Welcome to The River Church Online!

No matter where you stand in life, it can be difficult to find solid ground. Sometimes, you never even know if there is such a thing as solid ground. Deep inside we might hope that God, if there is a god, is solid; but how would we know if he was?

Our spiritual experience is often tainted by human hands, ah... the church. Often, the church, or people in the church haven't really represented God, like he represented himself. At The River Church, we recognize these realities. Many people would like a spiritual experience of God... and so often 'God's people' have gotten in the way.

It might be different at The River... God accepts people 'as is'... and we do to. That means... come as you are. How you dress any day of the week, is the way you can dress at The River. No need to hide anything, outside or inside. We care because God cares. But, God doesn't want us to stay the way we are, at least not most people. So we say, 'Come as you are... but don't stay that way." Easier said than done, right? Face it, if you're looking for God, you want things to change anyway. So, why not try to do that in an environment that is safe, real, and seeking the same spiritual hope, healing and life that you are. So, even though God accepts us 'as is', we should do our part to go 'all in'. At least as much as we understand of ourselves and as much as we understand of God. That will be good enough for God, and it doesn't really matter if it's good enough for anyone else.

What we have found in 6 years at The River... is that if God accepts us 'as is' and we accept each other 'as is'; and together we go 'all in'... its a potent combination; people find hope, healing, and new life... which leads naturally us to 'act it out' (what we're becoming). See, we believe that we are naturally messed up, have struggles... why pretend? The natural solution to our problems is to help each other clean up our messes... hard to do if you pretend. And once we start making progress, well things start to change. Often, that's because God shows up in the middle of the equation. So... you can feel natural at The River... email, ask questions, browse the site, get a sense of what we're about... show up some Sunday... Maybe The River's not for you... we'd be glad to help you find a place that's more up your alley. Just know this... God loves you unconditionally. He wants you to become more than you know, because God is more than we know. It's just been cool to be connected with Him through a bunch of people like you!

Sunday Worship - 10:30 AM

Come as you are! The River is a friendly church. As one person said, "I've never been to a church where I could wear my t-shirt and jeans, with my tattoo showing, and noone looked at me funny". That's right, you'll fit in if you come as you are.

Once you get here, you can expect a warm welcome, a warm cup of coffee (take it into the auditorium if you like), and the warmth of God's love in worship. Usually, we begin with a time of worship and then a time of prayer and sharing. Halfway into the service, we take an offering, make announcements, and dismiss the children for 'Kingdom Kids' (more on that under 'Kid's Connections'). While the kids are out, adults listen to a message from God's word, practical and transformational. We usually close with a few more songs, during which the kids return from 'Kingdom Kids'.

Lifetree Café is a comfortable place and time for people to gather weekly to explore life and faith. It’s the kind of place where you’d typically meet a friend for food and drink and fun. Where the atmosphere encourages conversations, questions, and personal stories. And the conversations about life somehow lead to a recognition of God’s real presence and his genuine love.

Each week people gather in these cozy venues to explore life and faith. The hour-long Lifetree Café experiences feature real stories of real people, guided conversation, biblical insights, time to build relationships with new and old friends, laughter, fun, and opportunities to serve.

Lifetree Café offers a casual environment, warm hospitality, a safe place for questions and doubts, and an encouraging atmosphere for participants to share their own stories.

Lifetree stories dig into the big and little stuff that shapes our lives. Family. Friends. Fears. Busyness. Balance. Money. Materialism. Health. Heaven. Peace. Purpose. Through the exploration of these stories, Lifetree friends discover that God is active today and looking for a close relationship with them—through all that life has to throw at them.

The River? What? Who? Where?

The River Church came into existence in September, 2005. The goal of 'The River' is to help people connect with God through his son, Jesus. This goal is reflected in our mission statement above. The River Church is down to earth and refreshing to many unfamiliar with "church". Often, guests find that The River is actually fun, uplifting and actually understandable.

We are a growing community of faith, including people from all backgrounds, atheist, agnostic, bhuddist, and Christians too. Regardless of where we are in our spiritual journey, The River is a place where you can feel comfortable just the way you are. None of us are perfect, but together we are finding and growing closer to God as we go through life.

There are a couple ways, to 'jump in' to The River. Each of these opportunities to connect are also highlighted in more detail on the links above...

• Sunday Worship (come for coffee around 10:00 AM)

The River (the church) is located on M-40, north of Allegan -- north of Monroe Rd, south of the River (the Kalamazoo), on the west side of the street. You can contact The River, by calling the church at (269) 673-8593, or contacting Pastor Jon at his office at (269) 686-8885. Or... you can jump over the Staff Connections link, and email any of our pastors... normal guys on a mission...

The River and her members are committed to...

• Gather – to support The River, with my presence, physically, emotionally, and spiritually at worship services to Glorify God.
• Grow – to be a part of a class or group that encourages growth in the Christian Life, and adds to the overall growth of The River.
• Give – to give of time, energy and resources to a ministry that serves others and brings them closer to God.
• Go – to live a life that allows me to share the good news of Jesus with others, thru a lifestyle of word and deed.

Our Core Values are: Passionate Spirituality, Loving Relationships, Inspiring Worship, Empowering Leadership, Gift-Oriented Ministry, Holistic Groups, Need-Oriented Outreach, and Functional Structures.

Kingdom Kids - Sunday during Worship

Kingdom Kids meets during the Bible reading and message during Sunday's worship service. Kingdom Kids is for kids ages 5 through 5th grade. During Kingdom Kids, your child will listen to a Bible story and lesson, told by caring teachers.

Nursery... The River offers a nursery for infants through age 4. The nursery is staffed by certified, qualified, and caring staff. Our children are an important part of God's family. They respected and treated as God's children. If you would rather have your child with you in the service, that is quite alright too. We also offer a 'cry room' which has a view of the auditorium and a live audio feed.

Staff Profiles

Jon Vugteveen, Lead Pastor
I have a passion for helping people who are searching for God; signficance; truth. I wasn't always a pastor... I have been involved in a variety of occupations, and spent a good chunk of my life running away from God, and trying to find my way in life without God. I very nearly ended up making a total mess of my life, until... God got a hold of me... I've been wrestling with him ever since. A lot of pastors are Reverend(s); I like to say, that I'm a bit ir-reverend; not dis-repectful, just different... aren't we all. I am still married... to Lori... 18 years and counting. Lori is a surgical nurse, loves to ski, craft, and design. She is active with the facilities team at The River. My hobbies include aquariums (cichlids) and fishing (game fish). I am also an avid Red Wings fan, and an ashamed Lions fan.