RVCF Connections Summer 2012

7/31/2019 RVCF Connections Summer 2012

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VOLUME 3/ISSUE 1SUMMER 2012

ConnectionsRIVER VALLEY





RIVER VALLEY CONNECTIONS

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CONTENTS

Doggin’ It

By Dennis Green

Rescued or ruled?By Bob Comarsh

A Sunday Morning VisionBy Maury Robertson

Missions TeamSpotlight By Shannon Russ

Financial

Update14 15Calendar

Of Events

10Sprints In San FranciscoBy Matt Arden

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Saving LiveBy Bill Lindho

13Notes by Tara Arden




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I wish I was a visionary whowalked around in a constantstate of awareness. The truthis that I am at best a part-timevisionary. Every now and

then, though, the fog thinsand the sun pokes through. Acouple of Sundays ago wasone of those times. I will domy best to describe what Isaw.

For starters, I knew this wasno man-made vision. Man-made visions are alwaysfocusing on the wrong things.

They are always taking acensus, numbering thestrength of their humanforces, as if God needed aquorum to do anything.Human visions are obsessedwith offerings, calculating howbig of a monument they canafford to build for God, asthough the Maker of all thingslived in houses made with

human hands.

At their very best, humandreams for God focus ongood deeds they intend to doin the name of God and in theservice of humanity. This isnot bad. In fact, I would like togo on official record as beingfor good deeds.

But this is not what I saw onthat Sunday morning. Instead,I was overwhelmed by ourfallenness. We are a mess! Isaid with Isaiah, “Woe is me!For I am a man of uncleanlips, and I live among apeople of unclean lips, and

A SUNDAY

MORNINGVISIONBy Maury Robertson




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my eyes have seen the Lord ofGlory!”

I also saw the grace of God. Iwas overwhelmed by His love

for us and the way that this loveis transforming us. What I sawwas Emmanuel--God with us.This was not a vision of thethings we would do for God. Itwas a vision of what God hasalready done for us through Hisdeath and resurrection.

One of my favorite verses in thebook of Acts is the statement,

“Great grace was upon themall.” Wouldn’t it be refreshing ifpeople left our services withthose words on their lips? Not,“Awesome preaching!” Not,“Cool music!” But, “AwesomeGod!” Amazing grace!”

As I worshipped that morning, Isaw the Spirit fall with powerupon River Valley just like it did

on those early Christians.

• I saw people filled with praisefor the the undeserved,unsought love of Christ thathad transformed them.

• I saw people without grudges,people who were so deeplyaware of how much they hadbeen forgiven by God that they

could never again hold agrudge against another humanbeing.

• I saw people without egos.They knew all they were andhad was a gift from God. Theydid not hog the spotlight or

have to play “aw shucks”games.

• I saw a people actively servingeach other. They were not

passive. They did not considersitting on a pew to be anappropriate response to God’sastounding gift of mercy. Theywere so energized by the joyof being loved and forgiven

• that they could not help butlove one another. Anothergreat verse from Acts is,“There was not a needyperson among them.”

• I saw a people reaching out toa world that has not yetencountered the saving mercyof God. They did not viewoutsiders as “projects,” stillless “enemies.” They fullyembraced D.T. Niles’ famousdefinition of evangelism:“Evangelism is one beggartelling another beggar where

to find bread.”

• I saw a group of peoplepraying with all their hearts,“Thy kingdom come. Thy willbe done on earth as it is inheaven!”

All of this amounted to analternate reality, not a way toescape life, but a Reality whichswallowed up fallen humanityand transformed it, a fulfillmentnot an escape.

I thank God for moments ofclarity. I wish I went around

seeing the Kingdom this clearlyall the time. Instead, I seethrough a glass, darkly. Butwhatever my state of sight, Iseek to live in the light of thebeatific vision. I try not to befooled by what I see throughAdam-cursed eyes.

These little glimpses of glory areall too brief. But they are enough

to inspire me to live by faith.




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My father had his shareof faults but he was very clearand consistent regarding whathe expected from me. It wassimply, "Do your very best". This never changed

throughout our time togetherand it was never negotiable. The situation didn't matterwhether I was on the footballfield, basketball court, in theclassroom, or drying the

dinner dishes. For me, "Youwere doggin it." representedone of the worst expressionsthat I could hear from myfather. Effort was alwaysplaced ahead of results.

