Making our House a Home

It’s been said, “It takes hands to build a house but only hearts can build a home.” As we make our journey to Bethlehem, that’s exactly what we want to do. We want to make our new church house a new church home. One where the light of Jesus shines as we are living for Jesus and loving the Valley and the world together.

Some of you have asked what the current needs are as prepare to move to North St. Here are some ways you can join us to help make our new house a home:

Physical

As projects are completed, we are looking for volunteers in the following areas over the next couple months.

Starting August 10, we will have the lead painter from Carpenter's Hands joining us. We will be looking for people to help with painting.

We will need to clean after the work is completed. We will be looking for people to help with doing a deep clean of the building.

We will unpack what is currently at 81 East North St and stage it for where it will be placed once the renovations are complete.

We need to pack up 795 Roble Road and move all items to 81 East North St.

We will need to set up all spaces at 81 E North St

For each of these needs, we will communicate the times and locations via text. Please ensure you’re subscribed to our text list by texting “connect” to 610-595-9156 to be most up to date on when the needs arise and ways to serve.

Financial

We recognize that moving into our own building brings new financial responsibilities beyond what we experienced while renting. While we are confident that purchasing this space was a wise and faithful investment, we humbly ask for your continued prayers—that generosity from our church family and community would remain strong as we work toward meeting our financial goals. Below are some needs that have risen since the beginning of our campaign.

We have additional costs with the hiring of contractors. We are currently within the budget that has been set. We recognize that we will need to continue to be mindful of budget as we move forward with contractors.

We would like to be able to purchase new chairs. The cost to do so is $25,000.

We have been quoted $5,000 for a security camera system. This is with the goal of continuing to provide safety and security.

While we currently have a fire detection system in place, in the future, we would like to install an updated fire detection system, which will cost $35,000.

The newly installed air conditioning system had significantly improved the efficiency of our building’s climate control. However, to fully optimize our energy use and avoid ongoing maintenance issues, the aging boiler system still needs to be replaced. While the current AC system has helped mitigate some of the inefficiencies, the boiler remains a major concern due to its age and increasing likelihood of costly repairs. Replacing it is the most effective long-term solution, though we do not yet have a confirmed estimate for the total cost.

We envision having more opportunity with the food pantry and would like to ensure we are looking to the future with the resourcing of it.

If you have not yet made a financial commitment to our Foundations for the Valley Campaign or would like to make an additional gift, you can learn more at www.riverbendonline.org/forthevalley. You can email Hunter Price at hunter@riverbendonline.org with any questions you may have. We also have an Amazon wishlist with needed items for the new church building. You can take a look at that HERE.

Spiritual

Most importantly, we ask that you would join us in prayer as we finish up renovations and make our move to Bethlehem. Below are specific requests we would love for you to pray with us about.

Pray that God would give us favor, wisdom, and opportunity as we step into this new community.

We would like to offer full kids ministry programming for both gathering times. Currently, we aren’t able to do that. We are looking for people who are willing to help mentor/disciple the next generation through the Children’s ministry we call Foundations.

We would like to provide a hospitable environment when people walk through the doors on Sunday morning. This begins with those who serve as greeters and set up refreshments as part of our Impressions team. We also want to create meaningful spaces for connection and conversation within our church home. We are looking for people interested in joining the Impressions team, as well as for people who may have a vision for creating welcoming spaces.

Once people are in the gathering space, we want to help them encounter and experience Jesus. This will require people to help with sound and projection. We are looking for those who are willing to learn and be trained to join this vital ministry team.

One of the other teams not yet created is having a team that could help with crosswalking to help people safely cross from the parking lot to the building.

We would love for those who are Spanish speaking in our church to consider serving at the food pantry in our church, as well as with Pastor Wilson Tuero as he seeks to reach the Hispanic Community.

We are so grateful for our Riverbend community and those who have partnered with us over the last couple years as we have launched our Foundations for the Valley Campaign. God has moved in incredible ways and we are confident 81 E North St is where He wants us. We cannot wait to make this our new church home and we look forward to what more God has in store!