Riverside to Offer Additional Worship Service in the Fall

Riverside desires to be a community of authentic and connected people that care deeply about the spiritual formation of entire families.  In recent months we have faced facility limitations (primarily with children downstairs) that have caused us to examine how to continue to fulfill our desires most effectively.  After months of prayer, discussion and discernment, the Staff and Leadership Team have decided that Riverside will offer an additional Sunday worship service in the Fall.  In the Fall we will have identical worship services at 9am and 10:45am. 

We are excited that two worship services will help us accomplish three very important things.  First, it will help us to remain a place open and available to new people.  Two services will increase our Sunday worship options, our available parking and our overall capacity for Sunday worship.  Second, two services will help us to connect more naturally.  Two services will free up space in our sanctuary and welcome center.  This will make it easier and more comfortable to develop relationships with each other before and after our worship services.  Third, two services will allow us to give our children our very best teaching.  We will offer our most intentional children's teaching during both Sunday worship services in the Fall.  Our current Sunday structure (9am Discovery Hour; 10:15am Children's Church and worship service) only provides children that come to Discovery Hour with our best teaching.  In the Fall, every child that attends Riverside will have access to our Promiseland Children's Ministry curriculum. 

We know that this transition will be difficult for many.  We understand that there might be a sense of loss and disappointment if friends end up at a different Sunday worship service than us.  Our prayer, though, is that God will use our new Sunday schedule to allow more people to experience our community, to free us up to connect authentically and deeply in new ways, and to form our families into devoted Christ-followers. 

If you have any questions about this transition, we will be having discussion forums immediately following the Sunday worship services on Sunday, June 20 and Sunday, July 4.  You can also contact Pastor Dan (dteefey@rcovenant.org or 765.463.4600) or the Leadership Team (lt@rcovenant.org).