Last Chance End of Year Giving

Don't forget this is the last week to get in your tax deductible donations for the 2014 year. You can now give online safely and securely through PayPal by Clicking Here.

Christmas Eve Service Review

What an awesome time we had last Wednesday evening at our Christmas Eve services. Services opened with a couple Christmas carols. Our children then marched into the main sanctuary and sang "The Little Drummer Boy." The choir then sang "Oh Night Divine" with solos by Jessica Hayes, Jeff Hayes, and Warren Taylor. "Mary Did You Know" was then sang by the choir with a background video from "The Bible" Series.

Pastor Rob Neuschwander then shared a brief message with the church and we lit candles while singing "Silent Night."
Thank you to those of you that joined us and we hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas!

 

Wise Men Still Seek Him

RiverView Community Church staff members wish you a Merry Christmas!

Doing Life Together

God is a relational God. Jesus was all about relationships, you can read story after story about Him being surrounded by people either learning from Him, talking with Him, or eating with Him. In the same way, we being made in His image, are relational beings. It's important that we know how to have healthy, Christ-like relationships with our children, parents, significant other, one to another within the church, and with individuals outside of the church. So, our mid-week ministries beginning again in January will be based on relationships.
We will have our Family Nights again on Thursday evenings at 6:00pm. These teachings will be done by Senior Pastor Rob Neuschwander and will be based on all different sorts of Relationships.
New this year, on Tuesday evenings starting January 6th from 6:00-7:30pm will be a Parent Night based on the Loving on Purpose series by Danny Silk. Shannon Tracy will be teaching about how to empower and strengthen both yourself and your children.
On Sunday evenings, beginning January 4th, the High School Ignite Leadership Team will be meeting from 6:00-8:00pm. Robbie & Karissa Neal will be teaching on what God has to say about being single and dating. We'll cover what God intended in the Garden, what went wrong, and how we are to proceed in a Post-Genesis 3 world.
We hope you will mark a few, or even all of these days down in your calendar and join us for fellowship and teaching.

Ladies Dinner 2014

The ladies of RiverView had such a fun evening together last Thursday. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, sang Christmas carols, heard an awesome word, ate chocolate, and even had a visit from Santa. It was such a fun night, we hope you will join us next year!

Ladies 'Old Fashioned Christmas' Dinner

Anja & Becky leading Christmas carols

Shannon sharing our word for the evening

Our men servers for the evening

Christmas Choir Performances

Our Christmas Choir performed for the first time this past Sunday, "O Holy Night" featuring three soloists: Jeff Hayes, Jessica Hayes, and Warren Taylor. Next week the choir will perform "Mary Did You Know", and the following week will premier "The Little Drummer Boy" featuring our Children's Church.
If you're interested in joining the Choir, the next performances will be in April for Easter. You're welcome to join our choir practices on Sunday evenings at 6:30pm. Great job to those of you in the choir that sang today!

Christmas Choir

Christmas Choir

Soloist-Warren Taylor

Soloist-Jeff Hayes

Men's Steak Out

The men of RiverView had a great time last Thursday night sharing Steak and Fellowship with one another. Each man brought his own slab of meat and BBQ'd it up while sharing in potatoes and salad. Men chatted together about their lives and discussed Men's Ministry plans for the Winter and Spring of 2015. Men are looking forward to their 3rd Annual Snow Shoeing Trip, their Super Weekend, their 2nd Annual Chili Cook-off, and a Columbia Gorge Hike. Be sure to check our website and facebook to stay updated on these events and more.

Staff Picks

When you walk into a bookstore, they always have their "Staff Picks" or "Employee Favorites." It's a fantastic idea however most times we've never met the employee or staff member so don't know if we can trust their taste, not to mention there's hardly ever a Christian book to be found. So, I thought it might be beneficial to compose a list of the books the Staff is reading right now, or "Church Staff Picks" for those of you that are looking for a way to fill your time now that mid-week ministries are on break.

