Continuing to make Jesus' name great!

Nehemiah 3: "Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate... And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired..."

Yet another team of Gods faithful servants here to love and serve and help rebuild our church and town! They have finished the new siding on the church and decided to re-shingle the sanctuary while they were at it! Thank you Grace Community Church from Pennsylvania!

Missing Curt and Mary Jo!

Sunday we said farewell to two of our most favorite people, Curt and Mary Jo Hencye.

They have been serving here — at our church and community — since last September when the flood hit. Seven months of dedicated, back-breaking, focused work — overflowing with His love, His compassion, His heart. They came alongside and handled "everything disaster," which included organizing all the volunteer teams from all over the country who came and served here.

Our heart as a church has always been to love God, love our community, and make His name great. Curt and Mary Jo have done exactly that — they have made the name of Jesus great in Colorado. They truly were faithful to serve "anyone and everyone" in our town and proved to be His hands and feet.

With the tornadoes that have recently hit in Arkansas, Alabama and surrounding areas, God is calling them to go and help where they are needed most.

Even though their home church may be Calvary Chapel Sarasota, they are now our missionaries, too! We want to support them in every way possible. 

Please consider what you can do.

1. Pray. Please pray for His direction, protection and provision — everywhere they go.

2. Monthly Financial Support. As they head to their next assignment, their living expenses along with the costs of rebuilding will be great. We have seen the fruit of their ministry first hand. God opens hearts and doors in the midst of disasters like we have never seen before. We highly recommend giving to them — generously!

You can support Curt and Mary Jo through their links.

Website 

Facebook

Or contact us at:

The River Church

18668 N Saint Vrain Drive

Lyons Colorado 80540

303-823-6469

info@therivercolorado.org

Curt and Mary Jo, 

You have become more than just friends, you are now a big part of our family. We sincerely miss you already and will be forever grateful to you! Know our hearts are with you, everywhere you go! Hoping to see you again sooner!

Storytellers: The River Church

A special thanks to journalist Kevin Torres and 9News for featuring us in a recent story. May our gracious Father God ultimately receive all the praise and glory for all HE has done for us!

There's No Place Like Home!

We're home! Sunday was our first worship service back in our building since the flood back in September. What a great day — awesome worship, a relevant message from the Word, communion, and our brunch featuring Miss Kim's famous biscuits and gravy. 

Here are a few photos from various photographers — showing what God has done for us. We are ever so grateful to HIM! May HE receive all the glory and praise!

A full house worshiping our Lord God together...
with great joy and exuberance!

Pastor Mickey preaches the Word

Mr Bear is still here welcoming the kids!

Shared communion together

Miss Kim and her famous biscuits and gravy

Fellowship!

The Lord has surely been here for us!

Thanks for all your prayers and support and for all those who have come to Lyons to help!

We're Going Home!

Look what the Lord has done!

Just a bit over six months since the flood, we are on our way home. This Sunday — April 6 — will be our first worship service back in our building. God did this! All along the way we can see HIS Almighty Hand at work. May HE receive all the praise and glory! Amen!

Here's a look back at how it was...

Floodwaters flowed across Hwy 36 — The River is to the left

The front of the River Church building

Much of the foundation was swept away from our sanctuary

And now...

New Front Doors!

Our Dining Room! Check out the log posts!

The Youth Room!

New Office Space!

New Sanctuary Door!

Our Sanctuary

Yep! We're still a place for Faith Family & Friends!

Come join us...this Sunday...10 AM...as we celebrate what the Lord has done!

The River's Progress

It's been six months since the flood. Step-by-step, the pieces are coming together and great progress has been made on our church building. We'll allow these photos to say it all...

The Front of the River Church

Beautiful colors in our Entryway

Stairs Leading to The River Kids

Upstairs in the Sunroom

Upstairs in the Sunroom

The Hallway leading to the restrooms

The Back of the Sanctuary

Amazing Masterful Woodwork!

Pastor Mickey's New Office

A closeup of our new carpet: black with a touch of blue

The River's Backyard

The River's Backyard: the river is back where it belongs!

These photos were taken about a week ago. Just wait till you see what's been done in the sanctuary and dining room! More photos to come sooner.

Heartfelt thanks to the following ministries for their diligent and skillful service to the Lord:

Curt and Mary Jo Hencye of Calvary Relief, Sarasota FL

Christian Aid Ministries

Christian Disaster Relief

Also great thanks to the recent teams from across America:

Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside CA

Calvary Chapel Joplin MO & Calvary Chapel Clovis NM

As always, we can still use more volunteers, especially working on the many homes destroyed in our community. Please consider getting involved — and bringing teams from your church. 

