part of me wants to go to seminary and spend a couple of years learning about the Bible full-time. But if I did that now, then I couldn’t be here on campus, and I couldn’t shake some- thing I had heard Joe Testa [one of Riv’s Campus Directors] say months earlier. He had mentioned that four out of five church plants don’t last, but instead fizzle out after a couple of years. I found that really sad. This is the third year of Riv’s MSU Venue church service on campus. This thing is brand new. I couldn’t bear the thought of graduating from seminary a couple years from now and hearing that this ministry had to close down, knowing that I could have done something, anything to help. It was enough to make me want to stay here, at least for a couple of years. I know that God is working through this ministry, because I got saved through it, and there are 46,000 other students at MSU. I figure at least 40,000 of them do not follow Jesus Christ yet, and I decided that I wanted to be a part of reaching out to them with the gospel.
But there were still a couple things holding me back from pursuing a staff position. I was an accounting major, and my expectations were that after graduating I would go to grad school for a year and then get a cushy accounting job with a decent salary. However, during the Winter of 2009, some guys and I read Ecclesiastes together. The major theme is the futility of living for anything other than the glory of God. This changed my perspective. There’s nothing wrong with making money, but life is short, and I should spend it glorifying God.
The other thing holding me back was thinking about my parents. Part of being on campus staff is raising support in order to work in ministry full- time. Before I even asked them, I knew my parents would not be OK with this. In grade school, when the school gave us fund raisers with cool little prizes, my parents never let me go around door-to-door to sell stuff. They just weren’t OK with that. Furthermore, my dad is not a believer, and my mom might be, but I’m not sure. I really want them to give their lives to Christ, and I was afraid that if I went against their hopes for my life and provoked their fears, that I would be giving Christ a bad name in their eyes. This really scared me.
But then a sermon I listened to revealed the lie I was believing. It was by John Piper and basically said that unbelievers will not be impressed by people who are just like them. Unbelievers will be impressed by people who are different from them in a radical, sacrificial way. Hearing this gave me confidence that going on staff would not give Christ a bad name in my parents eyes and that maybe, hopefully, it might impress them for the Gospel’s sake. This freed me to pursue a campus staff position with Riverview, even if it was kind of a crazy, off-the-wall thing to do that didn’t make sense to the world or my parents. Towards the end of the summer, I called John “Free” Freeman [Riv’s other Campus Director] and told him that I was interested in going on staff.
And that’s part of my story.
Riverview Church partners with Great Commission Ministries for missionary support. Check out GCMweb.org for more info.
Harvest Music Fest
Posted on Friday, Nov 12, 2010
The First Annual Harvest Music Fest took place Friday, October 1 at Riv’s Holt Venue. The event was the Compassion Ministry’s largest fundraiser of the year. Local bands Gifts or Creatures, Doug Mains and The City Folk, and Theme and Variation performed. The $10 per person or $25 per family ticket price included food and beverages. The festival raised about $5,000 dollars and had around 350 people in attendance.
Twenty-five percent of ticket sales went directly to the Lansing Area AIDS Network (LAAN). The rest of the proceeds will benefit Compassion’s service to a variety of local organizations, including Rebuilding Together Ingham County, The Holt Food Bank, Shared Pregnancy, Christ Lutheran Soup Kitchen, Barefoot Church’s Foster Park Program, and Riv’s Meals Team, as well as supporting local area families at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Nancy English, Auxiliary Services Coordinator of LAAN, expressed her appreciation of the event: “The community support we receive from events like the Harvest Music Fest and organizations like Riverview Church help us serve families affected by HIV/AIDS in the Greater Lansing area.”
All three bands performed free-of-charge and donated fifty percent of the evening’s CD sales to the cause. Corporate sponsors and local business also donated items for a raffle, with prizes such as use of a Boyne Mountain condo for a week, a family pass to Potter Park Zoo, massages, original artwork, a set of electric toothbrushes, and cosmetics gift sets.
This is the first year the Compassion Ministry has put on this type of event, and the success of this year’s festival guarantees it won’t be the last. Tom Lenard, a member of Riv’s Compassion team, explains: “Riverview’s Compassion Ministry partners with a lot of great organizations in the area and we wanted to find a way to highlight those efforts. At the same time, we wanted to give families an opportunity to come out together, bring kids of all ages, and get to meet people they might not know otherwise. Since we are so blessed to have really talented musicians involved at Riv, this Harvest Music Fest idea just seemed like a natural way to accomplish our goals and raise resources for some really worthy causes.”
The Harvest Music Fest replaces the annual golf tournament that has been the Compassion Ministry’s main fundraiser for the past fourteen years. The Compassion Ministry knew a change was needed, and felt a music event was more inclusive — something family oriented and available to anyone, not just golfers. And, since the event is held at Riv’s Holt Venue, it’s a way to introduce people to Riverview who might not otherwise come.
“There are so many generous groups and individuals helping lift their neighbors up during these difficult times. This event helps celebrate their efforts and give them tools they need to continue doing their important work,” said Marcie Beckwith, who heads up the Compassion Ministry. “We will definitely be doing this again next year, and already have ideas of how to make it even better. Families can look forward to another night of great music and fun while helping out a great cause.”
THE BANDS BEHIND THE MUSIC
Doug Mains & The City Folk bring an appealing twist on modern folk music with their two to four-part harmonies and use of stringed instruments that give breath and life to every individual song. Doug Mains connected and collaborated with seasoned musicians Kelly Pond and Eli Bender in 2008. The folk trio recorded a self-titled, five-song E.P. that was released in March of 2009. Since then, the band has welcomed Mike Kates, whose talented percussion adds to the group. Currently, the artists are working towards a full-length CD.
Theme & Variation formed when husband and wife Daniel and Ashley Lamb first joined voices over two microphones and a single acoustic guitar in the cramped cafes of Jacksonville, FL. While initially a stripped down folk duo, Theme & Variation’s sound has grown in complexity and energy as musician friends have added to the band’s make-up. With an edgier sophomore release scheduled for this winter, the band is working to make make music with the energy of the rock band and the relevance of the folk singer.
Gifts or Creatures is the musical pursuit of husband and wife duo Brandon John and Bethany Foote. The two share the patience of old world principle, with new world delivery and grace. In January 2010, the duo joined a cast of fellow Michigan musicians and recorded their debut album. In May of 2010, the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art, and Natural Design (ISLAND) selected Gifts or Creatures for an Emerging Musician Residency.
Middle School is Chaos
Posted on Wednesday, Nov 3, 2010
Chaos, Riv’s ministry for seventh and eighth graders, is an inviting and relaxing place where students can come and learn about what it means to be a Christ-follower. Students play crazy games, are challenged with engaging teachings, and are encouraged to share their lives with peers and leaders in Life Groups.
Chaos meets Sundays from 11:30ish am - 1:00ish pm in the MOD at Riv’s Holt Venue, and Wednesday nights from 6:30 - 8:30 pm in the Chapel at Riv’s Holt Venue. The Sunday and Wednesday meetings both promote community and fellowship, but in different ways. Wednesdays provide a higher energy environment where students hang out with their friends, are challenged with a teaching, and can dig deeper with a Life Group of peers. This meeting gives students the opportunity to have fun with their friends and their faith while creating an environment where new students can come and feel welcome. Sundays consist of socializing, a fun activity, and an interactive time of Bible study and teaching related to the Riv service. Sunday is designed for students who want to go deeper with their faith, study the Bible, and be connected with the weekend services at Riv.
In addition to the weekly meetings, Chaos Mix events happen on the first Wednesday of every month. (These events take the place of the Wednesday meeting that would normally happen that night.) Chaos Mix events are upbeat, high energy times when students can let loose and have fun with their friends and leaders; think pool parties, scavenger hunts, movie nights, and kickball games. A Chaos Mix is an especially good time for students to bring new friends and build relationships with their leaders.
Every Chaos meeting aims to enable students to experience genuine community and learn what it means to love Jesus with everything. Tony Pyle, Riverview’s Student Ministries Director, explains, “With Chaos, leaders are able to jump into the world of a middle school student and share their lives with them. I don’t know about everybody else, but my time in middle school was the greatest time of ups and downs that I had ever experienced. Students are at a point in their lives where they are transitioning from childhood into young adulthood, and that process can either be exciting or excruciating. There are so many Biblical truths that students tend to overlook because of every issue they are dealing with in school, with friendships, and with family. Sadly, the here and now takes priority over what many students believe and find their value in. Seeing students being transformed by the Gospel is an amazing experience.”
For more info about Chaos, please email Tony.Pyle@RivChurch.com.
My Story: Alaina Parsons
Posted on Friday, Oct 29, 2010
My name is Alaina and I am a recent Michigan transplant from North Carolina. I am a graduate student at MSU working on my Masters in Animal Science and I have been coming to Riv for about a year. But these are minor details when compared to what God has done in transforming my life over the past few years.
I grew up in a Christian household and, like all proper southern girls, began attending every possible church event provided at a very young age. Since much of my childhood was spent at church, this atmosphere became the initial root for my social life outside of school. While I was at church I learned about the nature of God as my father and about Jesus, but at the time it was all background noise and ritualistic teaching. I was more interested in hanging out with my friends than pursuing a relationship with Christ on my own time. I was extremely self conscious and remarkably socially awkward. I desperately sought the approval of my peers, and I tried and failed repeatedly to find my identity in things that might associate me with the “cool” crowd. The result of this self-fulfillment mentality was several years of struggle with substance abuse starting when I was fifteen years old. During this time, I perfected the art of charades as I discovered that I was able to very skillfully live two lives: one that was visible to my church friends and my parents as the model student who followed all the rules, and one created for my new, older “cool friends” that involved a very heavily decorated party lifestyle dependent on drugs and alcohol.
During these years, God was very distant to me. I acknowledged that He existed, and some tiny part of my conscience was reminding me that my behaviors were wrong, but I chose to forcefully ignore them. My God was supposed to be there when it was convenient for me. My God would let me get my kicks now, and later forgive my sins when I decided to repent (which, in my mind, was whenever I got too old for partying to be cool anymore). This was a win-win situation via my skewed thinking: I got to have the freedom of my lifestyle AND still get to go to heaven. I was further able to justify my actions by hanging out with other hypocritical Christians like myself and by ranking my sin and comparing it to others (my actions were somehow always less sinful by this policy). During my senior year of high school, my church went through an ugly division, and I was deeply hurt by people who I had always admired and loved. I made a decision that I would never be a part of a church family again to avoid hypocrisy and hostility. These experiences and choices left me with an incorrect view of what it meant to be a Christian.
When I started college I got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ only because I felt I should. To avoid being held accountable for my actions by my CCC friends, I continued my double life. I was slowly suffocating under the crushing weight of my sin. My heart ached for the acceptance I was so desperately searching for, and I was filled with guilt and regret about what I had let myself become. I was ashamed, and yet unwilling to repent and ask God for forgiveness. One merciful night two years later, I finally hit rock bottom. I realized that I was living a painfully empty life purely for myself, and that it would eventually destroy me. That night
I surrendered for the first time in my life to the fact that God was the LORD of my life, and I began the journey of growing in a real and loving relationship with Him.
I am completely unworthy of God’s love. He knew that I would blatantly resist Him. He knew that I would struggle against His loving and forgiving character and that I would choose to ignore His presence in my life. Yet He still gave up His perfect, spotless son to die on the cross bearing the burden for MY sins. And here I stand completely forgiven and restored, perfect in His eyes, exactly the way He designed me to live for His purpose. Safety, love, and acceptance from the God who created and controls the entire universe — what can compare? Absolutely nothing. We all face struggles with the temptations that Satan knows will lead us astray. As we become a greater threat to the kingdom of darkness, he will come after us with more vigilance. The two choices we face are to put on the full armor of a God that never fails, or continue to fight alone and eventually fail. It took me a long time to realize that God knows every corner of my heart in its entirety, and He loves and accepts me exactly as I am. You can search everywhere in this world for true freedom and peace, but serving Him is the only place you will truly find it. I am so grateful that God loves me enough to pursue me relentlessly. What a Savior we serve!
