About Rivers United Church

We exist to Connect with God, Connect with Others and Connect Others with God.

We are your neighbors. We are people who care more about relationships than religion. We are people who care more about being the church our world needs than having church be what we want. We are people who will mess up and make mistakes. We are a church that accepts everyone as they are and loves everyone enough to not let you stay there.

Here are some resources for you to get to know just a bit about us.

Statement of Faith (Our Beliefs)
The following constitute the various statements of closely held beliefs of RIVERS UNITED CHURCH. These are shared from Article 3 of the Bylaws governing Rivers United Church.

 

HOLY BIBLE: The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant (2Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).

 

TRINITY: There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35;  Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11). 

 

JESUS CHRIST: Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He intercedes between God the Father and the saints on Earth, and will return again in power and glory (John 1:1,14, 20:28; 1Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1Timothy 2:5, Romans 8:34).

 

VIRGIN BIRTH: Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb; therefore, He is the Son of God (Matthew 1:18, 23-25; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35).

 

REDEMPTION: Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen.1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).

 

SALVATION: We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22).

   

REPENTANCE: Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, so that we may receive His redemption and to be refreshed by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:21, 3:19; 1 John 1:9).

 

SANCTIFICATION: Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11).

 

JESUS’ BLOOD: The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29).

 

JESUS CHRIST INDWELLS ALL BELIEVERS: Christians are people who have accepted the invitation given by the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead (John 1:12, 14:17, 23, 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelations 3:20).

 

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT: Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth (Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6).

 

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 2 Timothy 1:6-7, 4:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10).

 

THE CHURCH: The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’ great commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23).

 

TWO SACRAMENTS:

 

Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38). 

 

The Lord’s Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48; 1Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25).

 

HEALING OF THE SICK: Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus’ work on the Cross, and one of the gifts of the Spirit (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29). 

 

GOD’S WILL FOR PROVISION: It is the Father’s will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God’s will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to better serve others.

  1. Spiritual (John 3:3-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10).
  2. Mental and Emotional (2 Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3). 
  3. Physical (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24).
  4. Financial (Joshua 1:8; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy  28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19).

RESURRECTION: Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation (Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21).

 

HEAVEN: Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4).

 

HELL: After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8).

 

SECOND COMING: Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matthew 24:30,  26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7).

 

STATEMENT OF MARRIAGE. We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant, a sacred bond between one man and one woman instituted by and publicly entered into before God (“Biblical Definition of Marriage”). Because of the longstanding importance of the Biblical Definition of Marriage to humans and their relationships and communities, and, most importantly, the fact that God has ordained that marriage be between one man and one woman, as clearly conveyed in God’s inerrant Scriptures, including for example in Matthew 19:4-6 where in speaking about marriage Jesus referred to the fact that “he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,” the Church hereby creates this policy, which shall be known as the “Marriage Policy.”

Our Story

In short, our history has five beginnings.

Beginning 1 – In the late 1800’s Mount Carmel began what would be become a long and celebrated history.

Beginning 2 – In September 2010 New Branch Community Church began its journey.

Beginning 3 – In January 2016 Coastal City Church began its journey.

Beginning 4 – On December 11, 2016, Mount Carmel Christian Church voted to adopt the by-laws of Coastal City Church and merged into a new church.

Beginning 5 –In December 2019, the board of directors of New Branch Community Church and of Coastal City Church adopted resolutions to merge into a new church together. And on March 1, 2020; these two churches began meeting as one new church known as Rivers United Church. We merged because we can do more for our community together than separately.

Our 7 Core Values

Say Yes to Jesus

We realize people need to be guided from saying yes to learning more about Jesus to saying yes to following Him daily, being water baptized, and being filled regularly with the Holy Spirit. 

What did your yes sound like today?

Community

There is power in full grace and truth, which is best experienced in authentic community groups.

Who has your complete trust and can speak truths that you may not want to hear?

Pray First, Pray Through

We believe our greatest opportunities are always found on the other side of prayer. We pray first to receive direction, and we pray through to receive instruction.

What do you need to pray about today?

Invest and Invite

We give up the things we love for the things we love even more. We believe it is more blessed to give than to receive. Therefore, we give of our time, talent, treasure, and table strategically to invest in the lives of others and invite them to say yes to Jesus.

What are you investing for the cause of Jesus?

Gather and Equip

We find freedom and purpose as part of the body of believers, aka the local church.

How do you learn to listen for God’s voice, and what steps do you take to obey when He speaks?

Biblical Authority

We believe the Bible is God’s Word and is without flaw. Therefore, it is our ultimate standard.

To what extent are you regularly exploring and reflecting on His word?

Serve Others

We are called to be spiritual contributors, not spiritual consumers. We believe the church does not exist for us; we are the church and we exist for the world.

How are you leveraging your gifts for God’s purpose?

Say Yes to Jesus

We realize people need to be guided from saying yes to learning more about Jesus to saying yes to following Him daily, being water baptized, and being filled regularly with the Holy Spirit. 

What did your yes sound like today?

Gather and Equip

We find freedom and purpose as part of the body of believers, aka the local church.

How do you learn to listen for God’s voice, and what steps do you take to obey when He speaks?

Community

There is power in full grace and truth, which is best experienced in authentic community groups.

Who has your complete trust and can speak truths that you may not want to hear?

Biblical Authority

We believe the Bible is God’s Word and is without flaw. Therefore, it is our ultimate standard.

To what extent are you regularly exploring and reflecting on His word?

Pray First, Pray Through

We believe our greatest opportunities are always found on the other side of prayer. We pray first to receive direction, and we pray through to receive instruction.

What do you need to pray about today?

Serve Others

We are called to be spiritual contributors, not spiritual consumers. We believe the church does not exist for us; we are the church and we exist for the world.

How are you leveraging your gifts for God’s purpose?

Invest and Invite

We give up the things we love for the things we love even more. We believe it is more blessed to give than to receive. Therefore we give of our time, talent, treasure, and table strategically to invest in the lives of others and invite them to say yes to Jesus.

What are you investing for the cause of Jesus?