RVCF Connections Summer 2011

8/6/2019 RVCF Connections Summer 2011

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VOLUME 2/ISSUE 1: SUMMER 2011

Connections


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RIVER VALLEY CONNECTIONS

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CONTENTS

Recharge by Maury Robertson ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Got RElationships? by Matt Arden .................................................................................................................................................... 6

Elder PErspectives by Robert Choate................................................................................................................................................ 8

RVCF & R.E.S.t. by Dennis Green .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Spring 2010 Recap by Bob Comarsh.................................................................................................................................................... 10

River VAlley Kids Korner By Tara Arden.............................................................................................................................. 12

Youth Ministry Update by Matt ARden .................................................................................................................................. 13

FOCUS: Gold Sox Faith Night By Brad InDelicato .............................................................................................. 14

Idolatry In The Bible by Tim Keller ................................................................................................................................................. 16

.....................................................................................................................................................................................RVCF Financial Report 18

...................................................................................................................................................................................................RVCF News & Notes 19

...........................................................................................................................................................................................Calendar of Events 20

...................................................................................................................................................................................Contact Information 21


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Recharge!by Maury RobertsonThe charge I received from our

elders for the summer was clear:recharge.

Anyone with a cell phoneunderstands the importance ofrecharging. Recharging has twocomponents. 1) You rest the device.2) You plug it into a charger. I viewthese two components as a sacredduty this summer. It may sound likea simple assignment--some of youturned visibly green when Iannounced the break--but in manyways recharging will be a challenge.

Resting The Device

Rest is hard for me. This isn'tdifficult to confess since most of usregard working too hard to be avirtue. If you're at a job interviewand they ask you what yourweakness is, one smart answer is, "I

work too hard." It's smart becausethe employer won't view it as aweakness. It's like saying that yourweakness is being too smart. Butworking too hard really is aweakness. You wouldn't be admiredfor straining your power tools orkitchen appliances until they startedsmoking. Why are we admired fordoing it to ourselves?

Rest is a deeply spiritual activity; as

spiritual as coming to church,praying, or reading your Bible.Don't listen to the caffeine-propelledpeople who foolishly brag abouthow few hours a night they sleep.Lay your head on your pillow andsleep a good night's sleep to theglory of God. And be sure to plan a

day of rest each week in yourschedule.

But I'll say it again: I am lousy atthis. I hope you are not so fooled bythis world that you admire me forthis. Instead, pray that this summerGod will teach me something Idesperately need to learn to do: notdo.

Plugging Into The Charger

As I unplug from all this doing, mygoal is to plug into the Source oflife, deepening and strengtheningmy reserves for the challengesahead this fall. This, too, is not aseasy as it sounds. One of the hazardsof being a pastor is that seeking Godcan be reduced to one of your duties


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rather than the heartbeat of your life.You're always seeking God forothers and forget to do so foryourself. This hit me powerfully oneday when a restaurant owner withwhom I had an appointment came

screaming into the parking lot tenminutes late. He apologized for beingtardy and went on to tell me he wasstarving to death. Starving to death?Here was a man who spent his daysurrounded by the best cuisine in YubaCity and he was starving to death. Theirony struck me. God quietly spoke tome: "That's you, Maury" I understoodthis instantly. I, too, was so focused onserving up good meals for everyoneelse that I was forgetting to feed myown soul. I know this sounds verynoble and Mother Thersa-like. But it'sjust stupid. How can I tell others aboutthe generosity and abundance of God ifI am not feasting on it myself?

What will the summer look like? I don'tknow the details. But I do know I

will be taking time to celebrate the fourpeople who walk the path of life mostclosely with me: Julie, Jake, Christyand Taryn. My role can make itchallenging to give them all theydeserve. It's going to feel great to give

them my undivided attention for aseason. This is especially poignantsince the season of the five amigosunder the same roof is fast drawing to aclose. I also know I will be takingextended stretches to retreat for timesof solitude. And I will be attending lotsof other churches to gain perspectiveand refresh my soul. In order to fulfillmy charge to recharge I will be makingmyself scarce. I hope you understandthis. I love my job. And I love you. If Iget too close I'm not sure I'll be able toresist jumping right back into the fray.

