WELCOME. Our Vision is to see a people inspired by God s love and faithfully sharing that love with the world.

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2 WELCOME 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. WORSHIP: Love Received SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES 8:30 am & 10:15 am COMMUNION will be held March 1st and April 3rd RELATIONSHIPS: Love Shared The people of The River believe in participating in the life of a small group. We have many different groups meeting and caring for each other throughout the year. If you are interested in participating in ministry contact the church office. SERVICE: Love Given We believe that God has equipped each of us uniquely with gifts and abilities to serve others and to do so is an expression of gratitude to God for His gift to us in Jesus Christ. Our Ministries Check out our website for a complete list of ministries where you can find a place to connect. FOR MORE INFO, MAPS AND DIRECTIONS, VISIT

3 February Upcoming Events 22 New Members Class 11:30-1:30 The Study 25 Legacy Nights: Worship & Groups 6:30 PM Sanctuary 28 Hiking Ministry: Mt. Rubidoux 8:30 AM Meet at church parking lot March 1,8,15,22 New Members Class 11:30-1:30 Study 5,12,19, 26 Women s Bible Study: Gideon 9:00 AM River House 6 OAK (Our Adopted Kids) 6:30 PM River House 8,15,22 Profession of Faith Class 8:30-10:00 AM Study 11 Legacy Nights: River Feast 5:30 PM Fellowship Hall 14 Hiking Ministry: Oakmont Trails 8:30 AM Meet at church parking lot 15 Scones with Scott 11:30 AM The Study 19 Rehoboth Band Dinner and Worship 6:00 PM Fellowship Hall 21 Men s Breakfast 6:30 AM Fellowship Hall 25 Legacy Nights: Worship & Groups 6:30 PM Sanctuary High School Winter Retreat Thousand Pines Conference Center April 3 Good Friday Service 6:00 PM Sanctuary 5 Easter Sunday Services 8:30 &10:15 Sanctuary 8 Legacy Nights: River Feast 5:30 PM Fellowship Hall 10 OAK (Our Adopted Kids) 6:30 PM River House 11 Christian Education Fund BBQ 5:30 PM Fellowship Hall 18 Men s Breakfast 6:30 AM Fellowship Hall 19 Scones with Scott 11:30 AM The Study 22 Legacy Nights: Worship & Groups 6:30 PM Sanctuary 24 Hiking Ministry: Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park 8:30 AM Meet at church parking lot 26 GEMS/Cadets Sunday

4 RIVER MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT The Christian Education Fund (CEF) is the source of tuition assistance for regular attending member families of The River for their children who attend (deacon approved) Christian Schools. It also helps families who home-school with some of their expenses. The River Deacons handle the responsibilities for creating the CEF guidelines, approving qualified families, and raising the necessary funds. Those funds are raised through the generous giving of members and others who contribute through monthly offerings and an annual fund-raiser. This year about 62 children are helped through CEF assistance to the tune of $750 for the year. We praise God for the ways in which he has provided so far this year. The fund-raiser this year is scheduled for Saturday, April 11. Look for announcements about the particulars as we approach that date. Christian Day School Education has been one of the values of The River Church for more than 90 years! The work of the deacons in terms of the CEF is one of the concrete ways that value gets worked out. OFFERING SCHEDULE: 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 morning offerings each Sunday. The first one is for the General Fund. The schedule for the second offering is as follows: February 22 Benevolence March 8 Christian Education Fund (CEF) March 15 Missions March 22 - El Sembrador CRC, Fontana March 29 - Loatian CRC, Moreno Valley April 5 - CRC Home Missions April 12 - CEF April 19 - Missions April 26 GEMS/Cadets

