Sunday, December 20, 2015

Today’s Sermon: “Standing By” ~ 2 Peter 3:1-18 !Christmas Series: "My Deliverer is Coming”: God promised the Old Testament people that he would send a deliverer. Then, he sent Jesus. Promise kept. However, you might have noticed that things are still a mess in the world. For that reason we wait for Jesus’ coming again in glory and power. !Special Christmas Services: Wednesday, December 23, 7:00 pm Thursday, December 24, 4:00 pm Kids ages four - 5th grade are invited and encouraged to join the choir in singing “My Deliverer” on the stage during the Christmas service that they attend. !Christmas Service Tickets: River Rock's Christmas Services will be on Wednesday, December 23rd at 7pm and Thursday, December 24th at 4pm. Tickets for these services are available today ~ both online and in the lobby. They are free but help us plan the services. !Christmas Service Volunteers: We would love your help for our Christmas services! Volunteers are needed for both services in areas such as childcare, cookie/treat making, greeting, choir, hospitality, and more. Please sign up at the Info Table! !Kids On The Rock needs just two more people to provide childcare during the Christmas Services. We need 1 person on Wednesday, December 23, and 1 person on Thursday, December 24. Please sign up at the Info Table today or email Mary Jo Brill. !In the future: Dec. 27 Sermon: “15 and…Following the Rabbi ~guest speaker Brian Johnson Jan. 3 Sermon: Jesus, leader of Kings and Presidents ~Psalm 2:1-12 !If you are visiting River Rock for the first time today, we invite you to fill out the Connect Card on a chair near you. Consider using the back comment section to share a comment or ask any question that you might have. !Praise God for the Elders drawn by lot at our Congregational Meeting on December 6! They are Dale Norquist and Jeff Yonker. The new Elders will begin their term in January 2016.

River Rock E-Weekly: Keep up with River Rock happenings during the week by signing up to receive the "E-Weekly" email newsletter! Sign up by visiting http://riverrockcommunity.com/#/media/e-weekly or by contacting Jen DenOuden.

River Rock celebrates Communion and gives a special offering for the Benevolence Fund every 6 weeks. Communion celebration is planned for the December 23 and 24 Christmas Eve Services. !

Church Office Phone: (616) 874-0400 !Mailing Address: 6060 Belding Rd, NE - Rockford, MI 49341

Office Hours: Monday-Wednesday, 9am - 4pm Thursday, 9am-1pm Friday - Closed !Christmas and New Year’s Office Hours: Thursday, Dec. 24 1pm-4pm Monday, Dec. 28 Closed Thursday, Dec. 31 9am-noon !Email: Connect@RiverRockCommunity.com ✍ Announcement requests are due by 5:00 pm on Wednesdays. !Prayer Ministry: Jeanne Maher

JeanneM@RiverRockCommunity.com !Board of Elders

Pastor Jon Huizenga . . . 874-0400, ext. 112 (c) 485-6943 Gary Bos . . . 293-4871 (Chairman) Marv Hyder . . . 389-4834 Jeanne Maher . . . 719-7579 Scott Robinson . . . 862-6435 Richard Spengler . . . 304-7880 (Treasurer) Kelly Tuit . . . 481-9890 Nelson VanElderen . . . 874-4048 (Clerk) Laurel Verburg . . . 365-3053 !