A Final Sermonette

This summer will be a giant steptoward maturity in the life of ourchurch. I know that for many of you I

have been a fixture of this church andof your lives for years. I'm like theSutter Buttes--part of the assumedlandscape of your existence. If youhave been around a while you willremember that I once joked about

putting an enormous rotating Mauryhead on top of the steeple. Theterrifying image of my bald headrotating on the steeple seared its wayinto your minds. Sorry to havetraumatized you! But I think itillustrates a danger.

It is easy for pastors to make idols oftheir churches and it is easy forchurches to make idols of their pastorsThis summer, idol heads will roll. It is very good thing. This season will giveothers (most notably pastor Matt) theopportunity to grow in their roles. Mosof all, this is an opportunity for us all tremember who the true Head of thechurch is. No spinning Maury heads.Just Jesus, high and lifted up and insovereign command of His flock.


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Got relationship? Dont leave home

without it. We need God and Hispeople way more than milk orAmerican Express.

The Word became flesh and dweltamong us (John 1:14). God, himself,wasnt content to relate with youfrom heaven. He left heaven to bewith us! Wow! Stop and thinkabout this.

Let it floor you.

God the Father sent Jesus to giveyou a visual. He now gives us hisSpirit to remind us of Jesus.

This Jesus has been so good to usand His grace seems to bepermeating the fabric of many liveshere at RVCF. Though we all resistGod to certain degrees, Jesus andhis Kingdom are conquering us.

This proves true to Jesus claim thatthe gates of hell (even the ones weerect) will not prevail against Him!

One of the things that amaze meright now is the way people areworshipping Jesus. Many people areseeing King Jesus for who He is anddevoting their entire lives to Him. Ihear the biggest part of our churchreally singing from the heart. Thatrarely happened in church when I

was growing up. There were a fewpeople singing here and there, butyou didnt get that sense thateveryone loved Jesus and wanted toshout it from the mountaintops.

People are also seeing the glory ofrelationship with God, with Hispeople, and with our neighbors. TheWord is getting out to family and

friends about Jesus and people are

joyfully submitting to Him.When you look at Jesus master planfor building His church it isimpossible to not see relationship asa key ingredient. He spent threeyears getting intimately acquaintedwith 12 men 12 men who throughthe power of the Holy Spirit havedrastically altered the landscape ofhuman history.

Do you see your need for a

relationship with God, with Hischurch and with your neighbors toshare Christs love? If you can sayyes to this then you probablyunderstand that there is no greaterjoy on the face of the planet.

Relationships arent always easy.They involve a valuable struggle.Simply sitting down and jamming

Got Relationships?by Matt Arden


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does not make one self a JimmyHendrix. The Golden Gate wasntengineered at the same ease as aLincoln Log Cabin. A marriage is notlove-saturated and intimate by merelysaying I do and having dinner togetherseven nights a week. The same goeswith our souls. We are not shaped intothe image of Christ without taking upChrists cross and the church is not thelight of the world by spending a littletime on Sunday mornings taking in the

latest sermon and song.

The church is built up through the

amazing love of God the Father and

through Jesus Word preached through

the power of the Holy Spirit. We need

our brothers and sisters to constantly

remind us of this good news of Jesus.

Everyone is called to be a preacher in

this sense, not just the pastors. And

let us consider how we may spur oneanother on toward love and good

deeds. Let us not give up meeting

together, as some are in the habit of

doing, but let us encourage one

another-- and all the more as you see

the Day approachingHebrews10:24-25

Do you have some brothers or sistersin Christ to remind you of Jesus andhis overwhelming power and goodness

and love? Do you have a spiritualmentor? If you dont you are certainlymissing out on a ton of the joy infollowing Jesus. Jesus followers areJesus body. No connection withJesus followers not tangible hugsfrom God. Who is in your life toremind you of who God is and whoyou really are as a believer in Jesus?Who do you have to constantly remind

you that you are a son of the almightyGod? The place (it is not the only one)that most people have deepened theirrelationships at RVCF is through smallgroups or bible studies. We hope tostart some new groups this fall. Dontget hung up on the name or theorganizational structure. Seek thesubstance. You need a place you canmeet regularly to refocus on adoringGod (the Word and prayer), on lovingone another (fellowship) and on loving

your neighbor (service/evangelism). Ifyou dont have some authentic Christpointing relationships right now ask forhelp right away! One of the RVCFelders or co-workers would love tohelp you find you find a place whereyou can pursue Jesus with others.