Call Curt Hencye for all the details (941-915-9560). 

Thanks for your consideration!

This Is Our Story...

This is our story — as seen in a video created/produced by Delta Ministries. Since this video was created, our church building has been dismantled even more. Even though the flood may have taken place over four months ago, countless people in our community are still homeless, their homes are demolished; the rebuilding process is incredibly slow. We need your help. There are several ways to support us: 

• Prayer
• Volunteer
• Give to The River Crisis Relief Fund

In fact, Delta Ministries has graciously provided $15,000 for matching funds. Your support is greatly appreciated! To do so, please check out our website: www.TheRiverColorado.org. 

*Please share with your family, friends and churches. Together we can rebuild our church and community!

A Very Special Christmas Eve

Join us for a very special Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the River!

"Come Home for Christmas" has an extra special meaning this Christmas. Many of us have been 'Displaced' in one way or another. All of our lives have been interrupted or inconvenienced at the very least. We have all been displaced from our church home.

But this is not the first Displaced Christmas, or the first time the lives of God's people have been interrupted. That very first Christmas a young couple, trusting God, found themselves displaced and in an uncomfortable situation. Giving birth to a Son on the floor of a barn, in the company of a donkey and some camels, days away from the comfort of home and family. Yet God was with them. 

And He is with us. 

Listen to the promise that God gives His people in Jeremiah;  "I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:10,11

Ultimately that home and hope is Heaven. Jesus was 'displaced' so that we could come home again. He left His home, and stepped into our mess to make a way for us to come home. That is the Christmas story.

 

This Christmas we are going to celebrate our 'Displaced Christmas' together, in a special way . Our building is much like the manger that very first Christmas, minus the animals! Some dirt floors. Some missing walls. Maybe a little uncomfortable. Maybe a little inconvenient. But He will be there. He will be with us. That is His promise. 

We can promise you a safe, warm place... and a special message for those who know what it means to be displaced.

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord."

Being Thankful in Difficult Times

Are you having a rough time with Thanksgiving this year? You are not alone!  It's not "normal" to be thankful after a major flood has disrupted your life, displaced your family, destroyed or even taken away your home.  It's "normal" to be discouraged and angry.  Most of us have experienced a lot of "normal" emotions as we long for things to get back to "normal."  But there is nothing "normal" about Jesus!  He came to us, suffered our "normal" kinds of trials, in order to provide us much more than "normal."  His death and resurrection purchased an abnormal grace for us, complete with forgiveness and eternal life. And He calls us to walk in His footsteps.

My prayer for each of us this Thanksgiving is that we allow His Holy Spirit to lift us above "normal," to the place where we, with bewildered but genuine hearts, find thankfulness for the trials and setbacks, knowing that God is working in all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

We're not only called to be thankful 'in' difficult times, but 'for' difficult time. We all face trials. We all experience suffering. But for those who follow Jesus those trials have a purpose, and that suffering has a reward.

James says it this way;

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

Paul says well also;

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies... And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. (2 Corinthians 4:7&15)

And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:17-18)

This year, by God's grace, you are in a position to know this passage, to understand it and experience it's truths.  Maybe you are having a rough time having a "happy" Thanksgiving.  May God bless you with an abnormally joyous Thanksgiving!

Serving Him with you,

Pastor Mickey

What Does Mold Have to Do With the Bible?

Have you wondered what is taking so long, why it is that some two months after the flood, we are still not quite ready  to put the church building back together? Why have we spent so much time and effort tearing it apart? The problem is invisible, at least at first. Mold grows invisibly, making people sick, and eventually showing itself when so much damage has been done.  We could have cleaned and cleaned the church building until you could eat off the floor, but until it has been thoroughly sprayed and treated for mold, it would still be in dangerous shape. Stripping away all the outside layers of drywall and decorative rock and flooring is just the first step. What we really need is spraying for mold.

Just like sin. People get the idea that we can clean up our act by self-effort. People get the dangerous idea that if we just try harder to be good, if we just keep going to church and saying the prayers, we will be good enough. But sin, like mold, grows invisibly in places our own efforts will never be able to spot it in time. By the time we can see sin in our lives, it has already begun to do its damage.  What we need is spraying – by the blood of Jesus Christ.  

But first, we have to expose the deepest layers of our soul to the Lord for His treatment.  That is done through honest, deep confession. First we strip away the external layers, the part we let others see, exposing ourselves right down to the stud walls, so to speak. Then we are forgiven and cleansed. Here's how John said it:

1 John 1:8-9 (NIV) ⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.