WELCOME. Mistake. It was amazing.

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2 WELCOME I once officiated a wedding in August in Pasadena. When you plan a wedding in August in Pasadena, you do everything; ceremony, reception, pictures, everything outside. Mistake. It rained cats and dogs that day. Everyone was soaked. Everything had to be adjusted. The ceremony became a lot shorter. Family members scrambled for EZ ups. Folks made quick runs to stores for umbrellas. Dresses were ruined and suits were soaked. It was amazing. Getting drenched that day was something I ll never forget. I ve done weddings that I can barely recall being a part of, but I ll always remember that one. The rain changed everything. That s our hope for these 90 Days of reading the entire New Testament. Getting drenched in God s Word really does change us. It challenges us to learn more about following Jesus. It comforts us with words of hope when we need comfort. It gives us a nudge when we re stuck in complacency. It gives us answers to questions that maybe we never knew we had. Open yourself to God s love letter to his people. Read the stories. Ask and answer some questions. Listen to the love of God for you in the life changing story of Jesus Christ. Open the arms of yourself to Get Drenched in God s love for you and be forever changed. FOR MORE INFO, MAPS AND DIRECTIONS, VISIT

3 Our Mission: We exist to make disciples who put God s love on display to our world. Our Vision is to see a people inspired by God s love and faithfully sharing that love with the world. Our Values: Every member of The River is daily and communally engaged in a deeper relationship with Jesus through We welcome people into our lives appreciating our differences and similarities. We will grow by following the Holy Spirit s work in and around us. We will give generously of our time, talents and finances to see God s kingdom grow. We will go where God calls us to go. We will serve intentionally using and growing the gifts God has given us.

4 MCCA (Mexican Christian Children s Aid) is a ministry obedient to God s call to care for those in need by supplying children in Baja California with food, Scripture, and opportunities to know the love of Christ. It is really hard to recognize the need until you experience it. We welcome participants to travel along and help deliver food on one of the monthly trips. Each trip involves the delivery of 18 tons of food to 59 orphanages and other child care organizations. The good food, camaraderie, and opportunity to share with those in need make this a special and satisfying opportunity. Talk with one of these MCCA members if you would like to be involved: Larry Feenstra, Ron Koning, Ed O Brien, Bert Block, Fred Jacobs, Paul Vela, Richard DeWitt or Warren and Judy Arnett. There is a trip schedule and more information on our web site at The people of The River believe in investing in outreach activities. One of the ways that we do this is by supporting both financially and prayerfully a number of different organizations, ministries and Christian groups. There will be two offerings each Sunday. The first one is for The River Life Fund. The schedule for the second offering is as follows: September 9: CEF (Christian Education Fund) September 16:Missions September 23: MCCA September 30: El Sembrador October 7: Benevolence October 14: CEF October 21: Missions October 28: Laotian Bible Ministry November 4: Benevolence November 11: CEF November 18: Missions THE RIVER REUSES The earth is a gift from God the Creator. Please help us be good stewards. On your way out, please drop your weekly shell in the bins by the exits to be used again the following week.

5 UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS October 7 SENIOR SAINTS FALL GATHERING Please join the Hospitality and Care team for a time of fellowship and refreshments at The Village at Redlands this afternoon Sunday, October 7th at 2:30 pm. LUGONIA FALL FESTIVAL for many years we have helped Lugonia host their annual Fall Festival. This year the festival is on Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 2-5:00 pm. We are looking for a few volunteers to help serve hot dogs, pizza, nachos and drinks. Volunteers are needed from 1:00 5:30 pm. If you are available on to serve at the festival, please Debbie. Debbie@ therivercrc.com BEAUTIFUL GATE LESOTHO TRIP INTEREST MEETING Come and learn more about a possible trip to Lesotho, Africa in Meet in The Study following the morning service. BOOK CLUB The next meeting of Book Club will be October 11 at 1:00 PM at the home of Eileen Vander Linde. We will be reading and then discussing "Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness" by Eric Metaxas. All who like to read are welcome. CAREPORTAL - Child welfare workers in San Bernardino County are overwhelmed daily by needs of children and families in crisis. CarePortal bridges the gap between these children in need and churches who want to help. The River Church is going to be involved with this new ministry starting in October. How? They connect us through technology, and then we get the needs out to our members, and hopefully, together (sometimes with other churches) we can do our best to fill these needs. We look forward to sharing more about CarePortal with you as the joint-venture begins. Questions? Debbie@therivercrc.com or Careportal.org

6 IT S ALMOST HERE! Clean out your closets, go through the stuff in your garage and your cupboards, and don t forget to tell your friends that The River church is having a big yard sale on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3. All proceeds will go towards an all church spring retreat in We also need help during the week with sorting donated items and on both days of the sale. Too busy during the week? Come help us clean-up after the sale on Saturday. Questions? Debbie@therivercrc.com NEXT SUNDAY VOLUNTEERS Nursery: Steve & Kris Kok, Don & Debbie Bueermann, Mikal Augustine Cookie Time: Deb Vander Kooy, Denise Kouwe, Dinah Von Carl, Donna Heemstra, Eileen Vander Linde To contact the Care Ministry Team or a pastor, call the church office at

7 Easier Said Than Done Luke 12: Christ s Command Meeting Expectations Our Place Hoping to make it Our Heart s Focus The Exodus Hope