Dont be afraid. Ask for help. Be likeJesus and dwell among his people.


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Elder PErspectives By Robert ChoateFirst, I would like to say it has been anhonor to work with the Elders and allthe staff these last three years;furthermore, I would like to share whatwe as elders have been focusing on thislast year. One of our primary goals asElders is to prayerfully lead Godschurch, by His power, into a placewhere we can all experience His loveas we love Him, love our neighbors,and love one another. One way ofdoing this is by small group ministries,

so our focus has been on seeking waysto help encourage and be of support toall ministry leaders.

God has been teaching me a lot aboutloving the things that He loves, so Iwould like to attempt to share itthrough an illustration. Imagine I builta truck from scratch. I bent and cut themetal, drilled, pounded, painted, andeverything else that would be neededto complete my hearts desire in

making a truck. I LOVE my truck. Istand back in AWE of my truck andthink to myself it is good! Wordsalone cannot express how much I lovemy truck.

Now, lets say that I loaned this truckto you. All I asked was that you pleasetake care of it, for it was special to me.However, you accidently scratched itand put a small dent in the side of it.What would be your response? Would

you think Its only a scratch at least Ididnt wreck it, maybe he wontnotice, or Oh no! I blew it! I have nomoney or talent to fix it, so all I can dois ask for his forgiveness. Yourresponse will reflect what you think ofme. If you show sorrow, repentance,and true concern for my truck, simplybecause its my truck, then that reflects

what you think about me and the thingsthat I care about.

God loves us! When He created us, Hesaid it is good. Therefore, how wetreat one another and the very things

that God loves reveals what we thinkof Him or perhaps what matters mostto us. I pray that Gods character isformed in us, so we can and will lovethe things that God loves and hate thethings that God hates. However, theonly way our heart can change is for usto first acknowledge that we aresinners. To experience a godly sorrow

that leads to life, which is contrary toworldly sorrow that leads to death. Torepent and fully trust God that He willcreate a clean heart within us,forgiving all our scratches, dents andwrecks, restoring our lives back inrelationship with Him.

I love Pauls heart in Gal.4:19 when hesaid, oh, my dear children! I feel as ifI am going through labor pains for youagain, and they will continue untilChrist is fully developed in your livesLikewise, it the cry of my heart for meand my River Valley family to haveChrist fully maturing in our lives!


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RVCF & R.E.S.T by Dennis GreenRVCF played a huge role in the

success of the Regional EmergencyShelter Teams (REST) efforts toprovide winter shelter and food forsingle women and families in ourarea. As many of you know, REST,a nonprofit Christian basedorganization, started this inauguraleffort on December 1st and partneredwith nine area churches on arotating basis to provide overnightshelter and hot meals for over 140men, women and children. Of thistotal, 27 minor children wereaccommodated including a majoritythat was younger than four years ofage. In all, almost 1,900 nights ofshelter and many more meals wereprovided. REST was able to do thiswith a privately funded budget ofless than $7,000 because of thework of over 140 volunteers,business partners such as GewekeFord, Les Schwab of Yuba City and

Yuba Sutter Regional Transit,support agencies such as Hands ofHope and the local chapter of theAmerican Red Cross, and our areaChristian community. Given thesuccess of this first season, RESTwill be working to expand theduration of its operation next winter

Although being from one of thesmaller congregations, RVCF co-workers played major roles in this

effort. RVCF was one of fourchurches to host homeless guests forthree separate week long events(including Christmas Eve andmorning!). Meals were provided forall 21 nights and the guestsfrequently commented on thewarmth and hospitality that theyexperienced at RVCF. In addition,

throughout this winter, RVCF

members helped providetransportation to the church shelters,interviewed and processed guestseach night the Hands of Hope intakecenter, and worked as all nightsupervisors at the various hostchurches. What blessings thesefolks provided to those in ourcommunity who lacked the basicneeds of food and shelter. Thesesaints are listed below (apologies toanyone missed!):

DriversKevin Fine, Roger Shulthise,Barbara Newsone, Mike Stevenson,Bill Comarsh, Bill Lindholm, MauryRobertson, Dave Ewen, DennisDevany, Bill Craig, Dennis Green

Intake Center Volunteers

Leah Ewen, Barbara NewsoneKeith Goodson

Overnight SupervisorsKeith Goodson, Bill LindholmMike Trotti, Patricia TrottiLeah Ewen, Dennis Green

