Riverkids officially kicked off two Sundays ago (Sept 9) and it's been so fun to reconnect with all the children and volunteers after our summer break.
​The series for the season is called "The Power of Holy Spirit in Ordinary Time".  The goals of the series is to help us explore and experience the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. 

When we talk about the Holy Spirit, we have a tendency to focus on her dramatic displays of power through supernatural gifts and the stories of miracles.  These are great but surely life cannot always be a series of dramatic events!  How can we better access the quiet and constant presence of the Holy Spirit that surrounds us and carries us every day?  How can we become more aware of God's unchanging love for us through good times, bad times and just -- ordinary times?  

For a closer look at what we've been getting up to, do check out our weekly stories on the RiverNYC app,
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions/concerns at amelia@rivernyc.org

The end of the school year, and our summer break, is almost here! To celebrate, the Youth Group will go on an outing DURING the service on Sunday, June 24.

• We will buy some sweet treats, spend some time in the park, and chat about highlights from the year.
• We will return to the high school by 12:00pm.
• Cost: money for a sweet treat

Feel free to contact me with any questions/concerns at alison.noll@rivernyc.org.

Every summer our regular RiverKids/Youth program takes a break to give our volunteers well-deserved time off and our leaders a chance to plan for another year of fun.

For Kids/Youth: We'll be offering childcare for kids/youth through Gr. 10 (no regular programming), with summer volunteers, during the combined 10:30am service.

How YOU can help: Sign up to help with childcare on one or two Sundays in July and August. It's easy! All will be prepared for you—just come ready to engage and have fun with kids/youth.

Use the following link to sign up for a Sunday or two: https://goo.gl/forms/5N4jdj6n3WGP8IA93

If your child is in the 3rd grade or older and interested in getting baptized, they are invited to Baptism Class on Sunday, May 6 during the 2nd Service in the Gym, Basement. The Baptism Ceremony will take place on Sunday, June 3 (time TBD).

We encourage you to talk to your kids about baptism and what they think about it, how they feel about it. Below we listed some information and questions that might be helpful to start the conversation.

Please email caroline@rivernyc.org if you have any questions and/or to let us know that your child will be attending the Baptism Class.

The Great Banquet
At RiverKids/Youth we often explain baptism with a parable where Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a Great Banquet (see below for the text). It is beautiful and full of life. All are welcomed and there is room for everyone as long as they choose to come. Baptism is really about wanting to live in the reality of God's Kingdom: choosing to come to God's table and eat with Him forever. Thus we become part of His family.  

What BAPTISM does and does not mean:

• We are NOT promising God that we will never do anything bad ever again.  
• We ARE promising that we will ask God for help when we make mistakes or things get broken in us or in our lives.  
• You and God ARE promising to be best friends. 
• You are NOT breaking up your friendship with anybody.
• We ARE choosing to trust God to give us life in all its fullness.  

Questions to help you start the conversation: 

• How do you feel about God inviting you to His Great Banquet? Would you like to go? Why (or why not)? 
• God has invited you to eat with Him forever and become a part of His family (this does not mean that you are leaving this family). Is that something you might want to do? Why (why not)?  
• Baptism is one way to say yes to God's invitation to be part of his family. Is that something you might want to do (now or in the future)?
• What do you think it would mean for you to accept God's invitation? What kind of promise would you be making to God?