Sometimes it can feel challenging to find a church home - especially one that champions diversity and inclusivity while being fully Jesus-centered.  Unfortunately, there are many people who have felt alienated and even wounded by more traditional forms of church.

We've been there. We get it.  And, we think you’ll find that The River is different from what you may have encountered before. We really believe Jesus is good news for everyone everywhere — no matter your sexual orientation, your ethnicity, your age, your marital status, etc. etc. When you walk through the doors of our church, we want you to feel welcomed, included and excited to discover the wonderful story God has crafted for your life.

​Learn More About Our Pastors

The River champions diversity, because it is a crucial building block of our unity. And that diversity starts with our church pastors. They're committed to helping people of ALL backgrounds grow in connection with Jesus, with others and with the world around us:

SARA FURSTE

​Sara always felt resistant when other people tried to tell her how she should connect with God. Now, as a Pastor, Sara tries to help each person in our community find their own way of responding to and interacting with God.

Sara's Story

CHARLES PARK

Charles shares the biblical principle upon which the River was built, how pastoring has helped him come to terms with his own weaknesses, and how the River encourages faith in the living God rather than religious dogma.

Charles' Story

CAROLINE PARK

Caroline shares about our approach to children's ministry.  Our goal is not to teach kids to behave in certain ways or believe certain things but to help them nurture their own sense of self-discovery about God.

Caroline's Story

JOHN FURSTE

John shares that faith is so much more than  teaching people what to believe or how to behave. Instead, we strive to create opportunities for people to encounter and interact with the living God. ​​

John's Story

Our Pastors Are:

• Pastor Sara Furste: Sara is a pastor in charge of community life at The River. She offers spiritual direction appointments, hosts relationship classes and gives our volunteer leaders the support they need. As a pastor, she believes her goal is to help people in our community respond to and interact with God in their own unique way.
• Pastor Caroline Park: Caroline is a lay pastor of teaching and spiritual formation. She serves in a half-time capacity and helps create our sermon themes for adult services and RiverKids. Her goal is not to teach kids and adults how to behave or what to believe, but rather to help them pursue their own self-discovery of God.
  
• Pastor John Furste: John is a pastor of worship and spiritual development who leads the music teams at The River and oversees Sunday services, communications and leadership development. He loves creating safe space for people to encounter God and enjoy a fulfilling, lifelong relationship with Christ
• Pastor Charles Park: Charles is a teaching pastor at the River.  He loves to look at familiar ideas from fresh angles and then communicate them with passion!  He emigrated to the U.S. from Korea when he was 14 and went on to graduate from Stanford and M.I.T. and enjoys encouraging others to think deeply about their faith in Jesus.
  

Faith Is A Journey - And A Person
​
Each of the four pastors at The River come from very different backgrounds, but we all come together in three areas we believe are important to our church.

1. First, we believe Jesus means inclusivity.   We're focused on the idea of "Solus Jesus" (or "Jesus alone”) — meaning that we believe he came to bring life in all its fullness to EVERYONE, including you!  We think keeping our eyes on Jesus means discovering the true inclusive heart of faith.
   
   
2. Second, The River's pastors also see following Jesus as different than simply "following the Bible.” Have you ever felt a disconnect between what you believe and what you read in the Bible? You're not alone! Many of us grapple with how to interpret important Biblical texts without demeaning the lives and faith of women, sexual minorities and others who have been traditionally marginalized in churches. Instead, we focus on following Jesus and His love for ALL people on this Earth.
   
   
3. Finally, we believe we’re all on a journey together to find God. We pastors don’t pretend to “have it all figured out” and we truly believe we can all learn from each other.  We hope you'll stop by for a visit, grab a cup of coffee & a bagel, and discover the joy of pursuing “life in all its fullness” together.

Visit Our Church Today

If you want to learn more about our church community, stop in for a service on Sunday or come meet our pastors today!