Hello Mighty Men & Women of God!
We truly have some of the best people in Natchitoches attending our church… and better than that, now we have even more in the Kingdom of God through confessions of faith and baptism! On April 27th we celebrated as eight people affirmed their faith in Jesus and surrendered their lives to God through Baptism. It was a wonderful experience and so encouraging to see new people stepping into their faith. It was a beautiful time of experiencing fresh faith! Of course their journey has just begun, and their will no doubt be many challenges in the days ahead…but remember… God is able!
2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
I wanted to submit this verse to encourage all those that have recently began their journey with Christ, and also to the rest of you who have been on your journey for awhile and may have experienced some of your own disappointments first hand. Jesus never said it would be easy, or all our problems would disappear… but what He did say was that He would be with us through the process, (Matt. 28:20). So if your journey has been a hard one of late, be encouraged that the Lord is with you, and as we submit ourselves to His Word’s and will, God will finish His work in us. The journey and our struggles may be part of the process for us to become more like Jesus!
RevE
River Leaders & Volunteers Meetings
We have had two meetings so far, April 27th and May 18th, to inform those serving in ministry of upcoming events, to thank them for their ministry to our church, and to hear their feedback and ideas of how we can serve our community better. Some wonderful discussion has happened and we have discovered some new ministry areas where we need some leaders and volunteers. For those still interested in serving in church ministry, our next meeting will be a luncheon June 29th after service. This will be a great opportunity for you to hear about what is taking place and how you can get involved if your not already. Please contact someone at the office if you will be in attendance as we want to have food for everyone! Thanks to all of you who are serving at “The River” and for being the hands and feet of Christ! God bless you all.
RevE
River Repairs
Hey people who have been loved on by our church, there are some opportunities for you to love back! We usually try to have a couple of work days during the year to keep repair cost down on our facility. But at our “Leaders & Volunteers” meeting a suggestion was given to list the projects so people could come when they were available to work on projects, rather than trying to find a day when everyone could be there at once. So, here are some of the projects. Please call pastors Ellis or Melinda and they will make sure you have the supplies you need and answer any questions you may have about the projects! There are several people that said they would love to do some projects with others, so call a friend and set some times down to love on The River!
- The wheelchair ramp is needing new boards and staining.
- The lattice work around the Kid’z World porch is needing to be rescued.
- All the windows in the church need to be cleaned.
- The air conditioner box needs to be rebuilt for airflow.
- River Kid’z needs some painting finished in hallway.
- Bushes could use a trim around the church.
- Buildings need washing with brushes or power washer to remove mold.
- Showers need to be finished in bathrooms.
(We will also be having some renovations coming up to improve our sound booth and possibly some new carpet for offices.)
River Campus Ministry & Epicenter Youth
It has been an exciting semester for our college kids and young adults. We went through the Old Testament and really received a greater understanding of God’s character. The last month of the semester we had 5 different leaders teach us each Tuesday on the things Holy Spirit was putting on their hearts. This led to amazing revelation for many of our young adults. We had 5 students graduate and we finished the year off with a graduation party on the lake. Recently we had Youth Takeover, meaning the youth completely ran a Sunday service from greeting, to worshipping to preaching. Joel Goff and Fabian Lopez each gave amazing words to the congregation.
Now, we are planning a camp for the summer from July 17-19 called God’s Kid Youth Camp. We are collaborating with Faith Family Church and the Gate Outreach to make this come to life.
Many of the youth we serve come from backgrounds where affordable camp options are limited. To address the need for a local camp experience, we are making everything completely free for all young attendees. We firmly believe that a single encounter with Jesus can profoundly change a young person’s life. To bring this vision to fruition, we are seeking sponsorships to support our efforts. Your partnership can help us make a meaningful impact on the lives of the youth in our community. If you’d like to sponsor or help give please go to the button below. Thank you everyone for your support.
Missions
Invite your family and friends to enjoy a Jambalaya lunch at The River to support local and international missions on June 22nd! We will feature some of our partnering missionaries, so you can get to know them better. Shout out to our sponsor: The Men of our church family!
We are planning our next mission trip to Querétaro, Mexico, in the near future. Click the “Join Poll” button below for more info and/or to participate in the poll to decide the best date to go.
Prayer
As believers in Christ, do we live as dual citizens – inhabitants of this world; and, more importantly, as a kingdom of priests who have access to the Throne Room to intercede, bringing the needs of the people we know and love, to God who has the answer for ALL our things in our lives?
Prayer is our essential link to our God – it is our vital necessity to knowing God. As our church has grown in our devotional and corporate prayer, we are experiencing Kingdom life.
Jeremiah 9:24 states the measure of true success is by our knowledge of God: “…let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”
TO KNOW GOD IS:
·To encounter Him: 2Corinthians 3:16-18.
·To receive revelation from Him: through scripture, He implants His thoughts into our minds. His word brings us into a deeper relationship with Him –1 Corinthians 2:9-12
Attributes of God that brings intimacy into our relationship with Him:
· God knows everything (omniscient – past, present, future) “you have searched me and you know me.” – Psalms 139:1
· God is everywhere (omnipresent) because he wants to be with you – Psalms 139:5-10
Intimacy has a different way of speaking:
· Like a child – Abba is more intimate than Daddy – Galatians 4:4-6
· Like a friend – 1John 3: 16, John 17:3, Jeremiah 9:23-24
· Intimacy talks like a lover – Matthew 22:37, Psalms 63:1, Matthew 6:6
Paul is our great example. In Philippians 3:3 he writes of we who Serves God by His Spirit is speaking of Holy Spirit’s enablement in expanded expressions: in song (Ephesians 5:18-19), in prayer and singing (1Corinthians 14:15), and in communion with God [New Spirit-Filled Life Bible].
In Philippians 3:10 he writes “I want to know Christ” He knew that the only thing that ultimately counted was knowing the Lord, and being obedient to his will while being imprisoned could not keep Him from pursuing God nor his effectiveness in ministry. Paul’s desire to know Christ had no other mo-
tive but to enjoy Him. He was a lover of God. His most fulfilling journey of all: truly, knowing God.
God’s favorite place to be is where you are.
Our part – pursue Him – in worship, in prayer and singing, in our desire for face-to-face encounters with Him. God passionately desires an intimate relationship with us.
Judy Fisher
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