Life in the River

What to Expect. . .

It's not easy visiting a new church for the first time. Sometimes you feel a little awkward. Do I belong here? Am I really welcome? Will the people be unfriendly, or too friendly? Will I be conspicuous? Will it be easy to leave if I don't enjoy it? Will my kids enjoy it? How should I dress? Am I welcome if I don't think the same? As the pastor, I want to make visiting River Church an enjoyable experience that is stress-free and relaxing... and even fun!  Most of the people here at River Church were in the same place as you not long ago, visiting the church for the first time themselves. So, what can you expect when visiting the Vineyard?
Let me give you a brief overview....

When you arrive at the, feel free to park in the lot on the side of the building.  

As you walk in, you'll likely bump into some friendly people (we call them "greeters") who will greet you, offer you a program of the service (bulletin), answer any questions you have, and direct you to the church sanctuary, where we have our service.  If you have kids, they'll let you know about our Sunday School classes and nursery.  If your kids are more comfortable, they're welcome to attend the adult service with you, but if they're up for it... they'll likely have a great time in their class!   

Our Sunday School ministry is led by a fantastic group of people completely committed to teach and reflect God's love to the kids. Children's Church begins after worship. Currently, Children's Church is for all kids up through (and including) 4th grade.  We do have a junior/senior high ministry as well.  In fact, they meet every other Saturday Evening at the church from 6:30 - 8:00 pm.

You'll soon notice that everyone is dressed comfortably, in anything from "office casual" to jeans and sneakers. We want everyone to come as they are, so dress however you feel comfortable.  As you enter the church, you'll find a guest table with more information about our church.

The service begins at 10am with about 30 - 40  minutes of contemporary music from our worship team. The lyrics of the songs are always displayed on the screen... so you can follow along. This is followed by a welcome and announcements. 

After announcements, I will begin the message. I usually speak for about 25-30 minutes, and I do my best to make the messages interesting, enjoyable and relevant to daily life. The message will be based on the Bible, If I do my job right, you'll hear timeless truths from the Bible that make sense for today's world. And hopefully, you'll laugh at times and maybe feel a tug at your heart too.

After I've shared my message, I typically close in prayer and invite people to reflect for a moment on how the message might intersect with their lives. People are free to sit, stand, or even come to the sides where we have trained "ministry team" people (both men and women) who will be happy to pray for whatever you'd like. All this is done in a non-hyped, discrete manner.

The service almost always ends by Noon (and believe it or not, the time will fly.) After the service, your kids will be brought back into the sanctuary. If you're able to, feel free and stick around a few minutes... and meet some people. Church is about God and worship, but it's also about community, so it's our hope that people really experience warmth and friendliness here.

Well... that's about it. People constantly tell me that they really felt comfortable. "At home" are the words I hear most frequently. I hope you'll stop by this Sunday.