March 19, 2023!
Baptism
We are planning on baptisms THIS Sunday, March 19. If you are unsure what this is all about, here is a message Pastor Jon did just a couple of months ago in October.
If you would like to be baptized at this time come to service with a change of clothes, or a swimming suit to change into, or go home wet! You won’t be the first, or the last to do so! 😉
Our Second Encouraging & Equipping Workshop!
The first one was such a success we’re holding another, “Encouraging & Equipping Workshop” Saturday, March 25 from 9-11am!
WHAT IS THE ENCOURAGING & EQUIPPING WORKSHOP? It is an opportunity for the women of RVCC to meet together, enjoy breakfast and connect with one another in a significant way, outside of a Sunday morning.
WHAT IS THE GOAL? Through enriching discussion, encouragement and personal testimony, the goal is to walk out Titus 2:3-5 (Older women are to teach what is good and to train younger women [in a variety of roles]…)
WHAT IS THE TOPIC/FOCUS? Encouragement for the current challenges we face. Open discussion & sharing. Facilitated by Libby S and Renae J
WHO SHOULD COME? Young married women, young mothers, seasoned mothers, empty-nesters, older women. We need both the young and the old to qualify, or else we forfeit the purpose of Titus 2!
*This is a mom’s only event, but nursing babies are always welcome! Contact Renae J or the church office with questions.
Revive Women’s Retreat
Revive is a day’s retreat experience for women (of all ages!) within our community to come experience the peace and presence of God and receive resources that renew the mind, refresh the body, & restore the soul. Come experience beauty in nature, delicious food, fun workshop sessions, faith-filled messages from Christian keynote speakers, worship, and helpful resources to take home. There will be time to shop the boutique, sign up for a chair massage, go through the prayer walk, and spend time alone or with friends. Register before April 15th to get $5 off at revivemnretreat.com!
Parking in St. Paul
You may have heard about the parking rules going into effect in St. Paul. Pastor Nathan wanted to warn everyone that this affects the RVFM-St. Paul church. Anyone headed there for the next several weeks need to keep this in mind.
Under the new restrictions, drivers on residential streets are being asked to park only on the odd numbered side of streets while parking on the even side of the street is banned. The one-sided parking ban is in effect starting Friday at 8 am until April 15 – or until officials decide it is no longer needed. This ban includes Jenna street which is the east west street where the church is located.
One of our top goals is always to help you keep up on (or get into) a DAILY Bible reading habit. As a church body we started a new 1-year reading plan January 1st!
The plan we’re using for 2023 is, “ESV Study Bible One Year Reading Plan”. Access the plan with the YouVersion Bible App that you can install on your device at bible.com/app, and get notifications for the day’s reading directly from the app. It’s pretty easy and slick. Get into the daily habit now, even if it’s not this particular program! We want you to get the WORD in YOU!
Contact Pastor Greg in the church office if you have questions.
Take Us With You
Podcast listeners can listen to audio from our Sunday morning , and all the evening Week Devoted to God services on several platforms. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Audible. Search for, “River Valley Christian Church Lake Elmo MN” on your preferred podcast app, then subscribe and listen anywhere, any time, however you like to listen!
We also have a fledgling RVFM Podcast gathering messages from our affiliated churches in one spot. Find it on your favorite podcast app by searching for “Light Up The Valley.”
If you have trouble with any of these contact Pastor Greg in the church office and he’ll try to help you sort it out.
Community Action Team
In order to promote active Biblical citizenship RVCC is hosting a Restore Minnesota Community Action Team (CAT) to help answer questions like, “What is going on and what can we do?”. The group meets 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. The next CAT meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 27.
More information on the CAT can be found if you CLICK HERE, or contact the church office with questions.
Freedom Group
Our Freedom Group meets on Monday evenings at 7pm. It is a Bible-based chemical dependency group coordinated by Wayne & Patrice B. Click Here, or contact the church office for more information.
Forest Lake Small Group
Our Forest Lake area small group gets together on 1st & 3rd Mondays at 7pm. Contact the church office for more information and to get connected with them.
Mahtomedi/White Bear Lake Area Small Group
Our White Bear Lake/Mahtomedi area small group meets Tuesday evenings from 6:30-8pm. Please contact the church office to get connected for more information!
This month they are hosting the Moving in the Gifts of the Spirit classes.
Moving in the Gifts of the Spirit
“MOVING IN THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT” is a small group/class meeting in Dan & Beth J’s home in Mahtomedi. Taught by Tom S, it’s meeting for 4 weeks on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. The same course has been held on Wednesday evenings in February in Lakeland. For more info on the group/location contact the church office, or Lead Elder Jim H.