LEAD: For Those Who Do or Want To
Posted on Friday, Oct 22, 2010
LEAD, a leadership event held at Riv, took place at the Holt Venue on Saturday, September 18. LEAD is held several times each year and is for anyone who leads or wants to. LEAD is open to anyone and everyone who simply wants to learn more about leading, whether or not they lead within the context of Riv or attend Riv.
September’s conference consisted of two main sessions, break out ministry training sessions, lunch, and of course, plenty of coffee breaks. While the sessions at LEAD always point to the three main areas of Riv’s mission — Grow, Serve, and Go — this past LEAD focused largely on serving.
A SUMMARY OF THE LEAD SESSIONS
“Grow, Serve, and Go: All of the Above,” by Noel Heikkinen
For those who have been around Riv very long, it’s well known that our mission is to make sacrificial followers of Jesus who grow, serve, and go. And there have been plenty of teachings on what it looks like to do each of those things. But why those three things? In this session, Noel explained why these actions are part of our mission statement and why having all three in place is essential to being a sacrificial follower of Jesus.
Noel compared living our lives for Jesus as similar to dancing the crazy locomotion snake train at a wedding. Jesus can be seen as the leader of the crazy train, and while many people are eventually pulled in, not everyone is passionately involved as they decide whether or not they want to identify with this leader and his reckless abandon. The idea may seem silly but the question is very real: “Do I really want to identify myself with that guy?” Will we simply watch, halfheartedly join, or give it all we have? Jesus has called us to follow — now will we?
The first step in being a good leader is being a good follower of Jesus, which was the main theme of the first LEAD session last year. Noel cited the Biblical examples of David, Joshua, and Paul as leaders who lived by setting the example of following God. We need to be asking ourselves, “Am I an example? Could I say to someone, ‘Imitate me as I imitate Christ?’”
The Areas of Grow, Serve, and Go:
Grow: Leaders were challenged to “grow up” and mature, as the author of Hebrews emphasizes in Hebrews 5 and 6. What active steps are you taking to go to the next level in maturity?
Serve: American Christianity has largely become a spectator sport. But that’s not how the Bible sees it. Paul says in Ephesians 4 that not only are we to grow and mature, but that the church body has a responsibility to serve. Serving is the way to build up the body of Christ. Our entire lives are supposed to be lives of service.
Go: God’s people have always been a people on mission. We are to “Go.” As we mature, we go from bringing people to the church (which is the easy entry level way to go) to going to them, into their worlds.
We Need All Three: We have a tendency to distort things by only focusing on one or two areas instead of all three. Noel discussed some examples, such as:
- Just Grow: Hyper-Spiritual / Freudian Introspection
- Grow and Serve: Isolationist
- Serve: Works-based
- Serve / Go: Immature in Faith; Not dealing with Sin
- Go: Activist, but not anchored
- Go / Grow: Neglects the Body of Christ
If we are out of balance, we will create followers who are out of balance as well. The question was asked: Where do YOU need to work on this? Participants were challenged to think about an area where they might be a tad weak, jot down notes, and pray with each other.
Ministry Training Sessions
This LEAD event featured practical training sessions for volunteers serving in various areas of ministry at Riv. This included Life Group leaders and volunteers with RivKids, Chaos, The Element, Epic, and the Welcome Team. Riv members not currently serving in one of these areas were encouraged to consider attending a training and plugging in with that ministry.
For those not involved in a core ministry, an extended version of the “Decision Making and God’s Will” class and a session on “Building Relational Communication Skills” were offered. There was also a separate session for those currently involved in an active church plant.
“Worship and Response’’ With Dan Price
Worship is simply our response to God, and is something that should be exhibited in every aspect of a Christian’s life. During this closing session, participants spent time worshiping God through music, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice for us through communion, and praying.
To find resources from these sessions, go to LEAD.RivChurch.com. Mark your calendar for upcoming LEAD events in 2011: January 22 and May 21.
Meet a Staff Member: Tony Pyle
Posted on Friday, Oct 15, 2010
WHAT DO YOU DO HERE AT RIV?
I am the Student Ministries Director, so I oversee the Chaos (seventh through eighth grade) and Element (ninth through twelfth grade) Ministries. These ministries are meant to show students what it means to be an authentic follower of Jesus, while learning to be in community here at Riv and at their school.
FAMILY INFO:
I was raised by two amazing parents and have three siblings who all still reside in the greater Lansing area. I would not be who I am today without the love of my family and their support in everything I have done. My wife Danielle and I have been married for just over a year and we are loving every minute of it.
WHERE DO YOU GROW UP?
I grew up in Mason, MI, just a short drive away from Riv.
WHAT’S YOUR RIV STORY?
I first came to Riv when I was a sophomore in high school back in 2001. I was a new believer and was looking for a church that I could connect with. I had tried other churches with friends, but no other church made me feel welcome and challenged me with the message as much as Riv did. The coffee helped too.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT JESUS?
I learned about Jesus my freshman year of high school through a ministry called Young Life. A college-age leader started hanging out with my friends and me during our first year of high school. Through this friendship, my friends and I went to a Young Life Camp in Virginia for a week. To this day, I can still tell you that it was the best week of my life. I heard the gospel and was able to share my life with guys who are still my friends today. That week I committed my life to loving Jesus and learning what it means to follow him.
WHAT’S SOMETHING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I am an avid 80’s pop fan. I have no idea why. I think I was born in the wrong decade.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
Fiction: The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
Theological: Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis
WHAT MUSIC IS IN YOUR PLAYER RIGHT NOW?
Rick Astley. See? It’s 80’s pop. I can’t help it.
WHAT ARE SOME JOBS YOU’VE HAD IN THE PAST?
In chronological order since 1999: An LSJ newspaper route, ice cream shop, pizza delivery guy, data entry guy at MSU, cattle farmer, Jimmy John’s delivery guy, Scooter’s custard shop, fifth through eighth grade Science teacher, ministry director.
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
My parents. My mom would do anything she could to make sure my siblings and I felt loved and cared for. My dad has shown me what it means to love and serve your family with everything. He worked nights during my siblings and my childhood to be home with us and coach our sports teams. I have been blessed to have a great model of the parent I want to be in the future for my family.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
I love getting outside and being active. Tennis, basketball, hiking, golf, ultimate frisbee, biking, and running. I also love to read. Nothing beats reading a great book on a beach somewhere.
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT YOUR SUPERPOWERS TO BE?
Everyone says flying, so I am going to break the mold. Teleportation. Like nightcrawler in X-men. I could get places way faster than people who fly. Boo ya.
WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE?
My wife. She challenges me and loves me better than anyone else ever could. I’m truly blessed to have her in my life.
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU HOPE TO SEE HAPPEN IN OR THROUGH RIV?
I hope that students here at Riv become challenged in their faith and that we are able to foster a community of believers that love and serve one another. I hope Riv is able to show students what it means to “Go” in their schools and community.
HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?
Skim milk with one Splenda. I’m watching my figure.
Care For Today, Hope For Tomorrow
Posted on Wednesday, Oct 6, 2010
Beginning in 2008, Riv has been sending teams down to Mexico to work with Back2Back Ministries, an organization whose goal is to bring “care for today and hope for tomorrow” to kids in several parts of the world.
Back2Back Ministries is an international Christian non-profit organization whose mission is to love and care for orphans and impoverished children by meeting their physical, spiritual, educational, social and emotional needs in order to overcome their life circumstances and break free from the cycle of generational poverty.
Back2Back serves the needs of impoverished communities and orphans in Monterrey, Mexico, Jos, Nigeria, and Hyderabad, India.
Riverview has been partnering with Back2Back Mexico since January of 2008, but has been on board with their mission for much longer. In 2001 Pastor Dan Price, prior to coming on staff with Riverview, worked on staff with Back2Back’s high school ministry in Ohio. Dan was impressed after seeing the well thought out mission Back2Back had established in Mexico. “Their plan wasn’t some feel good, pass out food, build a house, and leave type of thing,” Dan explains. “It was holistic; it was meet the physical and spiritual needs, build relationships with these kids, and give them the best chance to come out with hope.” In January of 2008, as Riverview was evaluating what missions here should look like, Dan took a team of six down to Monterrey. When the team saw first-hand what Back2Back was doing and as they interacted with the staff, they knew Back2Back would be a great organization to support.
Back2Back explains their vision for Mexico: “That we would reach every child God brings into our path by meeting their personal needs, develop- ing a long-term relationship with them, and by supporting their spiritual growth that they may establish a personal relationship with the Lord.”
By connecting mission groups from the United States with children’s homes in Mexico, Back2Back is able to meet the physical needs of the children while also serving them spiritually. Back2Back Mexico supports over 500 children in ten separate children’s homes, over 1,000 impoverished families living at the Rio and Cadereyta communities, and thirty-nine teens in the HOPE program (Twenty-five students at the high school level and fourteen students at the college level).
The HOPE program goes beyond providing for just day-to-day needs by offering the opportunity for orphans to go to high school and college, all expenses paid. State education in Mexico ends in ninth grade, so Back2Back pays for the schooling of any child who is willing to invest their next few years in education. For the orphans, this is not the most appealing option short-term — they can earn far more money by leaving school and making a living on the streets in drugs or prostitution. However, many of the children have decided to stay on Back2Back’s central campus and take advantage of the educational opportunity anyway, and they are headed in a promising direction.
So far, over 10,000 Americans from all over the country have been able to visit Back2Back Mexico’s facilities and work on mission teams to support the organization’s cause. The hope is that every attendee at Riverview would be able to be a part of this life changing opportunity.
Riv’s purpose in partnering with Back2Back is two-fold. The first is simply to meet the needs of people in Monterrey by serving the orphans and poverty-stricken communities. The other is life-long service. If workers experience life-change, the hope is that they will come back home and make a difference. It’s not just about serving in a foreign country and then coming home to a life that’s “back to normal.” It’s about learning a lifestyle of service, and sharing the love of Christ and serving God through this service — first internationally, and then at home.
Riv’s primary focus on Mexico, rather than another or several other locations, is intentional. Riv chose to partner with Back2Back to help form long-term relationships with the people it is serving and ministering to. Dan further explains, “We get requests to support missions and to take trips to other places all the time, but we know that organizations generally move quickly from simplicity to complexity. This lessens impact. We want to build a long-term relationship with Back2Back in Mexico, and to do that it means having a laser focus on that mission. Now when we go down there, we meet the same kids that others from Riv have met, and we continue building relationships that reflect well on Riv, and also more importantly, the God we are serving.”
For more info on how to get involved, email Mexico@RivChurch.com.
How to Start Serving at Riv
Posted on Friday, Sep 24, 2010
Riverview Church exists to make sacrificial followers of Jesus who grow, serve, and go. Today’s Featured at RivChurch focuses on the serve part of our mission statement. Each week, hundreds of people volunteer time in order to make everything that happens in and around Riv possible. In fact, the majority of Riv’s ministries are led and staffed by volunteers!
SERVE DURING THE WEEKEND SERVICES
There’s a lot that goes on at Riv every weekend. Kids need to learn in an environment that is relevant and teaches them truth about who God is (RivKids). Families with special needs kids need extra support so their children can fully participate in the classroom, and so that the rest of the family can attend services together (RivBuddies). Newcomers need to be welcomed when walking through the doors for the first time, and coffee needs to be brewed continually — if you haven’t noticed, we go through quite a bit of java here (The Welcome and Coffee Teams). Food is provided for those serving during the weekend services, as well as for people with particular needs, such as a recent birth, death, or illness (The Meals Team). Each service requires trained people to run sound and lights, and volunteers are needed to help design and construct sets (The Audio, Lighting, and Set Design Teams). And with our MSU Venue in its third year, teams of people are needed to set-up, tear-down, and serve in many other ways at this service on campus at Michigan State University (MSU Venue Service Teams).