5 Sunday, March 8 LENT WEEKLY MEMORY VERSE GOODNESS: For we are God s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 TODAY REGISTRATION FOR THE UPCOMING MARRIAGE CONFERENCE is available at the table in the foyer. Please fill out any registration forms and turn them into Rachel Peters or Beth Kimm. IF YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER is interested in being baptized or making profession of faith, plan on attending the profession of faith learning group March 8, 15, and 22 - we will celebrate our professions on April 12. Please Nick at inthout@therivercrc.com to sign up or for more information. THIS WEEK HIKING MINISTRY Our next hike is to Oakmont Park here in Redlands. Meet in the church parking lot at 8:30 this Saturday. We ll drive over to Oakmont Park and hike the Oakmont Trails together. UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS HIGH SCHOOL RETREAT will be held March 27-29th at Thousand Pines Conference Center. Sign up by this Friday or Nick will personally hunt you down. frontdesk@therivercrc.com to register or for more information. THE CHURCH DIRECTORY is in the process of being updated. If you have changed your phone number, , or home address in the past year please frondesk@therivercrc.com with updated information. Directory pictures can also be updated by ing them to the front office. THE CARE MINISTRY team is looking for people who are willing to occasionally help provide a meal, send a card, provide local transportation, visit a shut-in or provide other assistance needed by our members. If you have a heart to serve, please call or Debbie at the church office. DO YOU CROCHET? Lugonia School Crochet Club meets Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 12:30-1:00pm. If you can help, call Debbie in the church office. VISITING THE RIVER? Take 30 minutes following the second service next Sunday, March 15th to have a scone with Pastor Scott, as he shares his personal story and the River s Vision, in the Study (room by the SW entrance). THE REHOBOTH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL BAND will host a Navajo Taco Dinner Thursday March 19, 6:00 pm, followed by songs and information about Navajo culture. Students will need housing in River Family homes on March 19 th, and back at the church by 8am, March 20 th. If you plan to attend the dinner, or can host one or more students, frontdesk@therivercrc.com.

6 THE BOOK CLUB will be reading Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers and will meet on March 19th at 1:00 pm at the home of Grace Van Der Laan to discuss. Anyone is welcome to attend. VOLUNTEERS NURSERY VOLUNTEERS Becca Poortenga, Sarah Schenkel, Jacob Hammers, Patty & Alan DeWeerd, Caryanna Shinski, Becky Casner, Mary Nydam, Julie In t Hout, Kris Kok PRAYERS & PRAISE Update from Gary and Susan Roetman: They have settled into their new home in Hull, IA and have an appointment on Tuesday with doctors at Creighton University Medical Hospital in Omaha, NB about getting Gary into an experimental study to treat the secondary pancreatic cancer that has been diagnosed. Pray that they will experience God s grace and mercy. To contact the Care Ministry Team, call Walt and Joyce De Blauw at Please contact a pastor at with pastoral care needs.

7 PASTOR SCOTT S SERMON NOTES Life on the Vine: Cultivating kindness in a self-sufficient world Luke 6:27-36 What is kindness? A. Israel lives in an unkind world and it shows. Jesus is speaking to people who not only experience (Rome) but they re also in conflict with one another. The are drawn and everyone is their own concerns. The result of this is division,, misunderstanding, and. The golden rule of verse 31 was lived out, but only in your own world. To live that into the life of any would show weakness, of your kind and would open you to being. B. We live in an unkind world and it shows. Our world is filled with lines, and. We have the fear of those lines because this would the faith or open us up to being taken of. The saying Fool me once reflects this. The problem with looking out for our own is that we miss out on enormous to show the love of Christ to those who need it the most. Our promotes disobedience. The cost of kindness. C. To transform their world, Christ calls his followers to live out kindness; his kindness. Into the world of Israel, Jesus speaks words. Don t just cross battle lines, ignore them. Don t look out for yourself, in fact, do things that may harm you for the of another, especially if that person is your.

8 PASTOR SCOTT S SERMON NOTES His reason for that is in verse 35. To live like this is to be godly. It s how God is. (Huge!) Jesus is calling the Jews out of their - into true love for others. Hard stuff! D. To transform our world, Christ calls us to live out kindness; His kindness. As we grasp this idea that is the way God calls us to be like Him in this world it will call us to some very places. Asking who is and in my world that I might show kindness to them? doesn t sound right, that s the. God s love calls out of our self-sufficient so that others might actually see who he really is; one who loves even in their sin. Tony Campolo s birthday cake.