Rob Neuschwander, Senior Pastor's Pick

Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford

The most important and influential source of information about the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony, this landmark account was written between 1630 and 1647. It vividly documents the Pilgrims' adventures: their first stop in Holland, the harrowing transatlantic crossing aboard the Mayflower, the first harsh winter in the new colony, and the help from friendly Native Americans that saved their lives.
No one was better equipped to report on the affairs of the Plymouth community than William Bradford. Revered for his patience, wisdom, and courage, Bradford was elected to the office of governor in 1621, and he continued to serve in that position for more than three decades. His memoirs of the colony remained virtually unknown until the nineteenth century. Lost during the American Revolution, they were discovered years later in London and published after a protracted legal battle. The current edition rendered into modern English and with an introduction by Harold Paget, remains among the most readable books from seventeenth-century America.

Amazon, Paperback-$7.81

Becky Neuschwander, Senior Pastor's Pick

 Talking With God by Francois Fenelon

François Fénelon was a seventeenth-century French Catholic archbishop who rose to a position of influence in the court of Louis XIV. He became a wise mentor to members of the king’s court, his writings preserved by the many people whom he counseled. These words have inspired Christians of all backgrounds for centuries with their frank honesty, spiritual wisdom, and unflinching response to truth.

Amazon, Paperback-$12.10 

Robbie Neal, Youth Pastor's Pick

 

When God Talks Back by T.M. Luhrmann

Through a series of intimate, illuminating interviews with various members of the Vineyard, an evangelical church with hundreds of congregations across the country, Tanya Luhrmann leaps into the heart of evangelical faith. Combined with scientific research that studies the effect that intensely practiced prayer can have on the mind, When God Talks Back examines how normal, sensible people—from college students to accountants to housewives, all functioning perfectly well within our society—can attest to having the signs and wonders of the supernatural become as quotidian and as ordinary as laundry. Astute, sensitive, and extraordinarily measured in its approach to the interface between science and religion, Luhrmann's book is sure to generate as much conversation as it will praise. 

Amazon, Paperback-$13.43 

Karissa Neal, Youth Pastor's Pick

Loveology by John Mark Comer

Loveology is just that—a theology of love.
With an autobiographical thread that turns a book into a story, pastor and speaker John Mark Comer shares about what is right in male/female relationships—what God intended in the Garden. And about what is wrong—the fallout in a post-Eden world.
Loveology starts with marriage and works backward. Comer deals with sexuality, romance, singleness, and what it means to be male and female; ending with a raw, uncut, anything goes Q and A dealing with the most asked questions about sexuality and relationships.
This is a book for singles, engaged couples, and the newly married—both inside and outside the church—who want to learn what the Scriptures have to say about sexuality and relationships. For those who are tired of Hollywood’s propaganda, and the church’s silence. And for people who want to ask the why questions and get intelligent, nuanced, grace-and-truth answers, rooted in the Scriptures.

Amazon, Hardback-$15.92

Reyna Burkett, Childrens Pastor's Pick

The Search for Significance by Robert McGee

Robert McGee's best-selling book has helped millions of readers learn how to be free to enjoy Christ's love while no longer basing their self-worth on their accomplishments or the opinions of others. In fact, Billy Graham said that it was a book that "should be read by every Christian."
In this re-launch of this timeless classic you will:

• Gain new skills for getting off the performance treadmill
• Discover how four false beliefs have negatively impacted your life
• Learn how to overcome obstacles that prevent you from experiencing the truth that your self-worth is found only in the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of Christ

Discover what two million readers have already discovered: that true significance is found only in Christ.

Amazon, paperback-$11.98 

Anja Shoun, Worship Pastor's Pick

The One Year Bible, NIV

The best-selling One Year Bible, which helps you read the entire Bible in as little as 15 minutes a day, has been updated in a new look and comes in both portable compact size and full size. The One Year Bible divides God's Word into daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, creating an achievable, unforgettable devotional experience.

 Amazon, paperback-$13.48

Christmas Eve Services 2014

We have our own building this year which means Christmas Eve Service actually on Christmas Eve, YAY! It's always a fun time every year to get together and worship the Lord and remember what it is that makes this holiday season so wonderful. We have an hour long service comprised of a few Christmas songs, a sharing of the word, and candle lighting. This year, we'll have two services, one at 4:00pm and one at 5:30pm. At 5:00pm, we'll have about 30 minutes of fellowship and food, so please bring some Christmas cookies/goodies to share as well.