LEAD A LIFE GROUP
Life Groups are one of the best ways for people to connect at Riv, and all of our Life Group leaders are volunteers. The qualifications are pretty simple: leaders just need to love Jesus and be at least a bit of a “people person.” Leaders help groups determine when and where to meet, organize curriculum, and facilitate meetings.
There are age-specific Life Group ministries for middle school (Chaos), high school (The Element), and college students (Epic). Volunteers are needed to lead these Life Groups and serve these students in other ways. You don’t have to be a student to volunteer, but you do have to have energy!
CARE FOR PEOPLE WHEN THEY NEED IT MOST
Everyone faces unique times in their lives when they need a little bit of extra care. These times may be full of joy, like getting engaged and planning a wedding (Pre-Marriage Ministry), or very difficult, like planning a funeral (The Funeral Care Team). They may be times when someone is simply needed to listen (Stephen Ministry). Or it may be a marriage that needs some extra support (Couple to Couple). Volunteers for these “care” ministries need to do just that — care.
SERVE AND GO
Riv has partnerships with many wonderful local organizations like the Lansing Area AIDS Network, Shared Pregnancy, Holt Food Bank, and Christ Lutheran Soup Kitchen. Serving these organizations with others from Riv is a great way to impact our community for Christ and “Go” as well as “Serve” (Compassion). We also partner with Back2Back Ministries and travel several times each year to serve orphans and others affected by poverty in Monterrey, Mexico (RivMexico).
Groundbreaking News
Posted on Friday, Sep 17, 2010
A new building addition for Riverview Church’s Holt Venue is in the works. At the time of publishing this article, the plan was to break ground sometime in September and complete the building in January 2011.
The new space will provide 3,365 additional permanent square feet. It can be used as one large room, or three smaller classrooms when using sliding partition walls. One classroom will be used for large group time for fifth and sixth graders. The other two will provide flexibility so that seventh and eighth graders also have space in the building during the weekend services. Both groups are currently, as one Highway 56 volunteer leader put it, “in exile in the MOD.”
This “MOD exile” is one of the main reasons the addition is so needed — Riv has been using the 1,200 square foot modular classroom, or “MOD,” on a temporary permit from Delhi Township for six years now. However, that permit will soon be expiring. Hopefully by the time you’re reading this, the township will have granted approval of the plans and groundbreaking will be imminent.
The best news of all is that, based on current projections for the total cost, Riv will be able to pay for this entire project in cash. This is due to the generosity of the many people who have been continuing to give to the building fund. These gifts will cover about half the cost, and Riv will be able to pay for the rest out of savings — just one of the many benefits of operating on such a frugal budget. That money from savings will need to be replaced. Essentially, instead of borrowing from a bank and having a mortgage, we are borrowing from ourselves and will need to rebuild our savings account.
This new building will fill the grassy space that is currently off of the Corridor Gallery. Riverview is working with the architect and a lighting designer to make sure the gallery continues to be a well-lit space in which people can enjoy artwork throughout the year.
RivKids Director Jen Anibal had this to say, “RivKids is growing and that is a great thing! However, our space is not growing, and the classrooms are getting more full with kids each weekend. This addition is vital to the continued growth of RivKids’ ministry. The three large rooms will allow elementary kids spread out, make it possible for Highway 56 to be inside the building and feel more like part of the church, and help the younger kids experience smaller class sizes. At our current rate of growth, RivKids simply could not continue to operate safely and effectively within the constraints of the current space.”
IF YOU’D LIKE TO HELP WITH THIS PROJECT, RIV NEEDS:
- People to pray that the whole project is completed quickly and smoothly
- People to give so we spend less from savings. You can give three ways:
- Swipe your card at one of the kiosks in the lobby and hit the building button
- Go to RivChurch.com/Give and sign up for either a one-time or ongoing gift
- Drop a check with “Building Fund” as the memo in the red offering bucket
Meet A Staff Member: Jen Anibal
Posted on Friday, Sep 10, 2010
WHAT DO YOU DO HERE AT RIV?
I’m the RivKids Director, which means I make sure the children’s ministry runs smoothly. I am privileged to oversee six staff members, 100 volunteers and over 400 kids each weekend.
FAMILY INFO:
I’ve been married to my incredibly awesome husband Dan for seventeen years, and we are blessed with two boys: Matt, age twelve, and Zach, age ten. Dan teaches science at Bath Middle School and the boys both attend Williamston Community Schools.
WHERE DO YOU GROW UP?
I was born in Grand Rapids, but my parents moved to Williamston when I was four years old. I graduated from Williamston and then attended MSU, where I earned a degree in Marketing/Business Administration.
WHAT’S YOUR RIV STORY?
We have been attending Riv for two years. We had been living in Lowell (near Grand Rapids) for our younger son Zach’s schooling needs and attending a church in Grandville. When Zach’s needs began to shift, we moved back “home” near family and enrolled him in a great autism program at Williamston Elementary School. After searching for a church to call home, my brother recommended we try Riv because it was so similar to our church in GR. The first week we walked in the door, the band was playing one of my all time favorite songs from our old church, “Let It Rise.” Then James and Laura Granger were featured in a video talking about the RivBuddies program for special needs kids here at Riv. I had tears running down my face . . . we had found our church home.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT JESUS?
I don’t ever remember a time in my childhood when I didn’t know about Jesus, so I have to say my parents and going to church each week growing up. But I really came to KNOW Jesus when my second son was born and life suddenly became really hard.
WHAT’S SOMETHING WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
My husband and I auditioned for The Amazing Race.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
I can’t choose just one. I would have to say Searching for God Knows What and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller and Waking the Dead by John Eldredge.
WHAT MUSIC IS IN YOUR PLAYER RIGHT NOW?
Tenth Avenue North and U2 (and a bunch of other stuff I am sure the RivKids staff is getting sick of hearing!)
WHAT ARE SOME JOBS YOU’VE HAD IN THE PAST?
Horse groomer, association management, meeting planning, new home sales/marketing, substitute teacher, and domestic engineer. But most importantly I was a stay-at-home mom for twelve years.
WHO INSPIRES YOU?
Everyday people who are not ashamed to be real and honest and share their hardships and shortcomings.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
Walking/running while listening to my iPod, scrapbooking, reading, watching my son play sports, and attending/watching Michigan State football and basketball games.
IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT YOUR SUPERPOWERS TO BE?
Elastigirl from The Incredibles. She makes being flexible seem so cool!
WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE?
Listening to my son Zach enthusiastically place his order at the McDonald’s drive-thru: “Chicken nuggets, french fries, orange drink . . . that’ll do it!” (Zach is deaf and has autism. The fact he can talk and hear is a gift from God.)
WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU HOPE TO SEE HAPPEN IN OR THROUGH RIV?
My hope is that someday the entire Mid-Michigan area will know Riv as THAT church. THAT crazy, Jesus-loving church that is always out there in the community living out the way of Jesus and making a difference with the poor, marginalized, and oppressed.
HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?
With white chocolate, caramel, and whipped cream (i.e. Biggby Bearcub)
A Stephen Ministry Story
Posted on Friday, Sep 3, 2010
Sue K. is a Riv member who recently received the help of a Stephen Minister. Normally a very private person, she offered to tell her story to share how Riverview and a listening friend changed her life.
Sue has been married for thirty-one years, has three kids in their twenties, and grew up Catholic. The Catholic Church has been an important part of her life for over thirty years. She has always believed in God and the importance of church attendance, but for years felt she wasn’t growing and was frustrated with so much ritual.
Sue had some hard times in her life that challenged her, such as when her first son was born prematurely and almost didn’t make it. But nothing was as difficult as the news that came in 2006 when her husband Dave found out he had leukemia. The cancer progressed quickly, and what often takes ten years progressed in just one. The doctors gave Dave one year to live. Life was extremely difficult. Sue was going back and forth to the University of Michigan constantly and was Dave’s full-time caregiver, and Dave was struggling with his cancer and fears.
Sue realized she needed something more. “I need to go to church,” she felt herself saying one day. Her son and his wife had invited her to attend Riverview a few years before, and though it was different than what she had ever seen, she loved the music and teachings and attended with them every so often. That night, she went to Riv’s Saturday night service by herself. “I felt God in my life that night,” she explains. “I felt guilty because it wasn’t the Catholic Church I had been raised in. But it felt so good to have God in my life that I went anyway.” She starting coming regularly, and encouraged Dave to come with her. Eventually, he began attending too. “We both felt like we were finally getting truth from the Word,” Sue explains.
During the services at Riv, Sue heard about the Stephen Ministry. She recalls hearing the questions, “Are you going through a difficult time? Do you simply need someone to talk to?” She knew she did, but didn’t respond. Since Sue doesn’t use a computer, she couldn’t sign up online, and the thought of talking to someone was intimidating.
She had, however, mentioned to her daughter-in-law that the Stephen Ministry sounded helpful, so her daughter-in-law went online to set up a meeting for Sue. Sue met with Judy Russ (who handles Stephen Ministry referrals), shared her story, and was soon matched up with Lynn, a Stephen Minister.
Lynn and Sue met at a nearby Biggby the next week. “I felt comfortable right away,” Sue says. “I just told her what I was going through, and Lynn listened and prayed with me. We started meeting every Wednesday at the coffee shop. We would talk about what I had been through and was facing that coming week, and she would pray with me every time. And if I had concerns about my faith, Lynn was there to listen and discuss God’s Word. When Lynn and I talked, suddenly everything starting clicking and I understood.”
During this time Dave needed a bone marrow transplant, but no one in his family was a match, so they found an unrelated donor. The transplant caused problems and infections, and his body continually rejected it. Ultimately, his body didn’t accept it, and Dave passed away in April 2010.
When Dave passed away, Sue says, “It was hard, but at the same time all this grace and happiness came to me. I knew that after all of Dave’s suffering, he was finally happy and out of pain. And for the first time, I knew where I was going and what my life was meant for — to serve God.”
Just before he died, Dave told Sue that the few times he had come to Riv he learned more about God and the Bible than he had in his past thirty years of church attendance. Sue feels the same. “I’m hearing the Word and music on the weekend, but then I’m also thinking about it through the week and even beyond,” she says. “There’s always a connection to my real life.”
When people ask how she’s doing since Dave’s death, Sue’s response is surprising to them. “They look at me like I’m crazy when I tell them I’m wonderful,” she explains. “I feel blessed; I feel the Holy Spirit working in me and that God is leading me to help others. God has given me the strength, and now I just want to be a sacrificial follower of Jesus Christ.”
For anyone going through a tough time, Sue encourages, “Talk to some- one in Stephen Ministry. And if you aren’t in a place where you can set up a meeting yourself, ask someone else to set it up for you.” Sue says if her daughter-in-law hadn’t helped her get started, she wouldn’t have, but she’s so thankful she did.
If you are interested in talking to a Stephen Minister, or would like to learn more about the training process involved in becoming one, go to Stephen.RivChurch.com. You can also email Judy.Russ@RivChurch.com or call Judy at 517-646-6197.
My Story: Brittany Jozwiak
Posted on Friday, Aug 27, 2010
I first got involved at Riverview when I was a freshman at Michigan State three years ago. After committing my life to Christ in high school, I was worried about what that would look like while I was away at college. I had been praying for months before coming to State that I would find a way to serve and a solid place to help me grow in Him. Through a few people who were willing to invest in me, I got involved with the Young Life ministry and was invited by some juniors who were active leaders to come to church with them.
