Riverwood Church Community

Most people have this idea that catechism is Catholic, boring and irrelevant, however the truth couldn’t be more shocking! In this message we will discover the history behind catechism, the power of the idea as it appears in the New Testament and no less than six potent reasons why journeying through catechism is worthy of our next 52 weeks!

If you stand so close to a mural painted on the side of the building, all you see are some colorful smudges and brush strokes that are hard to discern. However, if you step back (way back) you begin to see the bigger picture. In this message, we’ll join Paul in a prison cell, being persecuted for his faith. We’ll listen to his advice for those facing intense cultural pressure and our step back in time will help give us a clearer picture of the dynamics at play in our world today!

While we may find ourselves deeply connected to our world and culture, when we give our lives to Jesus it's like we’re living in this space between the world and the Kingdom of God, and that space is called exile. In this message, we dive into the time of the Babylonian exile and will learn from the remarkable resilience of Daniel and his friends as they lived and thrived in a culture that was against them.

Most Christians can feel the ground shifting beneath their feet. They can sense an unsettledness in the air and a stirring on the horizon but lack the courage to talk about what they are feeling or the words to describe what they are seeing. In this message we will join Paul in Athens in Acts 17, observing how he responded to a culture that was opposed to him and His God. We will also go on a deep-dive adventure to observe the four tectonic plates that are shifting in culture.

Vision is often wispy, grainy pictures that flash through our minds and are easily lost. However, God instructs us to write-down-the-vision so that those who hold it may run with it! But this doesn’t mean visions are easy to catch or manage! People who see or hear a vision are often side-swiped and feel the crunch of what we’re calling ‘vision collision’! In this message, we study how visions work and roll out the final four strategic moves we intend to take in the coming year to turn the vision into reality!

Admittedly, as a church, we haven’t done a great job of mapping a path for people who want to journey closer to Christ. That changes this year! In Part 2 of our Vision Weekend, we review the strategy rolled out last weekend and move on to focus on how it is that we will ‘make disciples of Jesus’ (Matt. 28:19). Our answer is a strategy we’re simply calling “Next”!

People aren’t limited by their abilities but by their lack of vision! Yet, when God projects a compelling vision before His people and His people commit themselves to that vision, the limits are lifted and the impossible becomes reality! In this message, we will take time to reflect, confess, study, and allow our hearts to be ignited by the vision God is projecting on our hearts and upon our church!

There is nothing quite like gathering all of our Worship Communities together in one place to worship outdoors! The park offers us some unique opportunities to connect, worship, picnic, and go public with our faith! This year was no exception and we took a few minutes to simply focus on the wonder of Jesus and the lengths He went to make a way for us to the Father!

Have you struggled with unanswered prayers? Have you felt like God is silent? In this message, we will hear about the journey of 2 people who struggled with God's apparent silence, as well as some reasons why our prayers might not be answered, and what our response can be.

Peter and John could feel the tension. The culture had turned on them! They were outnumbered and heavily opposed. So, what do they pray for? Protection? Victory? Vindication? A rescue? No! They pray for boldness! This message examines what leads to one of the most inspiring prayers in the Bible, found in Acts chapter 4, and a recipe for boldness!