The River Room Church is a family of believers, who worship together and fulfill God’s calling on the Church …. together. It is not for those who prefer anonymity. We provide you with the opportunity to be like Isaiah. When Isaiah had his vision of the Lord, there were lots of angels around, but Isaiah was the only human witness. When the Lord asks, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" … there was no one else to hide behind. So, if you are tired of hiding in the back, and you are ready to move to the front and serve the Lord … then The River Room Church is perfect for you. The River Room Church offers you opportunities often not find in much larger churches. When you have a larger congregation of people, the leaders of the church decide who does what based on already honed skills. That’s great, but there is something to be said for the development that takes place in an environment of needs. You may not have the skills or experience needed for a given calling, but the Word says that God prepares and equips those He calls into service. What’s important is your obedience, when God calls you. If you come ready to learn, ready to serve … the Holy Spirit will help you to develop latent gifts you didn’t know you had. In Ephesians chapter 4 the apostle Paul showed the importance of everyone being involved in the work of the local church. Let’s look at Ephesians 4:11-16 – And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. The River Room Church will surely equip and prepare you for your calling in ministry, both with opportunities, teachings, and on-the-job / or in the field training. Smaller churches are better at encouraging those who may be struggling with their faith than larger, mega congregations … simply because members are more aware of one another’s needs. That feeling of family and all of its benefits gets lost in many of the larger churches. In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus saw His disciples as a family, and it appears there was a closer bond between Jesus and His disciples than there was between Jesus and His actual family. The River Room Church is here to edify you on a personal level. We invite you to come and be a part of God’s church. We are family, of one mind and one soul to the extent that we actually look forward to sharing time together, whether it’s sharing a meal, or sharing times when we sing, pray, and worship together. But perhaps the best reason for you to become a part of this church is to bear fruit. Jesus wanted His disciples to bear fruit. Many have defined “fruit” as meaning we are responsible for converting others to Christ. It doesn’t mean that at all. Jesus is talking about growing spiritually … about bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Only then can we be fruitful in other areas, such as leading others to Christ. We simply can’t sell people on what we have (Jesus), if we don’t have anything to sell. John 15:1-8 – "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples." The KEY to understanding this passage is found in verses 4 and 5: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." Hope you caught that. “Without Me, you can do nothing.” Unless we are intimately linked to the Vine (Jesus Christ) by our faith and obedience, and He abides in us, and we in Him, we will accomplish nothing. Therefore, you and I need to work hard on doing everything within our power to grow and mature spiritually – to not only grow in our understanding of spiritual truths, but to grow to be more like Him. We need to become a partaker of His divine nature – to become more Christ-like in our nature. Until we do that, we will never be successful in leading anyone to Christ. A church like The River Room Church can help you do that. Please come and worship with us this Sunday at 10 am.