Doggin’ ItBy Dennis Green






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My journey of following Christbegan over 30 years ago but byno means was completed at thatpoint. In 1977 my mother and Ibegan attending a small

Southern Baptist church inSutter, California where myuncle was the pastor. UncleChuck was a pulpit pounding“fire and brimstone” preacher. At six years old I heard veryclearly a message of Christ’slove, Christ’s death for our sins,and the impending danger ofhell or of being left behind apartfrom accepting him as Savior. I

responded to this message witha mixture of fear and awe. As I left the pew and began myway down the aisle, my motheractually tried to stop me butcouldn’t. I prayed with thepastor and asked Jesus into myheart. I had no idea what I wasgetting myself into or what beinga Christian was truly all about. My uncle grilled me and I gavehim all the right answers. So, Iwas eventually baptized andproclaimed “saved.” I hung myhat on that “checked box” formany years. I was ready to berescued and saved by Jesusfrom hell and from death andfrom being left behind all alone. I had no idea what it meant tobe a disciple, what it meant to

follow him, or what it meant tobow under the rule of a goodLord and King.

Ironically, my uncle used toteach about this concept of“Lord.” He would explain thatwhen Jesus becomes your Lord

Rescued

orRuled?By Bob Comarsh




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He becomes your “boss.” Theirony was that my uncle wasnot a good example of onewho had Jesus as his bossoutside of the pulpit. This was

probably one of the earliestdivorces I observed betweenbelief and practice. Thisdysfunction marks my life tothis very day. I realize now, looking back,that unhealthy emotionalpatterns began workingthemselves out in my life inincreasingly destructive ways

as I grew older. This beganproducing cycles of escapeand regret in the attempt torun from pain and fear. I alsorealized, especially in my teenyears, the glaring absence ofconsistent mentorship ordiscipleship in my life. Thismay have helped develop ahealthier sense of theLordship of Christ and the

intersection of faith and lifeinstead of a “fire insurance”mentality that made me okaywith God even as I lived inways that were displeasing toHim. This has made meacutely aware of the need fordiscipleship and mentoring inthe life of the church,especially for youth.

Following high school and myfailed attempts at college Ishifted gears. I beganmerging one way of escapingwith another by gettinginvolved in ministry. It startedwith youth ministry. To thisday I love working with and

teaching students. Then, Ibecame involved in musicministry. I have loved musicfrom a very early age and thisseemed to be a natural

progression. I have no doubtGod was working, even in mydysfunction, to mold me andto prepare me for ministry. In a way, I was using ministryto escape the deeper issuesof identity and worth. It wasincreasingly clear that my

journey in ministry wouldalways be stifled and self-

sabotaged until I began towake up to the truth that

ministry--what I do for God--was not the way to beaccepted by God.It was not the covering for my

sin, and it was not a goodmaster. The mixing togetherof two forms of dysfunctionwas making matters worse. This idea of Jesus beingSavior AND Lord was notgoing to go away. A day ofreckoning was coming.

Through good friends andmentors, the past few years ofmy life have been the mostfruitful yet. I haver come torealize that in every area in

my life, truly “every knee”must bow. This season hasbeen marked by growingawareness that my identity isfound in Jesus alone, that mysalvation is in Jesus aloneand that the way I livematters. The way I eat, what Ilook at with my eyes, how Iuse money and power, myfamily, my relationships…

Jesus has something to sayabout it all. And, the good news of Jesus’life, death, resurrection andenthronement doesn’t end atmy individual salvation butleads me out of myself intothe context of a called outcommunity of God’s sons anddaughters and into this world

to proclaim that Jesus is thetrue King and is ruling andreigning. So, truly, what Godbegan in me way back in1977 (or better said in eternitypast) will be completed. Yousee, through the dysfunction,the brokenness andwreckage, the sin and the fog,He is doing something newand beautiful in me. I’m slowly coming alive to thefact that I very much wantedto be rescued but wantednothing to do with being ruled.For His glory and His kingdomthat is finally changing. AMEN!

