We’re Not Home

We're Not Home

Our latest sermon series is called, We're Not Home, and it's led us through the New Testament book of 1 Peter for the past 3-4 months. The Apostle Peter's letter is written to first century Christians who were facing challenges due to a changing society and the persecution that being a Believer in that culture brought on. Peter encourages them with the message of the gospel and the example of Christ as they face the challenges of not being "at home" in this world.

We're Not Home Either!

It's incredibly redundant by now to say that 2020 was a challenging year for any church anywhere, but last year found River City starting at Highland Elementary, then moving to Zoom, then back to Highland, and back to Zoom. The challenge we face right now is that Highland has decided to not let outside groups use their buildings yet.

Feeling a little bit homeless, yet understanding the need to return to in-person gatherings and not wait on the school any longer, the Leadership Team invited the church to pray through the month of December, and ask God to provide a place for us to meet.

God has answered those prayers, and we have decided to make the move to Copper Creek Ridge for the foreseeable future!

We are very grateful to Highland Elementary for allowing us to use their space for the better part of 18 months as we looked to get our feet under us as a new church. Our partnership with them is not finished just because we can't meet there. We intend to continue that relationship in the coming months as the Lord allows, but for the sake of continuity, we needed to find something else.

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While we are incredibly grateful that we have a place to meet, we're not sure what God has in mind for us here, because Copper Creek limits KidCity quite a bit. But God is not kicking himself, wondering why he led us here without thinking about what that would mean for KidCity. :) He knows. He sees. And I'm convinced he's not panicked about it! I think this is yet another opportunity for him to show himself to us, and give us favor.

With that said, we want those of you with young people in your home to know that we are committed to children's ministry. We are committed to finding a way to have class for nursery through 12yrs old on Sunday mornings, and developing a community youth ministry. So we invite you to pray with us for direction. Pray that God would open the doors (literally) for us to be able to grow and expand KidCity, to create space for more children in the community to have an age-appropriate introduction to the gospel.

IDEA: if you have a camper or a job trailer or something portable that would work for having classes outside the building, we're all ears! :)

BUILDING PLANS

This whole season of uncertainty about where we will be meeting week to week has led us to realize the importance of looking for land, and getting the ball rolling on a building. With that in mind, and with the assistance of our Financial Review Committee, we are beginning to pray about what options God would have us pursue in 2021.

Our mission is to be ambassadors for the glory of God in Riverside. We want to see the gospel making a difference in people's lives, and the building is just a tool. Our mission is not to get our own building. It's not to say we grew 200% by the third year. Our mission is to be faithful with what God has given us today, even as we plan for tomorrow. So if you know of anyone willing to sell 5 acres or so within walking distance of Riverside, we'd love to be connected!

But this season of homelessness all seems to come together in this: We're Not Home. It reminds us that while we're on this earth, things can change at the drop of a hat. There is nothing here that is worthy of building or staking our lives on, except the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. It's Jesus that gives us hope of a future, where we are home. Secure. Safe. Certain.

Until that day, we'll prayerfully take this life one step at a time, and trust that his heart for us is good.

-Pastor Rodney