Staff Members: Listed in Alphabetical Order by First Name

Emails: First Name and Last Initial@RiverRockCommunity.com (Example: JonH@riverrockcommunity.com) Amy Anderson, Pastor of Small Groups & Discipleship c550-1096

Bobby Moore, Student Ministry Director (c) 302-5824 Cameron Warne, Worship Pastor, Serve Team Leader Chris Mulder, KOTR Preschool Coordinator Jan Wierenga, KOTR Ministry Assistant Jeanne Maher, Pastor of Care and Support (c) 719-7579 Jen DenOuden, Connect Team Leader (c) 466-8910 Jon Huizenga, Senior Pastor Jon Vugteveen, Greenville Church Plant Pastor (c) 566-3111 MaryJo Brill, KOTR Director (c) 322-6539 Shelley Plambeck, Accounting Associate

Financial Information:

Last Week’s Offering: $ 21,849 Online Giving (included in above): $ 10,434 Received to date: $554,837 Average weekly needed: $ 53,936 Year-end giving needs to be post-marked by December 31 or received in the office or online by December 31. (Office hours above). !The board of Elders has approved for 2015 a budget of: $662,710.00 Online Giving@www.RiverRockCommunity.com

River Rock Church exists to prayerfully connect to Jesus, grow in Jesus,

and serve with Jesus.

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ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE: NOEL followed by Announcements/Greeting !NEW ORLEANS MISSION TRIP VIDEO !WORSHIP: THE FIRST NOEL ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH ADVENT MOMENT FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN (OPEN THE EYES) SERMON: “STANDING BY” ~ 2 PETER 3:1-18 !CLOSING SONG: MARY DID YOU KNOW? O HOLY NIGHT

Kids On The Rock (KOTR): Parents, the last 3 numbers on your child's check-in tag will appear on the black box to the right of the main stage screen if your child needs you. !Preschool: Key Question: How do we know God loves us? Memory Verse: “God has given a Son to us.” ~ Isaiah 9:6 NCV Bible Story: “The Shepherds” ~ Luke 2:8-20 !The Kids On The Rock: The 4 year-old through 5th grade classrooms will NOT be open today, December 20, or next Sunday, December 27. Classes will return on Sunday, January 3. See you then! !GEMS and Cadets: Our next meeting is January 7 from 6:30-8pm. Contact Jen DenOuden with questions. !Follow the Rabbi (The Life of Jesus): Beginning Sunday, January 10th, Brian Johnson will be teaching a six week course on the life of Jesus. Classes will be held at River Rock Church from 4:30pm - 6:00pm. For more information or to sign up, stop by the Info Table. !!!

Middle School Youth Group: Wednesdays from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. High School Youth Group: Tuesdays from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Young Adult Ministry: Mondays from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. !Youth Groups will not meet during Christmas break or the week after, but will resume the week of January 11. !Middle School SpringHill Winter Retreat: Winter is coming and that means it's time for our winter retreat to Spring Hill!!! The middle school ministry is going to Spring Hill Jan. 22-24. This retreat is full of fun and powerful spiritual growth. The cost is $150. Students may get a registration form in the Student Space or contact Bobby Moore if questions. The first 10 students to sign up get a free SpringHill t-shirt. !High School Spring Hill Winter Retreat: Winter is coming so it’s also time for our high school winter retreat to Spring Hill!!! The high school ministry is going to Spring Hill February 5-7. This retreat is full of fun and powerful spiritual growth. Students may get a registration form in the Student Space. Contact Bobby Moore if you have any questions. The first 10 students to sign up get a free SpringHill t-shirt. !!!

Please email quest ions, comments, and sign-ups to . . . connect@riverrockcommunity.com

River Rock is excited to work with MeadowRidge Elementary as a Kids Hope partner! Currently there are 14 mentors meeting weekly with a child. Praise God for raising up the mentors needed for these kids. To become a mentor, contact Mandi Molt ~ mandimolt@gmail.com or (616) 745-5513. !Kids On The Rock Preschool needs bulk packages of goldfish crackers. Please drop them off in the church office any time. !North Kent Community Services Christmas Store: THANK YOU for helping us bless North Kent Service Center and the families they serve by generously giving an abundance of items for their Christmas Store! !Stephen Ministry: River Rock has seven Stephen Ministers and is planning to expand this ministry of caring in 2016! We need men and women of our congregation who are willing to serve as Stephen Ministers, beginning with 50 hours of training. The training will begin in January and conclude by the summer. Please prayerfully consider God's calling to this important ministry. For more details and how to get connected, contact Jeanne Maher. !Please pray for the ministry of Dan and Lisa VanZoest at Nicaragua Christian Academy as they work with students (K-12 grade), that they might teach them academically and disciple them spiritually. Dan and Lisa thank God for the new initiative of the school, SOAAR, which seeks to help students with disabilities. This has also been a tremendous help in providing for the needs of their adopted son, Daniel. !Mission Lower Ninth: Thank you for the prayers for and the work of the New Orleans team in rebuilding Miss Kim's house in New Orleans. Her house is complete and she plans to move in before Christmas! !

