About Us
Everyone is welcome here
It doesn’t matter to us if you:
- are a Wartburg student or a grandparent,
- vote Democrat or Republican,
- are married, divorced, or single,
- have gone to church for years or haven’t been to church in years,
- make $100,000/yr. or wonder how you’re going to pay rent this month,
- or fear your past mistakes make you unlovable to God or others.
We do this in two ways
Extending grace, truth, and trust.
We believe there is grace for what’s broken and truth for what’s wrong, while we trust God is at work in your life and the world around us.
Inviting people to walk with us on our “pathway.”
Four steps we take together as a church family: Gather, Grow, Give, Go.
Gather, Grow, Give, Go
Gather
Every Sunday, we gather together in-person and online to worship Jesus, celebrating His death on a cross and resurrection from the dead. We do this through song, prayer, communion, and study of the Bible.
If you join us on a Sunday, we won’t expect you to know all the songs or where the books of the Bible are. If you do have a Bible, even a digital Bible on your phone, bring it with you. If not, no worries; we usually have the Scripture up on the screens.
Grow
At Riverwood, we take a two-handed approach to spiritual growth.
- Personal spiritual disciplines like Bible reading and prayer. (To help you, download a free Bible reading plan here.)
- Growth Groups. Our Growth Groups meet throughout the week during the school year, studying the Scripture from Sunday’s message in greater depth. See the current Growth Groups →
Give
Giving is about so much more than money. (After all, Jesus didn’t simply give money, He gave His life!) This is why we invite the Riverwood Family to generously open their “FIST” – their Finances, Influence, Skills, and Time.
One way we give as a church family is through our FirstServe events, such as the monthly Waverly Food Bank, the annual Family Fun Fair, or helping with a Habitat for Humanity house.
Go
Just as Jesus was sent by God the Father to live in 1st Century Palestine to give his life to rescue sinful mankind, Jesus-followers are sent by God’s Spirit to give their lives to be a blessing to the world.
This, to us, is the ultimate way to be like Jesus – to set aside our selfishness to love those around us, show grace to them, and invite them to find and follow Jesus themselves.