2013 Candle-Light Service

2014 Holiday Break

Our Mid-week ministries are on break for the holidays but we have many events to look forward to this December.
Monthly Haiti Meeting
Monday, December 1st at 6:00pm
Decorating for Christmas
Saturday, December 6th at 10:00am
Ladies Christmas Dinner
Friday, December 12th at 7:00pm, $12
Staff & Board Christmas Party
Friday, December 19th at 7:00pm
Ignite Student Leadership Christmas Party
Sunday, December 21st at 6:00pm
Christmas Eve Services
Wednesday, December 24th at 4:00pm and 5:30pm

Our regular mid-week ministries will kick back up again the week of January 4th. We're very excited about starting 2015 with Women's Bible Studies, Men's Bible Studies, Family Nights, Parenting Classes, Youth Ignite Clubs, Leadership Meetings, and Mission Trip Meetings. Like our Facebook page and visit our website to be kept up to date on all the different ministries coming up in the new year.

Expanding Without Building

Our children's classrooms are packed! A great problem to have, but none the less, a problem that needs a solution. The solution we've come to is to  create another classroom for Sunday mornings and during mid-week ministries. To do this, we have two options: to build a new structure or to place an already existing structure on our land. Due to permits, building restrictions, and cost, the most cost and time efficient solution for us is to purchase an already existing structure and put it on the church property. We've been looking for available Single-wide offices for a few months now and have recently seen one on Craigslist that looks exactly like what we're looking for. We don't have the budget readily available to purchase it however so we are asking for 2 things from you.

1. Pray with us. This building is being sold by a large company that is looking to clear it off of their land. We're going to ask for it to be donated as a tax deduction by the company or for it to be sold for a fraction of the asking price. You can pray with us that this request goes well or that if it doesn't, another Single-Wide Building becomes available.
2. Financially Support this Purchase. Our church is growing but our income is not, meaning that our operating fund does not have the excess needed to go out and buy a single-wide at this time. But it is a very large need for our church. If you're interested in financially being a part of this purchase, you can mark your donation and put it in the offering on Sunday mornings.

 

Craigslist Posting 

Preparing for our Youth Leadership Conference

The teens annual Youth Leadership Conference monies are due this week and to help fund this trip, some of the youth baked goodies and sold them after Sunday services on November 16th. The youth were blown away by the generosity of our church body as they made almost $200 off of home made cookies, popcorn, cupcakes, and goodies.
The Conference is not until February, however getting our funds turned in in the next few weeks guarantees us host homes while we're in Walla Walla.

Our group will be leaving on Thursday, February 26th and traveling to Life Church in Walla Walla. We will arrive on Thursday Evening and will get signed in and head into our first session. The first session is usually comprised of approximately 1 hour of spirit filled worship and about an hour long message from a main conference speaker. After this session, we get to head back to our host homes, meet our host families, and discuss what we heard that first session.

On Day 2, February 27th, we wake up and head to Session 2 of worship and another message. After our morning session, we have a break where we eat lunch and have a prayer meeting. Session 3 follows lunch where in the past we  have experienced different things: group breakouts where we can choose a topic to hear a message on, spoken words delivered by teenagers, the opportunity to be prophesied over, or have questions answered by a panel of pastors. We then have a dinner break and come back for Session 4, which in the past has been our longest, most meaningful session filled with worship, the sharing of God's word, spiritual and sometimes physical healing, and prophesying.

On Day 3, we will say goodbye to our host families and hit our last conference session of worship and a message before returning home.
The theme of our Leadership Conference this year is "Liberate the Streets." Below is the vision from G3, Life Church Youth Group's, Youth Pastor, Cole Massey.
"The Bible reveals a mandate  for our generation to bring light into darkness or in our definition: liberate the streets. I dare you to believe that our schools can be saved, our families can be restored and impossible situations can be overcome by the power of Jesus liberating our streets. For thousands of years, men and women have laid down their lives as warriors in this battle. Now is the time to rise and run for the revolution. Join an army of young people who are passionate about change, focused on God's plan and mobile in our efforts to liberate the streets" -Cole Massey
#Liberate the Streets

How to Pack an OCC Shoebox

Step 1 to packing your shoebox is, you've probably guessed this one, get a shoebox. You can grab an actual shoebox or can buy a plastic Rubbermaid that's shoebox sized (usually available at the Dollar Tree or Walmart) . You can wrap your shoebox if you choose but make sure you wrap the lid and the box separately, meaning you can still open the shoebox after its wrapped.