Riverview was unlike any other church I had been to — and was what I had been looking for. The sermons challenged me to answer hard questions about my life and the worship music helped me praise God when I didn’t have my own words to express. God had really heard my prayers and laid out His plans for me.
My life before knowing God was normal. I had two great parents, a brother, and was for the most part a “good person.” I went to church regularly with my family, but I had no idea that God loved me. My aunt, when I was fourteen, asked me to come with her to a Bible study and drove a half an hour out of her way to and from the church where it was held just to take me. There wasn’t really a single moment when everything changed, but I started to realize that God was filling the void in me I didn’t know could be full. Since then, God has challenged me daily to test His faithfulness and love so that I could know that He is real and personal. I wrestled with depression and anxiety for two years, and when I finally decided to give up control to Jesus, the worry and pain slowly disappeared. I’ve been free of that for three years now.
When I first came to Michigan State, I was studying to prepare for medical school. It took two years for me to figure out that although I wanted to help people, this wasn’t the way I was supposed to do it. When I was honest with myself, all I really wanted was to be around people and love them through service. I switched my major to Community Relations, and my friends now affectionately call me the “volunteer major.” I became involved with the agency LAAN (the Lansing Area AIDS Network) through Riverview. I spend about twelve hours each week helping at the reception desk and in the food pantry, and learning about the needs of people who live with HIV and AIDS. Riv’s Compassion Ministry gave me the opening to volunteer there and I have grown so much because of it.
I’ve had the opportunity to have some amazing conversations with clients (all of whom are HIV positive or living with AIDS) and get to know their stories. The best part is seeing them come to the office for their next appointment and having them remember my name or recall my voice on the phone, with a friendly hello and update about their lives. Some will come and volunteer their time as well, and to work alongside them and be considered trustworthy to know their deepest regrets and struggles is a humbling feeling. It’s made me realize that you don’t have to know what to say or be anything extraordinary. Just being there and listening is more than someone could ask for.
If you are searching to know God deeper, go out and meet broken people where they are. It’s helped me see the way God looks at me, and how, despite where I’ve been, I am still lovely in His eyes. Riv’s Compassion Ministry is a great place to look for opportunities. They work with a number of different populations in need that you may feel a pull toward serving. If you are interested in helping LAAN, just go to their website, LAANOnline.org. They are always looking for people to volunteer to drive clients who cannot use or afford transportation or who are willing to help out at the front desk or in the food pantry.
Want to share your story with the rest of Riverview? Please email Melissa.Kranzo@RivChurch.com.
The Welcome Team
Posted on Friday, Aug 20, 2010
If you’ve ever been through the front doors at Riv, you’ve already met the Welcome Team. They’re the friendly bunch holding the door open, extending a handshake, running up to your car with an umbrella, finding you a seat in a full house, or handing out the red buckets for the offering.
In May 2007, Riv pastor Noel Heikkinen met with Gary Rudnicki, now Director of the Welcome Team, to ask him to help operationalize a vision for the Welcome Team as Riv prepared to build the new auditorium. Gary remembers, “Noel had heard of a church in Illinois who ‘wrote the book’ on effective Welcome Teams. He said he was going to visit and planned to sneak in and spy on how they did things so he could share them with us. When Noel walked in the door, a guy who was way wimpier than Jack Bauer was able to identify him as a ‘newbie,’ and got him to admit he was a pastor and was there to spy on them. On top of that, Noel was talking to their Welcome Team leader within sixty seconds of walking in. Some attempt at staying covert! I later called that leader to find out how they spotted Noel as someone new so quickly. You’ll have to try out the Welcome Team in order to find out our secrets, which we use to identify first-time visitors every weekend now. We’ve grown a lot since those days and are continuing to collect and hone our best practices in order to serve the guests of Riverview in a God-honoring way.”
The Riv Welcome team consists of roughly 140 volunteers. At the Holt Venue there are four Saturday and four Sunday teams, making it possible for volunteers to serve just once every four weeks.
In addition to the volunteers greeting people at the doors, there are some specialized roles to help meet the needs of the 2,500 or so weekly attendees at Riv’s weekend services. For instance, “floaters” are typically more experienced folks who cruise the lobby looking for first-time visitors with that “Where do I go now?” look. They may help a new family get their kids checked in or provide a tour of the building.
“Seaters” help people find seats. This is especially important when people come in late and are intimidated by searching for open seats in the darkened auditorium during the music. Then there are “RivWarehouse Specialists,” who answer questions, provide information, and make CDs of messages as far back as 2006. “Team Leads” are the folks who keep teams working as cohesive units.
There is also a Planning Team. Led by Bryan Bulock, they help keep all of the teams working consistently and work on fine-tuning practices based on ideas, feedback, or requests from the pastors. The Planning Team also helps with special projects, works with the new Safety/Security Team, and strives to help everyone on the Welcome Team stay on top of Riv’s weekend service needs and continuously improve.
WANT TO BE PART OF THE TEAM?
Volunteers pick a team and commit to serving one day every four weeks. On Sunday, this usually involves both the 9:30 and 11:30 am services, but this is flexible. The Meals Team provides snacks for volunteers serving during both Sunday services, which is always a treat.
There’s a team meeting thirty minutes before each service to share updates, work out assignments, and pray for one another. Team members generally stick around for about fifteen minutes after a service to make sure guests are on their way without any needs.
Working on the same team every four weeks helps people grow together and is especially nice for people new to Riv who want to get involved but don’t know anyone yet.
If you’re interested in joining the Welcome Team, just fill out the tear-off during the weekend service and check “The Welcome Team.” Someone will contact you with more info on how to become part of this fun ministry.
RivKids Revamped
Posted on Monday, Aug 9, 2010
R ivKids, Riverview’s children’s ministry, aims to teach kids the way of Jesus, the Gospel, and that relationships really matter in life.
This fall, RivKids is restructuring and refocusing the volunteer system. The new system emphasizes teamwork and the importance of developing relationships with the kids.
Volunteers are now organized into teams, with each team taking ownership of a classroom for the school year (September - May). There are a total of thirty-three classroom teams of at least six people, with three or more members of each team serving each week. Previously, schedules were created by staff, who coordinated hundreds of volunteers each weekend. Now teams will be able to decide together which individuals would like to serve each week. As always, RivKids staff will provide lesson plans in advance so that each team can be prepared.
In this new structure, volunteers can be in the same classrooms consistently in order to get to know their students deeply. Kids will be taught about God, His Word, and how to interact with others by mentors they know and trust.
The goal of the new system is to increase the familiarity and comfort level of kids with their mentors, and allow for increased accountability of volunteers to each other and to the kids. This will lead to community based, Life Group-oriented classes in which kids learn about Jesus, the gospel, and that relationships matter.
If you’re a current volunteer, RivKids would love for you to continue as a leader or helper in these new teams. Your experience is vital!
If you’ve never volunteered but would like to, we’d love for you to join a team. Both leaders and helpers are currently needed.
Classroom team leaders must be at least eighteen years old and able to administer a time schedule, manage a classroom, lead others on their team, and enjoy interacting with parents, kids, and other volunteers.
Team leaders lead a group of children through a provided lesson and model for other helpers the best practices for interacting and building relationships. Leaders are responsible for the team schedule and keeping their team informed about important weekly interactions, classroom updates, and schedules.
Team helpers interact with parents, kids, and other team members. Helpers assist the team leader and interact with, engage, and play with the children.
This team-based approach provides a great opportunity for Life Group members or friends to serve together. If you would like to be placed with specific people on a team, simply indicate this when signing up to serve.
There will be volunteer trainings for ALL RivKids volunteers on either Sunday, August 29 and Monday, August 30. If you plan to volunteer, please mark your calendar and sign-up for one of these two training sessions at ServeRivKids.RivChurch.com.
It is because of the wonderful volunteers who faithfully serve children through RivKids that we can accomplish our vision of teaching kids to “Take it in and live it out.” These volunteers have unique opportunities to affect kids’ lives for Jesus in powerful ways.
Please go to ServeRivKids.RivChurch.com and let us know where you’d like to volunteer! You can email Rivkids@RivChurch.com with any questions.
RivMexico Update: Emergency Relief
Posted on Tuesday, Aug 3, 2010
On July 1, Hurricane Alex struck Monterrey, Mexico. Back2Back (the ministry Riv supports in Monterrey) saw damage to its property, as well as massive devastation to some of the impoverished communities the ministry works with. As a result, the fifty-five person Riverview team scheduled to travel there on July 4 had to be cancelled. Back2Back instead requested a small team to help with emergency relief efforts. Jim Lenon, one of the team members, shares his experience:
On July 2, there were four of us sitting at a local restaurant, deflated at our trip being cancelled with a day’s notice. We’d prepared, packed, and were now left staring at a email notifying us the trip was cancelled. At first we thought it was a cruel joke, but as we waited for a second email titled “Just Kidding!” that never came, we realized this wasn’t the case. We were prepared to play with and minister to kids, do physical labor, and try to be a blessing to the people and children of Monterrey. Now we worried about those kids. Did they have a home? Clean water? Will they get to eat this week? How is Back2Back doing? How long will it take to rebuild? It seemed their time of greatest need was now, and we had no way of getting there.
Our conversation turned to our group that was supposed to be on its way to Mexico. It was amazing that only a small handful are men. We started spit-balling ideas on how to light a fire under the men of Riv and get them to get involved. None of us knew that in the coming days we’d find our answer. One choice for action beats even the most thoughtfully made pleas.
On July 4 at 7:30 am I got a text: “Back2Back needs six men for the week to help with hurricane relief, we leave in eighteen hours.” My initial response was, “I don’t think I can help this time.” Within ten seconds I was hit by the memory of our conversation: “What will it take to get men to GO?” Immediately realizing that my actions didn’t support my words, and with the prodding of my loving wife saying, “One of those spots is for you,” I made a return call in hopes that a spot was still open. It was, and the “Riv Six” were on our way. Four of those six had been at the table two days prior talking about men’s willingness to serve.
On touch-down in Monterrey, images rushed in. Entire sections of the main highway were washed completely away, people were scavenging for scrap wood or metal to rebuild, kids were playing in water we knew wasn’t . . . just water, our van got stuck on an eroded bridge — the destruction was painful to take in. We saw communities that were turned into mile long stretches of mud and stone. A shovel and pick axe were my best friends. On the edge of physical and emotional exhaustion, I found myself crying as I thought about the people living in the areas we were cleaning. Those things will stick with me for a lifetime. The week was a blur, constantly moving with a new task continually set before us, but there were a handful of “pictures of the week” that I believe were life/perspective changers.
First, Pastor Jose of the Cadereyta community asked the question, “Will you remember us?” It hit me in two ways. First, a challenge to remember them as we go back to our lives of comfort. Second and more painful was the uncertainty that we might not. Our day at Cadereyta with Pastor Jose was amazing, feeding hundreds with only $180. The kids were awesome and surprisingly seemed to desire rides on our shoulders over candy or treats.
Second, the Riv guys were amazing. Watching them work inspired me beyond words. We also worked with six other remarkable men from Life Point Vineyard Church of Ohio to serve those who needed it most.
Third, God got his hands dirty with us a long time ago, but for some time I’d been unwilling to get mine dirty on his behalf. Matthew 25:40 was made real to me: “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” We gave a lot as a group, but feel we gained so much more.
My thoughts still wander to the kids, and how much there is still to do for them. I can’t wait to return to Monterrey next summer, hopefully bringing even more men.
Interested in going to Mexico? Stay tuned for details about the next trip.
LEAD: For Those Who Do or Want To
Posted on Friday, Jul 23, 2010
LEAD, a leadership event at Riverview, took place at the Holt Venue on Saturday, May 22. LEAD is held several times each year and is for anyone who leads or wants to lead — anywhere.