Food ProvidersMarisa Banuelos, Cathy CraigCathy Johnson, Jean ChastainMadreen Hudson, Pat Klinck

Tim Sanders, Nancy FranceGloria Adams, Ruby Ivy, Bill &Sonja Lindholm, Mike & JeanStevenson, Ron & Pam Sweeney,Evelyn Bender, Bob & BarbaraKowalski, Kathleen BozarthShelley Carlton, Karen Ramirez,Amy Gamble, Patricia Trotti,Dianne Green


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Spring is an amazing time where life

seems to come back from lifelessness.It seems that God has woven thispattern into our world to point us backto him and to his gospel. As we sawlife springing forth this spring (alongwith plenty of rain to water the newbloom of creation) we continued to seewonderful signs of life an of Godsgrace at River Valley. Lets look backat some of the great happenings of thepast few months.

March saw the continuation of ourFurther Up Further In gatherings.These times of teaching and interactivecommunity have a been an excellentaddition to RVCF. On March 1st and15th, Pastor Maury continued histhree-part series on what the bible saysabout eschatology (end things). Maurygave us a great overview of the majorviews on eschatology and gave us hisimpression on which makes the most

sense to him.

Later in March, we completed our firstwinter cooperating with Hands ofHope and other area churches in theRegional Emergency Shelter Teamministry to help house homelesswomen, children and families duringthe colder months of the year. Manyfrom River Valley were involved inthis ministry and it became a greatopportunity to minister in new ways in

our community.

On April 5th, we gathered together tohelp raise money for our youth toattend Centrifuge camp at JennessPark. The Youth Talent Night andChili Cook-Off was a huge success notonly in raising funds but in giving yetanother opportunity for community todevelop at River Valley. We had great

Spring 2011 Recapby Bob Comarsh


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food and great talent shared by ouryouth and who could forget the ChiliPepper song by Matt and hiscompadres.

Easter week was a special week forRiver Valley with several specialgatherings. Sunday, April 17th we gotstarted by celebrating Palm Sunday.Tuesday night, April 19th, the worshipcentered was opened up for a specialtime of silent prayer. Friday night,

April 22nd we contemplated andcelebrated our crucified Lord at ourGood Friday gathering. This was aspecial time with many in our churchfamily of all ages read scripture andshared what the cross meant to them intheir life. We also sang songs ofremembrance of the death of Jesus andshared communion together. Sunday,April 24th was one of the most

wonderful and unique Eastergatherings River Valley has ever had.We gathered in the parking lot andcelebrated the risen King together forall to see. Though the rain threatened,at the end of the day we had a rain-freegathering. Through songs and achallenging message by Pastor Maury,Christ was proclaimed as risen Saviorand Lord. After the Easter gatheringwas a wonderful egg hunt for the kids.

May saw more excellent Further UpFurther In gatherings. On May 3rd,Pastor Matt gave a challengingteaching on how Christians shouldengage with films and on May 17th,Pastor Maury and myself talked aboutthe roots of our music and how weshould approach music today. Both ofthese gatherings were encouraging andchallenging charges on the importance

for Christians to look for Gods truthand elements of the gospel in art and toengage culture well in order to pointother to the ultimate truth of Jesusbeing Lord of all...even Cinemark andiTunes.

Finally, pictures were taken on May12th, 13th, 14th and 19th for our firstpictorial church directory in more thanthree years. This will be a greatresource for our church community

and will help put faces with names.

Life just seems to spring back this timeof year. How appropriate that wecelebrate the resurrection of Lord Jesusthis time of year. And how wonderfulto see the resurrection of Jesus takingdeeper and deeper root here at RiverValley. Look for His signs oflife...youll see them all around!


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River Valley Kids KornerBy Tara Arden

Summer ConnectionConnecting with God &Connecting with Others

June 5th - August 14th

Join us on Sundays and at special events throughout the summer.

Sundays: ! !{Birth 5 years} Sundays 9:00am & 10:30am

! ! {Kindergarten 5th Grade} Sundays 10:30amStarting June 5th, kids finishing Kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to joinus in the Gathering Place {new location} for a combined class which will includegames, a mission emphasis, Bible basics, and the Summer Water Balloon Challenge.