Step 2 is to decide which gender and age group you would like to pack a box for. Download this Box Label, cut out either the boy or girl label, check the box next to the age you're packing your box for, and tape it to the top of your shoebox.

Step 3 is the fun part, filling the box. There are the toys that every child will love to play with and immediately be excited about. You can also pack things to meet practical needs, such as: rope, silverware, toothbrushes, combs, clothes, warm socks, mittens, and hats, school supplies, etc. Some bigger items can always be condensed as well if you pack them carefully. For example you could include a sports ball if it's deflated and has a pump enclosed. For more ideas on what to pack in your box Click Here.

Step 4 is covering your shipping cost. You can give your $7 online and track where your box goes by Clicking Here. You could instead put a $7 check written to "Samaritan's Purse" with "OCC" on the memo line in an envelope in your shoe box on top of your goodies.

Step 5 is to pray over your box, pray for the country that your box is going to, pray for the family the box will impact, and pray for the child that receives your box.
The last step is to bring your box to church on Sunday, November 23rd so we can get it to a drop-off facility.

Craft Day

Craft Day at the church last Saturday was fun for all involved as we made Old Fashioned Christmas ornaments. Thank you to all the ladies who helped us to create these beautiful decorations, please feel free to also join us to help decorate the church and enjoy a Ladies Christmas Dinner.
Christmas Decorating: 
Saturday, December 6th at 10:00am
Ladies Old Fashioned Christmas Dinner:
Friday, December 12th at 7:00pm, $12

Thursday Night Spiritual Warfare

Educate yourself on Spiritual Warfare this Thursday evening by joining us at the church at 6:00pm. We have childcare, dinner, an awesome time of worship, and get practice engaging in warfare as we gather together to pray for one another. We aim for 30 minutes of dinner and fellowship time and then 20 minutes of worship, 20 minutes of teaching, and 20 minutes of small group prayer.

One of the excellent things about this series is that although each lesson focuses on a topic of spiritual warfare, they're not linked to the point that if you haven't been able to make one yet, you'd be lost if you dropped by one week to check it out. 

Last Thursday Evening (Oct. 30th) was our 5th week of the series and we focused on authority.
If you couldn't make it or you'd like to re-listen, you can view the PowerPoint notes and/or listen to our Podcast by clicking the link below.
 Thursday Evening Podcast

Haiti Mission Trip Parent Info Night

      We are excited to announce that Saturday, November 21st through Saturday November 28th of 2015 we will be traveling to Haiti on a mission trip. We will be going through an organization that’s already planted in Haiti to make sure we have direction, our time is fully utilized, and our group stays safe. The total price of the trip will be determined once we reserve our airfare in January but should be between $1600 and $2000.

      We will have three main projects for the seven days that we’re serving. The organization that we’re working with, Restore Haiti, is a child-sponsorship program so some of our time will be spent serving and visiting with sponsored children. Haiti is also recovering from the massive earthquake that hit in 2010, so one of the projects we will be helping with is building houses. This will be a very different process than what we’re used to in the United States as we will not have a local Home Depot to run to, we will making our resources from the earth. The third thing we will be doing in Haiti is a project of our choosing. This can be putting on an event, performing at their church service, doing a distribution of some kind, our options are open to what gifts and talents we have in our team.

       When planning this trip, we were very selective in which organization we chose to go through because while we want our group to get a sense for life in a third-world country, our top priority is safety. Restore Haiti has been in Jacmel running weekly missionary teams since 2005 and has multiple precautions in place to make sure we stay healthy and safe the entire time. We will discuss these safety precautions more in depth at our parent informational night.

       Our Parent Information Night will be on Monday, November 17th at 6:00pm at RiverView Community Church (6325 Old Pacific Hwy S Kalama). Any teenager that will be in High School in the 2015-2016 school year is welcome to come with their parent or legal guardian. This meeting will provide your family all the details you need about this trip. You will then have through the holidays to decide if this is something you are interested in being a part of and we will begin forming our team in January. We will discuss fundraising in more detail at the meeting as well, so please don’t let the initial shock of a possible $2,000 keep you from coming to hear more! 

       We’re looking forward to everything the Lord has prepared in advance for us to do in these following months and hope you will join us in a couple weeks to hear even more about this trip. I've attached multiple links below if you're interested in looking up more about the organization.
  
