The River Church Community

Hello Everyone!

Hope the end of summer is treating you well.  Mixed for me.  I got pretty sick, but my daughter Anna took her first steps!  Yay Anna!

Tony and Angela are putting the finishing touches on our "Kindness San Jose" event this coming Sunday.  I think we will have a lot of cool stories to share with each other at the picnic.  If you didn't get a chance to sign up, or need more information, contact Tony.

We are also hard at work at polishing up the agenda for the Leadership Community Retreat coming up on September 12-13.  This is a significant gathering for our leadership body, and we are praying that God draws us together in unity.  We are asking all of our leaders to finish reading Bonhoeffer's "Life Together" before the retreat.  Even if you are not a leader, reading "Life Together" would be a good way for you to participate alongside the leadership body us in this season.

I am getting excited about "BudgetWatchers!"  I really think we can be siginificant helps to each other as we try to take control of our finances.  I love hearing what challenges and victories others have experienced in their financial lives.  The shipment of "Personal Finance for Dummies" that I bought for the seminar came in today.  We're rollin'!  See you on September 7 at 8:45am in the Pacheco room.

Kyle had a great meeting with his volunteer team this past Saturday.  He's gathered an awesome team of 10 volunteers to serve in Student Ministries this year.   School-year activities will kick-off with a Student Ministries Parent Meeting on September 7.

Krista-Dawn and Jamie Wolfe have the cool opportunity to attend a songwriting conference at Mount Hermon this week.  You can check it out here.

Announcements from this Past Sunday:


BudgetWatchers starts September 6

• Achieving our budget goals is a lot like trying to lose weight.  It's pretty clear what we need to do, but it's hard to actually do it.  That's where "Budget Watchers" comes in!
•  "Budget Watchers" is an easy, social, fun way for us to help each other meet our financial goals.  We will be gathering once a month on Sunday mornings for four months to share our goals with each other, encourage each other, and hold each other accountable.  In between meeetings, we will have some simple homework to help us stay on track.  It will be a fun way for us to help each other do something that often is not very fun!
•  If you are interested, come to our first meeting on Sunday, September 6 at 8:45am - 9:45am in the Pacheco room at SJSU.  Bagels will be provided, no RSVP is required.
•  Questions?  Dave Kwok at .org/408-252-5500 x104

Welcome Dessert

• If you have recently starting attending The River or are looking for ways to connect deeper into the life of our church, we invite you to a Welcome Dessert hosted by our Lead Pastor, Brad Wong, at his home on August 29th.
• Brad, along with several staff members, will provide a brief history of The River, explain our values as a church, offer ways for you to get involved, and answer any questions you may have. But mostly, we just want to get to know you over some delicious desserts and drinks in a relaxing, friendly environment.
• Please let us know if you can make the event so we can provide you with address and directions. Email Angela Aviles at or call 408.252.5500 x106.

RiverFest and Kindness San Jose

• Today marks our last Sunday afternoon at Westminster!
• Join us next Sunday for an end-of-summer celebration and community outreach event!
• There will be worship, food, and opportunities for us to engage with our neighbors through kindness projects in the downtown area. The fun begins at 10 am for a shortened worship service at The River Ministry Center. Then we will disperse into ten serving teams that will engage different parts of downtown. Afterwards, we will gather at Ryland Park for a picnic lunch and to share stories about our time together loving our neighbors.
• Check out the playing card you received when you walked in for a list of all the serving projects. Please sign-up for the serving project that most interests you after service on Sundays. Sign-up sheets will be outside the Fireside Room or you may contact Tony Traback.