Women’s Group/Class
Healing Hearts meets first and third Tuesdays at 6pm at Cathy D’s home office in River Falls, WI. It is a confidential group for ladies 18+ who have been betrayed in a relationship. You are welcome at any time to jump in and join. Know it’s the enemy who would want to keep you isolated. This group is here to listen, love, pray, and stand with you. If you have questions about the group please contact the church office, or Cathy directly!
Wednesday Night Classes
With Adult classes, C.R.E.W. Youth and Young Adult ministry, and Elementary Children’s classes all starting @6:30 Wednesday evenings we have a full slate of midweek Christian education for the whole family!
Fighting With Peace
This video series with Carrie Pickett is led by Brian and Luann E. Learn what it means to walk in peace when you discover your authority. The class meets Wednesday evenings at 6:30.
Contact the church office with questions about any of our Wednesday night activities.
Ministry Training Center
The RVFM Ministry Training Center (MTC) resumed last Thursday, January 12th. The schedules for the second term are available at the information table located in the foyer. CLICK HERE for more details.
It’s all about training and equipping men, women, and children with the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit and with a lifestyle of worship, to reach their local communities and the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “equip[ping] the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” (Eh 4:12)
Contact the office for more information. It’s all bout HIS Kingdom!
Friday Night Bible Study
Linda B is facilitating our Friday night Bible study on the book of Ephesians here at RVCC-Lake Elmo at Fridays 6pm. If you have questions please contact the church office.
Spiritual Weapons And Tactics
Mighty Warriors For Such A Time As This! We will begin to unfold our Generational lines, to be that legal representative of our bloodlines to take back what the enemy stole! This group meets at 6:30 pm on the 3rd Fridays of the month at Dennis & Cathy D’s home. Contact them or the church office for directions and details.
Unleash the FREAK!
Our Men’s Group/Breakfast “Unleash the FREAK!” meets on the third Saturday mornings of the month at 8am. We’re starting to look deeply into “Passion: Finding God’s Purpose for Your Life” specifically using the study, “Blueprint for Life.” We have a limited number of these books in the church office. Let us know if you’d like to purchase one.
CLICK HERE to find out more about what we’re about and where we’re heading. Our next breakfast is Saturday, March 18 at 8am. There is a sign-up sheet on the Info Table by the front doors for this. Add your name if you’re planning on attending so we know how many groceries to pick up, please! Contact the church office with questions.
Opportunities to Serve
All sorts of ministries around the church are looking for volunteers.
Go Joe Specialty Coffees is in need of some baristas before service. You’ll get all the training you need, and can be involved and get to know people at the same time.
DURING service our Children’s Ministry is looking for some volunteers, too. What an incredible opportunity to advance the Kingdom by helping bring them up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Talk to Shiloh G or contact the church office about this, too! A background check is required to work with our Children’s Ministry.
We talk about it in what we call the “Next Thing”, but we don’t really have official “membership” here at RVCC. Our view is if you’re family jump in and help out around the “house!” Here’s some opportunities to do just that. Most of our other ministries could use some more volunteers, too. That’s the price of growing, planting churches, and wanting to do things well to represent Him with excellence. If you’re interested in a particular area please contact the office and we’ll get you connected with whoever is over that ministry.
Speaking of the Next Thing, we have information available on a thumb drive about the history of RVCC and how you fit into all this. It’s a couple of classes we used to do in person, but getting everyone into a room together at the same time was always a scheduling issue, so we compiled it all into a simple little take-home USB drive. It contains videos of Pastor Jon presenting the information, audio files of the classes if you prefer to just listen, and a .pdf of the booklet that contains some of that same info.
If you are fairly new and would like to know more about how RVCC got started, where we are going as a church and as River Valley Fellowship of Ministries, and how you fit into that vision just ask an usher, elder, any of the staff, or a random congregation member and we’ll fix you up with one. If you happen to accidently ask another newbie…keep asking and we’ll set you BOTH up!
If you would like to donate to RVCC and it’s ministries, etc. mail or drop off a check at the church office, or use online giving with your bank debit card at www.rvcc.info/donate.
RVCC guests who are hard of hearing can now amplify our service audio through their personal Assistive Listening Device (ALD), or tune in to 87.9FM.
THE FAST TALK AT THE END OF THE COMMERCIAL:
OBLIGATORY LEGAL NOTICE OF RELEASE OF RVCC, ITS SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS AND LICENSEES FROM ANY LIABILITY WHATSOEVER OF ANY NATURE!
We live-stream and record our service, so your presence here constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded, and for RVCC to use the recording without compensation in any and all media for as long as it exists.
No, we’re not anticipating making a boatload of money off of an image of the back of your head, or you worshipping with your hands in the air…but we figured it would be a good idea to let you know you could end up on our livestream, social media, etc.
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