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Worship
We worship on Sundays as a larger community of faith. We share in the power of corporate celebration, teaching, service, prayer and stewardship. Such worship gatherings serve as the catalyst to the work of God’s Spirit in our lives.
Community
In our small groups we experience our new family in Christ. We recognize that life today can be fragmented and offers little continuity in our relationships. By intentionally joining with others to discuss and apply the truth from the Bible, share our life experiences, and minister to one another in prayer and practical ways, we are able to discover the redemptive nature of Christian relationships. Such relationships allow us to further cultivate God’s purposes, principles, and power in our lives.
Discipleship
To further help us grow spiritually, we offer short training courses to equip people at River Valley Vineyard Church for life and ministry. These include the Alpha Course, and the Marriage Course. Other training includes learning and practicing the basics of our devotional life, discovering and using our spiritual gifts, financial principles, and parenting.
Ministry
We want people to conceive of themselves as ministers and not church attenders. The word “ministry” comes from a Latin word meaning “servant”. Ministry is serving God and others with the gifts and abilities God has given us. Our pastoral staff is committed to equipping the people of River Valley Vineyard Church to minister in powerful, effective ways. We seek to serve our church family and our guests on Sunday mornings by working together in ministry teams. We also seek to do ministry together as small groups.
Special Note About Our Children
The children of River Valley Vineyard Church are as diverse as the adults who bring them. Some know the Lord, some do not. Some are living in Christian homes, some are not. Some are growing in their faith, some are not. We do not believe that children are a separate entity that must wait to grow up to be future pastors and teachers of the church of tomorrow. Rather, River Valley Vineyard Church is one community of faith, regardless of age. As a church family, we want to encourage and to share the gospel in a manner which is respectful of the physical and emotional development of each individual child. As with the adults who bring them, we desire to see our children encounter the person of Jesus and His kingdom.
Kingdom Expansion
We are a church family that “goes and does”. We seek to affect our community through prayer, friendship evangelism and relational servant evangelism. We expect to see our church feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely, caring for strangers, and loving the unloved. Currently, we are partners with the Common Ground Free Store, a community project which helps clothe and sustain the poor and needy in the Delaware community.
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