LEAD isn’t just for people leading within the context of Riv ministries. It’s not even just for people who attend Riv. It’s open to anyone and everyone who simply wants to learn more about leading. So while the focus is on Riverview, what you learn can be applied anywhere you’re leading or would like to lead.
May’s LEAD conference had both large group and breakout sessions. Noel and Steve, Riv’s primary teaching pastors, spoke in the two large group sessions. Here are descriptions of those messages:
“Reverse Engineering Your Life,” by Noel Heikkinen
Many people find themselves reaching a point in their lives where they ask, “Where did all my time go?” During this practical session, Noel provided a way to start at the end of your life and work backward. By asking questions about who you are, your roles, and your life seasons, he showed how to map out future goals, relating them to where you are now and what you’re doing to make the future possible.
“The Downside of Leadership,” by Steve Sommerlot
We often see only one side of leadership: the excitement of leading a group of people toward a common vision. But the other side is just as real. In this frank session, Steve went over many of the common difficulties that come with leading people, and the real cost of taking on this daunting task. A member of the original Riverview church planting team since 1977, Steve discussed the day-to-day realities of leading Riverview and shared many of his own personal stories and struggles.
Workshop sessions were offered throughout the morning, and LEAD participants attended two of their choice. Workshop topics included the following:
“Life Group Leader Training”
Best practices for shepherding your group, as well as tips for overcoming common stress points.
“Marketplace Leadership”
Most leaders in the church volunteer their time and work outside jobs. This session covered how to leverage your leadership in the “real world” and see it as more than just a way to earn a paycheck.
“Leading as a Woman”
Women in the church serve a vital leadership role that often goes unnoticed and under-appreciated. This workshop discussed how women find their unique calling to lead in a feminine way, not just in the church, but also in the marketplace and the home.
“Becoming a Self-Feeder”
One mark of maturity in life and the Christian faith is the ability to feed yourself. Many of us have become so accustomed to others teaching us that we have never learned to learn on our own. This session showed how to take practical steps toward maturity in this area.
“Decision Making Crash Course”
The Decision Making Class has become a favorite at Riv. Unfortunately, many leaders have been too busy during weekend services to participate. This was a special crash course version of the class that covered four weeks of content in one hour.
“Church Planters’ Forum”
A discussion for those who have recently planted a church or are in the process of planting one.
For audio, video, and notes from the main sessions, and to view a list of recommended resources, visit Lead.RivChurch.com. Mark your calendar for upcoming LEAD events in 2010/2011: September 18, January 22, and May 21.
My Baptism Story: Gary and Jenna
Posted on Thursday, Jul 15, 2010
Baptism, like a wedding ceremony, is an outward demonstration of our inward love and symbolizes our death to the old life (going under water) and resurrection to a new one (rising up out of it). Each baptism has a story behind it — a story of how Christ is working in the life of the believer and has brought them to where they are. Gary Naeyaert and Jenna Pratt are two Riv members who recently shared their stories at their baptisms.
GARY’S BAPTISM STORY
“I’ve pretty much been a non-practicing Catholic for as long as I can remember, and ‘going through the motions’ had become a way of life. While my spiritual journey began in earnest during the last few years, on November 4, 2009, I made a firm commitment to become a ‘24/7’ Christian. The next week we stumbled onto Riverview Church and heard Noel begin a series on living ‘Like Jesus,’ and we’ve been back every week since!”
“In making my commitment, I recognized Jesus as the living Son of God; that life through Him is the only path to eternal life; and that salvation is a free gift for those who merely ask. The other day I heard someone say ‘Christianity isn’t about how much you do for God, but about how much he’s already done, and will do, for you.’ I’ve experienced more peace, contentment, and joy — and a deeper connection — than ever before.”
“With me when I was baptized was my beautiful wife, Robin, who’s been faithfully walking with Christ for decades, her mother Pennie, and my three children: Matt, Kevin, and Erica, who give me every reason to live and laugh. I’m also grateful for Dan and Homer, my two ‘Jonathans,’ for leading me to Christ, answering my endless questions, and demonstrating what Christian living really means. I don’t think it’s at all a coincidence that I was baptized on my birthday. It was an awesome way to celebrate my new birth and life with Jesus. Amen!”
JENNA’S BAPTISM STORY
“As a child I believed in a higher being that resided in the sky and answered so many prayers. I was young and couldn’t seem to fathom how much this higher being known as God could do such great work in my life. As I grew up Christ started to slip away from me. By seventh grade I’d lost my hope in Him. But two years later God placed my best friend, Kelly, in my life to bring me back to Him . . . The Bible speaks volumes when it says, ‘And all who have been united with Christ in baptism are put on Christ like putting on new clothes.’ I wanted to stand [in front of everyone at Riv] and put on these ‘new clothes’ and speak of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that I couldn’t speak of as a baby getting baptized.
I love Jesus Christ and that credit goes to the people who first brought me to Christ and help keep me with Him: my family and friends.”
MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE RECENTLY BEEN BAPTISED AT RIVERVIEW SHARED THEIR REASONS
“I’m identifying with Christ and his death and resurrection.”
“I’m here with my best friend and wife, and two daughters, and I’m glad we can experience it together and show everyone what Christ is doing for us.”
“This is my chance to practice obedience.”
“I want to be baptized because I want to follow Jesus.”
“I was baptized as a baby, and knew who Jesus was and that he died on the cross for our sins. But it wasn’t until I started having trouble in my life that God came and worked. I want to profess that by being baptized.”
“I’m choosing to get baptized today because I really love Jesus. And it’s not just a passion, like how some people are like, “Oh, you’re a vegetarian,” or “Oh, you love cats and dogs, that’s great.” But it’s not like that. It’s a sincere desire of my heart to know Jesus.”
Riverview has baptisms during weekend services a few times each year. For more info on baptism and for the next scheduled baptism date, email Brett.Maxwell@RivChurch.com.
Interpreting the Bible Normally, Part II
Posted on Thursday, Jul 8, 2010
At Riv, we often encourage people to interpret the Bible “normally.” But what exactly does that mean? Following last week’s Biblical Interpretation overview, below you’ll find a quick summary of the Gospel books in the New Testament.
PART II: THE NEW TESTAMENT, by Noel Heikkinen
The first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels. Each of these is an eyewitness account of the life of Jesus written by a different person for a different audience. That’s why there are slight variations in the story — it’s all about perspective. The beauty of the Gospels is how they work together and paint the picture of who Jesus is.
SUMMARY OF MATTHEW
Author: Matthew, Jewish disciple of Jesus, tax collector
Intended Audience: Jews
Theme: Jesus is the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for.
Random Thoughts: It’s cool that the first Gospel was written by a member of a hated group in Jewish society: tax collectors. Beyond that, he wrote his book to Jews about Jesus as a Jew. Think about that for a bit. Because he was writing to Jews to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah, he quotes the Old Testament more than anyone else. Matthew either directly quotes or references the Old Testament more than a hundred times. His genealogy of Jesus goes back to Abraham. He was showing that Jesus was the Messiah.
SUMMARY OF MARK
Author: Mark, most likely a convert of Peter
Intended Audience: Romans
Theme: Jesus is the Servant of God. Mark shows how Jesus laid down his life for us in obedience to God.
Random Thoughts: Because this book is written to Gentiles, Mark does not include a genealogy because they wouldn’t care about that kind of thing. You’ll also notice that the Sermon on the Mount is not there, again because it was not targeted toward the Jews. Because of the Roman audience, you’ll notice that there is a theme of Jesus getting stuff done. In fact, the word translated “immediately,” or something like that, shows up forty-two times. Jesus is shown as man of action. Mark writes a fast, action-packed Gospel that wraps up quickly. He also follows a very logical order. Mark isn’t trying to paint pretty pictures that the Jews would appreciate; rather his Gospel is a clear, immediate portrayal of Jesus as God’s boy getting his work done.
SUMMARY OF LUKE
Author: Luke, Greek-speaking Gentile doctor, eyewitness of Jesus’ ministry
Intended Audience: Initially written to a guy named Theophilus, this book is clearly intended to be read by Greek Gentiles like Luke himself. Therefore, he (just like Mark) doesn’t include a lot of fancy Jewish imagery. He translates Aramaic phrases into Greek, and explains customs so that non- Jewish readers can figure out what he’s talking about.
Theme: Jesus is seen as the Son of Man. We see him as totally human. The Gentiles wouldn’t have cared as much that he was the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. But the fact that he was fully human and lived a perfect life was proof that he could save us.
Random Thoughts: Luke is actually the first of a two-book series, with the second book being Acts. It’s a really cool read to start with Luke and then go right to Acts. Luke interviewed people, studied different accounts, and presented in this book the clearest, most straightforward account he could about the life of Jesus. He is most concerned with giving a historically accurate account so that Greek Gentiles could know Jesus. Notice that his genealogy goes all the way back to Adam. This was to show that Jesus was fully human. And having a human live a perfect life was the Greek ideal. This was a springboard to the Gospel for them.
SUMMARY OF JOHN
Author: John, disciple of Jesus, son of Zebedee, brother of James. He likes to call himself the “beloved disciple.” Nice, huh? He was part of Jesus’ inner circle of three, so I suppose he had the right to say that about himself.
Intended Audience: The churches in the Asia-Minor area (where Ephesus was located). That means the target audience was the Greeks.
Theme: Jesus is the Son of God who saves those who believe.
Random Thoughts: John wrote this after all the other disciples had died, and most likely wanted to fill in the gaps in the other accounts. This book is very different from the other three Gospels. He doesn’t include any genealogical reference, nothing about Jesus’ birth or baptism or temptation. He doesn’t talk about the Lord’s Supper, or his ascension. John focuses on the time when Jesus is in Jerusalem and his private ministry with people, including the Jews he had contact with, and his disciples. John focuses on major signs that Jesus was God. He then goes on to explain those signs and encourages the reader to believe in Jesus.
Check out Text.RivChurch.com to get started reading the Bible! Email Info@RivChurch.com for the full version of this paper.
Interpreting the Bible Normally, Part I
Posted on Monday, Jun 28, 2010
At Riv, we often encourage people to interpret the Bible “normally.” But what exactly does that mean? For the next two weeks, you’ll find a condensed version of Pastor Noel Heikkinen’s paper explaining what interpreting the Bible normally means. To receive a full version of this paper, email Info@RivChurch.com or stop by RivWarehouse in the lobby.
PART I: BASIC BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION, by Noel Heikkinen
[There are basic] principles of interpretation I take when reading the Bible. A lot of confusion can be avoided by simply paying attention to the context.
Start by asking yourself, “What kind of book am I reading?” The Bible is comprised of sixty-six different books, each different in style. Some are poetry, some are history, some are “wisdom literature,” etc. You have to start by knowing what kind of book you are reading, otherwise the text just won’t make any sense at all. If you didn’t know Ezekiel was prophetic, this may be a confusing passage: “As I looked at these beings, I saw four wheels touching the ground beside them, one wheel belonging to each. The wheels sparkled as if made of beryl. All four wheels looked alike and were made the same; each wheel had a second wheel turning crosswise within it.” (Ezekiel 1:15-16)
Sometimes, different parts of the same book are different so you have to stay on top of that, as well. Daniel is an example of a book that’s partially historical, partially prophetic.
Next, ask “Who wrote it and whom were they writing to?” This is a biggie that lots of people miss. Yes, the entire Bible is “inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16) That means that everything we read in the Bible has application to us in our everyday lives.
However, we have to determine if what we are reading is a “command” for us or if it is a “principle” to follow. There is a huge difference. For instance, the Sabbath. Here is God’s command to Israel in Exodus 35:1-3: Then Moses called together the whole community of Israel and told them, “These are the instructions the LORD has commanded you to follow. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. You must not even light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath.”