“We are not

at liberty to

manufacture

a different

Jesus, it is as

if we want

someone to

save our

souls, not to

rule our

world.”

-N.T. Wright




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Struggle is the gateway tomaturity. Adversity is themold that takes you frombeing a selfish child to self-giving adult. Rejection byfriends can help you to be thebest of friends to another.

One of the hardest thingsabout my youth in Reno, NVwas running 100 yard sprintsat the end of every Monday’sfootball practice. I rememberlike yesterday the aches ofthe 10 sprints: legs on fire,lungs agonizing, the desire tolose your stomach bile buthaving none to give. Whenthe sprints were over the painwasn’t. Recovery tookanother 10 minutes to 3 days,depending on the kind ofshape you were in.

Now that I am older, Irecognize that those were thebest times of my life. Sprintshelped prepare me for thedifficulty of the game of life. Ifyou could endure thosesprints you could endureanything. There were otherbenefits too. I bonded withmy teammates through the

trial. I became strongermentally and physically. Ilearned how to say no to mywants. To this day I am betterable endure suffering of allshapes and sizes for the sakeof the team.

There was another blessingthat came from the pain of thepractice field. In the middle ofthat suffering we always hadthe guidance and watchfuleye of our coaches who caredabout us. The pain of sprintsmade us better. In the sameway, God brings trials but Hehas a purpose for the agonyand a loving hand to guide.

In order to mature, our youthdeserve the opportunity toface adversity. If we protectour children and never allowthem to suffer they will behandicapped their whole life.We don’t have to look toohard in a fallen world to findsuch opportunities.

God wants his people to bewise and loving guides toothers who are going throughadversity. When our

teenagers crash and burn,God gives us the opportunitypick them up, dust them off,and put them back in thegame.

This summer we will take ourSr. High Youth on a missiontrip to San Francisco. We willbe helping the homeless,sharing Christ on the streets,serving at boys and girlsclubs, and more. We aren’tdoing this because it will bethe easiest or the mostentertaining thing we coulddo. We go because we wantto shape Jesus-loving, self-giving adults, the kind whosacrificially love their families,their neighbors, theircommunity and, most of all,their God.

The Sr. High will be leavingfor the Mission on July 29th toAugust 3rd. The Jr. High willbe building their foundation atcamp in Centrifuge during thesame week. We covet thechurch’s prayer and support.If you have any questions orwant more information call meat the church at 755-1362.

Sprints in San FranciscoBy Matt Arden




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Lottie Moon

(International Mission Board)

Lottie Moon was a missionary to China in the 1900‘s. She was like many of today’s missionaries witha heart for people to know Jesus. But it was a letter she wrote urging Southern Baptists to be moreinvolved with missions that made her something of a legend. Her letter resulted in the very firstChristmas offering for international missions which sent three new missionaries to China.

Mission: To make disciples of all peoples in fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Vision: A multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshipping our LordJesus Christ.

Get Involved: You and your family can adopt a specific people group for whom you can begin to prayintentionally and passionately. You can pray for barriers to the Gospel to be broken down, God tosend more laborers to the field to reach them, God to prepare the hearts of the peoples to receiveHim, and any missionaries who may be working among that people group.

If God is leading you to embrace an unengaged, unreached people group, begin your journey byvisiting the International Mission Board’s web site at www.call2embrace.org.

Mission TeamSpotlight by Shannon Russ

http://www.call2embrace.org/






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Suzanne Koopman will neverforget Mother's Day 2005because that's when her littlegirl, Michelle, then five yearsold, first showed signs of aserious blood disease calledaplastic anemia. "Michellecame downstairs with a bigsmile and weird, pinpoint

spots all over her body." Itwas the start of a long journeywhere Michelle would receivemany, many units of bloodand eventually a bone marrowtransplant in Wisconsin, farfrom her El Dorado Hillshome. She would not returnhome for nine months.

Her little brother, Ian, was not

a marrow match for Michellebut a generous stranger fromGermany was happy to help.Michelle had several matchesbut none were found in theUnited States; all were fromEurope. Michelle's bodyfought hard for nine months to

accept her new immunesystem. It worked! She finallygot to go home.

