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Vision
To be a family of believers called to reach unsaved, unchurched, uncommitted and untaught people with relevant and powerful ministry. To nurture new believers into a strong and mature walk with Christ. To provide a place of dynamic and progressive praise and worship, practical and powerful preaching and teaching. To be a people who are highly relational through small group ministry. A ministry that impacts the lives of youth, teenagers, adults, and the community with the power of God.
In five years, the River of Life Church will be a fellowship of believers of many cultures of families. It will have established effective leadership, deacons, elders and ministries. It will be a church of excellence in reaching the lost and caring for people through small groups. The River of Life Church will have progressive and dynamic worship that will attract those hungry for the presence of God. It will be a church that will touch the community with acts of kindness and support. The church will have developed leaders that can be raised up to be a church planter.
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Mission
River of Life Church is a family of believers whose mission is to touch believers and sinners with the Life of God through the Word, Worship and our Witness.
"Let there be real harmony among you so there won't be any split in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind; united in thought and purpose." I Corinthians 1:10
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History
In the summer of 2000, the Lord began talking to Evangelist Charles Whitaker about starting a church. For more than 18 years, he had spent much of his time ministering to the lost in the streets of Washington, D.C. When attending George Washington University, he started a bible study and an evangelistic ministry called the Disciples of the Great Commission. This became the development ministry for his evangelistic calling. He and his wife Cheryl worked as partners along with other college students to hold crusades and to do neighborhood evangelism ministry in high crime and drug areas across the city. In 1991, after working at IBM as a manager, Evangelist Charles went on full-time staff at Evangel Church as the Minister of Evangelism and Church Growth. As an Elder on staff under the leadership of Bishop Don Meares, Evangelist Charles was responsible for evangelism, church growth, leadership development and community outreach. In August of 1999, he was sent out by Evangel Church to pursue full-time evangelism ministry and provide church growth consultation to other churches.
Many pastors, leaders and believers were encouraging Evangelist Charles to start a church. As the Lord began to tug on his heart, he opened up his heart and heard the Lord speak to him about starting a church and to build a model of what he had been teaching others. Not knowing what the Lord had said to him, his wife, Cheryl, said that she felt the Lord could use them to start a church and to do what they had been teaching others to do. While traveling to New York, a pastor told his testimony about wanting to evangelize New York and a friend told him that he needed to start a church and then go and tell others how to do. That was a confirmation to Evangelist Charles.
Pastor John Jenkins introduced Pastor Whitaker to Dan Peterson of the Mideast Baptist Conference who explained their church planting organization process. Upon the successful completion of the assessment process, Evangelist Charles and Cheryl started the River of Life Church on Sunday, January 28, 2001. This church plant started with 23 core people under the coaching and covering of Pastor John Jenkins. Now there are more than 100 people in attendance weekly.
Without a shadow of doubt, River of Life Church is mandated by the Lord to reach the lost and nurture the believer into a mature walk with Christ.
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