A Note From Pastor Gail Mitchell

As you saw on Sunday, the big things have been done on the upgrade to the sanctuary and foyer.  We have started to work on the details now.  We hope to do most of the finish work with volunteers.  Watch for announcements over the next few months.  We are starting to work on the trim along the base of the walls.  We got a much better bid on replacing the windows in the Sanctuary, so we had that done.  We had a cracked window in the foyer, which we had fixed.  We now have storm windows in the west wing, to help seal out the weather.  We'll start putting the library back together next week also. 

Sonya Oliphant is developing a ministry in cooperation with Choices medical clinic.  She is teaching unwed mothers how to care for themselves and their babies.  Many baby clothes and diapers have been donated.  They have a class in the west wing every Wednesday morning.  I saw Jen Kruse Putting up some shelves/coat racks for the baby clothes.  

Darlene got a bonus from the scout food drive.  We got perhaps twice as much as usual.  I saw one box that had 50 cans of tuna and another full of fruit and another containing stew and chili, and lots more.  The shelves are full, but there are some items, such as frozen meats, where the cupboard is bare.  We will probably need to add more shelves to store the food and to accommodate the neighborhood families who come to us for help.  

We are going to try the coffee and goodies in the hallway for a few weeks, and see if it works out to help protect the new carpet.  There are a few other things we can try.  Some people have said that the foyer looks so nice now, that maybe we should keep to coffee and the bulletin boards out, and preserve the more open look.  Those are things yet to be discussed and decided.  

The policies and procedures passed by a very wide margin.  You will probably see little change in daily operations of the church.  

We are now gearing up for Operation Christmas Child and Thanksgiving Day.  These will again be huge events in the life of the congregation and the community.

More News

Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday November 1

Remember to set your clocks BACK one hour this Saturday night before you go to sleep! You get an extra hour to sleep in before coming to church. If you forget and get here early, you can help make the coffee....now that's not so bad.

Converge Thanksgiving Service
Sunday, November 15th at 10:30 am*

We will be joining with Genesis Church as we celebrate the Thanksgiving season together through worship and baptism. Classes will be at 9:00 am on the 15th and the service will be at 10:30 am. We will also be having a baptism service if you want to participate. Let us know!

Operation Christmas Child
Collection Week November 16-23rd

Operation Christmas Child will be sending over 8 million shoeboxes
around the world this year to children who need Jesus! Our goal at The River is to collect 1500 as the Relay Center for the greater Iowa City area.
Want to be a part? Here's how:

Fill a shoebox with items you think a boy or girl would like or need.
Please purchase quality items you would buy your own child. Go to the website www.samaritanspurse.org to find out how to pack your box and see OCC videos or pick up a brochure next week in the foyer.  If you donate for the shipping online, you will find out where your box ends up! Collection dates this year are November 16-23. Please bring your boxes during the first part of that week as we will be shipping out the 23rd early in the morning. If you can help out on Saturday the 23rd, let us know, we need help packing the truck and receiving boxes as we deliver to Cedar Rapids. Also, if you know anyone with a truck they would donate to the cause, let us know!

Also, KNWS's 101.9 morning show with Brent and Julia will be here on Thursday, November 19th from 6:00 - 9:00 am! Bring your box in then and meet them!

Leaders in several countries are saying the fields are ripe for harvest, please send us more boxes! After receiving the gospel story along with their shoeboxes, children have the opportunity to be part
of "The Greatest Journey" discipleship program where they receive a certificate and new bible when they are done. Please pray for all involved and for unreached people to hear and receive the "good news."

One more shoebox to reach one more child... for Jesus.

God at Work

Bill Bright Training Center

Take a minute to listen to Jerry Sheveland, President of Converge Worldwide (formerly General Baptist Conference) talk about the new center opening in Orlando Fl. This center will serve many purposes including training others to see movements of reproduction of transformed people.