Michelle is now a happy andactive fifth grader. Five yearsafter her transplant, she isswimming, playing soccer,and is a scuba diver! She

helped organize a marrowregistry drive at her swimmeet with her mom and likesto thank blood donors whenshe can.

Suzanne and Michelle's dad,Jon, and her mom are bothregular BloodSource blooddonors. Jon has donated over20 gallons! Both encourage

others to donate blood and join Be The Match marrowregistry. Suzanne notes thatkeeping up with two activechildren keeps her very busyand very grateful, "So manypeople have helped us andsupported us. There is no way

to say thank you enough. All Ican try and do is helpsomeone else and pay itforward."

The Koopman family extendstheir thanks to all blooddonors and marrowregistrants. "Because of you,

this year beckons brightly forour healthy, happy family."Yes, you do save lives! It may seem obvious to manyof us why giving blood is soimportant, but stories likeMichelle’s remind us how bigof an impact that giving bloodcan truly make in peopleslives. We have an opportunity

to be a part of this life-savingprocess as the BloodSourceBloodMobile visits RVCF onSunday, July 22nd from 10amto 1pm. You can sign up inbeginning on July 1st in thebreezeway or online atwww.bloodsource.org.

Saving Lives

By Bill Lindholm




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Coming Fall 2012

New Doors In The Orchard!Construction is complete in The Orchard. Thanks to Bill and his team who made it possible to havemore usable space and much needed outside access.

New doors mean new entry points. You will still need to check in your kids at the kiosk and then walk

them to their classroom. If your child(ren) are in the 2 years old or 3-5 years old classes you will needto use the new doors on the north side of the Orchard. Children under 2 years old will enter at thefront door. These will be the same doors to use when picking up your kids. Please watch for signs todirect you.

Congratulations! And Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!We needed people to teach this summer and several of you nabbed the opportunity to teach a bunchof kids whom you have never met. We are excited to have you join the River Valley Kids team. Wepray that you are blessed beyond all measure.

Summer Schedule

NOTE: All classes and locations will be the same this summer. River Valley kids will move to theirnew grade level classes beginning September 2nd.

Fall 2012We are already forming classes for the fall. If you are interested in serving in River Valley Kids signup at the check in kiosk. We need caregivers, teachers, substitutes and check in attendants.Rotations include once a month or one month on/one month off.

Wish List1. Puzzles and books for 4’s & 5’s and K/1st

2. Bumbo seat for infant room3. Outside toys – soft Frisbees, soft medium size balls, no spill bubbles, parachute4. Gently used glider rocker for infant room

By Tara ArdenNOTES

9:00am " " " Birth – Pre K 10:30am " " " Birth – Pre K" " " " " " " "" " " " K-5th




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REVENUE PROJECTIONS.As we move into the summer months, our financial picture continues to improve as our revenue isrunning over 10% greater than totals realized this time last year. In doing so, we are also returning tothe levels that we experienced two and three years ago. We are now past the half-way point in our

fiscal year which runs from September through August. The Elders will be meeting next month toinitiate work on crafting a new budget for FY 2012-13. Please pray for them as they make thenumerous decisions regarding the financial plan for the church. As a congregation we need tocontinue, on an individual and group basis, seek God’s direction on how we should give!

September 2011-April 2012 Giving

PARKING LOT LOAN.As we outlined in the River Valley Connections Spring issue, the Elders have taken aggressive stepsto accelerate the buy down of the parking lot loan. A lump sum payment of $50,000 was made andthe monthly payment was increased from $4,100 to $5,000 resulting in a current loan balance of$163,595. Given the present payment schedule, the loan will be fully retired in approximately two anda half years instead of six years which was the original pay back deadline. The Elders will beexploring the possibility to further accelerate the repayment and bring the church back to a debt freestatus as soon as possible.

Financial UpdateBy Dennis Green




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7/8Church In The Park

6/28-7/4Youth Fireworks Booth

7/22BloodSource Bloodmobile

7/29-8/3Sr. High Mission Trip

7/30-8/4Jr. High Camp

9/2320th Anniversary

Celebration

Calendar

Of EventsSummer 2012

6/23Men’s Breakfast



Documents

RVCF Connections Summer 2012