Bishop Hills New Year’s Eve Party: This elder care community is in need of 8-10 party guests to dine with the residents and help them with a trivia game on December 31 from 4:30-7pm. They also need 15 -20 minutes of entertainment of any type, as well as someone to lead in “Auld Lang Syne”. If you are interested in helping, please contact Ann MacDonald at momzrule@gmail.com or 826-2726. !Serving Opportunity: We need someone with a passion for technology and music to operate the soundboard once a month (both services) starting in January. If interested, please contact Cameron Warne. !Facility Update: The Breton Group reported to the Facility Task Force and the Board of Elders the results of the feasibility study, along with recommendations on December 14th. The task force will be meeting early January to plan the next steps in response to the study. We will report the results of the feasibility study, next steps and a timeline in January, and are planning a Congregational Meeting on Sunday, January 30th. Meanwhile, we have signed purchase agreements for both pieces of property and are working through the due diligence items. If you have any questions, please see one of the Facility Task Force members: Kelly Tuit, Richard Spengler, Jon DenOuden, Don Porritt, Jeff Yonker, Jon Huizenga or Jeanne Maher. !Praise God for the generosity of giving at Thanksgiving ~ totals are:

World Mission $1255 Step of Faith $1285 DeGage Ministries $1690 RCS Endow. Fund $ 400 GEMS & Cadets $ 105 Total $4735

Please email quest ions, comments, and sign-ups to . . . grow@riverrockcommunity.com

Please email quest ions, comments, and sign-ups to . . . serve@riverrockcommunity.com

Men's Basketball: Guys of all ages and skill level are invited to play basketball Wednesday nights at 8pm in the gym. Please bring along a light and dark colored shirt. If you have any questions, contact Wes Brinks at wdbrinks@hotmail.com! !Women’s Bible Study is meeting Thursday nights at church during GEMS and Cadets. The next meeting is January 7 from 6:30 - 8:00pm. Join any time! Contact Sam Huizenga (shuizenga@crcna.org) with questions. !River Rock 101: Interested in learning more about River Rock or starting the process of becoming a member? Join us for our next River Rock 101 class on Sunday, January 3 from 4-7pm. Dinner and childcare are provided with registration. To sign up or for more information, contact Jen DenOuden or stop by the Info Table. !Women’s Book Club: Our next book is The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. We will be meeting on January 9, 10:00am at Panera Bread at Knapp Corners. !

IF Gathering 2016: River Rock is partnering with Bella Vista Church to bring back the IF: Gathering simulcast event on Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6, 2016. The IF:Gathering seeks to gather, equip, and unleash this generation of women to live out God’s calling on their lives. To learn more, visit https://ifgathering.com/localgatherings/ifrockford or contact Jen DenOuden. Watch for more details to come! !River Rock is partnering with 3 other churches to put on a Sports-person’s banquet with a program on Saturday, Feb. 20. It will include a speaker, Tracy Breen, a display of record-holding deer mounts, and a great meal. Men, women and children are invited. Save the date! Questions? talk to Loren Katerberg or Jon Huizenga. !

Community Prayers/Family Matters !Our thoughts and prayers are with the Spengler family, as Richard’s grandfather, Richard A. Spengler, at age 88, passed away on November. 30, 2015. !!