The Sabbath was a command for Israel, not Christians. Now, even though we are not required to keep the Sabbath, the principle of taking a day of rest applies to us. Taking appropriate time of rest, along with appropriate time for work is something we should pay attention to. The Sabbath was a command for Israel, and a principle for us. A lot of determining whether something is a command or a principle comes from figuring out who wrote the book and whom they were writing to.
Along with the last question, ask “What did the author intend to say?”
Sometimes we try to come up with fancy analogies that the authors did not intend or find hidden secret meanings. That’s borderline Gnosticism, which claims you are saved through some sort of secret knowledge.
It’s important to pay attention to the figures of speech that are being used. For instance, if I told you I was “so hungry I could eat a cow” you would be an idiot to run out and bring me back a cow. I was using a figure of speech called “hyperbole.” Also, pay close attention to sarcasm! It’s all over the Bible. I laugh when people tell me sarcasm is sinful because if that were true, Jesus would have to be labeled as sinful since he was a super sarcastic guy. A quick glance at the Gospels will tell you that.
If a verse is unclear, interpret it in the context of verses that are more clear. Because the Bible was written originally to other audiences, it can sometimes seem confusing. When you hit a verse like that, look around the chapter for keys that can help you determine what the author meant. If you can’t figure it out from there, look around the whole book, then the same Testament, then the whole Bible. Yes, that can take some time, but it’s better than misinterpreting the Bible! We should heed the words of CH Spurgeon, who said, “I would sooner a hundred times over appear to be inconsistent with myself than be inconsistent with the Word of God.”
Stay tuned for Part II: The New Testament, coming next week.
Riv’s Text Project is a great starting point for reading the Bible. Join anytime! Bookmarks with the reading schedule are available at RivWarehouse, or go to Text.RivChurch.com.
Riv Explains: "How To Become A Christian"
Posted on Thursday, Jun 24, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
There’s a lot of confusion today in our culture regarding just what a Christian is and how a person becomes one. Some believe that being a Christian means being born into a particular church or denomination and being baptized as a baby into that religion. Others would say that being a Christian means that you have to believe in God, believe that Jesus is the Son of God, attend a church, and then try to do your best in living an upright life.
With all the confusion out there, it’s important that we look to the Bible for answers. God has provided for us a definitive and authoritative answer in His Word that allows us to navigate through all the confusion we may encounter. To understand what Jesus taught regarding how to become His follower, we need to see what the New Testament teaches.
As we study the New Testament, we see that a person becomes a Christian by recognizing three things. First, a person needs to recognize that he or she is separated from God because of sin and under His judgment. We have a natural inclination to rebel against God and be hostile to Him. (1)
We are corrupt in such a way that it’s impossible for us to know God, love Him, or obey Him the way we ought to. (2) Sin has infested every area of our lives, and we sin against God because we are by nature sinners. (3) Since the very core of who we are is corrupt, it is impossible for us to change our condition.
The sad result is that we are completely separated from God. Sin has com- pletely destroyed man’s relationship with a holy, just, and righteous God. (4) And because God is holy and just, He must righteously judge those who sin against Him. (5) The just punishment for our sin is to experience eternal separation from God in a place the Bible calls hell. (6)
Second, a person needs to recognize that God has offered a provision for mankind that would heal that separation and protect us from His judg- ment. God, while being holy and just, also equally loves mankind and desires us not to experience His judgment but to be rescued from it. (7) To accomplish this, God provided an escape from His judgment by becoming a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. (8) As God, Jesus lived a com- pletely sinless life and took upon Himself the penalty that our sin deserves. (9) He was willing to be judged on the cross in our place so that we could stand before God as innocent, our sins completely paid for and removed. (10) Because Jesus died on the cross on our behalf, God is able to freely offer us His gift of forgiveness. (11)
Third, a person needs to recognize that they need to receive God’s free gift by responding in faith to what Christ has done for them. It is not enough to simply know, or even agree with these truths. True faith demands the action of humbly receiving what Christ has done for us by asking Him to save us. In doing so, we let go of trusting in ourselves to get to Heaven based upon our own achievements, and change to trusting in Christ alone based on what He has done for us.
A Christian is a person who has been freed from the enormous debt owed to God by accepting His free gift of forgiveness which is in Jesus Christ. When we trust in Christ, God changes us from the inside out, giving us the desire and the ability to follow Him. He gives us the Holy Spirit to lead us and teach us. And He introduces us to a new life that is everlasting.
So, once someone becomes a Christian, what should he or she do next? First, that person should get baptized if he or she hasn’t done so. Baptism is simply an outward sign of the inward faith you have in Jesus. For more info on baptism at Riverview, email Brett.Maxwell@RivChurch.com.
Christians should also spend time daily reading the Bible and in prayer. At Riv, we’re reading through the Bible together one chapter at a time. Check out Text.RivChurch.com for more information on The Text Project. A new Christian will also be greatly benefited by getting involved in a Life Group. It’s the best way to grow in faith and connect with other believers. Check out LifeGroups.RivChurch.com for details.
(1) Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 1:21
(2) Romans 8:5-7
(3) Romans 3:9-20
(4) Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13; Isaiah 59:2
(5) Romans 1:18; Nahum 1:1-6
(6) 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:11-15
(7) John 3:16
(8) John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:1-3
(9) 2 Corinthians 5:21
(10) Colossians 2:13-14
(11) Ephesians 2:13; 1 Peter 2:18
Interested in reading about Riv’s beliefs on other specific topics here in “Featured at Riv Church?” Please email Melissa.Kranzo@RivChurch.com.
Riv's Coffee Crew
Posted on Thursday, Jun 17, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
If you haven’t noticed, we go through a lot of coffee around here. Free, gourmet, freshly ground coffee is a pretty big part of who we are. Why? Because we know you like it, and we want you to feel comfortable. Somehow it’s just easier to have a conversation with others when you have a cup of joe in hand.
The fun site, StuffChristiansLike.net has “Drinking Coffee in Church” at #231 (obviously Riv isn’t affiliated — think #2, after Jesus, or, maybe #3, after Jesus and community). Jon Acuff, the author of the Stuff Christians Like website and book, writes, “Ten years ago, if you drank coffee during the middle of a church service you were known as ‘that coffee guy’ or ‘the tea lady.’ It’s not that it was unheard of, but it certainly wasn’t as popular as it is today. Now, forgetting your coffee cup is like leaving your Bible at home. While the rest of the people sitting near you enjoy Triple Foam Hazelnut Creme Flavor Mocha Venti Explosions, you sit there like some sort of drinkless hobo. It’s embarrassing.”
At Riv, we’re not quite that crazy (though admittedly, it’s close) — we offer French Vanilla, Hazelnut, and the famous House Blend, all in regular and decaf. Note: If you’re ever planning to stop by Biggby on the way to Riv, you can save yourself the trip and the cash. I’ll let you in on a little secret, just be sure not to tell anyone: Biggby and Riv have the same supplier. We do realize that not everyone is a coffee drinker; hot tea and water are also available at the coffee bar.
Many people attending Riverview for the first time mention that their first impression of the church is associated with the tasty coffee or the wonder- ful aroma that freshly grinding and brewing it creates in the lobby. Melissa Rumrill, who shared her story here in Featured at Riv Church back in April, said, “I had been exploring what it means to have a personal relationship with God, but I was still hesitant to go to church . . . until I learned there’s free coffee. That small cup of coffee was enough to bring me to Riverview, and Steve’s sermon that morning was enough to confirm that living for Christ is truly the only way to live a full life.”
Coffee is fun to drink, helps create a welcoming atmosphere, and provides for a cool place to serve too. The Coffee Team is a great way to get involved at Riv. It’s an easy way to get connected and start out serving. Everyone on the team is happy, spirited, and ready-to-go . . . we’re not sure where all the energy comes from . . .
The coffee ministry has served as a gateway ministry for many current leaders at Riv. Shelley Hrapkiewicz first got involved in 2004. Eddie Cloutier, head of the Coffee Team, remembers, “She volunteered to help with coffee. As I got to know her, [I saw] her great work ethic and her personality and then found out she was an accountant. I asked her to work for the church as our internal finance person. Since then, her skill has become evident to all and she is now Riv’s Operations Manager.” Pete and Mary Bogrett are another example. The couple joined the team after moving to the area from Tennessee in 2004. Now Pete leads the Guys’ Stuff ministry and Mary keeps RivWarehouse working like a well-oiled machine, in addition to helping keep the facility looking sharp. They both serve on the Welcome Team too. The coffee team has led others to join the Welcome Team and RivKids, as well as helping people get involved in Life Groups.
That is not to say that everyone who helps with coffee ditches it for another ministry! There are many seasoned veterans who are on the Coffee Team because they like to serve and enjoy making the church a little more friendly and hospitable — and making people’s morning experience a little more caffeinated.
It takes lots of volunteers to get all that coffee brewed and served during each weekend service. If you are interested in serving with the Coffee Team, please email Eddie.Cloutier@RivChurch.com.
Our Life Group Story, by Bryan and Dorelle Less
Posted on Thursday, Jun 10, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
Why are you in a Life Group?
My husband and I aren’t from the Lansing area. When we first started attending Riverview we absolutely loved it, but it seemed like a really big church. We thought that joining a Life Group would be the perfect way to make the church seem “smaller” and feel connected. We also wanted to develop friendships with other couples who would help keep us accountable and pull us closer to God, not further away.
How often does the group meet?
We meet almost every Sunday at someone’s house right after the 11:30 am service. It’s perfect — we can sit with each other at church, and then go hang out and talk about the message.
What does a typical meeting look like?
Our group loves to talk! We spend the first half hour or so eating and catching up on our week. Then one of us has to break it up so we can get to the meeting part. We’ve been known to hang out until 5:30 pm, so we try to get started early so those who want to hang out after can. We’ve done a few different things. First the RivLink book, which helped us get to know each other and break the ice, then a few marriage books, which had some discussion questions at the end, and now we’re going through Riverview’s Message Notes. It’s working out great, and helps us take the message that we’ve heard earlier that day and dive deeper into it. Everyone gets some- thing different out of it, and we’re a diverse group of people so it’s really cool to learn from each other. We then wrap up with prayer requests and someone closes in prayer.
Do you do anything outside of regular meetings?
We love to get together and go out for dinner or hang out at each other’s houses. We’ve all grown really close and we have moved from just a “Life Group” to real friends. It’s great; we all have so much fun together and do a bunch of different things. At Thanksgiving we took part in delivering turkey dinners through Riv by putting together baskets and delivering them to families in need. For New Year’s Eve we had a wine and cheese party. Everyone dressed up and came over and ate tons of food and played Rock Band. A bunch of us ran the RivMX 5K together this year, and I personally think it would be awesome if everyone could do it next year! (Or maybe that’s just my dream to get everyone to do it?!) We also go out to celebrate birthdays, watch the Superbowl together, see movies, and we’re getting together in a few weeks and having a BBQ. We recently contacted the Lansing City Rescue Mission and are working with them on a date to help out. We want to begin to use our Life Group as a way to not only help us grow but to serve in the community as well.
How has your life group affected your life?
I can’t even begin to describe how much Life Group has affected my life. The friends I’ve made helped make Lansing home, and really challenged me to work on my relationship with God. I can say without a doubt that my relationship with God is stronger now than it’s ever been before. It’s because of the accountability, openness, and time that we share together talking about the message, our struggles and praises, and praying together and for each other throughout the week. Our friendships aren’t superficial, they’re genuine and Christ centered, which has blessed my life in so many different ways.
Interested in getting plugged in with a Life Group? RivLink is one of the easiest ways to do so. The next RivLink is Sunday, August 15. Email Janna.Beckwith@RivChurch.com for more info.
