"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  Matthew 28:18-20

The Great Commission Compels us into our world to share our lives of faith, hearts of love and voices of hope. The Commission calls us to make disciples of all nations. That is why we believe that someone should benefit from us being together each week. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, someone must experience Jesus' influence through our love and message of hope. We do this both home and abroad.

AT HOME

We serve the poor and hurting through our strategic partnerships with Gateway Coalition, Salvation Army and Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center. We serve these agencies through prayer, volunteering and raising resources.

In recent years our hearts have been opened to the growing Hispanic population in Kankakee County.  God led us to partner with Juan 3:16 Iglesia de Dios to help them reach those God has called them to reach. We have joined in outreach, sharing our facility, and mutual encouragement. We continue to seize opportunities to bless this church as we seek ways to reach the Hispanic population with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In 2006; Pastor Derick became convicted that we had no ministry in Pembroke, the poorest community in Illinois, just 20 minutes away. So we began in small ways to share God's love in practical ways. Last Fall we partnered with another ministry to give away 300 book bags full of school supplies. At Christmas, we partnered with two local churches and gave every student of Lorenzo Smith Middle School a shoebox gift. This summer we held a basketball camp called Hoop Heaven for students of Lorenzo Smith at the Bible Witness Camp in Pembroke. Now we are seeking ways to begin mentoring students of Lorenzo Smith.

We thank God for opening our hearts and opportunities to serve our community.

ABROAD

God has called us to pray and resource those whom God has led to countries around the world to spread His good news. We do not desire to just become a financial resource to these missionaries but also hands and feet. Each year we lead one to two short-term mission trips for high school students and adults. This year we sent teams to the Philippines with Wycliffe and Mexico with TIME Ministries. In the last few years the River Valley family has served short-term in Romania, Russia, Czech Republic, China, Philippines and Mexico.

In 2008, we will embark on a church-wide initiative to Africa.

Join us as we join God on His mission to other nations.