Special Events:In addition to Sundays, we want to Connect with God & Connect with Friends byhosting some special summer events. These will be great opportunities for RiverValley Kids to invite friends, for parents to connect with parents, and for everyone

to enjoy some summer fun.

Your child will receive a calendar of events on Sunday June 5th in their class.Events also will be posted on the church website.

!


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Beating The Heat InThe Kingdom Of

God!

Summer is an exciting time in the

life of our youth and it is finally

here! This summer we will

mixing it up by traveling to the

park, having swim parties, going

to camp and, most of all, drawing

near to God because Christ hasdrawn near to us. Please

remember our youth in your

prayers and friendship.

For all who sacrificed to make

the Chili Cook-off a smashing

success THANK YOU. God

knows your name and what you

did. Almost $1400 was raised

that one night. Every time we dosomething like this I am blown

away by how compassionate and

gracious God is to and through

his church. This should go a long

way toward helping students and

leaders go to camp.

The camp that we attend is called

Centrifuge at Jenness Park which

is located in the mountains above

Sonora about 50 miles west of

Yosemite. It is a beautiful

location with amazing recreation

including zip lines, canoeing,

disc golf, and more. The best

part of the camp is the time given

to knowing God. Students have

scheduled devotional time to be

alone with God as well as large

group gatherings with music and

messages. Over the course of a

week we really get to know God

and each other. For these reasons

and many more, camp is

incredible every year.

Blow Up Fireworks

To Send Students To

Camp!This year we are planning on

only one more fundraiser. We

will be selling fireworks at the

end of our church parking lot

directly facing Butte House Road

starting June 29th until July 4th

from 9am to 9pm. Hopefully we

will draw a large crowd of

costumers from both our churchand passers by. If you would

like to participate we would be

delighted. We are going to make

it fun. By law you must be over

18 to work the fireworks booth so

we will need many adults in the

church to participate who dont

have direct connections to the

youth group. If you would like

to help with the booth or come by

and purchase fireworks we will

be delighted.

If you have any questions or

want someone to get more

involved in the youth group,

dont hesitate to call me at the

office at 755-1362 x27.

Youth Ministry Update by Matt Arden


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The 4th Annual Faith Night at the

Ballpark event with the Gold Sox isset for Friday evening June 17th, 2011at Appeal-Democrat Park inMarysville, CA, home of The GoldSox. The gates open early at 5:30pmfor this co-sponsored outreach of theChristian Business Alliance (CBA) andNorthside Fitness. Pre-game festivitiesinclude an original commemorativeprogram given away at the front gatesto the first 2,500 guests, a specialChristian concert featuring the home-grown contemporary worship groupfrom River Valley Christian FellowshipChurch in Yuba City, CA.. Free Bibleswill also be available upon request andas you exit the stadium. Be in yourseats early to enjoy a powerful on-fieldpre-game testimony at 6:45pm byformer San Diego Padres and SanFrancisco Giants Pitcher DaveDravecky. First pitch follows at7:35pm pairing our own Gold Sox with

the Auburn Mudcats. From beginningto end you will also have theopportunity to browse the concourseand meet with many communityservice/local ministry groups thatprovide assistance and a variety ofresources to anyone in need.

In 2008 fans first witnessed former S.F.Giants pitcher and cancer survivorDave Dravecky share his compellingstory of faith and courage. Then in

2009 we heard a passionate testimonyfrom Jim The Rookie Morris, theman who inspired Walt Disneysfeature film The Rookie. Last year22 year MLB veteran Bill Buckner ofDodger, Cubs and Red Sox fame tookthe field to share the source of hisstrength that carried him through bothhis trials and triumphs. What started in

2008 as a one-time event has turnedinto an annual gathering of hope andinspirationtouching over 10,000lives in the process! Now, in 2011 wehave yet another opportunity to sharethe Good News and reach out to manymore searching for truth, peace andreal hope as Dave Dravecky returns foran encore engagement.

Nearly 4,000 people came to the

ballpark with our inaugural Faith Nightcoinciding with Daves first visit in2008 and now three years later fanswill witness another inspiring Godlymessage of hope as he speaks of thecomeback and cancer that eventuallytook his left pitching arm. Ultimately,Dave said, .it is who we are as achild of God that defines us, not ourstatistics. Dave Dravecky is a fineexample of not denying the impactyour life can have on others! There

will be many in attendance that will bemoved not having heard Daves storybefore and yet others will beencouraged. All will be blessed!