My Baptism Story, By Kristy Paruk
Posted on Friday, Jun 4, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
Baptism is an outward demonstration of our inward love and symbolizes our death to the old life and resurrection to a new one. Kristy Paruk, who was recently baptized here at Riv, shares her story.
I grew up in a family who believed in God. We attended a Presbyterian church for most of my life. Our family didn’t go on a regular basis, and I actually hated getting up to go. As far as how I lived my life, I was quite selfish: I loved popularity, friends, the approval of others, and most importantly, drinking. I thrived off my social status and began thinking I had it all. Besides the crazy lifestyle I was living, I also dealt with underlying emotional problems that shook up a lot of relationships in my life. At times I was not a very outwardly nice person, although I did feel bad for my actions [sometimes] and was consciously making an effort to help strengthen the relationships I hadn’t already screwed up.
I came to Michigan State continuing my out of control lifestyle (i.e. partying), but at least I had a new start with new friends. I discontinued the bullying and gossiping that had flooded my friendships back home, and developed a genuine love for the friends on my floor of my dorm. There were girls from Campus Crusade for Christ who would roam the halls talking about God, and boooyyy, I did not care to be a part of that. It’s not that I didn’t like God, or didn’t believe, I was just perfectly content in how I was living and there was no way these people were going to convert me. That’s what I thought.
I finally gave in to going to coffee with the two Crusade girls. I had a mis- conception about the people in Campus Crusade; I assumed they all had been Christians their entire lives, and that’s why I immediately wrote them off. When I got coffee with these two girls, I realized that I was wrong. Neither of the girls were Christ followers before college. One of the girls shared how she used to live a lifestyle similar to the way I was living. And the light- bulb began to light up in my head. As they continued to share the Gospel, I learned that our Heavenly Father, God the creator of heaven and earth, wanted a relationship with us. And then the light bulb was on and flashing.
I had never known that God wanted a relationship with me. I thought God was a distant God way up there in heaven, and this idea of knowing God personally totally blew my mind. The two things I took away from the conversation that day were: 1) God wants to have a personal relationship with us; and 2) That we come to Him as we are (drunk, alone, broken, needy, sinful, selfish) and HE will change us. It’s not about my actions and cleaning up my act. No, God did that for me. His love for us and the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ allow us to enter into a relationship with Him . . . how hadn’t I known this?
After this conversation I was sold. I wanted to know God. The week following my conversation I planned out my goodbye to alcohol. I chose to have a relationship with God because I knew my heart was longing for something bigger and better than the satisfaction I found in tipping back a few every weekend. I accepted Christ on a Sunday night, (November 23, 2008) in my dorm room and since then I have been falling more in love with Jesus everyday.
My decision to get baptized came a year after I started walking with the Lord, shortly after I made one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I gave up an amazing relationship with the guy I wanted to marry because I felt that’s what God wanted me to do. Between November and March, when I was baptized, I went through the roughest pruning season I’ve endured since following Jesus. Through this test of faith I felt ready to publicly display that my love for Christ was in fact above any love I had towards the people and things of this world. I also felt it was important for me to get baptized at my new home, Riverview, so that my non-believing friends could see the place that I had come to love so much. When I went onstage to be baptized I wanted people to know that my faith wasn’t just some better alternative to my old life, but that it is the only way to truly live.
The verse I meditated on at my baptism was Philippians 3:8-9, which says, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” I’m so thankful that I have an amazing relationship with my heavenly Father and that I have an amazing church to call home.
Interested in learning more about baptism at Riverview? Email Brett.Maxwell@RivChurch.com.
A RivMexico Story, by John Halstead
Posted on Saturday, May 22, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
Riverview has a vision of reaching the city of Monterrey, Mexico for Jesus. There are several opportunities each year for people to go on mission trips in partnership with Back2Back Ministries. Last week, Kurt Bjorkman shared what it was like to distribute items to orphans there. Kurt realized that while the donations were much appreciated, “The greatest donation anyone can give these kids is their time. They are so thirsty for loving contact, and the only way to extend it to them is by actually being there.”
John Halstead, part of the January 2010 team focusing on construction, shares some of his journal excerpts that show what it was like for him to donate his time:
23 January, 2010, 10:15 pm (Saturday)
I’m excited for the day tomorrow . . . I don’t know quite what it will bring but I am ready. On the ride to the Back2Back campus I was a bit taken by the extremes, from an expensive high rise to little shacks people put together with scrap wood and trash. It’s kinda sad and shocking to think that it's like this all over Latin America . . . with one third the urban population in extreme poverty.
24 January, 2010, 10:12 pm (Sunday)
Today was a good day. We started off with breakfast and a bit of prayer/ meditation. We all piled into the bus and went to church. The people were very welcoming to us . . . Afterward, we went to Casa Hogar Imperio De Amore, which is where we are going tomorrow. We had to move a pile of dirt, about sixteen yards, up a ramp then dump it in the middle room. The structure is meant to house a laundry room, kitchen and several dorms. Right now it is [a] little more [like] block walls with rebar sticking out. It was hard work but we were rewarded afterward with the company of the children, which involved a water fight, tossing rocks and a soccer game.
25 January, 2010, 10:36 pm (Monday)
We went back to Imperio De Amor to dig in the dirt again. First Roto told us the history about this orphanage and afterwards he showed us around the dorms. I couldn‘t help getting a little choked up standing in the girls’ dorm thinking of my nieces living there every day. The Imperio bus wasn’t working so Roto and a few others took our bus to pick the kids up from school. Later Eric told Roto to use the money we brought for tools [to go] toward fixing the bus. Brian also took up a collection for the rest. When the kids got back from school they all started to help us move the dirt. It was really fun, even though all I know how to say is “stop, here, more and no.” LOL . . .
27 January, 2010, 11:07 pm (Wednesday)
Earlier today we went to Imperio and played in the dirt . . . It was really muggy so my energy was low. After lunch we took twenty-two of the kids to see a movie in IMAX — I think it was Under the Sea. The movie was in Spanish so I kept watching the kids’ reactions to the movie . . . it was really cute to see the look of fascination . . . The boy was Obed . . . he was about twelve. The girl’s name was Lesley . . . she was about five. After the movie we went to get a snack and were off to load them on the bus. Obed kept disappearing, which was terrifying; I think he had a crush on a couple of the older girls. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t have more time to spend with them and I felt a definite pull at my heart as I loaded them on the bus knowing that I may never see them again and that they don’t have a home to go to.
28 January, 2010, 10:33 PM (Thursday)
This is our last night in Monterrey . . . I’m excited to go home to see Lijana but I'm a little sad to go. Today we went to REO 3 and helped set up and hand out clothes and food. We also worked on some wiring in the church. Afterward we walked through the shantytown nearby and visited these two ladies. One had a bad burn on her foot, which was healing slowly due to poor circulation. We said a prayer for her and she sang this song in Spanish that gave me goose bumps . . . it was beautiful.
21 April, 2010 (Wednesday)
Since I’ve been back, I get little reminders of . . . Monterrey. It’s really easy for me to get all caught up in the stress from work or school. When I look back at how people live in such poor conditions but somehow have a faith . . . it really make my problems look small. I remember before I was a Christian I had this certain idea about what a missionary was, and I never thought I would be one. Today I realize that it’s not about going and con- verting a bunch of people against their will; it’s about going and showing people the love of Christ. I thought I had to be a perfect Christian before I could share Jesus with others but I was wrong. He uses us how we are.
The hope is that every person at Riv will take part in one of these Mexico trips. For more info about RivMexico check out Mexico.RivChurch.com.
Compassion Drive for Mexico Orphans
Posted on Thursday, May 13, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
2 Corinthians 9:10 & 11 says, “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”
If you are reading this, you are rich. According to the World Bank, almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. Monterrey, Mexico is an impoverished area where people often live on even less. Each year, Riverview, in partnership with Back2Back Ministries, takes several teams down to serve the children of Monterrey. Back2Back supports over 500 children in ten separate children’s homes, as well as over 1,000 impoverished families.
One specific way Riv contributes is by bringing down much-needed items for distribution at the orphanages. This past March, the Compassion Team filled suitcases with clothing, school supplies, toys, stickers, soap, hygiene products, wrapping paper, sheets, towels, and shoes, and sent the items with the team who traveled to Mexico over Spring Break. Participants in Riv’s next trip, heading down this July, are planning to do the same.
The Compassion Team is holding a drive during the month of June so that items can be collected. Items can be dropped off at the Compassion table in the lobby of the Holt Venue any weekend in June.
Back2Back distributes most of the items based on the needs they see in the orphanages and shantytowns they work in every day. Some items, such as candy and toys, are distributed directly by Riv’s team, and the response of the children is unforgettable. Kurt Bjorkman, part of the March Mexico team who helped distribute items, describes his experience: “We had the opportunity to give directly to the children in a one-on-one (sometimes one-on-mob) setting. This afforded us the chance to see the instant joy on the children’s faces after receiving their ‘gifts.’ The cliché saying about it being better to give than to receive definitely rang true in all of our minds. Unfortunately, the needs of the children extend much further than just candy and toys.”
In Monterrey, kids are in dire need of the basics. Kurt explains, “Some of the greatest needs that these children have are for simple necessities such as underwear and socks. A statement was made that most people of the world only own two sets of clothing: the set they are wearing and the set they are washing. In Mexico, this is definitely true. Even more disheartening is the fact that many of these ‘sets’ of clothing do not even include underwear or socks.”
“Providing these kids with these items is something I believe Riverview is very capable of doing. For the July trip alone, there are roughly sixty people heading to Mexico, and each person is allowed to check two bags. Even for the most frivolous of packers, one checked bag and one carry-on is usually enough room for a week’s worth of clothing, leaving one bag per person to be filled with donations. This means that there is easily the potential for sixty bags of donations from our church to go to Monterrey this July. That equates to 3,000 pounds of underwear, socks, and other donations for the kids! How awesome would it be to say that Riverview was responsible for sending that many pairs of socks and underwear to the orphans in Monterrey?”
The following are some of the items most needed by the orphan children of Monterrey, as requested by Back2Back Ministries (for a full list, visit the Compassion table in the lobby at the Holt Venue or go to Mexico.RivChurch.com):
- New socks & underwear (sizes kid small to adult small)
- New tennis shoes (sized for kids ages 2-15)
- Shampoo and conditioner (prefer the non-2-in-1 kind)
- Toothpaste, deodorant, soap, and body wash
- Feminine pads (Mexicans typically do not use tampons)
- Bras (for teenage girls)
- Inexpensive digital watches (for teenage boys & girls)
- Wrapping paper & tape (to be used for birthday presents)
- Legos (to be given as birthday presents to orphans)
Check out next week’s newsletter for an inside glimpse into a trip to Monterrey through the eyes of Riv member John Halstead.
Give 5 to RivKids!
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 27, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
RivKids is Riv’s ministry for children from infancy to sixth grade. RivKids offers classes during all services at the Holt Venue. The program provides socializing and worship through music and teaching that is relevant to children’s lives. This can include singing, dancing, playing, dramas, and videos . . . anything to help kids grow closer to Christ.
With anywhere from 400 to 460 kids taking part in the program each weekend, it takes approximately 100 volunteers per weekend in order for RivKids to run. Currently, about seventy-five percent of RivKids volunteers are college students. This means during the summer (now!) they lose about seventy-five percent of volunteers. The RivKids “Give 5” campaign provides an opportunity for everyone at Riv to give just five hours (only two or three services) over the summer.
No matter your past experience, RivKids would love for you volunteer. They are especially encouraging men and parents to consider giving their time. Men are greatly needed in order to help mentor the boys. About ninety-five percent of the current volunteers are women, so the little guys need some more men in the house!
