Hello again, Riverlawn family!

As we enter Holy Week, we want to share with you a few invites!

For Good Friday, April 10, you are invited to a “Call” to Worship service at 7:30 PM being organized by Highlawn Presby. and St. Andrew Presby.  This will be a worship by teleconference, including prayer, communal confession, and the reading of the Scriptures we typically read at our Tenebrae service – the shadows surrounding Christ and the cross.  Be looking for a follow-up email which will include an attached order of service (so you can join in the communal prayers, etc.) which will also include the phone number and access code for you to use.  Please plan to call a few minutes before the start of the service to ensure connection.

For Easter Sunday, April 12, we invite everyone to put flowers on your doors first thing in the morning, perhaps adding a poster or paper that says "He is Risen!"  We will also extend this invite to our community churches to share with their members (and beyond!), so that we can together proclaim our joy, faith, and hope in Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life!

At 10:30 AM, you will be able to access our Easter message via our Facebook page, website, or through the link we will also send by email.

Then, at 11:15 AM, you are invited to join us as we celebrate Communion together from our own homes!  If you are on Facebook, a Facebook Livevideo will be streaming from the Riverlawn Facebook page.  You will also be able to access a recorded video on the website, or through a link sent by email (this will likely be posted about 10-15 minutes after the live video).

In preparation for celebrating Communion together on Easter morning, we ask that you prepare in advance what you will be eating and drinking.  If you will be picking up groceries between now and Easter, we encourage you to buy some bread and red grape juice.  If you do not have this and won’t have the opportunity to obtain it, we still encourage you to participate and to partake of food and drink, remembering the sacrifice of our Savior, knowing that the Spirit of Christ is with us and makes us one, as we rejoice over His grace given to us!

We hope you will join us, and we hope you will invite others as well, as we one again journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb, in awe of the sacrifice and the victory of Christ Jesus our Savior!

Pastor Chris

Sunday Morning Online Worship

Sunday, April 5th. at 10:30 am.

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Worship includes music.

Below are this week's worship music.

Just click on the title to hear the music.

Palm Sunday Cantata 2020

Other worship selections:

Jesus Paid It All sung by Newsboys

The Wonderful Cross – Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman

Above All by Lenny LeBlanc

At the Cross by Chris Tomlin

Man of Sorrows – Hillsong

The Old Rugged Cross sung by Bart Millard from Mercy Me

All Glory Laud and Honor

Hosanna, Loud Hosanna sung by the Park Central congregation

Hosanna - Hillsong

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A WORD FROM OUR PASTOR

Dear Riverlawn family and friends,

As you may have guessed, our worship together in upcoming weeks will be online (we will also inform you when we resume our gatherings in person).  You will be able to access the Sunday morning video at our regular time of worship, 10:30 a.m. (also available to view anytime afterwards).  It will be available on our Riverlawn Church Facebook page, as well as on YouTube, which will also be accessible through our website www.RiverlawnChurch.org.  

Along with the Sunday video, there will be links to songs of worship, and we invite all of our members to use this time to draw near to God – may we lift our hearts to Him in song!  If you tune in via Facebook, you are also welcome to lift up prayers in the comments for our leaders, medical officials and care professionals, others assisting at this time, or anyone who may be in need.

Let us encourage you in the coming days to do the following: 

• Join us for worship on Sunday morning at 10:30. This will give us a chance to, in the midst of physical distancing, to uniquely gather in spirit. 

• Allow yourself more time to read and reflect on Scripture. Stay active and engaged with personal and family devotions.  Utilize online Bible studies.

• Take advantage of this slower pace of life to simply be with Jesus. Take prayer walks.  Pray for our world, our nation, and our state.  Pray for our community, pray for the body of Christ, pray for one another.

• Seek out ways to love your neighbors in the midst of this crisis. Call and check in on others, especially those who might be particularly isolated. If you know of specific needs, please share that with us! 

• Please continue to give faithfully.  Your tithes and offerings can be mailed to the church office address or made electronically through your bank (help with this can be found on the website). 

• Above all, let us continue to trust in Jesus, who is Lord of all. Let us trust that he is sovereign - let his light shine in the midst of darkness!

Not meeting physically is a difficult change, but we are asking the Lord to grow the body of Christ during this time.  These are unique days to offer a distinctive witness as those who have a Living Hope!  In our time of need, may this world turn to, and trust in, our Sovereign Savior.   

Pastor Chris