Once again, this years Faith Nightcelebration will be professionallyfilmed and commemorative DVDs willagain be made available thru The Gold

Sox and CBA. Be a part of theexcitement with all this special eveninghas to offer. The Gold Sox, CBA andNorthside Fitness are expectinganother large crowd with specialthanks to the many local businessesthat stepped up to the plate to supportthe function. A list of sponsors ishighlighted on the special FaithNight posters promoting the event atselect businesses and churches thru-out

our greater Yuba-Sutter area. Freetickets are also available at some ofthese same locations or you cancontact Brad Indelicato at#530-671-2413. You can also purchasetickets at the Gold Sox Team Center at429 10th Street in Marysville or at theticket booth prior to the game onFriday June 17th.

This is an evening to enjoy family funin faith and fellowship, while

providing a wonderful communityoutreach. Come enjoy and celebrate allof the festivities. It will be an upliftingnight of encouragement, hope,relaxation and great Gold Sox baseballfor everyone in attendance. You wontwant to miss it and you wont bedisappointed!! SEE YOU AT THEBALL PARK!!!

Focus: GOLD SOX FAITH NightBy Brad Indelicato


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RIVER

VALLEY

presents

ChurchPark

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

in the

10am, Sutter SYO Park


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Idolatry In The Bible By Tim KellerWhen I first began reading through the

Bible I looked for some unifyingthemes. I concluded that there aremany and that if we make just onetheme the theme (such as covenant orkingdom) we run the danger ofreductionism. However, one of themain ways to read the Bible is as theages-long struggle between true faithand idolatry. In the beginning, humanbeings were made to worship and serveGod, and to rule over all created thingsin Gods name (Gen 1:26 28). Paulunderstands humanitys original sin asan act of idolatry: They exchangedthe glory of the immortal God...andworshipped and served created thingsrather than the creator(Rom 1:2125).Instead of living for God, we began tolive for ourselves, or our work, or formaterial goods. We reversed theoriginal intended order. And when webegan to worship and serve createdthings, paradoxically, the created

things came to rule over us. Instead ofbeing Gods vice-regents, ruling overcreation, now creation masters us. Weare now subject to decay and diseaseand disaster. The final proof of this isdeath itself. We live for our own gloryby toiling in the dust, but eventuallywe return to the dustthe dustwins (Gen 3:1719). We live tomake a name for ourselves but ournames are forgotten. Here in thebeginning of the Bible we learn that

idolatry means slavery and death.

The Ten Commandments' first two andmost basic laws (one-fifth of all God'slaw to humankind) are againstidolatry.* Exodus does not envisionany third option between true faith andidolatry. We will either worship theuncreated God or we will worshipsome created thing (an idol). There is

no possibility of our worshippingnothing. The classic New Testamenttext is Romans 1:18-25. This extensivepassage on idolatry is often seen asonly referring to the pagan Gentiles,but instead we should recognize it asan analysis of what sin is and how it

works. Verse 21 tells us that the reasonwe turn to idols is because we want tocontrol our lives, though we know thatwe owe God everything. Though theyknew God, they neither glorified Godnor gave thanks to him. Verse 25 tellsus the strategy for controltakingcreated things and setting our hearts onthem and building our lives aroundthem. Since we need to worship

something, because of how we arecreated, we cannot eliminate Godwithout creating God-substitutes.Verses 21 and 25 tell us the two resultsof idolatry:

1) Deception"their thinking became

futile and their hearts weredarkened,"and

2) Slavery"they worshipped andserved" created things.

Whatever we worship we will serve,for worship and service are alwaysinextricably bound together. We arecovenantal beings. We enter into


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covenant service with whatever mostcaptures our imagination and heart. Itensnares us. So every humanpersonality, community, thought-form,and culture will be based on someultimate concern or some ultimate

allegianceeither to God or to someGod-substitute. Individually, we willultimately look either to God or tosuccess, romance, family, status,popularity, beauty or something else tomake us feel personally significant andsecure, and to guide our choices.Culturally we will ultimately look toeither God or to the free market, thestate, the elites, the will of the people,science and technology, military might,human reason, racial pride, orsomething else to make us corporatelysignificant and secure, and to guide ourchoices.

