Please mark your calendar for this very important get-together for all members. We'll bring in lunch and talk about the coming year and some significant developments that you'll want to know.

Kids will have a movie time in the 2nd Floor Auditorium and childcare will be provided for infants and toddlers. Youth can join the movie time or play downstairs in the Gym. (Please Note: there will not be adult supervision in the Gym.)

Please click here to RSVP on behalf of your kids/youth so we can prepare accordingly. Thank you!

If you're staying in the city this Christmas, join us on December 24 for a special combined service for all ages. We'll celebrate the coming of Jesus with music, treats, and lots of Christmas cheer!

The Elementary School Group and the Youth Group will unveil the projects they have been working on this Advent season! They include paintings, photographs, and written reflections on the theme "God With Us."

If you would like to grab a free Advent Family Time Booklet or purchase a set of Advent Candles, head up to the 13th Floor this Sunday (12/10)! They will be available at the Welcome Counter.

Advent Family Time Booklet

• This year, we’ve created a DIY nativity set. We think that it can be a fun and easy daily activity for the children and a meaningful connection point for families.
• For families with older kids, we've included suggestions for how to create space, to take a breath to remember the season and/or connect with each other.
• Pick up your booklet this Sunday or click here to print a copy at home. 

Advent Candles
Candles are an easy and fun way to mark the season! Advent Candles will be available to purchase on the 13th Floor ($5/set). 

Advent starts this Sunday! Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. It is a time when we get ready to enter into the mystery of Christmas.   

The remarkable mystery of Christmas is that Jesus came as one of us. The mighty God willingly came to us as a vulnerable human baby to love and be with us. It is so counter to our culture that constantly tells us to elevate ourselves and seek power, that we are slow to understand it. We need time to reflect on it and prepare ourselves, so we can really receive Him. And that time of preparation is what Advent is about.

I am particularly excited about this year’s Advent, since everyone at the River—kids, youth and grownups—will spend time reflecting on this truth of “God With Us.” For three Sundays, we will look at different ways that God is with us.  ​