Parents are also encouraged to volunteer in the classrooms. As mentioned, college students are the ones who make up the bulk of volunteers for RivKids. The remaining twenty-five percent includes some parents, but the majority are singles or grandparents, which means many parents aren’t taking the opportunity to give back where they are being served. “Give 5” is a great opportunity for parents to step up and give back. Some parents find that volunteering on Saturday and going to church on Sunday (or vice-versa) works well — and it’s an area you can serve in while your kids are there right alongside you!
Parents who volunteer in the ministry find it especially rewarding. Being a part of the large group teaching helps parents see first-hand what their kids are learning so they can reinforce it at home. Parents also develop relationships with other children, which means they get to know their own kids’ friends. Through volunteering, parents are also able to meet and make connections with other parents whose children attend, helping them to feel connected to the church as a whole and to meet new people.
There are many different areas to serve, depending on your gifts and preference:
Classroom Mentors: Classroom mentors lead a classroom. This means spending time with the kids in the classroom for the first fifteen minutes, bringing them to the large group teaching with music, and then bringing them back into the classroom to lead a follow-up activity.
Registration: If you are a friendly, computer-oriented person, helping with the registration desk during weekend services may be for you. Registration involves greeting newcomers and using a computer to sign them in.
Sound: Sound people are needed for both Saturday nights and Sunday mornings for the kids’ large group teaching sessions.
Room “Parents”: Parents are needed who could come thirty minutes early to the service and hang out in a particular room with the kids, leaving to go to the service once the mentors arrive. Other ministries, such as the Welcome Team, have to arrive early to serve in their duties; if those wanting to volunteer in these areas have younger kids, they are unable or find it extremely difficult to do so. If some parents who are already planning to bring their kids to RivKids come in a little early, they could make it possible for others to serve various ministries in the church.
RivBuddies: RivBuddies is a ministry that provides additional support for children with special needs. Every child needing assistance is paired up with a buddy to receive one-on-one attention during weekend services. Volunteers are not required to have previous experience with special-needs children (training is provided, though they must have a desire to work with this challenging and rewarding group.
Kids Camp VBS, Sports Camp, and Art Camp: During the summer, RivKids puts on several weekday camps for kids (anyone is welcome, both RivKids members and newcomers). These camps are great outreach events and require hundreds of volunteers. Art Camp for fifth and sixth graders (completed) is June 21-25 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm; Sports Camp for fifth through eighth graders (completed) is July 12-15 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm. See next week’s newsletter for more information about Kids Camp VBS on June 21-25.
Though May through August are the months with the biggest needs, more volunteers are also needed through the entire year. Go to RivChurch.com and click on “Serve” then “RivKids,” or email Jen.Anibal@RivChurch.com.
Compassion at Holt Food Bank
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 27, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
In Ingham County alone, approximately 41,000 people live in poverty. Each person living in poverty in the Capital Area misses more than eight meals per week.* This is why the Holt Food Bank’s services are so important for helping families in need.
The Holt Community Food Bank works to educate the community on hunger issues; to raise money, food, and in-kind contributions for meeting the emergency food needs of the Holt community; to promote, encourage and emphasize self-help programs toward the goal of food self-sufficiency; and to provide programs throughout the year to help meet the non-food needs of families in the Holt community, including but not limited to clothing, housing, and utility assistance.
Staffed by unpaid volunteers, the Holt Community Food Bank (HCFB) serves an average of 150-200 families each month. It is funded by community donations from individuals, businesses and organizations, and grants. Ninety-five percent of donations go directly to buying food, while the other five percent pays for administration and utilities. Riv’s Compassion Ministry works with the Holt Food Bank year-round to help provide volunteers who pick-up and/or sort food, distribute food, deliver to shut-ins, stock shelves, load and unload trucks, and work at holiday distributions and fundraising events.
HCFB clients are eligible for a food order once every thirty days. Baked goods may also be picked up on a weekly basis. In addition to non-perishable foods, families receive fresh produce, meat, cheese, and other dairy products when available. Non-food items such as basic toiletries, laundry and dish detergents, diapers, tissues, and food storage wraps may also be provided.
Riv’s partnership with HCFB is led by Jim Nussdorfer, who’s been faith- fully volunteering himself every Wednesday and Saturday for the past three years. Jim is always looking for volunteers to serve alongside him.
The biggest need is on Saturdays. The times are flexible and there is no set schedule. Duties include transferring food from the warehouse to the food bank and stocking shelves. Riv is looking for two to six adult volunteers every Saturday. There is no age limit, so this is a fantastic volunteer opportunity for families with little ones who can help stock shelves with their parents and learn from an early age the value of volunteering.
Not free on Saturdays, but still want to help? There’s always a need for donated food. Some Riv members buy extra items while doing their own shopping (why pass up a good sale?) and then bring them over to the Food Bank. One Riv member puts a box at her office where her colleagues can drop in canned goods and other extra items throughout the week, which she then brings to the Food Bank. Or maybe you’re a college student who will soon be cleaning out your dorm or cupboards as you prepare to move. Any non-perishable food item you donate will help stock the shelves.
- 45% of mid-Michigan food bank recipients are under the age of 18; 12% are under the age of five.
- 40% of mid-Michigan families served by food banks have at least one employed adult.
- 31% must choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.
For more information or to sign up to help with the Holt Food Bank, email Jim.Nussdorfer@RivChurch.com.
*Estimate based on the Michigan Food Bank Council’s “Blueprint to End Hunger.” To learn more, visit HoltFoodBank.org.
My Story: Melissa Rumrull
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 27, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
The first time I attended Riverview was last April. I had been invited by several MSU students who are part of Campus Crusade for Christ. I had been exploring what it means to have a personal relationship with God, but I was still hesitant to go to church . . . until I learned there’s free coffee.
That small cup of coffee was enough to bring me to Riverview, and Steve’s sermon that morning was enough to confirm that living for Christ is truly the only way to live a full life. The topic was the sovereignty of God, and hearing those truths couldn't have been more timely.
In August 2008, I was involved in a car accident and, as the driver of the vehicle that caused the head-on collision, I am responsible for the death of my passenger and dear friend. I spent months recovering physically, and I was in a losing battle emotionally — struggling with guilt and sorrow, trying to understand why his life hadn’t been spared instead, and wrestling with fear and anxiety about upcoming criminal charges. Learning that I can trust God and that He is ultimately in control allowed me to take a deep breath and feel calm for the first time in months.
In the following weeks I prayed to receive Christ, and I continued to attend Riverview and Campus Crusade events. When the multiple criminal charges came, I broke down. Because of the severity of the consequences, I didn’t feel comfortable confiding in fellow college students. I decided to fill out the tear-off at Riverview and was quickly contacted by Stephen Ministry.
Upon meeting with a Stephen Ministry leader, I was immediately paired with a woman who had retired from this ministry but willingly became my mentor — she was moved by my situation, particularly because she felt called by God into prison ministry (and I was facing charges with fifteen year maximum sentences). We met regularly every week, and she made herself readily available to me by phone anytime. She helped me learn to trust our sovereign Creator, and I grew spiritually through our friendship.
She invited me to join a Life Group with her during the summer, and we studied the gospel of John. And even though most of my Christian friends were away for the summer, I still had women to sit with at church.
In the fall, I missed my first message since I started attending Riverview because I had to have another surgery (related to the injuries I sustained in the accident). And the women from this Life Group and some of their family members continued to support me. They prayed for me, some brought their notes from the sermon to me at the hospital, and they all visited me at Sparrow and at home when I was in recovery.
During the first six months of attending Riverview, I learned so much about Jesus and love and the body of believers. I simply could not get enough of this welcoming, compassionate, God-fearing community! So once I was fully recovered, I dove right in. I began volunteering with Ele’s Place and RivKids, and our Life Group started in on the study of First Corinthians. We even held many of the meetings at my house, which was a powerful testimony to my family. Through the resources at Riverview, God prepared me for the upcoming hardship.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, I informally accepted a plea of thirty months to fifteen years in prison. It was at church that Sunday as we sang the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul” that I felt the peace of God wash over me. That Tuesday morning, I was remanded to jail — this is when I really felt the full support of the body of Christ. From daily postcards to books and a Bible to weekly visits from a pastor, Riverview has lavished the love of Christ on me. In early January, several people from Riverview attended my sentencing court date, and since I’ve been in prison, the love, care, and support of Riverview Church has comforted me and my family.
Even in prison, I feel connected at Riverview because people keep me plugged in by sending notes from the sermons, the outline for the Text Project, and frequent cards or letters of encouragement. Riverview’s community is full of genuine Christ followers whose loyalty, dedication, and acts of service and kindness demonstrate God’s love like He intended. I am truly thankful for all of the ways God has blessed me through Riverview! I look forward to returning to Riverview once I am released from prison, which will be May 22, 2012, at the earliest.
Want to share your story of how God has impacted your life through the Riverview community? Please email Melissa.Kranzo@RivChurch.com.
A RivMexico Story, by Jason Helman
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 27, 2010
Click here to download the PDF version of this Featured at RivChurch Article.
Riverview has the vision of reaching the city of Monterrey, Mexico for Jesus. Riv has several opportunities each year for people to go on a week- long mission trip to Monterrey in partnership with Back2Back Ministries.
This year, two teams from Riv have already been down to serve. Jason Helman, part of the team that went this past March, shares his story:
I grew up in a Jewish home and attended Sunday school right up until my Bar Mitzvah. When given the choice to continue with that faith I declined. I always felt as a child that something was missing, and it took several years and meeting my beautiful bride to know that it was a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since realizing this, I started attending church with my wife. At first I was doing it more to please her, because it was something that I didn’t really understand yet. I soon realized that the more I went the more I grew as a person and spiritually.
(Fast forward . . .) It was actually my wife’s idea to join the Monterrey trip, and I would be lying if I said I was as excited as she was about it. However, after five minutes of being on the bus there, I looked around and saw some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I soon realized that this place was going to be pretty special for my wife and me.
During this trip we spent all but one day at orphanages. Most of this time was spent doing manual labor and interacting with the kids. The day we didn’t go to an orphanage was the day I will remember the most. We went to a shanty town called Cadareyta about an hour from the Back2Back campus. This was a newer shanty town that the government moved these people to after taking their land. The homes were mostly made of cement block and had none of the amenities that we are used to. We were there to help build the church building, but were also privileged to serve lunch to 300 residents of Cadareyta before starting our work on the church.
When we were setting up for lunch and people started arriving, I couldn’t help but feel sad for them. I thought they had nothing because they only had small homes made of concrete, with no kitchens or laundry, or even some with no bathroom. I soon realized after watching them interact with each other and the leader of the church that they didn’t need these things to be happy; they only needed this church community.
It was at that exact moment that I realized I could possess that feeling if I would finally give myself to Jesus Christ. I approached Gabo (one of the Back2Back leaders) and asked if he would translate for me to Pastor Jose Angel that if he would be willing I wanted him to baptize me in this very church. He said he was happy to do it for me, so I grabbed my wife and told her the good news. I soon found myself in the church with the pastor, his wife, Gabo, and my wife. There was no running water in the church so we used my Nalgene bottle for the ceremony. Once it was over we spent a lot of time hugging and crying. It was then that Pastor Jose Angel told me (through Gabo) that I was now his son and he will think of me and pray for me for eternity. The rest of the day was spent working on the church building, which is also going to be the pastor’s home. I couldn’t help but think throughout the day that no matter how hard I worked I would never be able to repay him for the gift he had given me. I look forward to corresponding and sharing with him my journey as a Christian.
The other memory that I will take away from this trip is realizing every day that the need is so much greater than we were able to provide for in that very short time. This feeling has driven us to want to do more for the kids of Monterrey. Back2Back informed us that currently socks and underwear are great needs. As a group, we are working on some ideas for ways to provide these items.
Our hope is that every person who attends the weekend services will take part in a Mexico trip. For info about upcoming RivMexico mission trips, email Jeff.Borton@RivChurch.com.