No one grasped this better than MartinLuther, who ties the Old Testament andNew Testament together remarkably inhis exposition of the TenCommandments. Luther saw how theOld Testament law against idols and theNew Testament emphasis on

justification by faith alone areessentially the same. He said that the

Ten Commandments begin with twocommandments against idolatry. It isbecause the fundamental problem inlaw-breaking is always idolatry. Inother words, we never break the othercommandments without first breaking

the law against idolatry. Lutherunderstood that the first commandmentis really all about justification by faith,and to fail to believe in justification byfaith is idolatry, which is the root of allthat displeases God.

All those who do not at all times trustGod and do not in all their works orsufferings, life and death, trust in Hisfavor, grace and good-will, but seekHis favor in other things or inthemselves, do not keep this [First]Commandment, and practice realidolatry, even if they were to do theworks of all the other Commandments,and in addition had all the prayers,obedience, patience, and chastity of allthe saints combined. For the chiefwork is not present, without which allthe others are nothing but mere sham,show and pretense, with nothing backof them... If we doubt or do not believe

that God is gracious to us and ispleased with us, or if we

presumptuously expect to please Himonly through and after our works, thenit is all pure deception, outwardlyhonoring God, but inwardly setting upself as a false [savior].... (Part X. XI)Excerpts from Martin Luther, Treatise

Concerning Good Works (1520).

Here Luther says that failure to believethat God accepts us fully in Christand to look to something else for oursalvationis a failure to keep the firstcommandment; namely, having noother gods before him. To try to earnyour own salvation through works-righteousness is breaking the firstcommandment. Then he says that wecannot truly keep any of the other lawsunless we keep the first lawagainstidolatry and works-righteousness. Thusbeneath any particular sin is this sin ofrejecting Christ-salvation andindulging in self-salvation.

For example, lets say a person cheatson his income tax form. Why does hedo that? Well, you say, because he is asinner. Yes, but why does his sin takethis form? Luthers answer would be

that the man only cheated because hewas making money and possessionsand the status or comfort from havingmore of themmore important thanGod and his favor. Or lets say a personlies to a friend rather than lose faceover something she has done. In thatcase the underlying sin is makinghuman approval or your reputationmore important than the righteousnessyou have in Christ.The Bible, then, does not consider

idolatry to be one sin among many(and a rare sin found only amongprimitive people). Rather, all ourfailures to trust God wholly or to liverightly are at root idolatrysomethingwe make more important than God.There is always a reason for a sin.Under our sins are idolatrous desires.

Tim Keller is senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Churchin New York City and is the author of Counterfeit Gods.


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The financial outlook for the church

has not improved as much as we had

hoped as we move into the last

quarter of the fiscal year. As shown

below, the years revenue continue

to be less than amounts realized in

the previous two years (down 4%

from 2009-10 and down 9% from

2008-09). The Elders have taken

steps to reduce costs by reducing

staff outlays by 5% until at least theend of the fiscal year (August) and

cutting our accelerated parking loan

payback amount to the minimum of

$4,100 per month. These steps have

helped stabilize the bottom line, but

the church is in a position where

near-term projects requiring

significant investment may be

difficult to fund.

Obviously, our financial challenges

are not uncommon in these difficult

economic times. But we have been

abundantly blessed by God and stillmaintain healthy emergency and

building repair funds of $78,600 and

$35,300 respectively. We see many

signs of Gods hand working among

us as attendance continues to grow

and the generational diversity of the

congregation remains extremely

healthy. We need to honor Gods

blessings by moving ahead and

following His direction. For this

reason, as a congregation we need to

continue, on an individual and

corporate basis, seek God for His

guidance as to how we shouldcontribute with our finances and our

other resources for the glory of His

kingdom.

RVCF Financial Update by Dennis Green

September-February Giving


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Further Up Further In Notes:Our first year of Further Up Further In meetings (affectionately called FUFI by Maury now) has wrapped up and well be

taking a break over the summer. A big thanks to Pastor Maury and Pastor Matt for tackling some heavy issues and for

doing a fantastic job with them! Some of the topics that were covered were hermeneutics, eschatology, creation/earth age

and how Christians should engage with film and music. As we look ahead to the fall there, Further Up Further In will

settle in to a once a month format with child care provided. We hope that more and more in our church family will come

out for these excellent and challenging times of teaching and interaction. More details will be coming soon.