Restore Haiti Website       Restore Haiti Facebook Page      Restore Haiti Mission Reviews 

Nou pral an Ayiti!

 

Creole to English Translation: We're Going to Haiti! Haiti is the poorest country in our hemisphere with 78% of Haitians living on less than $2 a day and more than half, 54%, living in extreme poverty surviving on less than $1 a day. Electricity is intermittent, a 2-3 bedroom home houses an average of 6 people with over 60% of these homes having dirt floors and no access to sanitized water or restrooms. For haitians, cold water isn't a challenge for ALS it's a daily reality. 

 Youth Pastor's Robbie & Karissa Neal have been feeling called to take the teens on a mision trip for a few months now and last Friday felt God's leading to Haiti. "We will be partnering with a ministry that's already in Haiti and that has experience organizing Christian volunteer teams in Jacmel (about 50 miles West of the Capital, Porte-au-Prince). In this way, we will make sure we have direction, our limited time is fully utilized, and our group stays safe."(Karissa Neal)
Our group will be working with hundreds of sponsored children, serving them their daily meal, playing soccer with them, sharing the love of Christ with them, and getting to know them and their culture. We will more than likely be helping with a construction project of some kind and will have a project specific to our group to complete. This is normally an event that we host, such as a dinner or VBS. 

Many details are still in the works and dependent on when we are needed most. Our goal is to plan for a week in December of 2015 or Kalama's Spring Break dates in 2016, but again, this could change. Our cost will be kept very attainable at $1100-$1400 (depending on airfare and time of year). As soon as we've confirmed our travel dates, we'll send out the date of our first informational meeting for interested teens and their parents.
We're sharing this before we even have dates set so you can be praying with us for the Lord's direction and direct intervention in the planning, fundraising, traveling, and participation in this trip. Follow our blog, facebook page, twitter page, and website to stay updated, it's going to be an awesome opportunity for our teens.

Find us online!

Facebook

Following or Liking our Facebook page is a great way to keep up to date on what's going on but also to receive reminders about upcoming events. Facebook is also where the majority of our photos get uploaded from services and events so is a more visual representation of the church.

Click here to visit our Facebook Page 

 

 

 

Our Website

In the past, our website has been pretty bare-bones and only used for our address and contact info. It is now however, updated constantly and has everything you could want/need to know about the church and different ministries going on. We have information about all of the children's, youth, family, men's, & women's ministries and the pastor's that lead them. There's a calendar with all of the events marked out. Weekly sermon PowerPoints and Podcasts are uploaded and available. You can reach this blog from the website. You can find out how to get involved with the church and you can even securely give your tithes & offerings through PayPal. So, add us to your toolbar for quick access or just click on the link below to check it out. It's a great place to go to find out everything about what's going on with the church!
Click here to visit our website

Twitter

New as of this month, we also have a twitter page you can follow. This is an excellent way to get short reminders and updates on what's going on at the church. Occasional photos are also uploaded to twitter.

Click here to visit our Twitter Page 

The Power of Prayer

Those who have been attending RiverView this past week, will admit it's impossible to not recognize that the Lord is doing something incredible in our body. Wednesday night at Youth Ignite Club, approximately 50 teens gathered at the altars, huddled around friends praying for one another, or found a place to worship during altar call. Sunday morning, at both services, the altars were overflowing as church members came forward in the physical act of surrender. This desperate hunger for the Lord in the youth and adults is something new to this community, so why now? If you ask Youth Pastor Robbie Neal or Senior Pastor Rob Neuschwander, they will both answer in the same way: Prayer.

The youth group, Ignite's, leadership team usually meets an hour before clubs and has one person pray for the evening and then starts going into roles and scheduling. This week however, leaders gathered in a circle and spent the majority of the leader meeting seeking God and praying for different aspects of the night and different teenagers that may walk through the door. The result of the leadership team humbling themselves and surrendering every aspect of the night to God meant freedom of the Spirit to fill the place.

Our first Sunday morning service begins at 9:15am. However, this week, doors to the sanctuary opened at 8:00am with the words "Seek First" showing on the main screen while the band rehearsed for the morning. The church staff and leadership paced the church or found a place to sit or kneel and pray. The result of the leadership surrendering all to Christ was again, unbelievable.

Continue praying for your family, friends, the church body, this Community, and the world. Your prayers are powerful!