Prayer NightJust a reminder that every last Monday evening of the month at 6pm the worship center is opened up for anyone who

would like to come and spend some time in silent prayer. If you would like more information, please see Dennis Green or

contact the church office.

Summer Mens Softball Coming Soon:RVCF will be having a mens softball team again this year and will be playing at Blackburn Tally Sports Complex off of

Garden Hwy. on Monday or Tuesday nights beginning early in June. We would like to encourage as many as possible to

come out for the games. This is a great opportunity not only to support our team and to spend time together as a church

family but also to have a presence in our community outside of the four walls of the church building. Well be sure to pos

the schedule as soon as its available.

Bloodmobile Returning to RVCF:The Bloodsource Bloodmobile will be returning to River Valley on Sunday, July 17th during both gatherings. This is a

great opportunity to minister in a tangible way in our community. For more information about the Bloodmobile and the

specific hours it will be here, please contact Bill Lindholm or call the church office.

MINISTRY TO MEN NOTES:The SBBA Mens Retreat is coming August 26th - 27th at Woodleaf YoungLife Camp in Challenge. We had a great time

last year (even if we did lose power for awhile). We retreat will begin with dinner on Friday evening and end with dinner

on Saturday evening. We are privileged to have Pastor Jim Anderson from Cornerstone Church in Yuba City as our

speaker. Other churches in the SBBA will be joining us for this great weekend. Reservations will start in June.

We have had three Mens Huddles on Saturday mornings since last summer. These meetings brought men together around

a certain topic, were led by various men of our church, and were great times of encouragement. We have also enjoyed the

Tuesday evening DVDs studies led by Dennis Green and Keith Goodson. These studies were greatly challenging and

facilitated some excellent discussions.

RVCF News & Notes


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Page 20

CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE-AUGUST 2011

June5th - Exodus Summer Sermon Series Begins (9am, 10:30am)

5th - RV Kids Summer Connection Begins (9am, 10:30am)

12th - Church In The Park @ Sutter SYO Park (10am)

17th - Gold Sox Faith Night w/Dave Dravecky & RVCF Music Team (5:30pm)

19th - Fathers Day

27th - Prayer Night (6pm)28th - Youth Fireworks Booth First Day @ RVCF Parking Lot

July4th - Independence Day (Office Closed)

4th - Youth Fireworks Booth Final Day @ RVCF Parking Lot

17th - Bloodmobile @ RVCF (9am -12:30pm)16th - 30th - Centrifuge Youth Camp @ Jenness Park

25th - Prayer Night (6pm)

August15th - RV Kids Summer Connections Ends (9am, 10:30am)

26th - 27th - SBBA Mens Retreat

28th - Exodus Summer Sermon Series Ends (9am, 10:30am)

29th - Prayer Night (6pm)


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Page 2

Contact Information

Mailing Address: PO Box 3480, Yuba City, CA 95992

Telephone Number: 530.755.1362

Fax Number: 530.671.4660

Website: rivervalleyyc.org

Pastors: Maury Robertson ([email protected])

Matt Arden ([email protected])

Elders: Jerry Bozarth (530.671.4166)

Robert Choate (530.742.5396)

Bill Comarsh (530.743.2321)

Sean McLean (530.790.0520)

Paul Shulthise (530.742.4877)

Ministry Leaders: River Valley Youth: Matt Arden (staff) (530.844.1773, [email protected])

River Valley Kids: Tara Arden (staff) (530.844.1773, [email protected])

Pastoral Ministry Team: Bill Lindholm (530.755.1362x26, [email protected])

Recovery Team: Karen Ramirez (530.713-4870, [email protected])

Counseling Team: Dianne Green (530.741.0582, [email protected])

Worship/Arts: Bob Comarsh (staff) (530.933.9465), [email protected])

Small Groups: Church Office (530.755.1362, [email protected])

Office Staff: Office Administrator: Dennis Green ([email protected])

Administrative Assistant: Cathy Craig ([email protected])

Facilities Manager: Bill Lindholm ([email protected])
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Coming Fall 2011This letter is from Paul,

chosen by the will of Godto be an apostle of Christ

Jesus. I am writing toGods holy people in

Ephesus, who are faithfulfollowers of Christ Jesus.May God our Father and

the Lord Jesus Christ giveyou grace and peace.

LETTER TO THE

EPHESIANSMay Gods grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus.Christ.


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Documents

RVCF Connections Summer 2011